Greenhouse

Today, Sunday 3rd March, I woke up to rain pattering on the bedroom window. Yesterday was mizzling for part of the day. The weatherman said it would be so but I did not believe them. I might have to start paying attention to what they say. They seem to be getting forecast right more often these days.

Since I had an appointment in the middle of the day I could not go to the lottie. Instead I decided to tackle the greenhouse. I took out the bins that held the Tomato vines last year and emptied them onto the apple tree patch. The bins were filled with horse muck and compost so after a year it is really well broken down. The soil in the Apple patch has dropped over the years so a top dressing is in order. Whilst I was in the Apple patch I got the secateurs out and trimmed back side shoots on the minaret Apples. The Pear tree is in good order so did not need touching.

I went back into the greenhouse and swept away the cobwebs and swept down the tops then finally tidied and organised up the flower pots. I then set up the bench for the left side of the greenhouse. That will be in place until the seedlings are ready. That will be about the same time the Tomato plants will being sprouting fast. I selected the pots and tubs I needed and set about planting up, Elephants Garlic, Shallots, Purple Garlic and Meteor Peas.

A warm hug

It was H's birthday this weekend but the lottie does not stop. H went to collect Miss L from the train. I went to do the poo run. The contents of the trailer went into the middle section of the perimeter hedge. The trailer was dropped back to the stables but not before a had harvested some Leeks and Sprouts. It was a beautiful morning but H needed a hand getting the house ready for the party that evening but not before I picked up a wheelbarrow from Buildbase in Newall. It was to replace the one I had pinched a few months ago.

Sunday I got a little bit of time in the afternoon and my brother in law and I went to the lottie. I dropped off the wheelbarrow. I had a security cable going spare in the garage. I took it with me to secure the wheellbarrow in order to discourage anyone who tries piching it again. I took the secuateurs with me and trimmed up the grape vines. I also tidied up the torn areas of netting. It was a lovely day with the sun giving a warm hug to my back. It was a shame to come away but we had other things to do.

Fondant

Last week the snow stopped and the weather was a little warmer although not enough to melt the snow. I collected the new trailer an trundled over to the lottie. We at the lottie decided that we should look after the perimeter hedge by providing some manure to feed the border. I put Degsy in four wheel drive and trundled round the park to the border in question. I parked Degsy up, dropped the tailgate to find that the manure was frozen solid. I had to get the mattock out to break up the mass. Then it was just a matter of spreading the muck long the border. I had move Degsy and loosen the manure a couple of times before the trailer was empty.

After dropping Degsy back to the stable and having a chat to Angie & Chris I went over to the apiary. I was a bit disappointed to find the snow had disappeared completely. The sun was bright but the wind was bitter. I parked Degsy in the usual place. I did not put my bee gear on but put my hive tool in my trouser pockets and picked up the two blocks of fondant that I had had three goes at making. I wandered over to the hives. One colony had died out early in the winter but as I have previously reported I had expected that to happen. I put my ear to the hive and was happy to hear the hum of the colony. I looked in the front of the hive but there were no bees moving. That just meant they were tightly clustered. I stripped the hive down to the excluder. I put on an eke and then the fondant blocks. Then I reassembled the hive by putting a super back on then the crown board and roof as quick as I could without being rough. I re-tied the straps and stood back. The bees did not pile out of the hive so I figure I did the job smoothly and deftly and with luck they should be fine for now.

I checked the other hives for visitor but found nothing. The visitors I was looking for evidence of mice and wax moth. I looked around the site with a view to expanding it. The undergrowth had died back as far it would ever go so it gave a good idea of the structure of site. I wandered back to Degy stopping to have a look in the river. It was swollen with melt water but it still looked thick and dark. I got my Trangia out and made a brew. Whilst waiting for the kettle to boil and again when the brew was made I sat on my deck chair in the sun with my back to the wind. It was a bit surreal.It was the first time since Christmas where I had twenty minutes entirely to myself. Tea supped and blue ribbon bars scoffed I drove home.

Hearty Soil

This weekend was the first time in 2012 where I was have done some proper work at the lottie. I have been doing a lot of thinking but not much doing. Time to put plans into action. To start I dug up the remaining four rows I spuds. The rows were part experiment part lack of time. Steve and I wondered what would happen if you put spuds in really early. I spuds I dug up gave part of the answer. Yes they will sprout if the weather is suitable. We have had a few cold snaps and frosts and that shows on the sprouting tuber. Some tubers were soft from the effects of the frost. Some of the sprouting haulms were burned by the frost even though they had not yet broken the surface.

The results are in the for "no Winter Digging". I cleared the lottie as in harvested the crops. In previous years I have dug the ground over. This year I did not dig the plot. I left the soil to its own devices which means I let the weeds grow. I had read that the weeds would hold the soils together and retain the nutrients. We have had some weather through the winter and true to form the soil has not been washed about. As I dug the spuds I found the soil to be very friable and packed with worms, always a good sign of health soil. But as it was pointed out I have a whole plot to weed before the growing season kicks in.

We have had a big theft where tools, barrows and logs meant missing in one go. It has galvanised us into locking the gate. The gate swings inwards but the roadway runs slightly up hill. With gate sagging with age and the up hill slope the it is necessary to lift the gate to open it. That is fine for the stronger allotmenteers but so so good for the more frail amongst us. It has been a long term goal to change the way the gate swings and fit adjustable hinges. The adjustable hinges will allow us the compensate for the gate sagging as it ages. I had the all the gate furniture, nuts, bolts, hinges and keeper from the summer. A few weeks ago I had drill the holes in the gate stiles for the eye bolt that forms half of the adjustable hinge. I removed the took the bolts out of the old hinge pins whilst Steve steadied the gate. With the top hinge removed the gate could be removed. Steve fitted the adjustable part of the hinge in the gate. I measured up the standing hinge pin, Piloted the holes and fitted the new bottom hinge pin with 75mm (3 inch) bolts. We sat the gate on the bottom pin and adjusted the hinges to make the catch end of the gate hit the gate post. We chocked up the catch end of the gate whilst I fitted the top hinge pin. That done we applied ourselves to catch and pin. It took a bit faffing about along with adjusting the hinges. Then we cranked all the bolts up to fix the fitting. We gave the gate a few swings to find swung beautifully. Even the puniest person will be able open the gate. The catch has a place for a lock. Steve is to find a lock and keys. I am to find a post to act a keeper to secure the gate open.

All in all a very satisfying weekend.

Low Key Wassail

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.

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.

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.