I was a bit out of sorts on Saturday. I think it something to do with going back to work. I picked up the poo trailer and went to the lottie. It has been bright blue skys for weeks but this morning it was grey. Would it rain? It has been forecast but we had not seen any yet. I decided that I would empty the contents of the poo bin onto the pea bed. It took seventeen wheelbarrow loads to cover the remaining Pea bed and that just left a foot or so of well rotted manure in the bottom of the bin. It should have been a relatively easy task but about half an hour in it started to spit. Slowly but surely the rain became heavier. I toughed it out and the rain abated about ten wheelbarrows into the job. I should say at his point that I had only gone to lottie to drop the poo trailer but got carried away. All I had was the clothes I stood up in, my shovel and boots. No hat, no waterproofs and no brew.
Feeling distinctly damp I carried on the with barrowing. The rain came on again is if to say "I warned you once". I pressed on and finished the borrowing now all I had to do was empty the trailer into the bin. It is not a tipping trailer, it works by handraulics as Fred Dibnah might say. The muck has to be shovelled. It is not a hard job, it takes a little over ten minutes to do but as the rain got harder the job got more tiresome. Trailer emptied and fixed back on the car and as I cleaned up the pathing slabs the sun came out and rain stopped. Bloody typical.
I stood in the Sun with the steam rising off me as I warmed up. Whilst gently steaming I surveyed the Asparagus plot. I figured at least three of the spears were ripe for harvest. I took my pruning knife out of my pocket and ventured up to the crop. I had been waiting for this moment for over two years. I cut through the stem which was like cutting cheese. It was quite a moment. I had a nibble off the end of one stalk and found it to be crisp and green. Very nice just raw. As my spirit revived I dug up a PSB [Purple Sprouting Broccoli] that had gone over and was to drop it off at Steve's for the chucks. I cropped some more PSB for myself but I think that will probably be the last of this season.
I took the trailer back to it's weekday home and dropped some PSB to A & C, owners of the horses that provide the contents of the trailer. I dropped in at Steve's with the PSB. Steve had a brew on the go so we had a chat about stuff and had a look around the garden. Steve's got algae in his pond so we had a chat about how to get rid of it. I fixed my pond algae problem with a small bag of Barley straw. It has miraculous properties. I do not why it works but it does. Add in some fish, tadpoles and a few snails and you have a effective algae clean up squad.
After that I went home for lunch. Then off to the ironmongers for 'ose, not letter "o"s but water hose. The watering at Mo's is a bit onerous. I got a cheap hose and a fancy hand spray attachment so now it is a quicker job. When I got back I went to Mo's and cut the hose to length and fitted the attachments. All good to go. I set up the canes for the Toms, which are coming on nicely, and planted the Chilli Peppers in their new homes. Their new homes been those plastic water barrels you get on office water coolers. First chop off the pointy end of the barrel, fill with compost, one plant in each barrel, good watering, put the pointy lid back on and stand back. I took the Cabbages and Lettuce trays back up to my house as they are ready for planting out and took some trays from my greenhouse down the to Mo's.
We had a nice dinner with friends on Saturday evening. Casandra, not her real name but whatt H and Miss L have christened her, gave me a bottle of Gin for setting up her potato bags. I think the key is that they have started growing and are showing above the soil. Time to bury them again Casandra.
I did not do much on Sunday just went to Derby with H and Miss L to get Miss L something for her wardrobe.
The step over Apple is full of blossom and looks smashing in the garden. The minaret Apple is in full bloom too. The Raspberries are making a bid for freedom so I best reorganise the stakes, a job I have put off all winter. Then on Monday it rained....and rained.......and rained, stopped for a little while and rained again. Everyone was complaining but I was delighted. Just what the lottie and the hedgerows need.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Guided Tour
Someone asked me for a pictorial update of the lottie, so here it is. Click on the picture to see a larger version.
The utility area and new Rhubard bed are on the left of the path, the Asparagus and Old Rhubard beds are on the right of the path. The Comfrey and Gooseberry beds are just out of shot on the extreme right. The beam against the front of the Asparagus bed was rescued from a skip. It is one of the roof beams from the Queen's Head in Ashby. They skipped it when renovating. I do not know what I will do with it but it was too good to go to landfill.
There are four beds named, in a clockwise direction , from the first bed on the left next to the gate, A, B, C and D. You can just about make out the path edge that divides beds A and B. On the right the Broccoli marks the top edge of Bed D.
I due course we should be able to see the Grape Vines on the fence on the left of the shot and at the back. At the back of the shot is the bench. I hope to have a old scented rose rambling round later this year.
If you enjoyed the tour please show your appreciation to the guide in the usual manner . Thankee kindly guv.
The utility area and new Rhubard bed are on the left of the path, the Asparagus and Old Rhubard beds are on the right of the path. The Comfrey and Gooseberry beds are just out of shot on the extreme right. The beam against the front of the Asparagus bed was rescued from a skip. It is one of the roof beams from the Queen's Head in Ashby. They skipped it when renovating. I do not know what I will do with it but it was too good to go to landfill. There are four beds named, in a clockwise direction , from the first bed on the left next to the gate, A, B, C and D. You can just about make out the path edge that divides beds A and B. On the right the Broccoli marks the top edge of Bed D.
I due course we should be able to see the Grape Vines on the fence on the left of the shot and at the back. At the back of the shot is the bench. I hope to have a old scented rose rambling round later this year.
If you enjoyed the tour please show your appreciation to the guide in the usual manner . Thankee kindly guv.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Dug, dug and dug
Tuesday was the last day of my holiday so I spent it at the lottie. H and Miss L were at school so I had the day to myself. I had one big job to do. One of the things I sowed at last autumn was Red Clover. I sowed it as a green manure straight after harvesting the early spuds. The idea of green manure is to soak up nutrients and prevent it from being washed out and securing the actual soil from being washed away by the winter rains. When the winter is over the green manure is chopped up and dug in. This releases the nutrients back into the soil and adds structure. Clover is one of those plants that syntheses Nitrogen from the soil onto the roots. So digging it releases the Nitrogen. Leafy plants need Nitrogen which is why I planted it in the bed that will grow this year's cabbage family. The Clover grew well enough up to Christmas and weathered the winter without any help but since the spring it has really took off. The stuff had grown to a height eighteen inches. I never seen Clover so tall and healthy. Despite the lush growth it had to be dug in. I could see that there was some Dock and Thistle however they were very thin and weedy specimens. So I might have found something that can out compete dock.
I tried to dig in the full growth in but there was just too much of it to bury. So I cut down the growth, put it into the barrow and then into the big compost bin. The top growth yielded three very full wheelbarrows of lush green cuttings. Most of the cuttings went in the bin but three large handfuls went in with the worms. I set about digging in the stubble. The roots were so matted that I had to cut a square through the turf before I could lift out a plug of soil, roots and stubble and drop it, upside down, back in the hole from which it came. As I came across a Dock or Thistle I just pulled it out an threw it on the path. It took about two hours to do the area. I was not helped by the hot sun and little breeze. Luckily I has slapped on plenty of sun screen. After a day in the sun I looked as though I have been away on a foreign holiday. I amassed only half a barrow load of dock. On other parts of the lottie the same area might have given up a big barrow full of weeds.
The new barrow of weeds meant starting a new compost bin. I quite like the hardstanding without the bins but needs must. Just moving the bins gave a clue to the speed at which the bins broke down the weeds, they were almost too hot to touch just sitting in the sun.
Digging in the clover was the last act in getting all plot dug over and ready from planting. Next job was to plant four rows of second early potatoes. This time I am trying Estima. I now have ten rows of spuds which take up about half of Bed B. The Aliums in beds D are really going now. Onion family do not mind a bit of dryness. So along with a bit of watering they are coming on well. There is no sign of the peas in Bed C. Whilst I have been off work I have done extra watering on the Peas to see if I can get them growing. Peas do not like too much heat but do like lots of moisture.
I had a little bit of time on my hands so decided to do a little job. Under my manure bin is the end of the allotment land drain. There is shallow gutter that runs along the roadway but there is a small hump that creates a puddle right by my path. In the very wet weather the puddle can be very large. A few weeks ago I bagged a six foot length of six inch twin wall land drain from a skip. I had two of the large flags left over from paving the end of the plot. I dug a tench, a foot deep, from the edge of the bin along the gutter line. The fill from the tench was very stony. When the tench was long enough I dropped in the pipe. I sieved the stony fill and dropped the stones back into the trench, top and around the pipe and the soil onto the Comfrey patch. I fettled the soil level and laid the two flags over the trench. It has extended the paved area but more importantly it has improved the drainage. I threw a bucket of water over the area, as a test and it just disappeared, so job done.
In the picture below [click on it to make it large] you can see the extra flags which cover the drain in the foreground on the left. On the left are the big bins for the manure, compost and worm bins and the green water butt that normally holds the worm juice or Comfey tea. Opposite are the plastic compo bins for mullering the weeds. Next to the Compo bins is the new Rhubarb patch and the mini flower bed.
I tried to dig in the full growth in but there was just too much of it to bury. So I cut down the growth, put it into the barrow and then into the big compost bin. The top growth yielded three very full wheelbarrows of lush green cuttings. Most of the cuttings went in the bin but three large handfuls went in with the worms. I set about digging in the stubble. The roots were so matted that I had to cut a square through the turf before I could lift out a plug of soil, roots and stubble and drop it, upside down, back in the hole from which it came. As I came across a Dock or Thistle I just pulled it out an threw it on the path. It took about two hours to do the area. I was not helped by the hot sun and little breeze. Luckily I has slapped on plenty of sun screen. After a day in the sun I looked as though I have been away on a foreign holiday. I amassed only half a barrow load of dock. On other parts of the lottie the same area might have given up a big barrow full of weeds.
The new barrow of weeds meant starting a new compost bin. I quite like the hardstanding without the bins but needs must. Just moving the bins gave a clue to the speed at which the bins broke down the weeds, they were almost too hot to touch just sitting in the sun.
Digging in the clover was the last act in getting all plot dug over and ready from planting. Next job was to plant four rows of second early potatoes. This time I am trying Estima. I now have ten rows of spuds which take up about half of Bed B. The Aliums in beds D are really going now. Onion family do not mind a bit of dryness. So along with a bit of watering they are coming on well. There is no sign of the peas in Bed C. Whilst I have been off work I have done extra watering on the Peas to see if I can get them growing. Peas do not like too much heat but do like lots of moisture.
I had a little bit of time on my hands so decided to do a little job. Under my manure bin is the end of the allotment land drain. There is shallow gutter that runs along the roadway but there is a small hump that creates a puddle right by my path. In the very wet weather the puddle can be very large. A few weeks ago I bagged a six foot length of six inch twin wall land drain from a skip. I had two of the large flags left over from paving the end of the plot. I dug a tench, a foot deep, from the edge of the bin along the gutter line. The fill from the tench was very stony. When the tench was long enough I dropped in the pipe. I sieved the stony fill and dropped the stones back into the trench, top and around the pipe and the soil onto the Comfrey patch. I fettled the soil level and laid the two flags over the trench. It has extended the paved area but more importantly it has improved the drainage. I threw a bucket of water over the area, as a test and it just disappeared, so job done.
In the picture below [click on it to make it large] you can see the extra flags which cover the drain in the foreground on the left. On the left are the big bins for the manure, compost and worm bins and the green water butt that normally holds the worm juice or Comfey tea. Opposite are the plastic compo bins for mullering the weeds. Next to the Compo bins is the new Rhubarb patch and the mini flower bed.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Pick up day
Today was day for getting things down before we went away for a few days. I planted seeds in the twenty trays I had prepared the previous day. I took some of the trays over to Mo's. Whilst I was there I gave everything a soaking. The Strawberries are really coming on as are the Tomatoes. They have really perked up. The trays in my greenhouse were given a good soaking as were the potato. I figured that if I got everything done before we went away some of the seeds would be up by the time we returned.
I went up to the lottie and did a bit of weeding and watering. There was no fencing this evening which was just as well because I had not packed for the outing.
H had been clearing out Miss L's room and had a huge bag of assorted rubbish. I took the stuff to the tip together with a couple of bags of weeds I had from the lottie.. The tip has been renamed the "recycling centre". There is a sign at the tip that proclaims that 69% of refuse is being recycled which is encouraging.
I went up to the lottie and did a bit of weeding and watering. There was no fencing this evening which was just as well because I had not packed for the outing.
H had been clearing out Miss L's room and had a huge bag of assorted rubbish. I took the stuff to the tip together with a couple of bags of weeds I had from the lottie.. The tip has been renamed the "recycling centre". There is a sign at the tip that proclaims that 69% of refuse is being recycled which is encouraging.
Start of the holiday week.
My holiday started on Good Friday and as is now my custom I planted the first of my seed potatoes. Good Friday is the traditional day to plant spuds because it is the first Bank Holiday that the working man had off to attend to this biggest of tasks. I had covered the bed B with manure during the winter. It has broken down very well so when I dug the spud trenches the soil was in very good condition. Even considering the lack of rain the soil the was still moist. I dropped in five rows with twelves spuds per row. The spuds had been chitting in the shed of a couple of weeks so they were just right for planting. It was hard work but it felt good to get things moving.
The seeds in Mo's greenhouse are coming on. I go over on a Wednesday evening and one day over the weekend to water everything. Leaving a couple days between visits means I see the changes.
Saturday was good cos I had a full day at the lottie. I managed another great chunk of the pea bed but the final corner still alludes me. I planted a couple of rows of Peas and planted out the Broad Beans and Garlic that I had started in pots. I had a good look at the vines. I have decided they are not dead. I gave them a good watering and hopefully that with give them a kick start. Whilst I had the watering can in my hand I gave everything a soaking.
Sunday was the day that I have been putting off since I got the big paving flags. I decided to put the flags at the top of the plot and put the bench on it. The idea is that I can sit in splendid isolation at the far end of the plot supping my brew. I hoe'd off the weeds then set about shifting the flags from end of the plot to the other. It took ages as they were really heavy. I got there in the end. When they were stacked up I set about laying them out. Three flags made the top step for the bench then another three flags finished off either side. They did not fit very well but well enough. I had the knock the corner off one flags to make room for one of the vines. I nearly dropped the flag on the vine, which would not be very good for the vine's health. Stu gave me a hand to carry the bench up to the t'other end of the plot. I was knackered by then. By the time I had tidied up the brew was ready which I had whilst sitting on the new bench.
Monday was sent aside for Sue and Jim who were coming for Sunday dinner. Between breakfast and Sue/Jim coming I filled up as many pots and trays as the bag of compost would do. As usual Sue and Jim arrived I was still mucking about in the greenhouse. I had a quick shower and changed into clean clothes. H prepared a lovely meal, a nice leg of lamb from the butchers in Swad and some of the Broccoli from the lottie. We had a very nice day.
The seeds in Mo's greenhouse are coming on. I go over on a Wednesday evening and one day over the weekend to water everything. Leaving a couple days between visits means I see the changes.
Saturday was good cos I had a full day at the lottie. I managed another great chunk of the pea bed but the final corner still alludes me. I planted a couple of rows of Peas and planted out the Broad Beans and Garlic that I had started in pots. I had a good look at the vines. I have decided they are not dead. I gave them a good watering and hopefully that with give them a kick start. Whilst I had the watering can in my hand I gave everything a soaking.
Sunday was the day that I have been putting off since I got the big paving flags. I decided to put the flags at the top of the plot and put the bench on it. The idea is that I can sit in splendid isolation at the far end of the plot supping my brew. I hoe'd off the weeds then set about shifting the flags from end of the plot to the other. It took ages as they were really heavy. I got there in the end. When they were stacked up I set about laying them out. Three flags made the top step for the bench then another three flags finished off either side. They did not fit very well but well enough. I had the knock the corner off one flags to make room for one of the vines. I nearly dropped the flag on the vine, which would not be very good for the vine's health. Stu gave me a hand to carry the bench up to the t'other end of the plot. I was knackered by then. By the time I had tidied up the brew was ready which I had whilst sitting on the new bench.
Monday was sent aside for Sue and Jim who were coming for Sunday dinner. Between breakfast and Sue/Jim coming I filled up as many pots and trays as the bag of compost would do. As usual Sue and Jim arrived I was still mucking about in the greenhouse. I had a quick shower and changed into clean clothes. H prepared a lovely meal, a nice leg of lamb from the butchers in Swad and some of the Broccoli from the lottie. We had a very nice day.
Monday, April 06, 2009
The dry weather contines
The Pea bed is bugging me now. The nearer the end of the bed I get the harder the work becomes. It is mostly because there has been an invasion of Couch Grass from my neighbours plot. Couch Grass or as it is known locally "twitch", probably from the twitch you get when you see another bit after digging it out for hours, is highly invasive. It spreads by it roots which are so strong they can spear through the hardest clay. That gives rise to its other name "spear grass". Twitch, although strong, snaps in a moment and can spawn another plant from the tiniest bit of root. It can also travel deep down in the soil. I found spreading roots over a spit deep in the soil. It means you have to dig down quite far to make sure you have it all. I was not really in the mood for it on Saturday but pressed on for a while. The hat I was wearing has a button on the top which kept catching on the overhead netting and being swiped off my head. That was getting on my wick and I had lots of visitors, so I stopped.
Steve was down. He was fettling the land and his girls were empting the poo trailer with shovels. New Stu came over for a chat. Pete needed a hand to install the last post of his fruit cage. He has had to extend the cage as his minaret fruit trees are getting established and taking off, especially the Cherry. Sue C dropped in and we had a chat about allotmenting. She took up one of the new family beds. Dave & Jack came over for a chat about what is easy and grows fast. I had made a brew by this time. I gave him the usual suspects, Beetroot, Salads Leaves, Radish, Spring Onion, Pea, Onions, Pumpkin, Squashes and Sweet Corn. They already had Broad Beans and cabbage family items on his menu. A pleasant enough chat. Dave and I went back up to his plot to watch Jack not start the mini-rotovator. By the time I had supped my brew Jack had got it going so the fun was over. Dave G came over for a grumble. I did not get much more done. Steve and Pete offered me their remaining Parsnips and Leeks.I harvested some more Sprouting Broccoli and went home.
I had a little time before our friends were due for dinner. I went to Mo's to set out and planted the Tomato plantlets. I bagged some cheap plastic boxes from Somerfields months ago. I set them out in fours. I filled each box half way with Horse muck and topped up with compost. The four best seedling of each variety got a box each and a watering in. They looked a bit insignificant in the huge Greenhouse and big boxes. I have a few over which I just left in the plant pots just to see what they will do. I have four each of Red Alert, Shirley, Big boy and Gardeners Delight. I have two boxes spare which I intend to use for Cucumbers. All the other seedling are coming along and some will need planting out soon.
On Sunday I was determined to get the Pea bed finished but a couple of bottles of Merlot shared between friend, good food and good company late into Saturday night put paid to an early start. When I did get up there Dave G was still grumbling. I had a "word" and it went quiet. I plugged away at the top of the Pea bed. Again slow work. I took a bucket with me and filled it with water into which I chucked the twitch roots. They can not swim and in a month or so will have rotted in the water. I had to stop at two because I got a call from H. Earlier in the week a friend of H was saying she was going spend money on Potato bags for her Patio. She was after growing spuds at home. The Sunday papers are full of such wheezes. I convinced her to by a couple of bags of compost and I would supply the growing bags, seed potatoes and the magic ingredient. It saved her thirty quid. Three o'clock we turned up at their house. I had spare empty compost bags in to which we tipped the magic ingredient, horse muck, and then another six inches of compost. I rolled the bag down like a cuff so the sun could get at the soil. we put three seed spuds in each bag, covered them we compost and watered in. I gave T & C instructions and left them too it. Tony And Casandra have a lovely grassy areas which Casandra is keen to dig up for veg. Tony is less impressed as he gets to do all the work and he is not what you would call a keen gardener. I proposed a small scheme, just a couple of beds, which would give Casandra a small pay back without too much effort for Tony. As the talk was of veg T & C said they had never seen the lottie and would like too so I said why did we not go that instant. We both had time on our hands. So we did. I gave them the full tour. We discussed the rules, state of the soil, rotation, crops. We took a look at the vines which look dead to me. Tony made some complimentary remarks. I gave Casandra my pruning knife and sent her off to collect some Broccoli. I bobbed next door to Pete's and collected a few more leeks. Pete had said I could have all the remaining Leeks. I had Tony dress the Leeks i.e clean them up by removing the outer leaves and roots. T & C went home which handfuls of fresh veg. You never know Tony might get the bug. I have a friend who likes allotment but likes a friend with an allotment better.
When H and I got home we went over to see the new Toms. They had perked up since the previous days. Beryl came out to chat. See was not impressed with my spindly Toms. I said she would see how they buck up now they were in a sunny spot. She was not wholly convinced but the array of burgeoning seed trays made her think I might know what I am doing. The Strawberries are taking off in the greenhouse but I wish I had done more plants. Next year, there is always next year.
Steve was down. He was fettling the land and his girls were empting the poo trailer with shovels. New Stu came over for a chat. Pete needed a hand to install the last post of his fruit cage. He has had to extend the cage as his minaret fruit trees are getting established and taking off, especially the Cherry. Sue C dropped in and we had a chat about allotmenting. She took up one of the new family beds. Dave & Jack came over for a chat about what is easy and grows fast. I had made a brew by this time. I gave him the usual suspects, Beetroot, Salads Leaves, Radish, Spring Onion, Pea, Onions, Pumpkin, Squashes and Sweet Corn. They already had Broad Beans and cabbage family items on his menu. A pleasant enough chat. Dave and I went back up to his plot to watch Jack not start the mini-rotovator. By the time I had supped my brew Jack had got it going so the fun was over. Dave G came over for a grumble. I did not get much more done. Steve and Pete offered me their remaining Parsnips and Leeks.I harvested some more Sprouting Broccoli and went home.
I had a little time before our friends were due for dinner. I went to Mo's to set out and planted the Tomato plantlets. I bagged some cheap plastic boxes from Somerfields months ago. I set them out in fours. I filled each box half way with Horse muck and topped up with compost. The four best seedling of each variety got a box each and a watering in. They looked a bit insignificant in the huge Greenhouse and big boxes. I have a few over which I just left in the plant pots just to see what they will do. I have four each of Red Alert, Shirley, Big boy and Gardeners Delight. I have two boxes spare which I intend to use for Cucumbers. All the other seedling are coming along and some will need planting out soon.
On Sunday I was determined to get the Pea bed finished but a couple of bottles of Merlot shared between friend, good food and good company late into Saturday night put paid to an early start. When I did get up there Dave G was still grumbling. I had a "word" and it went quiet. I plugged away at the top of the Pea bed. Again slow work. I took a bucket with me and filled it with water into which I chucked the twitch roots. They can not swim and in a month or so will have rotted in the water. I had to stop at two because I got a call from H. Earlier in the week a friend of H was saying she was going spend money on Potato bags for her Patio. She was after growing spuds at home. The Sunday papers are full of such wheezes. I convinced her to by a couple of bags of compost and I would supply the growing bags, seed potatoes and the magic ingredient. It saved her thirty quid. Three o'clock we turned up at their house. I had spare empty compost bags in to which we tipped the magic ingredient, horse muck, and then another six inches of compost. I rolled the bag down like a cuff so the sun could get at the soil. we put three seed spuds in each bag, covered them we compost and watered in. I gave T & C instructions and left them too it. Tony And Casandra have a lovely grassy areas which Casandra is keen to dig up for veg. Tony is less impressed as he gets to do all the work and he is not what you would call a keen gardener. I proposed a small scheme, just a couple of beds, which would give Casandra a small pay back without too much effort for Tony. As the talk was of veg T & C said they had never seen the lottie and would like too so I said why did we not go that instant. We both had time on our hands. So we did. I gave them the full tour. We discussed the rules, state of the soil, rotation, crops. We took a look at the vines which look dead to me. Tony made some complimentary remarks. I gave Casandra my pruning knife and sent her off to collect some Broccoli. I bobbed next door to Pete's and collected a few more leeks. Pete had said I could have all the remaining Leeks. I had Tony dress the Leeks i.e clean them up by removing the outer leaves and roots. T & C went home which handfuls of fresh veg. You never know Tony might get the bug. I have a friend who likes allotment but likes a friend with an allotment better.
When H and I got home we went over to see the new Toms. They had perked up since the previous days. Beryl came out to chat. See was not impressed with my spindly Toms. I said she would see how they buck up now they were in a sunny spot. She was not wholly convinced but the array of burgeoning seed trays made her think I might know what I am doing. The Strawberries are taking off in the greenhouse but I wish I had done more plants. Next year, there is always next year.
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