Spring Forward

I checked my seed trays that I had planted last weeks and was chuffed to find that lots of the them had sprouted. I was not so happy to find a small slug in amongst them and a bald patch where it had scoffed the tender shoots. The picked it off and dispatched it. I spread a load of pellets around but the next evening the tray was completely free of seedlings. Not a single one was left.

I was feeling under the whether so did not do much at the lottie on Saturday. I had to get some water based wood preserver as I was to get some new hive components the next day. I got a few paint swatches for H. And we had a chap come to look over a job for us. The price was not a shock but is a lot of money. We also had to got out the meet friends in the evening. That was a nice outing and we went back to theirs for some supper. With the clocks moving forward an hour on Sunday it made it a very late night. That was two in a row.

Sunday morning was a glorious, still a cold wind but with real heat in the Sun. I did the trailer run as usual. I barrowed a couple of loads of manure onto the Comfrey patch. That now looks neat and even under a dressing of muck. The Rhubarb is sprouting like mad. Not of course the one that is in the forcer but the ones exposed to the elements. The Gooseberry is sprouting it leaves and some of the Gladioli bulbs are pushing through. I need to make that flower bed soon.

After the trailer run I had to dodge of to my beekeeping supplier over near Coventry. Has was in good form. Mr H and I chatted whilst H had a look around the farm buildings and the chicken coops. Mr H rents farm buildings for his warehouse. He is usually good value and chucked in the free floor to boot. I confirmed my nuc order so that is something to look forward to. A "nuc" is short for nucleus. He told me a little more about the nuc supplier in Wales. Apparently the bees in the nucs are treated and certified as free of Foul Brood, Varroa and Noseama which is good. We talked of bees, of winter, of his growing business, of his hive supplier, of colony collapse and our hopes of this year. I went home happy with my deal.

Upon getting home I got changed and got the paint brushes and wood preserver out. The breeze was quite warm and sun bright in the back garden as I painted on the preserver. By the time I had finished the last item the first items were dry. I had a brew and by the time I was finished drinking my brew the rest of the items were dry. I stacked them up and took an inventory. I went in the shed and got out the frames and foundation. I made myself comfortable in the living room and proceeded to make up 22 super frames. It take ages to make up the frames but with the radio on and a glass of red wines and got through this tedious job. I popped the made up frames into the supers I had just painted and completed my inventory to include the stuff in the garage and the spares. I made up a list so that I could use up the spare frame parts to complete supers and to give me a number for the brood frames that are needed to fill out the new brood chambers. I need to get a couple the meta-posts and make up the new stilage at the Apiary. It is a short week because Friday is Good Friday and with two fencing competitions and my boss visiting it is a full week. Over the Easter weekend I have a bunch of things to do:
Plant Spuds,
Visit bee supplier,
Paint windows,
Bodge a retainer for the muck bin,
Plant seeds at the lottie,
Go out with H and Miss L,
Visit the Apiary
And worry about April 6th.

I might, if I am lucky, get a few minutes to sit down and "be" as H would put it.

Budgies at the lottie?

It did not rain overnight and I woke up to sun shining through thick mist which made a bit surreal. I was out fairly early to do the trailer run by the time the I was back at the lottie the sun had burned off the mist. Dave P and Haz were at the lottie whilst I emptied the trailer but had left by the time I got back. I had the place to myself for ages. Today objective was to clear Bed1 of all plants and dig it over. I cut down the remaining Brussels Sprouts and after trimming I put them in the back of Degsy. The Sprouting Broccoli was a bit different. Something has been eating them over the winter so despite all my husbandry there is not a sprout to be had. That is disappointing because sprouting broccoli is £2 a tray in the shops. I dug up the plants and having knocked the dirt off the root I put the by the compo bin. Then it was just a matter the turning over the soil. It was quite compacted since the Broccoli has been in for nine months. The good thing about broccoli is that it keeps the weeds down so there was hardly any Dock to be found and what was growing was small. It took a good hour of effort to turn the soil over. I broke up the rough clods of soil with the back of the fork then sweeping the fork back and forth brought the soils surface to a fine tilth.

I had a walk round the other beds and spot weeded. It was mostly Dock. They were small since they were just sprout from broken roots from previously dug Docks. I had a bit of Lime left so a flung it across bed2 having first checked which way the wind was blowing. I have a huge piece of black plastic which had been covering part of Bed1. To dig bed1 I had to move it. Having spread the lime on bed2 I spread out the plastic and weighed it down. I hope the plastic will heat up the soil and give a good start to the brassicas that will be planted out in a few weeks.

I had some spare Shallots and a bagful of red onion sets. I did not mark the Shallot row last week. I knew roughly were the row was. I scuffled the soil with my fingers and found one of the planted Shallots. In a week it had sprouted an inch of root. Having found the previous row I marked up the new row and set about planting the new Shallots. Then I marked rows for the red onion. I put in 30 shallot and 60 red onion.

The final job has been outstanding all winter. The bird netting has taken a beating through the winter. I managed to find some green polythene twine and with it I repaired the broken mesh. It was not all work today. I had a couple of brew thanks to the Trangia. To sup my brew in comfort I got out the folding chair. I set it up on the path my by the lottie gate so that I could have the sun on my back and watch the bird to my front. There were all the usual suspects, tits - blue, great and long tailed along with blackbird, bullfinch, dunnock and pied wagtails. But today there was a newcomer, a yellow and brown speckled bird a bigger than a finch but smaller than a Blackbird. It really stood out in the sunshine for all the world looking like a budgerigar. Steve told me that it was a Yellowhammer. It was pleasant siting in the sunshine sipping my brew and watching the little birds whilst in the fields roundabout where flocks of pigeon and various corvids; crow, rook and magpie over flown by Kestrel and Buzzard. Whilst sitting there a pair of Mallard shot low overhead. The things you see when you have not got your gun!

I chopped up the broccoli that Steve did not take for the chooks and filled the compo bin. I found a couple of plastic bags and filled them with weeds I had dug up this and last week. There was a lot of soil left behind on the slabs so I dropped the soil through the sieve just to get all the broken bit of weed out. The recovered soil went on the Rhubarb bed. Speaking of Rhubarb the Victoria has broken the surface on the muck pile it has been living under. I filled my green bucket with muck and put it the back of Debsy together with all the tools and trundled home happy in a good days work. The whole of the lottie is dug over bar one third of bed4 and I shall deal with that next week.

Vernal Equinox

I woke up early today only to find it had not stopped raining all night. It was only light rain but it soaked the ground. I decided to have a proper breakfast just to use up some time and in the hope the rain would stop. Bacon, egg, black pudding, tea and toast went down very well. The rain eased but I had decided that the lottie would be too wet and the soil sticky. I decided that I would catch up sowing seeds instead. Sowing was overdue. The lottie is pretty clean but what is there to plant out? I have seed potatoes chitting, red onion set, Rhubarb corms growing in the greenhouse and a few pots with hardwood cuttings.

I had all the pots, trays and potting compost ready weeks ago. I filled both deep and shallow trays along with the small pots. The rain was pattering on the glass of the greenhouse, I could hear it over my Ipod. The small pots were the for the Sweet Peas. I sowed all the seeds, assuming they all grow I will have a lots of fragrant old variety Sweet Pea. I planted a couple of trays of Broad beans then Caulis, Greyhound cabbage, Silverskin onion, Golden Bear onion, Jolent Leek, Red Alert Toms then a bunch trays of flowers. I had a garlic bulb that was sprouting so a potted that up too. The new staging holds the trays without any problem. I cleaned out the watering cans then watered all the pots and trays. The greenhouse looks very full. So long as the weather continues warm up and the days are getting longer, I should have things sprouting in a few weeks. Today, interestingly, is the vernal equinox so today will be as long as tonight. The vernal equinox is also the official start of spring.

Since I still had lots of time I threaded the hose under the green house to connect up with the water butt I sorted the other weekend. I still have to get a jubilee clip and sort out the other end. Whilst doing this little job I disturbed an over wintering Frog and Toad. The frog looked very thin however the toad looked well fed. My neighbour still had a few of my growing containers from last year so I collected them and put them in the back garden. I used one to to hold the cuttings I took from my Willow hedge. The others are just parked up pending a use.

I had a chance to do another job in the back garden. I set about digging out a huge straggly shrub from hedge near the house. It took about half an hour. I bundled the cut down shrub and put it all in the back of Degsy. Then off to the tip. The border looks a good deal more open. Now all I have to tackle is the Ivy. One last thing to do was put the trays of early seed spuds in the greenhouse to accelerate the chitting. H gave me a shout to say there was a G&T on the side for me. That was the end to the day. The weather man promised a drier dat tomorrow. Let's hope so.

Muffins for Mum

Miss L made breakfast for H and brought it up to bed for her. I did not even get a brew. Miss L made some Strawberry muffins to go with breakfast and by all accounts they where lovely. We had a nice time together. H wanted to go to Lichfield to see the Cathedral and Darwin's garden. The sun was warm but he wind cold. We wrapped up warm and walked about the town looking at the building. The Cathedral is being restored. The stone masons had set up their workshops so as folks can see them at work. However Sunday is a day of rest. There are finished blocks of stone round the yard. They are really smart, some in red sandstone and some in what looks like Portland stone which is white. H got her sit down down in Erasmus's garden and took in the vista. Click HERE for the Erasmus Darwin House website. We got peckish and found somewhere to get a bite. H wanted to go to a particular garden centre near Lichfield which we did. It is an independent. They had the back of the place set up as different areas as veg plots. They even had a couple of chicken runs set up with few chooks scratching about. H and Miss L cooed or should that be clucked over the chooks. Meanwhile I bought a bag of wild bird seed and a Rhubarb plant. H was given the offer of a Primula in a pot which she took up.

When we got home I had a few little jobs to do. I potted up the Rhubarb, watered it in and set it one side on the shelf in the greenhouse. I had bought a four breeze blocks and a paving slab the previous day. I set up two blocks, one above the other and set the paving slab on top to make a platform. This I set up in the space between the shed and the greenhouse. I put the water butt, which I rescued from the lottie, on the platform and redirected the rainwater downspout from the shed roof into the water butt. To finish it off I put the lid on. The water butt, when full, will feed the Tomatoes in the greenhouse. It only took half an hour but it is another job done and another step along the way.

Some day soon I must start planting seeds in earnest but I have no where warm to put the seed trays.

Transformation

I took pity on Miss L and ran her to work but not before I had done the trailer run. I dropped into Wickes for a coupel and breze blocks and paving slab. When I got home from dropping Miss L off I loaded up the brew box in Degsy and trundled off to the lottie for the day. We have not any rain or snow since the snow thawed. The sun has been out all week, the wind has been keen and has really dried the soil.

I decided that I really needed to empty the old compost bin but where to put it? The compo bin has been brewing since this time last year and is perfect. I have been feeding the compo bin with selected greenage from the lottie and scraps from home. During the week I decided that the contents of the compo bin onto Bed1 which is the roots and onion bed. The root veg must not be manured as it makes the root divide. It makes for hilarious veg but a rubbish eating crop. Feeding the soil should not go amiss adding some welcome body to the soil as well as improving water retention. The bottom end of Bed1 has had the Garlic sown since before Christmas and it now stands six inches tall. I have had a large black plastic sheet covering the middle part of the bed since the autumn. The weeds have been suppressed and those that have grown are quite weak. I rolled back the sheeting and left it on the plot next to the Sprouts further down the bed. I went round with big fork and spot weeded the dock. The rest of the soil was clear of other weeds. With soil clear of weed and the dock struggling to grow in the dry and dark their white stems and yellow leaves stood out against the black of the soil. I filled up the wheelbarrow from the compo bin. Two wheelbarrows worth covered the width of Bed1 and three foot long and two inches deep. I then went over the bed and turned in the compost into the soil. The soil was in perfect condition for digging; enough moisture to hold the soil together but not so much that it did not fall to bits without the lightest of touches with the spade. I turned up the odd potato and dock root. Then off again for another two barrow loads. As I finished each section I ran the back of the fork over the surface which acted as a harrow breaking up the lumps and creating a fine tilth. I kept this up until the compo bin was empty. The result was that two thirds of Bed1 is prepared as a seed bed.

In between barrows of compost and turning it in I manged to have a couple of brews. The wind was very cold. Whilst I was bent down digging the wind was not a problem as the wind netting kept the wing at bay but as soon as I stood up it cut me in two. So whilst I had my brew I sat in Degsy and read my book. It was very relaxing. Towards the end of the compo bin I was getting bored but I pressed on. I had the White Onion and Shallot sets in the back of Degsy and that spurred me onto get finished. I then went on to planting the sets. Two rows of Onion and two rows of Shallots. Shallots keep really well over the winter whereas Red and White onions do not. I was pretty much done once planting was over. I filled up the bird feeders and checked over the the other beds. Bed2 had a few dock showing themselves so I dug them out.

I just have a third of beds 1 and 4 to dig and manure and preparation is complete. I have decided to manure the top end of the Bed1 to take the Leeks which will stand through the coming winter. That sounds strange when we are not quite out of the winter 2010 even if the nights are drawing out. Two weeks time it is Easter and I am planting my early spuds. Whilst standing about taking a breath I saw lots of little birds flitting about. I am seeing Blackbirds and Bullfinches coming into the plot along with the usual species. I hope they remember to continue to visit when the bug population starts to builds up. Something is digging into the manure pile over the Rhubarb and it worries me the next step is the "something" starts eating the budding Rhubarb. I dropped a new barrow load of manure over the Rhubarb corms in the hope of protecting them a little longer. I think the problem is mice so I think some traps are in order.

The work at the lottie over the past three weeks has transformed the plot. I have some time in hand over the weekends up to Easter and hope to have the lottie completely turned over and ready for planting.

A big deal

Sunday dawned bright and clear. I had a nice breakfast of a bacon and egg sandwich with brown sauce and a steaming mug of Tea. I stocked up the brew box and set off the do the trailer run. The trailer run done I went back to the lottie. I got the brush out and gave the patio area a good sweep. It looked better for it. The recent dry weather and sun had dried it out so the smeg of the winter could be removed quite easily.

Dave P and his lad, Harry, turned up. I asked Dave to give me a hand marking out the path on the new allotments. Harrybobs claimed the sledge hammer. Dave put the pegs in the barrow. We walked over to the new area. Dave wandered off in the lottie with Harrybobs in tow, the sledgehammer was getting heavy but to his credit he did not give in. When setting out the plot in the first instance I used some reference points. I was able to sight between them. Dave just had to place a post roughly on line, I sighted across the markers, Dave moved the post to the final position and Harrybobs bashed them in. The last few posts were hard work for Harrybobs but again he did not give in even if it cost Dad a few bruised fingers.

Bed 3 looked so well just with a superficial tidy up and the fact I had bought the seed potatoes, destined for bed 3, I decided that I should build the edging for the bed. The string line was already strung. I dug out the few dock and other weeds in the top portion of the bed and fitted the first two boards. They went in easy enough. However H dropped by so we had a brew and watched the birds as we sat in the hot sun. The wind still had an edge to it so it was sun bathing fully dress and with coats on in the proper English way. Once H had toddled off the last section could be tackled. But first I cut myself a 2m staff, picked up some more pegs, the marker paint and the sledgehammer. I went back up to the new lottie, put the staff against the pegs Harrybobs had planted, put the new peg at the end of the staff and banged it in. I did this each peg. Walking back from the far end of the plot I sprayed the top couple of inches the pegs of each peg. When I looked back from the roadway the path stood out from the undergrowth. It has given the plot some structure.

The bottom section of the bed 3 took a great deal of raking and weeding. The weeding had to be done because the bed needed to be used and because in fitting edge boards the extra soil was to be thrown on the bed. There was no point burying the weeds. The last board was easy enough to fit but required a lot of soil to be moved and that took time. I had just got the last plank in and started using the mattock the level the soil of the new path when Steve shouted over that the kettle was on. I went over with my mug and tea bag. We had a chat as we supped the brew. It was very welcome. After that I roughly levelled the soil and stamped down the soil of the path and made it level as best I could. The further to the middle of the plot I got the sticker became the soil and that was not a good combination for easy work, in fact it was rather heavy work. However I got there with a lot of huffing and puffing. I was left with a ten foot by six foot area that was not weeded. I decided to push on and as the sun started to decline I got it finished. I went back over the plot and using the fork raked the soil to give the seed bed a uniform finish. The sun was dipping and with it the temperature. I got all my belonging into Degsy ready for the trip home.

Today was big deal because the edging was the last of the infrastructure for the plot. I now have four edged beds which gives and path access round all the plot and down the middle. The compo bin area looks smart and I have seed potatoes, Arran Pilot and Rocket, in the shed ready for Easter bank holiday weekend. I might put some in next week. It is still cold but if they are in the ground they can get on the with growing. Steve asked if I was ahead in comparison the other years. I think I am and still have all day Saturday next week too.

New compo bins

What a glorious weekend. Saturday was greyish but Sunday was cold but there real heat in the sun. I dropped Miss L off to work and did my errands nearby. Harlow Bros for timber pegs, Machine Mart for marker paint and Halfords for panel screws and fuses. Ten past nine and I was finished shopping. Then to spin over to Newall to see the potato men. As hoped the seed potatoes had arrived and my order was waiting for me. I got some Shallots and Onion sets. I met a couple of blokes I know and had a chat whilst I waited my turn. As usual I did not have enough cash on me for all the things I wanted but I got the main things. Every time a get he seed potatoes I think I have bought too many. This year I might be right. I made my way home for a brew and put the seed potatoes in trays to chit. At home used the panel screws to make a better job of fitting the fuse box on Degsy. I fitted the missing fuse and filled up the spare fuse holders. I topped up the brew gear and set off for the lottie. Just at the bottom of the road a neighbour is having some work down. There was a smashing pallet on top of the business. Just as went by Bill walked out of his house. I stopped as quick as Degsy would allow, had a quick chat with Bill and the pallet was mine. I squeezed it into Degsy and trundled off to the lottie pleased with my fossicking.

I took up where I left off last week digging the pea trenches. A couple of trenches later the old muck bin was empty. I carried on with the trenches but using the muck from the big muck bin. The muck from the old bin was deep brown, like chocolate cake. The muck from the new bin was not as well rotted and was a little green. By the time the four trenches were finished twenty wheelbarrows of muck had been used up.

The new pallet was begging to be used. I removed the end panel of the end muck bin which was not hard as it was more or less rotted through. The timber of the pallet is very resinous so should last a good while. I trimmed the pallet up, set a couple of bricks into the ground and set the pallet on it. I screwed the new pallet to the back pallet remaking the box for the muck bin. Steve found me a steel post which I banged into the ground and with a few tie wraps made it all secure. I had some thin pieces of wood that were too good to burn. I sawed them to length and nailed them between the pallet staves on the inner face. I made a slot on the front face of the pallet to receive the planks that make up the removable front face of the bin. That was it all done the compo bin area looks neat and tidy.
I went up the bed 3 and raked up the sweet corn stalks that had been lying out since the cobs were harvested. They had started to rot down but would make a good base for the new compost bin. I raked up all the gherkin, squash and pumpkin vines which had also been lying out since harvest and stuffed that all in the new bin too. I got the fork and skimmed off the top six inches off the old compo bin and dropped it in the new bin next door. A friend of H had been saving up the bedding from the Rabbit hutch. I had collected a couple bags earlier in the day. That went in the bin too.

Besides having a brew or two and watching the birds that was the day done.

Highs and oh so lows

Saturday morning had been reserved for Degsy. I had all the parts delivered in the post during the week. It took a full two hours to put on all the bits and make them fit well. I even was able to mount the choke cable in it's proper place on the steering column. Degsy started up without a problem and is running beautifully. It is even using less fuel which is a major result.

The afternoon was brightening up so I went to the lottie since H was out training and Miss L was at work. I decided to one of those jobs that has been hanging round for ages. The soil was too wet to dig and it was perfect time to burn all the rubbish bits of wood I have been collecting. There is no way I am going to use these odds and ends. I made a special effort a few weeks ago to cover them up and them dry. I got the oil drum out, well half an oil drum. It has been used so many times as a brazier it has burned through several times. Wedged up on a couple of bricks it made a useful fireplace. Once the fire got going it was just a job of keeping it fed. In between feeding the fire I cleaned out the big ex-compost bin that holds all the bits and pieces of things that might come in. Today they got their come-uppence, fire or bin. It did not find any home of critters which is just as well. Part of the fire's job was to burn the frames from the hive that died out in the autumn.I dropped the frames one at a time when the fire was at it's hottest. The wax made the flames roar. If only I had remembered my brew gear then sitting watching the fire with a brew and biscuit would have been perfect. I had to be content with doing a job that wanted doing and watching the birds flitting about the feeders I had just refilled.

When I was cleaning out the big bin I found a roll of rubber matting that I have had for years. I think I had it when we lived in Manchester. It way always too good to throw out. Today it came to me what it was. A floor mat for the rear tub of a Land Rover just like the one I bought for Degsy. I emptied the back of Degsy, positioned the mat and trimmed it to size. I was a bit dog-earred round the edges. However I have a nice mat to stop things sliding about in the back. Who says things don't come in if you keep them long enough? Well H mostly.

The fire was dying down and I had burned everything I could so I packed up Degsy. Just as I was leaving a shower hit. The brazier hissed and frizzled as the rain hit it as if complaining about the cold rain on its hot sides. Much the same as me really. I jumped Degsy, out of the rain and trundled home pleased with my day of unashamed blokeiness.

I dropped into see Steve on my way home. Partly to show him that Degsy was capable of going places without a companion to recover him should he breakdown and partly to see the great wall of Norris Hill. It had been said that Steve had used string and a level to make the fence both straight and plumb vertically. I had to see that. After taking flak for the towing of Degsy [I knew there would be a high price to pay for making that call] I was entertained by Steve and his brother putting the finishing touches to Steve's latest adventure into self sufficiency, Quail. They were just finishing up the Quail pen or run when I arrived. They had already lost one Quail over the fence so I was delighted to stand in the way, offer spurious advise and generally take the micky. There was no damping Steve's enthusiasm, even if by this stage, we were wet through from being blokeish in the rain.

I was even home before H and got spruced up for H birthday outing. Miss L, H and I had a lovely meal and it was nice to be altogether. Unfortunately something was a rye. I was awoken in the early hours with a very urgent need to spend some time in the smallest room and that is how I spent the early hours of Sunday morning. Still, on Sunday AM I had an appointment with a double dose of trailer run since I had missed it the week before. That was the longest two hours I have spent for a longtime. Even the air was like treacle. Job done I gratefully turned Degsy homeward and once there fell into bed for the rest of the day and the night.