I had a few hours to garden today after a lovely friend's hen do. It had rained quite a lot in the last few days so the ground was a bit sticky but there wasn't too much stuck to my shoes.
On the plot, I planted out some Brussel sprouts, calabrese, cabbage and Swiss chard in Bed 7. Before placing each plant in its new home, I sprinkled in some lime and dried blood and bone meal (yuk). Hopefully this will get them off to a good start. Some slug pellets to protect them before covering them with cloches. Fingers crossed that the rabbits don't get a look in.
In Bed 2, I sowed some kohl rabi (Blusta), swede (Invitation) and beetroot (Boltardy). After that, I did a spot of weeding which was easy-peasy with damp soil. A bit of space in Bed 6 was cleared, near the path, for the two cucumber plants.
I replaced the fleece around the climbing beans in Bed 3 with that bright orange stuff to give them a bit more light. One of the bean plants is in flower (gorgeous bright red) though it is not very tall yet. Next door, the broad bean plants are starting to produce beans.
Back home, I had just enough compost to sow the following seeds:
- parsnips (Tender and True)
- broccoli (F1 Claret)
- Florence Fennel (Sirio)
- lettuce (All The Year Round)
- Winter savoury
I resowed some rocket seed in one of the troughs on the patio.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Evicted with force
It has been dry and sunny over the last few days so I thought that my plot might need a watering so I nipped over quickly after work. Things seem to be going ok though the tomatoes could do with a feed. The peas plants are looking good. I think I spotted a couple of small broad bean pods starting to grow. The only thing that was amiss was the 3 globe artichokes engulfed by black fly. This is where the hose came into its own as the little bugs were washed off. So there.
After a couple of days away, I came back yesterday to find that 6 tomato plants I put in the mini-greenhouse had been fried by the heat. Dammit! That'll learn me.
After a couple of days away, I came back yesterday to find that 6 tomato plants I put in the mini-greenhouse had been fried by the heat. Dammit! That'll learn me.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Chokes away
This weekend has been very warm - about 24 degrees. I didn't manage to get to the plot yesterday but had 2 hours there today.
I planted out 16 tomato plants (8 Tigerella and 8 Costoluto Genovese) in Bed 7. I didn't think I'd left any space for tomatoes on my planting plan but luckily, as Bed 7 hasn't had potatoes in it for a while and isn't scheduled to for a year or two, it provides the ideal place. I planted the tomatoes in the half of the bed nearest the path as I emptied some compost onto that half only a few weeks ago. This should provide some decent food for the hungry plants. I spaced them out in a 4x4 grid with bamboo canes for support (see below).
Fingers crossed that they ripen one day and are not attacked by the dreaded blight.
I also planted the last 15 or so pea plants as they were starting to flow over their seed tray. I planted these around the wigwams I erected last weekend to double up around some of the canes.
The biggest globe artichoke plant has got even bigger since I last saw it (see piccies below). It has even grown a couple of satellite chokes around the main one.
Though a couple of other plants are starting to grow chokes, they seem to be pointier and more open (see below).
They don't look right. I'll just have to wait and see what happens.
After giving everything a good watering, I have come home to make strawberry jam and oven-dried tomatoes.
I planted out 16 tomato plants (8 Tigerella and 8 Costoluto Genovese) in Bed 7. I didn't think I'd left any space for tomatoes on my planting plan but luckily, as Bed 7 hasn't had potatoes in it for a while and isn't scheduled to for a year or two, it provides the ideal place. I planted the tomatoes in the half of the bed nearest the path as I emptied some compost onto that half only a few weeks ago. This should provide some decent food for the hungry plants. I spaced them out in a 4x4 grid with bamboo canes for support (see below).
Fingers crossed that they ripen one day and are not attacked by the dreaded blight.
I also planted the last 15 or so pea plants as they were starting to flow over their seed tray. I planted these around the wigwams I erected last weekend to double up around some of the canes.
The biggest globe artichoke plant has got even bigger since I last saw it (see piccies below). It has even grown a couple of satellite chokes around the main one.
Though a couple of other plants are starting to grow chokes, they seem to be pointier and more open (see below).
They don't look right. I'll just have to wait and see what happens.
After giving everything a good watering, I have come home to make strawberry jam and oven-dried tomatoes.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Next in the queue
I got back after a couple of days away and on my return I found the pea seedlings in the lean-to about 4 times taller than they were before. It was time to plant them out. There were also 5 cucurbit plants waiting their turn. I spent 2 pleasant but busy hours over at the plot this evening.
First of all, I raked and weeded most of Bed 6. The soil is pretty good in that bed so the weeding was low effort. I then put in 3 bamboo wigwams and planted out the pea seedlings. I spent a little bit of time wondering what to use to protect them from the birds and rabbits. Suddenly it dawned on me that there was some bright orange plastic stuff what was left in the shed when I took the plot on. It is not pretty but it seemed to be just right with a bit of pegging down and tying up (see below).
I then planted the 5 cucurbits in Bed 9. Before coming home, I got the hose out and gave everything a good watering, including some beans on my neighbour's plot which another allotmenteer pointed out as looking a bit dry. It is lovely that he spotted that and was looking out for them. We have agreed to water each other's plots when we are each on our hols later in the year.
First of all, I raked and weeded most of Bed 6. The soil is pretty good in that bed so the weeding was low effort. I then put in 3 bamboo wigwams and planted out the pea seedlings. I spent a little bit of time wondering what to use to protect them from the birds and rabbits. Suddenly it dawned on me that there was some bright orange plastic stuff what was left in the shed when I took the plot on. It is not pretty but it seemed to be just right with a bit of pegging down and tying up (see below).
I then planted the 5 cucurbits in Bed 9. Before coming home, I got the hose out and gave everything a good watering, including some beans on my neighbour's plot which another allotmenteer pointed out as looking a bit dry. It is lovely that he spotted that and was looking out for them. We have agreed to water each other's plots when we are each on our hols later in the year.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Beating the badger
A fantastic bank holiday weekend weatherwise. Saturday was quite warm and sunny. Sunday was really quite hot (22 degrees which I think it is hot). Today was humid but not quite so warm as Sunday. A bit of spitting too. It was forecast to start raining quite heavily from 1500 onwards but that hasn't materialised yet. A fellow allotmenteer reckoned that, with the humidity, if it started raining we might get some thunderstorms.
On Saturday, I took the piccie below to show the jungle that is Plot 35.
I started by consolidating my compost bins. I had two full ones, though some of the contents could do with a bit more time to rot down, and a wire-bound pile of Autumn leaves. I refilled one of the compost bins with the merged contents and placed it at the bottom of the plot, out of the way. I sat the other one next to it and restarted it with layers of freshly mown grass from home and the leaves. I have since added some kitchen waste and some comfrey (from the huge clump near the shed).
I planted the sweetcorn and Lady Godiva seedlings in Bed 9. I am intent on keeping my sweetcorn safe from The Badger so I put some wire netting around them. I put 3 Lady Godiva squash plants next to the sweetcorn (see piccie below).
Bramble Man came to say hello and we had a look at the globe artichokes. I was very pleased to see that 3 of the plants have little chokes growing in the centre (see piccie below).
Fingers crossed that these continue to develop into a nice big chokes to eat.
On Sunday, I didn't have too much time to spend on the plot but did get an hour in the early afternoon to trim some grass from the paths. I nipped round in the early evening with J and G. I'd bought some new hose attachments earlier in the day but after a little bit of fiddling with the old attachment, G got it working properly again. J helped me with the watering.
Today, I headed over to the plot at about 1330 for about 3 hours. First job was to continue the grass trimming on the paths. Then onto weeding and hoeing. I weeded carefully through the parsnip bed. Most of the stations had little seedlings in them. For those that didn't, I tried transplanting some spare ones from the more crowded stations. I don't think parsnips are known for loving transplantation but they seemed to do ok last year (see piccie below for freshly weeded parsnip bed).
I carried on weeding and hoeing round Beds 1, 2 and 4 before taking a photo of the plot.
I think it looks much better, though there is still room for significant improvement...
On Saturday, I took the piccie below to show the jungle that is Plot 35.
I started by consolidating my compost bins. I had two full ones, though some of the contents could do with a bit more time to rot down, and a wire-bound pile of Autumn leaves. I refilled one of the compost bins with the merged contents and placed it at the bottom of the plot, out of the way. I sat the other one next to it and restarted it with layers of freshly mown grass from home and the leaves. I have since added some kitchen waste and some comfrey (from the huge clump near the shed).
I planted the sweetcorn and Lady Godiva seedlings in Bed 9. I am intent on keeping my sweetcorn safe from The Badger so I put some wire netting around them. I put 3 Lady Godiva squash plants next to the sweetcorn (see piccie below).
Bramble Man came to say hello and we had a look at the globe artichokes. I was very pleased to see that 3 of the plants have little chokes growing in the centre (see piccie below).
Fingers crossed that these continue to develop into a nice big chokes to eat.
On Sunday, I didn't have too much time to spend on the plot but did get an hour in the early afternoon to trim some grass from the paths. I nipped round in the early evening with J and G. I'd bought some new hose attachments earlier in the day but after a little bit of fiddling with the old attachment, G got it working properly again. J helped me with the watering.
Today, I headed over to the plot at about 1330 for about 3 hours. First job was to continue the grass trimming on the paths. Then onto weeding and hoeing. I weeded carefully through the parsnip bed. Most of the stations had little seedlings in them. For those that didn't, I tried transplanting some spare ones from the more crowded stations. I don't think parsnips are known for loving transplantation but they seemed to do ok last year (see piccie below for freshly weeded parsnip bed).
I carried on weeding and hoeing round Beds 1, 2 and 4 before taking a photo of the plot.
I think it looks much better, though there is still room for significant improvement...
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Have wellies...will travel...
Nipped over to the plot in my wellies for an hour this evening. Showers all day gave way to reasonable sunshine at about 1700 so after a couple of hours watching the clouds with some suspicion, I headed over.
I hand-weeded round the garlic and onions in Bed 5 before moving onto the beetroot. Lots of what I think is chickweed around, crowding the beetroot. I sprinkled some organic pellets near the marigolds and beetroot. Finally, I took a moment to enjoy the site of bees nipping in and out of the comfrey and broad bean flowers.
The nettle tea that has been brewing down the end of the plot now pongs to high heaven which, I guess, is the idea. I'll bottle some of that up at the weekend.
I went home with some radishes which I really need to use up and there are plenty more where that came from. Any ideas for using them up would be gratefully received...pickled radish anyone?
I hand-weeded round the garlic and onions in Bed 5 before moving onto the beetroot. Lots of what I think is chickweed around, crowding the beetroot. I sprinkled some organic pellets near the marigolds and beetroot. Finally, I took a moment to enjoy the site of bees nipping in and out of the comfrey and broad bean flowers.
The nettle tea that has been brewing down the end of the plot now pongs to high heaven which, I guess, is the idea. I'll bottle some of that up at the weekend.
I went home with some radishes which I really need to use up and there are plenty more where that came from. Any ideas for using them up would be gratefully received...pickled radish anyone?
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Off-plot weeding
This weekend was one for cooking and lunching with lovely friends as well as wardrobe weeding (decluttering to fill up some charity bags), which was just as well given the weather. Yesterday alternated between sunshine and heavy rain with occasional hail. It rained pretty much all day today so I didn't go over to the plot until 1700.
I raked around the broad beans and staked one of the plants up as it was bent right over. There are now three nice marigolds flowering among them.
I did some hand-weeding around the 5-6 of Spring Onions in Bed 2 that have managed to come up (not sure whether the others that were sown went). Some of the parsnip seedlings have formed true leaves so things are looking good there.
After about an hour, the wind picked up and the sky went grey so I came home. I put the sweetcorn seedlings in the coldframe to harden off before planting next weekend. There are signs of germination upstairs on the windowsill where the cucurbits are. No signs of anything happening with the mushrooms but it is probably a bit too soon.
Next weekend, I must restart the compost heap with grass cuttings, brown leaves, comfrey cuttings and soaked nettles. And plant out the sweetcorn and some of the cucurbits.
I raked around the broad beans and staked one of the plants up as it was bent right over. There are now three nice marigolds flowering among them.
I did some hand-weeding around the 5-6 of Spring Onions in Bed 2 that have managed to come up (not sure whether the others that were sown went). Some of the parsnip seedlings have formed true leaves so things are looking good there.
After about an hour, the wind picked up and the sky went grey so I came home. I put the sweetcorn seedlings in the coldframe to harden off before planting next weekend. There are signs of germination upstairs on the windowsill where the cucurbits are. No signs of anything happening with the mushrooms but it is probably a bit too soon.
Next weekend, I must restart the compost heap with grass cuttings, brown leaves, comfrey cuttings and soaked nettles. And plant out the sweetcorn and some of the cucurbits.
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