Yesterday was Christmas eve, digging up Christmas dinner day and poo trailer day. I went up to the lottie and harvested Christmas dinner, Spuds, Sprouts, Parsnips, Leeks and some Beetroot. The soil is in lovely condition. The plants just pulled out. I topped and tailed the veg that needed it and cleaned up the others. All the trimmings went into the compost bin. The wind was bitter but the work easy so I did not get hot and sweaty. Not getting sweaty meant I did not get cold as soon as I stop moving as usually happens. I did have to swap my new Trilby for my beany because my ears were freezing off. It was quite nice trimming away watching the cows in the fields watch me. A shooting party strolled through the adjacent field blasting at mythical birds and having their dogs run all over. I had a chat with one of the beaters. It was not a very well planned event. I sorted out a basket full of veg for the stable owners and trundled off to get the poo trailer.
The last act before I left the lottie was to get my hip flask out and drink a little toast to the lottie. In time honoured fashion I splashed I bit of the Sloe Gin on each of the plots. A low key wassail if ever there was one.
The trailer run was uneventful. I saw Angie & Chris to wish them seasons greetings and pass on the basket of veg. They had just turned up from a ride out. We had a chat about the horses and I had a close look at their tack. I ran the trailer back to the lottie to empty to it and then ran it back to the stables. Degsy is running beautifully. I went over the Swad to get this months ration of petrol and to pump up the tyres. I think I have a slow puncture in the nearside rear. I will have to do somethings about that.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Wet whips
Sunday was work party day. 1pm was the appointed hour. I collected the poo trailer in good time and trundled over to the lottie. I topped up my muck bin then top dressed the Rhubarb patch.
Steve and two other lottie holders turned up just as I was dressing the Rhubarb. They went off to see what the remained to be done after the planting up of the new bund. The society was given a 200+ three old whips by the county council. They were very nicely grown. During the past few weeks a couple some of the lottie holders have taken on the job of planting up the new bund with whips. Steve went to sort out some bricks, Pete, Mr W and I took the 30+ left over oaks and organised ourselves to dig the holes, plant the trees and put the rabbit guards round them. I dug the hole, well stabbed the spade in the ground and opened up a slit. Mr W put the whip in and firmed the roots in. Pete fitted the guards. Now this was not a hard job except that as soon as we started it began to rain cold hard rain. We pushed on and got finished. As we finished the rain stopped but its work was done. We were soaked. We decided that an hour in the cold rain on cold and dark December Sunday was worth two or more hours at any other time of the year. And with that we went home. However I had to run the trailer back to the stables.
Steve and two other lottie holders turned up just as I was dressing the Rhubarb. They went off to see what the remained to be done after the planting up of the new bund. The society was given a 200+ three old whips by the county council. They were very nicely grown. During the past few weeks a couple some of the lottie holders have taken on the job of planting up the new bund with whips. Steve went to sort out some bricks, Pete, Mr W and I took the 30+ left over oaks and organised ourselves to dig the holes, plant the trees and put the rabbit guards round them. I dug the hole, well stabbed the spade in the ground and opened up a slit. Mr W put the whip in and firmed the roots in. Pete fitted the guards. Now this was not a hard job except that as soon as we started it began to rain cold hard rain. We pushed on and got finished. As we finished the rain stopped but its work was done. We were soaked. We decided that an hour in the cold rain on cold and dark December Sunday was worth two or more hours at any other time of the year. And with that we went home. However I had to run the trailer back to the stables.
Sunday, December 04, 2011
Harvesting spuds
Today got a chance to go the lottie. I got wrapped up but as soon as I started working I got too hot. The first job I tackled was to tidy up the patio. I had left some brassica stalks to dry out on the patio. I got a couple of bags out of my lottie store and bagged up the remaining stalks. The wheelbarrow was full of Huckleberry plants that I dug up on my last visit. I bagged them too. Next I went to brassicas bed [Bed3] and dug up the remaining cabbage and broccoli plants. I trimmed the leafy bits off into the compost bin. The stalks went to the bags. I have given up on the wormry at the lottie. I shovelled the contents of the wormry into the adjacent compost bin. It was good stuff but very few worms in it. It topped the compost bin up nicely.
The last but most important job was to harvest the last nine rows of spuds. The haulms had died back months ago but the straw like remain marked the rows. I worked along each row. Despite the rain we have had the soil was still quite dry a few inches below the surface. The spuds came out clean. The soil is light and dry so I was able to rifle through the it for the spuds. I put the harvest into trays and the tray in the back of Degsy.
It had started to rain, slowly at first but getting steadily harder. The trays were in Degsy, then I put in the bags of stalks in. They are going in my green recycling bin at home. I put the kettle on whilst I secured everything. The patio area of the lottie looks nice a tidy. The beds are covered in weeds. I have decided to leave it that way for the winter. My idea is that the weeds will hold onto the nutrients. When I prepare the beds in the spring I will put the weeds in the compost bins which will recycle the nutrients. The compost now in the bins will end up in bean and pea trenches next year. I have lots of manure cooking down which, depending how I feel, will be spread over or dug into certain beds over the winter. If the weather is mild I might get a head start of the spring digging.
The last but most important job was to harvest the last nine rows of spuds. The haulms had died back months ago but the straw like remain marked the rows. I worked along each row. Despite the rain we have had the soil was still quite dry a few inches below the surface. The spuds came out clean. The soil is light and dry so I was able to rifle through the it for the spuds. I put the harvest into trays and the tray in the back of Degsy.
It had started to rain, slowly at first but getting steadily harder. The trays were in Degsy, then I put in the bags of stalks in. They are going in my green recycling bin at home. I put the kettle on whilst I secured everything. The patio area of the lottie looks nice a tidy. The beds are covered in weeds. I have decided to leave it that way for the winter. My idea is that the weeds will hold onto the nutrients. When I prepare the beds in the spring I will put the weeds in the compost bins which will recycle the nutrients. The compost now in the bins will end up in bean and pea trenches next year. I have lots of manure cooking down which, depending how I feel, will be spread over or dug into certain beds over the winter. If the weather is mild I might get a head start of the spring digging.
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