The 'What I Did Today' Archive - 2007

[bramble]

A beautiful day today, sunshine the whole day.
I transplanted all my peppers into 3inch pots today. They are finally beginning to actually look like proper plants now. they have two pair of true leaves so things are improving.
Sowed my tomato seed today also. I know its a bit early but could'nt resist when i saw the sunshine.
Just started one of each variety and still have 24 sown. Don't know where i am going to put them all.
Will just have to wait and see.

[JennieAtkinson]

Got the washing on the line first thing (hooray! first time since about last September), but then spent the morning sitting inside (training session) looking longingly outof the window at the blue skies and sunshine. Roared home at 1.30 and straight out into the garden, still blue skies and sunshine, but a VERY cold westerly wind. Still managed to tidy up all the flower beds in the front (main) garden. Used my new shiny fork and spade.
Desperately wanting to sow some seeds, and it is a surprising 8 degrees most days in the greenhouse, but just HAVE to wait a bit longer.

[pigletwillie]

Well, where do I start.

We both spent the whole day on the plots. Piglette weeded out the last two beds in the fruit cage and then spent the rest of the time cutting down brambles on the new plot and piling them on top of the already big pile of scrap pallets and assorted wood. After tommorow it should be clear enough for me to strim down the grass ready for the plough.

As our first plot is down to raised beds, I was able to plant out golden globe shallots for pickling and Banana shallots for next years seed. After that it was all hard work bringing lots of barrowfuls of bark chippings to the plot to renew the paths. Finally, a plot neighbour and I moved an empty IBC from Plot 2 to its new home, behind where the shed will go. Piglette is now having a good long soak, soon to be followed by me but firsti am going to light the fire.

[kentish girl]

Finally got to the allotment after being rescued by the RAC & dumped the car in the garage again !!!!!

Picked up the seed potatoes, then chopped the old stems from the autumn rasps as communial lottie bonfire on the cards. Plot is still too wet to dig but nice just to start to do something.

The first pea & broad bean seeds are sprouting in the greenhouse so apart from the car all is going great.

[pigletwillie]

An IBC is an individual bulk container. Its basically a 1000 litre plastic container, protected by a mesh cage that sits on a pallet. It has a small lid on top for filling and a tap for emptying. Great for storing water on the plot. I have 6 of them plus 4 barrels on two plots, about 7000 lites of rainwater is in them at the moment.

IBC picture attached.

[ugly gourd]

Today dont laugh I transplated grass that had grown on a fallow piece of allotment onto my orchard that I want to grass Blame it on my age!!

[Two_Sheds]

I transplanted my Forget-me-Nots and Penny Blacks that have self-seeded in a big clump. Pruned my Clematis and Roses. Sat in the sun gossiping with the Site Rep for far too long. A lovely, lovely Spring day until 3pm when the temp plummeted

[Gryfon]

Today...

...I've done a bit of weeding, found loads of seeds and started clearing out the area that was the old greenhouse ready to become a veg bed in a couple of weeks!

Thinking I might start some of the plants I want to go in there now in the greenhouse.

[Kimbo]

Spent most of the day indoors as starting with a cold. I did plant some early onward peas and ideal carrots in pots and put them in my mini greenhouse. The rest of the day I spent planning out my growing plan for the year on a a nice piece of free software called Gantt Designer (kind of project management software)

http://timios.net/Gantt

I have managed to get all my seeds listed, their growing times and when I intend to plant them. Now all I need is the energy to do it.

Kim

[LostthePlot]

Yaaaay! I got a chest freezer off Freecycle to go in the garage in readiness for all the lovely stuff I am going to be growing on my lottie. I am determined that I am going to use as much as possible of this years harvest in every which way and none is going to go to waste, especially after all the effort I seem to be putting in at the mo' getting everything ready.

[Hazel at the Hill]

Beautiful spring day - mended cold frame at home and took it back up to the Hill, planted Aldi soft fruit bushes.

[Mrs Dobby]

Hi Gang!

Weather was lovely today, clear blue skies, cool but nice sunshine, so we've been out in it most of the day!

Went to the garden center, saw some bamboo plants quite reasonable, is it a good idea to get some to provide some canes for plot use in later years, or is it not a good idea? Thought we'd ask before taking the plunge!

Then it was on to the plot! We tried to burn the rubbish / wood, but its still too wet, so only managed to get it smouldering for a while!

Then walked over to our other plot and started marking it out, the person whgo's taken the half plot next to it has started putting in edging board, but we are not going to bother with them for the time being, I think we'd rather concentrate on getting the beds laid out and dug over ready for planting! We can then look for some edging boards at a later date, once we've some more funds available!

Looks like there's going to be 10 5' by 13' beds on the second plot, plus a double composter (pallets!), a flower bed (already there and planted, including 2 well established blackcurrant bushes) and another small bed where they've previously had a muck pile, so looks rather fertile! Any suggestions as to what to plant there (other than squash / pumpkin) would be appreciated!

There's also a cold frame on the second plot, needs a bit of repairing and a new piece of perspex on top, but shouldnt be too hard to salvage it! There's also some more strawbs on there too, so going to keep them, should bring the total of strawbs up to nearly 300 plants or so!

The second plot's soil is a bit more waterlogged than ours, so I have a feeling we will be adding something to aid dranage at some time! Any suggestions anyone?

[pigletwillie]

Back on the plots today. I finally got around to digging out the pond I have been promising myself for ages. The hole will have a 1/2 cubic metre fibreglass tub in it that was oringinaly used for ready mix mortar. It just needs back filling now with the clay from the bottom of the hole and filling with water and a few pond plants from home.

On plot three more scrap wood went onto the bonfire ready to burn.

Finally several loads of bark chippings went onto plot two for paths.

[bramble]

Hi Mrs D, be careful where you plant the bamboo's. They can spread and be very invasive and its a tough job getting them out of the ground. I know as it happened to me.
Read what it says on the label and then make a decision.
good Luck.

[Digger-07]

Put the broad beans under the poly cloche but it's still too wet to get the digging finished. Harvested broccoli and kale for dinner tonight.

Walked the dogs then tried to get the greenhouse ready for more seeds. My greenhouse is a bit like a backward Tardis - looks like there's more room from the outside than there is when you open the door.