Last weekend we spent in Manchester with Miss L and her Gran. We went over to Liverpool to look at art. We went to the Walker, Fact and the Tate. H was much taken with all the galleries but Miss L was taken with the Tate. The river Mersey was looking great in the spring sunshine.
I had managed to get my early spuds in over the last few weeks but my main crop spuds, Cara, are chitting like mad so need to go in soon. The plot is looking weedy so it need fixing. I need to plant my peas and beans so I decided to start with clearing bed1. I started with spot weeding the dock and thistle. After that I got on my hands and knees and used my green spade as a hoe. The "hoe" cut a swath through he Red dead nettle and Chickweed. The Chickweed is coming into flower so the chickweed needs to come out. I cleared the plot up to the half way point and the double row of bolted Swedes. I went back to the bottom of bed1 and dug a trench, 12 foot long, 6inches wide and 8inches deep. Into the trench I tipped a wheelbarrow full of manure. I raked in half the soil from the trench back into the trench. I tipped in two watering cans of water into the trench. With the soil well soaked I sprinkled in handfuls of peas and pulled over the remaining soil. Then another two watering cans of water.
I repeated this process another four times. The first trench contains Twinkle peas, the next trench has Petit Pois, the next Witkem Broad Beans, the next Optima Broad Beans. In the final trench I planted out the Deadnought Broad Beans that I had propagated at home. The air was not very warm but the sun was bright and made for very hot working conditions. The last thing I did was to harvest the leeks that managed the over winter. It is suprising what good condition they are in. There is no sign of virus and the shafts are nice and solid.
Today I went back for more of the same. I did the poo run first. I did more of less the same process, spot weeding followed by clearing surface weeds. I cleared the bolted swedes, chopped them up and dropped them into the compo bin. There were a dozen or so Parsnips that had over wintered. Again they were in good order, no canker. It is a pity they did not decide to grow last year. I took out another trench, same as the day before, and planted out the other two trays of Dreadnought Broad Beans. If anything it was hotter today than yesterday. Sweat was dripping off the end of my nose and my clothes were soaking wet. H popped in early in the afternoon with sandwiches and tin of lager. Very nice on a hot day. Once H had left I set the onions. Planting of the onions is well overdue. I gave the area a good soaking. I pulled a few stalks of Rhubarb and trundled home.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Spuds v Chickweed
Saturday went off well. H raised a few quit to go that which she had already raised. The Sharpes Express seed potatoes have been chitting in the greenhouse. I resolved to get up early on Sunday and plant spuds. I even managed this time. I was at the lottie for 9am. It was sunny and pleasantly warm. The gentle freeze was quite cool. The winter had been so long and snowy I was not able to do my usual tidy ups. It has been fairly dry of late so the piles of wood that I made have dried out. I set up the brazier, screwed up the newspaper I had brought with me , broke up the small wood into sticks and set a match to the paper and stood back. The fire took hold and I fed it for the next three hours, in and out of the other jobs.
During the winter I decided to move the black plastic compost bins from the paved area. I tried the empty compo bin in each corner of the plot. The compo bins are different sizes and shapes. The two smaller round black bins ended up in corner by beds 1 and 2. The bigger round black bin went in the corner by bed3. The square green bin will go in the corner by bed4. I put the three black bins in their new position. The plot looks a bit odd with the bins in the corners.
The main job was to plant spuds. This year the spud will go in bed4. I had to weed the line of the spud trench before actual digging the trench. I used my narrow spade to pull out a trench 10inched deep. The spud trench cut across trench for last years beans. The manure that went into the bean trenches was still discernible in the soil. Even the lack of rain in recent times did not have a great effect on the soil. It is in good heart and moist where it counts. With the trench opened I put in half a wheelbarrow of manure from the manure heap I have been minding since last autumn. Then ten seed potatoes spaced evenly long the trench. Next I used a rake to back fill the trench. I did another four trenches with ten spuds in each one. Each time I came up to the muck bin I fed the brazier. When the five rows were done I gave the inbetween rows a good hoeing. The hoeing removed the last vestiges of last year humps and hollows of the bean trenches as well as what few weeds remained.
I managed to squeeze in a few brews with a slice of cake. Each time I sat on my deckchair, in the shade of Degsy, the have my brew and watch the birds. There are quite a few Yellowhammer around this year. Bed2 contains the over wintering onions. Unfortunately they are swamped with Chickweed. I got the three pronged cultivator out of Degsy. I used it to rip up the Chickweed. It was very hard work. A small area gave two full wheelbarrows of chickweed. The weed went in the newly placed compo bins. I think I have only discouraged it. The area is going to need turning over before the main crop onions go in. I did a bit of spot weeding to clear the few bigger Docks and Thistle. It was 1pm by this stage and it was very hot toiling under the sun.
My Savoy cabbages, which had weathered the winter, have bolted. I have left them in until next week. They are about the flower so a week or so of flower will give the bees and bugs will a little nectar. I do not mind a few spring weeds. They fuel the bumble bees.The two Sprouting Broccoli that barely weathered the winter have given a small crop. We had them for tea. The buds on the grape vines are beginning to swell despite the savaging I gave them with the secateurs. The Garlic is going great. I hope they fill out properly. If this works well I shall be planting Garlic in the autumn from now on.
I seem to have swapped weeds. It was Dock, then Thistle, now it is Chickweed. According to Mr Internet Chickweed is edible as a salad. I might have to have a try. I don't think I can eat my way through an allotment's worth of Chickweed. I wonder if anyone would buy chickweed?
During the winter I decided to move the black plastic compost bins from the paved area. I tried the empty compo bin in each corner of the plot. The compo bins are different sizes and shapes. The two smaller round black bins ended up in corner by beds 1 and 2. The bigger round black bin went in the corner by bed3. The square green bin will go in the corner by bed4. I put the three black bins in their new position. The plot looks a bit odd with the bins in the corners.
The main job was to plant spuds. This year the spud will go in bed4. I had to weed the line of the spud trench before actual digging the trench. I used my narrow spade to pull out a trench 10inched deep. The spud trench cut across trench for last years beans. The manure that went into the bean trenches was still discernible in the soil. Even the lack of rain in recent times did not have a great effect on the soil. It is in good heart and moist where it counts. With the trench opened I put in half a wheelbarrow of manure from the manure heap I have been minding since last autumn. Then ten seed potatoes spaced evenly long the trench. Next I used a rake to back fill the trench. I did another four trenches with ten spuds in each one. Each time I came up to the muck bin I fed the brazier. When the five rows were done I gave the inbetween rows a good hoeing. The hoeing removed the last vestiges of last year humps and hollows of the bean trenches as well as what few weeds remained.
I managed to squeeze in a few brews with a slice of cake. Each time I sat on my deckchair, in the shade of Degsy, the have my brew and watch the birds. There are quite a few Yellowhammer around this year. Bed2 contains the over wintering onions. Unfortunately they are swamped with Chickweed. I got the three pronged cultivator out of Degsy. I used it to rip up the Chickweed. It was very hard work. A small area gave two full wheelbarrows of chickweed. The weed went in the newly placed compo bins. I think I have only discouraged it. The area is going to need turning over before the main crop onions go in. I did a bit of spot weeding to clear the few bigger Docks and Thistle. It was 1pm by this stage and it was very hot toiling under the sun.
My Savoy cabbages, which had weathered the winter, have bolted. I have left them in until next week. They are about the flower so a week or so of flower will give the bees and bugs will a little nectar. I do not mind a few spring weeds. They fuel the bumble bees.The two Sprouting Broccoli that barely weathered the winter have given a small crop. We had them for tea. The buds on the grape vines are beginning to swell despite the savaging I gave them with the secateurs. The Garlic is going great. I hope they fill out properly. If this works well I shall be planting Garlic in the autumn from now on.
I seem to have swapped weeds. It was Dock, then Thistle, now it is Chickweed. According to Mr Internet Chickweed is edible as a salad. I might have to have a try. I don't think I can eat my way through an allotment's worth of Chickweed. I wonder if anyone would buy chickweed?
Wednesday, April 06, 2011
New compost.
H's charity afternoon tea is taking up time as is finishing off the little jobs in the dining and in a busy time at work and the new allotments it is a wonder I have not passed out. I had the ticklish job of fitting the door threshold strips to do. It is slow and fiddly work.
A more pleasing job but even more fiddly was making a frame for a mirror. I got a frameless mirror from B&Q. I had the Oak strips cut down from the big plank a few weeks ago. There was lots of cutting, planing and sanding before I had a frame to suit the mirror. Having glued, screwed and set the frame aside to dry there was nothing that could be done until the glue had dried.
Sunday was Mothering Sunday, H's first without Miss L. H and I went down to the car boot then for a long walk via Albert village and Booththorpe but not before I gave the mirror frame a good coating of Danish oil. It was a beautiful day. It was good to be outside. Since Christmas I have spent every day either in the office at work or in the dining room at home with very few exceptions. We had a spot of lunch on our return home. The frame had taken the oil well. I put up the pegs to hold the mirror the wall then hung the mirror. H had a few picture that wanted hanging. Apparently this is called dressing the room. Having discharged my duties I got a brew and wandered off to the greenhouse.
Everything I needed was waiting for me, seeds, compost and trays. I filled a dozen or more deep trays and pillaged the seed box. I sowed Broad Beans, Leek, Sprouts, Calebrese [a special request from H], Parsnips, Rainbow Chard, Spinach, Kale, Swede, spring cabbage and Sweet pea. I also potted up eight Lavender and six Rosemary cuttings that had over wintered in the greenhouse. I am trying a new seed compost which is part soil based and cut with garden compost. It certainly wets better than peat based compost. It is good to see the shelves of the green house full.
H was out walking on Wednesday evening. I had another session in the greenhouse. This time Tomatoes, Red Alert. I think it is too late the sow vine tomatoes but I not fully decided. I sowed little gem and Cos lettuce as well. The broad beans have already started to crack.
A more pleasing job but even more fiddly was making a frame for a mirror. I got a frameless mirror from B&Q. I had the Oak strips cut down from the big plank a few weeks ago. There was lots of cutting, planing and sanding before I had a frame to suit the mirror. Having glued, screwed and set the frame aside to dry there was nothing that could be done until the glue had dried.
Sunday was Mothering Sunday, H's first without Miss L. H and I went down to the car boot then for a long walk via Albert village and Booththorpe but not before I gave the mirror frame a good coating of Danish oil. It was a beautiful day. It was good to be outside. Since Christmas I have spent every day either in the office at work or in the dining room at home with very few exceptions. We had a spot of lunch on our return home. The frame had taken the oil well. I put up the pegs to hold the mirror the wall then hung the mirror. H had a few picture that wanted hanging. Apparently this is called dressing the room. Having discharged my duties I got a brew and wandered off to the greenhouse.
Everything I needed was waiting for me, seeds, compost and trays. I filled a dozen or more deep trays and pillaged the seed box. I sowed Broad Beans, Leek, Sprouts, Calebrese [a special request from H], Parsnips, Rainbow Chard, Spinach, Kale, Swede, spring cabbage and Sweet pea. I also potted up eight Lavender and six Rosemary cuttings that had over wintered in the greenhouse. I am trying a new seed compost which is part soil based and cut with garden compost. It certainly wets better than peat based compost. It is good to see the shelves of the green house full.
H was out walking on Wednesday evening. I had another session in the greenhouse. This time Tomatoes, Red Alert. I think it is too late the sow vine tomatoes but I not fully decided. I sowed little gem and Cos lettuce as well. The broad beans have already started to crack.
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