New Allotment

[Sheneval]

Spent very pleasant 5 hours at the allotment with gson no.1 in warm sunshine and planted potatoes



Will return again tonight to set mousetraps

[Sheneval]

Nearly 4 hours at the allotment today along with Nos 1 & 2 G'kids, during which time, with their assistance, I transferred strawberry plants from their plot to next door neighbour's bed - she was about to give up her plot as she is going back to work as her youngest is going to school, so I offered t work half of it if she wanted to work other half and she agreed.

Filled up water butt almost to brim.

Started preparing another lot of beds for potatoes as I still have 60 to plant.

Watered overwintered onions and they seem to perk up nicely.

Removed fleece from garlic bed - they are doing well - noticed a couple of the Allium flowers I planted at the same time as the garlic are now showing.

I had ordered a trenching hoe a couple of weeks back and it arrived this pm so I will complete potato beds tonight.

Will also reset mouse traps as got two last night making 4 caught in three days, so I am one up than my friend Jim who has 3 over the same period. The mice ate every one of his beetroot last year so he is determined to exterminate them

[veggiechicken]

How kind of you Shen to help out a damsel in distress You do like digging

[Sheneval]

Much as I would like to, I can't accept any credit - the offer was made before I got my own plot and I only continued with it afterwards because I had given my word.

Of course, she is quite easy on the eye and as I am not yet senile not blind, I am not yet averse to the sight of a pretty face and a pleasant personality.

[veggiechicken]

Did you sell used cars, Shen?

[Sheneval]

Nope, I was never a salesman, but I once had the misfortune to work in a Marketing Dept where I had a boss who had selling soap powder or/and double glazing in his CV - couldn't stand him - he was an obnoxious bully of a man although to be fair quite good at his job.

To digress, I used the new trenching tool for the first time tonight - it certainly makes preparing potato beds easy in comparison to using a spade. I think it will also be easier for preparing beds in preparation for sowing seeds. - I think it will turn out to have been a good buy and a relatively cheap one

[Hazel at the Hill]

To digress, I used the new trenching tool for the first time tonight - it certainly makes preparing potato beds easy in comparison to using a spade. I think it will also be easier for preparing beds in preparation for sowing seeds. - I think it will turn out to have been a good buy and a relatively cheap one

Can you post a pic of your trenching tool (& say why it was easier to use than a spade)? I did a search to see what they look like and there was an extreme variation of items! My beds are similar to yours, so the subject bears closer scrutiny - I might want one too.

[veggiechicken]

I may want one too - and this is the way that trenching tool salesman entice you to buy Be warned Hazel. You've seen what a charmer Shen is.............

[Sheneval]

Basically it is like a very large draw hoe or a spade with the handle at right angles and as much of the trenching with a spade involves a pulling movement towards yourself, it is an ideal tool for this work. One of the allotment holders, an elderly gentelman, has been using his grandfather's so this tool must have been well known in the past. Another plotholder brought his over from Italy where it is commonly available.

It will also be useful for making raised beds and burying compost etc. as I mainly used my draw hoe for doing this work for my overwintering onion bed and could have done it in half the time had I had this tool then and it saves the strain on the back

I shoud also add that I think the design of the one I bought could have been better particulalrly the handle. I don't think the balance is quite right. Despite this I still think it is a great buy and had it been even better, I would be prepared to pay more than the £11.84 I paid incl postage - Amazon has it for £13 plus postage and Amazon's postage for an item of this weight might be expensive.

I enclose pics - you can see the difference between the two tools.

I may consider getting a better handle fitted.

My 3 grandsons all had a shot at this last night - a bit big for the 3 year old but the other two managed it without too much bother and I finally had to take it off the 6 year old to get a shot myself.

[Sheneval]

Spent another 4 good hours at the allotment today - obtained 30 feet of strong wire which I cut off a roll into 10 foot lengths suitable for bending over to provide support for environmesh or debris netting - save me buying plastic piping. Should be enough to cover one bed.

Got a discarded bit of rhubarb plant which I divided in 4 and gave 3 away to fellow plotholders and brought 1 home to replace the one I had split and taken to the allotment.

Dug in straw over 2/3 of legume bed and - will finish the remainder tomorrow

[Sheneval]

Good 4 hours plus at the allotment today - finished off legume bed - collected a couple of buckets of stones - will dispose of them tomorrow. Had a good long chat with several of the other plotholders and shared a beer with them.

[Sheneval]

Nice morning at the allotment with no.1 grandson where we weeded the overwintered onion beds and we or rather he watered same. We also fed the first bed but ran out of feed for the second so will have to return tomorrow morning when we will be filling the water supply point which is quite low because of so much usage over the last few days.

He also found a nest of black beetles which possibly explains why we don't get much bother with slugs at the kids' plot/s. He also found a small mouse in the neighbouring bed after finding a mouse hole in the vicinity - time to reset the mouse traps round these beds.

Tried to post a photo but received message saying I do not have permission to do this and to refresh page etc. etc. eventually gave up in disgust.

Managed to find a way round this although still get same message

[Sheneval]

At the allotment from 1100 to 1525 today firstly with no.1 grandson then joined after lunch by 2 and 3 who proceeded to fill large containers and barrow them to the water butt which after several trips was almost up to the brim. The youngest is showing signs of being as good as his elders.

After they left no.1 and I fed the part of the overwintering onion bed that we missed yesterday and watered the feed in. Thereafter we started to clear the future pumpkin bed and we will finish same after we dig up 3 flowering plants from last years display and plant them elsewhere.

[Sheneval]

Another nice day at the allotment with no.1 grandson - prepared beds 3&4 for sowing and finished preparing kid's bed for pumpkins but will sow these indoors in 3" pots tomorrow, followed by 5" pots and plant out in June.

Was joined after an hour or so by daughter and no.3 grandson aged 3 who assisted with watering of flowers transplanted from pumpkin bed, also with one of the rhubarbs which probably didn't need it and a new lavender plant which is now planted on the stretch called Lavender Lane - felt duty bound to put at least one in - I also have a packet of lavender seeds to be sown along the length of the outside of the plot on that side Maybe tomorrow weather permitting.

Daughter has been offered a half plot which has not been worked for a year or more - she was hoping to get the one next to mine half of which is in reasonable condition and will offer a deal whereby she cultivates half of the offered plot to make it more attractive to anyone else on the list, if she gets the one she wants. If necessary we will do the whole half plot.

I will see if I can have a word with any of the Committee members tomorrow.

[Sheneval]

Just a short trip up the allotment this afternoon with no.1 grandson to check the mousetraps - 3 more found giving a total of 10 to date.

Only 1 other person in when we were there - strong winds blowing but sun shining made it quite pleasant.

2 youngest grandsons sowed pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds indoors this morning.