The 'What I Did Today' Archive - 2007

[Hazel at the Hill]

Had a fab time at the Hill today - managed to miss the rain and:

• planted some dianthus at the front of the plot which I bought at Malvern
• weeded the roots bed
• planted the 2 garlic bulbs which I bought at Malvern (note to self: write down varieties next time)
• sowed hungarian rye green manure

came home and finished making EB's green tomato chutney and have hollowed out and carved one of the pumpkins which was bloody hard work and took ages. Looks good tho'.

[Winged one]

On Saturday night, I provided some of the raw materials (well, onions and garlic) for my mum's 60th birthday celebrations. And I opened the first jar of EB's special green tomato chutney with the cheese course, which was enjoyed by all those eating cheese (7 of the 10 of us).

After our return from the country, I went to the plot yesterday in beautiful sunshine to harvest peas. Enough for a garnish on the salmon for OH and I (we also had spinach but toddler doesn't eat that) at dinnertime and a full helping for the toddler. And there should be another harvest in about 2 weeks I think (even bigger if the number of pods is anything to go by).

Also pulled a baby carrot from the footpath - ate it straight there as it was tiny and too small to share, but YUM!! Will let the ones in the bed grow a bit more and hopefully may get some baby ones of an eating size for Christmas dinner.

And eyed up the brassicas, which have put on a great spurt this week after we had some rain. Might start to thin a few out in a month or so for baby greens.

Had a nice walk back out with a fellow plotholder (he had beeen digging over part of his), chatting about the benefits of spuds for breaking up the ground. Got back to car to find, not only was toddler still asleep, but OH had dropped off too!!

[Mrs Dobby]

Today we spent most of the day on the plot, glorious sunshine if a tad windy and cold, but managed to weed and dig over then plant the bed with the overwintering garlic and onion stes in it, now have 100 cloves of garlic (50 electra and 50 marco) and 100 autumn sown onion sets (50 radar and 50 senshui) in the bed between the compost bins and the greenhouse! We spaced them out a bit more this year, to allow easier hoeing to keep on top of the weeds, assuming the weather is dry enough to allow hoeing, as last year weeding between the onions and garlic by hand was a heck of a chore!

Also harvested about another 3lb of rasps, the last of the blackberries, another cucumber, a lovely big leek, more broccolli and sprouts and the last 3 aubergines, plus another 40 chillies (roccotto red, aji omnicolour and aji dulce)!

Brought it all home in my new whicker basket / trug that I had for my birthday!

Mr D is now ordering the spuds for next year, a T&M allotment pack (10 tubers each of Cara, Lady Balfour, Kestrel, Lady Christie, Orla, Sante) plus 20 rooster and 20 Pentland Javelin which means we'll also have a free 20 tuber pack of Ulster Sceptre, not bad when you consider you also get £5 off with the voucher that came with the catalogue!

Tomorrow we are going out for a walk up to Alderley Edge, then back to the plot on Thursday to dig over the bed for the overwintering broad beans and get them planted!

[pigletwillie]

After knocking out the old front door c/w walland window and fitting new, I cleaned most of the old bricks to use on the plots as a herb wheel and to use to keep fleece well held down come the spring.

Today I am covering the clay oven with a layer of render to make it more weatherproof.

[Flummery]

Today I have mostly been making bread, parkin biscuits as a contribution to our choral society practice this evening and soup from the plot (had it for lunch.) Joined HDRA's Heritage Seed Library as my good deed for the day. Completed some personalised seed packets for the next door neighbour who will be 80 in January. Did them as a birthday present but they feature a photo of his garden - didn't think it'd be much use to photograph it after Christmas!

[wellie]

Having completely 'lied through our teeth' the other day, because we found something more exciting to do, Scarey and I planted Wellie's rather expensive Shallot Griselle Sets into Scarey's vegetable bed today. We conservatively reckon that from what we dibbed into the bed today, we might be looking at around 200 Griselle Shallots between us next Juen ou whatever Wellie hasn't learned yet that spells early July next year...., and I'd like to applaude Klever Keith for hoeing and preparing that bed where the Sweetcorn was last year for Clare and I to plant the sets, pretty please thank you.....

And Clever Clare harvested a 'crackin good swede' wot she grew, for Klever Keith to add to tonight's yummy dinner....

[pigletwillie]

Well its our annual bonfire party tommorow and whilst we have around 60 people coming, a couple of good friends will be absent.

So, today. Well its a case of moving some 30 pots of herbs to the allotment along with nearly 40 pots of soft fruit and rose cuttings, sweep up the leaves, jet wash any slimy bits on the paths, put up the big pergola, lay the outside fireplace so its ready to go, make some garden torches out of tin cans, cardboard and parafin, start cooking the puddings, go shopping and make everywhere spik and span, phew. Its all worth it though as we have a good crack.

[Nicos]

Just spent a lovely morning with the Dobbies.....what a lovely couple!!

[Mrs Dobby]

Yesterday Mr D was putting up the second freecycled greenhouse in the yard, until it got too dark for him and he had to come in!

Today we had a lovely trip out to meet Nicos at her plot and to pick up some pallets, during a lovely morning talking away and sharing all our enjoyments of the plots (lovely plot too Nicos!) we also got some lovely squash seeds and a bottle of vintage Rhubarb Schnapps!!!!!!! Wonderful!! Had a sip when we got home, WOW!!! Excellent stuff indeed! Gonna have to make some next year!

Nicos was really lovely, and her plot looked great, much less weedy than ours at the moment! Anyhows, we dropped the pallets off and now I'm making something to take along the the allotment bonfire party tonight, along with one of Mr D's Pumpkin Pies!

[Hazel at the Hill]

Lovely day at the Hill today -

• planted out 100 jap onion sets that we bought at Malvern and that partner-in-grime Jane had planted up in modules which means that they are off to a flying start
• picked off the dryest looking french and runner beans which I've podded and are now drying out further for storing
• cut a cabbage, dug a swede, a turnip and a bloody big parsnip
• picked last lettuce and radish. Picked spring onions.
• cut half a dozen of the smaller sunflowers from the front of the plot to bring home

Now going to bake some biscuits and make shepherds pies with root veg mash topping.

[shirlthegirl43]

Picked a handful of alpine strawbs for Madmax to enjoy on his last day home (crying smiley). Watered the greenhouse which I must now go and close for the night. Been a beautiful day here today, no need even for a jacket! Off for an early night as Madmax has to be at the airport (2 hour drive) by 5 am. Also picked 3 spud bags full of apples to juice and make puree for the freezer (since my Dad bought me a new one yesterday - thanks Dad!)

[rustylady]

Cleaned out the greenhouse, ready for WINTER. Went to the lottie, did some weeding and digging. Everything seems to have finished now, except the weeds. Leeks and garlic looking good. Made a start on clearing the matted mess of a strawberry bed.

[Flummery]

Today (and yesterday) I did some more on my overgrown shrub border. Himself decided to get his electric saw out yesterday to cut down the remaining stuff that was too thick for my loppers. The fine weather inspired him to get the incinerator out on my empty bit of veg plot and stack it ready for iginition tonight. He was going to save it for bonfire night but thought today he'd go for it while the weather is still good.
I dug out more (and more and more) ivy which has crept in from amongst next door's hedge. It should be reasonably easy to keep sorted as the bit I did at the beginning of the year has stayed clean (kept my eye on the creeping stems). Now scouring the seed catalogues for favourite cutting flowers!

[pigletwillie]

Got up with a thick head as I somehow finished last nights bonfire bash on Limoncello. We had the place sorted, awnings down, empties cleared away and the garden back to normal by late morning.

Well forest people, you missed a blinder.

[Kayt]

Have prepared ground for broad beans and had great big bonfire. Actually feel as though I'm getting somewhere now with my new lottie