Yay!! We got another plot!!!!

[Dobby]

so finshed work at 7 and whent down the plot and sprayed and waterd the green house
I got to own up now I just been to Band Q and got some of that 24 hour week killer
for the nettles and grass on the new plot I know we never used it before but its for quickness I hate useing the stuff but will feed the beds when dug

well mrs D wont it all dug over by friday I start on the plot again monday at about 8am go home at 3 start work at 5till 11pm
tuesday do the same again
wednesday and thursday off so down the plot from 8till 8ish
then work on friday at 7am
do you think Ill do it
MrsD you are off on friday when do I get a day off only joking
thanks eveyone
yo I was thinking about a barby down they today whill I was driving at work
Ill ask MrsD and get her to PM you
maybe have a nouther digging party

[Mrs Dobby]

Today we were at the plot for 10am, and got back at about 8pm, a lovely hot, sunny day with a light refreshing breeze that kept us both from overheating, glorious! (Tho Mr D says I look like a Rock Lobster now, eek!)

The new plot has a homemade (very well made from marine plywood and well put together I must say) shed, which is roofed with clear corrugated plastic, and is about 16' by 5'. One half of it is the shed, about 8' wide with the door to the right front, and at the side of this is a 4' covered seating area (now being used for hardening off seedlings on the shelving unit, and next to this is a 5' by 5' glazed area, currently full of nettles, but which we are going to use for growing melons and cucumbers in! Along the front of the shed is a decked area about 3' wide running the length of the shed part, which also has a metal shelving unit on it, and growing up from the back corner and across the roof / front of the shed is a grapevine, which must span about 10'! Aswell as the shed there is also an 8' by 6' greenhouse, and 17 edged beds, along with a couple of fruit trees, several goosegogs and 3 blueberries. Theres 3 compost bins, lots of new netting and supports, lots of new fleece and black plastic, 2 chairs, a table and lots of pots too! There's also a couple of damaged wire netting cages to protect seedlings and some UPVC piping which is great for supporting mesh or fleece to protect cabbages etc from insects! Feels like we struck really lucky getting this plot!

Mr D continued digging over the beds on our new plot, whilst I sorted out the inside of the shed and had a darn good tidy up! It is now possible to see exactly what we've got and where it is, so should make it a bit easier to find things!

After this I hoed the onion and garlic bed, then set up the watering head on the hosepipe and turned it on to give everything a really good water, and also fed and watered inside the greenhouse after hoeing the weed seedlings in there!

Next I dismantled the 'heath robinson' coldframe on our other half plot (the one we will be giving up after harvesting the spuds) and brought all the bits back to the new plot to store away for future use, then pruned the grapevine thats growing across the front of the shed, I cant wait to see if we get any grapes from it this year! After doing this Mr D had manage to reach the halfway mark (the largest 7 beds are now dug over!) with the digging over of the beds on the new plot, so he stopped digging and came to help me!

Next we trimmed and fitted the cardboard bike boxes I recycled from work to fit the first 2 beds on the new plot, and transplanted the 10 courgettes that we'd planted on the half plot 2 weeks ago into here, using the cardboard as a mulch to supress weeds by cutting holes for the planting and sinking bottles into the soil next to the squashes and courgettes for watering. After that we fitted cardboard to one of the larger beds on the new plot and then transplanted the 15 assorted squash and pumpkins (that were planted out 2 weeks ago) from the half plot!

I did take some piccies of the new plot first thing this morning, but the 'puter had to be reset a few weeks ago, and its not now recognising the camera or the bluetooth link from my phone, so atm I am unable to download them, sorry! Edit - I got the piccies!

I'm back at work tomorrow, but Mr D is off, so he's going to try and sort out the greenhouse (and the lean to glazed part on the shed) on the new plot tomorrow, before continuing with the digging ready for me to move the sweetcorn and squash bed, plus the 2 beds of onion sets from the half plot at the weekend!

[Winged one]

That looks fabarooney!!

Congrats on getting the new plot, and I hope it all works out well for you. Fair play on that load of work yesterday - you'll need the day off back at the desk!

Are you doing any kind of running total like last year on harvests - even amounts if not monetary?
Wings

[bluemoon]

Congratulations the Dobbies! We took on our second plot in much the same way (noticed the one next door was becoming neglected and went on the waiting list for it) We were finally offered it in Feb this year. Unfortunately life then did one of those hiccups and we found ourselves with less than half the time we normally had to spend on the lotties, but now with double the space. We're having to think seriously about the best use of our time now, but we're managing. It means that we'll be able to grow lots of things that we simply didn't have room for until now and it also means that we'll be able to experiment with things we've never grown before. Also there's something exciting about a new plot - all that potential. I hope yours works out well.
love BM.

[Mrs Dobby]

That looks fabarooney!!

Congrats on getting the new plot, and I hope it all works out well for you. Fair play on that load of work yesterday - you'll need the day off back at the desk!

Are you doing any kind of running total like last year on harvests - even amounts if not monetary?
Wings

Lol! Wish it was a desk job, but managing a store for Halfords means I'm on the shop floor, covering the till, fitting wiperblades, selling bikes and doing my paperwork inbetween customers! Fun!!

Yep, I was planning on doing a running total, probably on the blog, along with more piccies of the 2 plots as they develop!

Mr D was back down the plot most of today, he's cleared the greenhouse and lean too glazed area in the new shed, plus cleared another 2 beds and planted them up with Red Barron onion seedlings, plus moved the 20 sweetcorm and 9 Mars pumpkins from the half plot into another bed!

Just having a brew then into the back yard greenhouse to plant some more eans, sweetcorn and brassicas!

[shirlthegirl43]

I wish I had just a tiny bit of your energy Mrs Dobby!!

[Mrs Dobby]

I wish I had just a tiny bit of your energy Mrs Dobby!!

Lol STG! Mr D does a lot more than me, and his energy is amazing! Me, I just work hard, and do the writing up for the forum, (and as Mr D says, make the teea, cheeky sod!), tis Mr D that deserves the plaudits!

3 people actually asked if he'd been home at all over the past 2 days, as they thought he must have been digging it all night! lol!

[Winged one]

Oh, I have to make time to log on over the weekend and see the progress (piccies are blocked at work and I rarely turn on the pc at weekends cos the toddler wants it if I do!!).

If your job is minding the kitchen, doesn't Mr D know you'll be very busy come harvest times with preserving and bottling all sorts of goodies for winter!!

[Mrs Dobby]

Thanks to al of youl for the lovely messages of congrats! It does feel like we've been exceptionally lucky getting this plot and inheriting all the stuff that was in it! (not quite as good as a lottery win, but not far from it!)

Alice - we dont have a problem eating it all, a lot got processed and stored (frozen/dried/canned/pickled), so we've been fairly self sufficient for veg for most of the winter, which is great!

Yo - BBQ, let us know when you're free and we'll sort something out! Are you off the next Bank Hol?

Nicos - Lol! No need for another freezer - yet! We've got 3 altogether, so we should be ok for a while, tho I do think a big chest freezer would be more efficient than the small chest freezer and the old undercounter one we've got upstairs!

Lol Winged One! I do some digging on the plot, usually I try and do my fair share (last year I did half of it), but this year I dont seem to have had as much time, so Mr D has done about 2/3rds of the digging, but I am still busy down there when I get there!

Going down to the plot today, I was going to hoe everywhere that wasnt done last wednesday and finish off digging another bed, but after 5 hours of torential rain last night I have a feeling it may be too wet to do too much! Mind you, I'm not complaining, it really did need the rain, the hot sunny weather has been great, but the ground was getting far too dry! (Thop after working all week in hot temps, why is it that it always rains when you actually get some time off to get down the plot?

Hopefully if its not too wet then I'll weed the beds and paths, cut back (trim) the hedges, possibly plant out some more onion seedlings, plant up the 'new' greenhouse, and perhaps get a few other jobs done, and if it is too wet, then I'll plant up the greenhouse, feed and water the other greenhouse and then come home and do some more seed soweing in the greenhouse at home!

Tomorrow is the AGM, so deffo going, followed by a BBQ, so hopefully the weather is going to be ok for that!

[Mrs Dobby]

Latest update on new plot, almost cleared!

Well, we've had it 12 days, and Mr D has now worked his magic, all but 1 main (and 1 small) beds on the new plot are dug over and ready for planting!

We've planted up 2 beds of courgettes, 1 bed of sweetcorn n squashes, 2 beds of onions from seed, 1 bed of outdoor toms and the greenhouse, plus have lots of other seedlings hardening off to go out next week!

We've also built and filled another compost bin, trimmed the hedges, had a good sort out, and even had time for a sit down in the sun!

Hopefully next week's Bank Holiday should allow us to get the beds planted, the paths barked up and some work done on our other (next door) plot, which should mean that we are going to be in a reasonable place for a good years growing!

As you can see from the piccies, its coming on nicely!

[shirlthegirl43]

Very impressive. Well done Dobby and Mrs D.

Not going to post piccies of my nearly finished garden now - too ashamed by the smallness of it all!

[Mrs Dobby]

Lol! Go on post em, we like pictures!!!!!

Mr D hoed all of plot 1 this morning, then finished digging the last main bed on the new plot, then had to build yet another compost bin for all the weeds he's taken out of the last bed! Monday we're going to be planting (if the weather holds out), then weeding paths, painting the shed, barking up the paths, sorting out the compost bin / fence on plot 1 that needs some attention and then starting to tackle the messy area at the bottom of plot 1 (where the rhubarb lives)! Plenty to keep us occupied for a while yet methins!

[Mrs Dobby]

An update!

Well, the new plot is fully under ultivation now, and growing away nicely! Not bad for 5 weeks work by Mr D is it? Hope you like the piccies!

We've now lmost finished clearing the last bed on our original plaot and instating the new paths, so its all looking rather good! Off to the plot in a bit to plant up another of the cleared bed and then only 2 beds left to go before its completely under cultivation!

[shirlthegirl43]

Looking good there. well done you guys!

I think my whole veggie garden is about the size of 2 of your beds

[Mrs Dobby]

Ah, but its not the size that matters Shirl, its the way you use it!

Or so Mr D tells me! lol!