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.

Next Year

I have decided upon the special crop for next year...Barley. All the reading I had done over the summer on beer has inspired me to see if I can brew my own beer. Beer needs Barley. I draw the line at growing hops. I found a chap in Ormskirk that sells Barley seed in small quantities. It should be in my hands tomorrow. There are two questions that I have to resolve:
A. Can I sow the seed this autumn?
B. Which bed do give over to the crop?

This time next year I should be drinking a clear crisp bitter.

True then, True now.

Two centuries ago John Stuart Mill declared that there had never been a labour saving device invented that saved anyone a minute's labour.

True then, true now.

Literary Appreciation

Today I had a lie in so I was up at 9am. I had my usual breakfast. I read my book a while. I came to a decision on what I would do today. The poo trailer was still at the lottie, I had a number plate in the garage and spuds in the ground. There's a plan. I went to the lottie and emptied the poo trailer and in the process buggered up my back. I soldiered on very annoyed with myself. I had decided to to dig up the remaining Charlotte spuds. Bending down did not hurt my back so I plugged on. The soil is still on the dry side of moist. The spuds came up clean. I dug the three rows up which leaves nine rows of Cara left to be dug up. I went round the Calebrese one last time and found another dinner worth of heads to harvest. They are pretty much spent. The Calebrese have performed very well over the year giving me three harvests. I will be planting them again next year.

I dropped back in at the house. I removed the number plate off the trailer. Using the old number plate as a template I drilled holes in the new number plate. Holes sorted I screwed the number plate back on the trailer. The trailer now has the number plate of Degsy. I had picked up a trailer safety strap at Melton market the last time I was there. The "strap" is a plastic coated steel cable with ring at one end and a carabinar at the other. I just had the loop the wire through the ring to secure cable to the trailer. The carabiner hooks onto Degsy when the trailer is hooked up to Degsy.

I have been reading a book by Pete Brown about beer. I have come to appreciate the pub, its history and even the unspoken rituals more than ever. I had run the trailer back up the the stables. Whilst in the area I popped over to see the Bees. H came with me for the ride. The Bees were flying freely despite the colder nights we have been having. On the way back we spotted that the front door of the Railway Inn was open so we stopped. We sat in and had a pint, me a Guinness and H had half a Pedigree. Just in the sense of literary appreciation you understand.