The 'What I Did Today' Archive - 2007

[sewer rat]

Spent this morning in bed with a hangover then spent the afternoon pulling and trimming and boxing up 160kg of onions for local Indian restaurant order. Charlie (our springer x collie pup) decided he likes eating onions as much as he liked eating peas

[nick nack]

Sorted out my raised beds, reducing them in width from 5ft to 4ft and doubled the area for growing veggies.

Planted garlic and sowed broad beans 'Aquadulce Claudia'. Onion sets planted a couple of weeks ago have all sprouted.

NN

[Snadger]

It was a 'fit a greenhouse door part deux' today. I did a bit of patching up around it and glassed up area where old door was.
Took a few piccies but my camera is crap and I aint no photographer.
One photo is before door was fitted.........It used to be at the front left as you look at it and was a nutcracker...two is after with full size door in end and nutcracker glazed up................. and three is the little grey fergie thats responsible for the pile of bricks...I just couldn't say no when they were offered!

PS Stove and flue with stone fireplace surround are now on the left as I enter door!

[Mrs Dobby]

Yesterday I harvested about 9lb of chillies, another cabbage, about another 3lb of rasps, another 1 1/2lb of strawbs, more carrots, another 8 peppers and about 4lb of green toms. Mr D has now cleared and dug over 2 of the beds on plot 1, and the rest is scheduled for clearing on our autumn hols in 2 weeks time!!

Today I made a huge batch of Special Green Tomato Chutney, followed by making a roast dinner for Mr D when he came home from work, everything apart from the chicken was from the plot, tasted fab!

Working most of this week, but looking forwards to getting to the plot with Mr D on my day off on Wednesday!

[Winged one]

Yesterday, I had 20 mins on the plot (after 2 hours in college library and en route to clearing kitchen for demolition today). I managed to sow for overwintering - some peas (meteor), all year round lettuce and corn salad. I pulled a few weeds from the worst affected cabbages (need to give a good going over next weekend), had a peep at the carrots (might get some tiny ones for Xmas Day based on the growth rate to date!).

And harvested the first handful of peas from the sowing of last week July - unfortunately, when I got home, I was hauling so many bags into the house, that I left lottie bag on a chair and toddler managed to spot and snaffle half the peas (she is getting very fast at podding them!!), so it wasn't worth keeping them for dinner. So we shared them out between the 3 of us there and then. Should have a decent harvest next week though - a full serving for us all.

[Flummery]

Dug over a harvested area ready for a row of over-wintering broadies. Soil in lovely condition. Chopped back a bit more of the overgrown shrub border in the front. Made a 'veg-bed soup' with shallots, a couple of small leeks, an apple (fell on the beds from next door!) a few split tomatoes, a clove of garlic and a few beetroot leaves. Absolutely gorgeous. Having it with home-made bread for lunch.
Dibbed out a few all the year round lettuce into modules. Brought 2 more chilli plant indoors - having a chilli tonight!

[carlseawolf]

chopped the courgette bush up and put it on the compost heap , and did the first seaweed run of the year .

[Two_Sheds]

Finished sowing green manures...
Hungarian Grazing Rye is germinating fast, I think whole plot will look like a lawn come spring!
Limnanthes is growing fast, and some are flowering.
Crimson Clover and Alfalfa are v.patchy (poor germination) The seed may be old, or slugs are eating the emerging seedlings.

[sunny-meg]

Yesterday we planted onions and garlic, and made our veggie patch bigger (3 times bigger).
Our friend who is a lottie said garlic is hard to grow, lets keep our fingers crossed. Brussel sprouts still growing lovely.
My daughter is trying to grow a swiss chard indoors because she haven't tasted it before and we haven't got a green house, but she cant wait!
The indoor pea isnt doing very well though
Happy vegging!
Meg

[Mrs Dobby]

Had a trip out to the GC before going down to the plot to harvest some veg for tonight's Lobby (a traditional stew from Stoke on Trent), looking for overwintering onion sets, seemed very difficult to find, only 1 of the 3 places we tried had any, and very limited choice! Last year we seemed to have no problem at this time of year, so I'm wondering whether there's a shortage this year, anyone had any problems?

Met a new plot holder when we got down to the allotment, he's been lucky enough to take over a very well looked over plot after retiring this autumn, had a good chat and invited him to take a look at the vine, so who knows, we may see him on here yet!

Harvested another 2 parsnips, a single courgette, a nice bunch of carrots, 2 lovely leeks, another turnip and a large swede plus 9 baby bear pumpkins as it looks like we had a mild frost recently as the leaves have started to go black!

Still have plenty of leeks, borlotti beans, sprouts, broccolli, caulis, red and white cabbages, turnips, and in the greenhouse, chillies, 4 cucumbers and more tomatoes (green and red) to harvest yet, plus of course the jerusalem artichokes! So still plenty to eat for the next few months!

Looking forwards to a weeks holiday the week after next, hopefully we'll get our overwintering cabbages, peas, broad beans, onion sets, garlic and springf onions in and the rest of the plot covered over for the winter! The other thing we are planning for the winter is to sort out the raised fruit area at the bottom of plot 1, clearing all the weeds that we weren't able to this growing season!

[pigletwillie]

As its forecast frost tonight I harvested the last of the pumpkins and any ripe strawberries and raspberries. All the red peppers came off to and a handfull of green ones, "just in case". Lastly a couple of pallets were dropped off along with some slaps for paths and an IBC stand.

[kentvegplot]

Spent some time yesterday moving things around in case of frost. Harvested another 3 yellow courgettes (that's 72 from one plant ) and one green. Handful of french beans too. And a few raspberries.

Tucked up the chili plants into a bubble-wrapped area of the tunnel, and brought in tubs of tender plants.

In the flower beds, finally lifted pelagoniums and variegated osteospermum, plus one of the cannas (the others are too big, will have to take their chances) Collected more seed from the black cornflower, and picked another 9 'Black Cat' dahlias in case the frost gets them, and some lovely pale pink Cosmos too.

Settled down to read seed catalogues

[Kayt]

I am a new lottie and have taken on a bit of a challenge. Managed to clear an area about 6x10ft and started digging it today. Only another 140ft of brambles to clear now!! Any suggestions as to what, if anything I can start planting now?

[pigletwillie]

Finished building my new front step as we are having a new door flush with the front of the house rather than recessed as now. After that I made 2 big jars of balsamic pickled onions, some normal pickled onions, pickled beetroot and some red onion relish.

Tonights job is to fit shelves in an old steel locker situated in my workshop to fit them all in.

[Vegmonkey]

Recovered and replanted the japanese onions after that bloody cat decided to crawl under the fleece and make a hell of mess where things are meant to be growing!