The weekend just gone, 29/30th, was a bit different. I had the Allotment Society meeting on Friday night. H went up to see her friend in Cheshire for a birthday party. I was able to pop out on Saturday morning to get some 50x50x600mm pegs and screws for the bed edging at the lottie. I had to wait whilst H returned so as not to leave Miss L alone. I did some tiding up in the back garden, tidied out remaining veggies from the shed and cleaned down.
H turned up about lunchtime. We had bacon butties which set me up for the afternoon. However the weather had turned. Moira was under a leaden sky. It was raining big drops but not many so you did not get wet quickly. It was a howling gales as well. I went the lottie anyway. I figured I could sort the edging out even if it rained. The rain eased up but the wind did not. I plugged away at the pegs and edging. The weather a bit inconvenient. But as am fond of saying "it is not bad weather but the wrong clothing". Since I was working on the floor the metre high wind netting did a surprisingly effective job of reducing the force of the wind. I set the edging to create the half way path of the right had side of the plot. Whilst I was about it I weeded and levelled the new path. The weather eased quite a bit in the couple hours of timber wrangling. I decided to make a start on bed 2 which has been under brasicas all winter and not weeded. I did about six foot before I ran out of steam. I really enjoyed being out in the weather and getting the job done.
The weather blew itself out overnight bring a bright sunny morning with just a light breeze. It planting day! At last. I loaded up the car with seed potatoes, Shallots, Onion sets and Broad Bean seedlings. Before planting the soil needed to beef up the soil. I had the problem of a wheelbarrow full of weeds from the previous day. My allotment buddy gave me a spare composter some time ago. I poo poo'd the idea of another compost bin. I have four already! I thought I might use it at home since it was a smart item. I built it emptied the barrow in to it. That five bins then..... Whilst in the bin area I tidied up the collections of bags and Weed supressing membrane. I lifted up a bag from under the wormery and out hopped an enormous toad. If you ask me I will not own up to jumping out of my skin at the Toad attack.
Toads home restored, barrow emptied and with clear conscience I barrowed three loads of manure onto each bed and worked into the soil. The 30 Broad Beans [Hysor] seedlings went straight into the bottom end of bed 2. The 20 shallots [Golden Globe] went into the bottom end of bed 3. Bed 1 [Spud bed for 2008] was been under green manure up to Christmas and then under horse manure. I went across the bed a dug out the few offending weeds. I have been chitting the seed potatoes in the garage for the past couple of weeks and they are just right. I get ten plants per row. As It worked out I had 51 seed potatoes. Five rows with one spud for the compost bin. This end of the plot is a bit claggy with clay. The recent rain made digging the trenches hard work. Nevertheless five rows were planted accompanied with more and more grunting and puffing. The Trangia is a boon. When the going gets tough I put in on knowing in five minutes I can have a brew. H and Miss L came down to look at what I have been up to over the winter. H took some photos. Miss L remained unimpressed by the transformation. The sun was shining, the birds were singing and flitting. It is not social computing so it does not count!
This:
To this:
Not bad going if I say so myself.
I cut some Purple sprouting broccoli and the some of the white variety of sprouting broccoli for H to take home for dinner. I still had two rows to plant after H left. I was tired by now but happy. More planting next week.
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