so what you been doing in allotment /veg garden

[mad_djg]

Haven't been down to the lottie for a couple of weeks because of the weather - but forecast looks OK for the weekend... so I'm looking forward to...


MORE DIGGING

But, even more exciting, I got some plastic tunnel cloches cheap off ebay so will taking a couple up this weekend. In a couple of weeks I actually plant my first seeds .. yipee

Derek

[Stroppy scotte]

Had a great time at the lottie today. Old shed is now down and recycled or dumped. Most of the wood has gone to a friend who has a wood burner and the asbestos roof has been dumped ( legally ).
Have also started the pea and been supports in the hopes that we will be ready for planting!!!

[*Feather*]

Hi Vicky - little tip from one who has tried both ways. A fork is much better for getting bindweed roots out. If you use a spade you chop the roots up, and any little piece left in the ground will grow into a new plant. Having said that, it does get easier as you keep cultivating.

Thanks RL. That's encouraging! I was getting a bit worried that I might have to do it all over again next year...

[Poledragon]

Am fed up with all the rain here, haven't had a chance to get near the lottie in what feels like forever. All that lovely, sunny, dry cold weather that was so perfect for digging happened when I was pregnant - now the littlest Grape is content to sit in his car seat and watch me, it's throwing it down with rain and I'd probably have more luck growing rice and watercress than anything else.



However, the 3 chickens arrive tomorrow, so at least somthing positive is happening.

[Lesley Jay]

Poledragon can you include a link to GYO and the Grapevine on your blog please.

[Two_Sheds]

7 y.o. Niece and I cycled up to Lottie yesterday (5 miles round trip, she done well). We sowed 6 peas - as I put them in I knew the ground was too cold and wet. I did the same thing last year.

[Poledragon]

'tis done

[Bex]

I've just come back from lottie where I check the caulis and leeks/onions in the coldframe. Planted some beans around a wigwam, a row of peas, rainbow radish, parsnip and beetroot. Weeded the onions garlic and raked over quarter of the lottie to a finer tilth. Actually feels as if something is being accomplished at last.

[Lesley Jay]

Poledragon that is excellent! Thanks!

[Hazel at the Hill]

Ground was quite soggy at the Hill this morning, but I was stubbon enough to put a row of broadbeans and carrots, and a short row of radish and lettuce under the cloche.

Found a clump of garlic sprouting so dug it up and is now part of mexican chicken dish for tonight.

Dug up excess gooseberry bushes (gooseberries - YUK!) ready for planting Aldi soft fruit. Would have done so today, but opened the pack & read that they should be soaked overnight.

Took homemade coldframe home for repairs - back to the drawing board on design, I think!

Planted some beans around a wigwam,

What sort of beans, Bex - if they're runners I thought they weren't hardy and needed lots of mollycoddling till about April?

[rustylady]

Went to the lottie today for what seems the first time in ages. Georgeous day - sunny and even warm enough to take my jacket off. Weeded the strawberry bed, weeded the onion sets and replaced the ones the birds have pulled up. Pulled up the red sprouts which have been absolute rubbish (the few we did pick were very small but tasty). Going over again tomorrow if the weather holds.

[Hazel at the Hill]

....also bunged in 5 JAs - about a foot apart, so I hope that's ok, and consulted OH on coldframe design (see below posting!) & have come up with modification plan.

[Jan]

Back from hols in the sun yesterday - shocked to hear about the snow but have lovely piccy's of the grandchildren's efforts at making snowmen - we had about 6-8 inches here, and it even snowed in the city all day so I'm told - unheard of!!
Anyway, managed to get out in the garden today and started to prepare our very first square foot beds (thanks to Jax on earlier thread). Really looking forward to seeing how that goes
Have read through loads of threads to see what I've been missing and very glad to pick up loads of info. Have planted my onion sets under smal poytunnel and set some peas in a pot for pea shoots. Really great to find upon our return that the spare salad seeds I set before I went away have now grown into fine seedlings and am looking forward to using them in a salad in a couple of weeks - will need to set some more trays now.
Lovely surprise - whilst digging over the patch ready for marking out, we dug up a few spindly carrot tops which were still there from last year only to find a lovely bunch of decent size carrots underneath great in tonight's salad and tomorrow's dinner! Just a couple of questions though - 2 carrots were bright yellow, 3 were almost white (not parsnips I assure you) and several were lovely and orange at the top fading to pale at the bottom, does anyone know if they're edible? Also, how come some of the carrots split after I've pulled them up, I thought they only did that in the ground?
Finall, sent off all the JA's I promised and off to the garden centre tomorrow to buy some highly overpriced sand and potting compost to improve my new raised beds and containers.

[Two_Sheds]

Jan, Silly question - did you sow orange carrots or could they have been a mixtry? I've ordered white, yellow and purple ones this year. Can't wait.

[Bex]

Hazel, The beans were Fagiolo Bobis nano from the Italian Seed company. It said on the pack Feb outside so thats what I did (although I do realise this isn't italy). Used 10 seeds so no hardship if nothing happens as there are loads in a pack.