What I Did Today Archive 2008

[wellie]

I just 'pottered' today, harvesting all the tumbling tomatoes because Fert'n'Liza have Blight, and I can see a vat of Tomato Ketchup in my minds' eye?!
After winning so many rosettes, cups, trophies and shields yesterday at The Aylburton Show, it seemed right to take things a bit easier (what a smug tart I am today!) and Trousers very kindly put some photos up of last Saturday's Bream Show on our 'wotsit' for me to write about.

And about an hour ago, I twisted my ankle rather badly, and Trousers is a bit worried in case I don't feel well enough to cook his dinner? No, really, I'm fine....!

[FionaH]

planted maris and charlotte spuds in greenhouse for Christmas. Fingers crossed

[Winged one]

Bit of a long report as I haven't been around much due to hols.
Before I went, I gave the plot a good weeding and clearing, as well as going over the night before departure to collect a large bag of 1st early spuds (last of em - maybe 5kg), about 5kg of Pink Fir Apple spuds, 3 large tubs of salad leaves, a tub of brocolli, a small cauliflower, a small handful of french beans and peas, 2 baby courgettes, mangetout (about 2 supermarket trays worth), decent handful of baby carrots, about 15 vaguely yellow or totally green cherry toms, a pot of basil and a handful of other picked herbs, and a freezer bagful of red and yellow onions for bringing on hols with us. Offloaded some of these goodies on various grateful parents (we were staying in between both), and spent the rest of our hols scoffing the rest (well, the salad and spuds lasted all hols, most of the rest went pretty rapidly, but we could supplement at the weekly farmers market locally with almost as good veg!). I also had a jar of "lazy garlic" - the last of last year's garlic, chopped finely with the food processor and stored under olive oil - which was rather useful. I also offloaded a pot of leeks on my MIL, as I figured I had enough for myself already (about 40 in the pot).

The most horticultural thing we did on hols was when the toddler did regular collecting duty for her nanna under the apple trees, and helped me to gather some blackberries one morning to use some of these apples in a blackberry and apple crumble one night (oh delish!). (And I bought 3 - just 3 - seeds down to half price in the local supermarket before we came home, as they were selling off the last of the summer supplies). And I actually managed to read the Sept isue of GYO!

The garden had survived the floods, and was awaiting us with another couple of courgettes, lots of mangetout turned into peas (toddler delighted!! and we all ate well), and all my lettuce bolted (boo). Seedlings all ok too.

Last thursday, I ventured to the plot to see if it survived the local floods (it had) and harvest another couple of night's PFA spuds, large bag brocolli, 1kg french beans, decent couple of handfulls of peas, nice lettuce.

I returned on Friday to give it a good going over. Lots of weeding, and clipping of the grass paths before they ran completely wild (well - part of the main one - I am ignoring the side boundaries until I have more time). Harvested the bed of red onions and the bed containing the dregs of both the red and yellow onion sets (where I had run out of room in their main beds!). Dug up the "volunteer" potato plants in the nettle patch and got 2 dinners worth of a lovely red spud (not roosters - that's all I can say about variety) and also found enough 1st earlies hiding in the bed for one person's dinner some night. Dug over the rest of the spud bed and planted the last of the leeks - another 52 (so I have just over 120 for the winter). Also put in 5 more lettuce seedlings to replace the 2 mature lettuces I harvested. Ran out of time as I had to run to the creche (they are getting used to seeing me arrived up to my eyeballs in muck).

On Saturday morning, as it was fine and dry early on, I abandoned my chance of a lie in and ran to the plot instead for an hour to finish what I hadn't managed the day before. Mainly, in the rest of the 1st spud bed, digging over the end and sowing some carrots, turnips, spring onions and radishes for a late crop (hopefully). And then harvested the main bed of yellow onions (much better yield from these - huge onions!!) before getting home in time to install our new washing machine and tumble dryer (I had been late getting to plot on Friday as needed to buy new ones, the old single machine having died on Thursday night - not good when toilet training the toddler!!).

Yesterday was my last day of hols. So I was supposed to stay in bed and sleep (I was even ordered back to bed as OH left for work) - but I was wide awake and it was dry and fine. So I snuck off the the plot again.... I spent another 3 hours there - finished clipping the main path all the way to the back, and did 2 side paths as well. Pulled the mature weeds around the compost bin before it got smothered. And more weeding around french and broad beans. Claimed the roof tiles in the builder's rubble heap at the tap and laid a path over the back end of the plot (which gets quite muddy and will be used all winter this year - I have old patio slabs for the front end when I manage to transport them over from home). Moved the pea support trellis from the first sowing to the last sowing (made just before hols) and put it in good and solidly (picked up some lovely long, strong and straight branches on the walk in for the purpose) - may get a late flush there in a few weeks time. Fixed a couple of nets, and removed 2 more as they were no longer needed. Covered part of the first red onion bed with cardboard as an interim measure until the broadies are finished and it all gets plastic for winter (will leave cardboard there to rot in as well). Just a general tidy up really.

So I am doing ok up there now. There is still another good weed needed in some spots and lots more clipping of paths. Parts are doing really badly - my squashes, pumpkins and courgettes all got eaten up there (just one plant in the garden producing courgettes). But some are doing ok (tomatoes are producing some green fruits, sweetcorn showing some signs that they may fruit and there are some peas), while others are doing great (lots of PFA spuds coming up still - another 2 rows to go, french beans are going great, brocolli still lots of shoots, and leeks flying along - should be harvesting summer ones next weekend).

I have some more brassicas to put in shortly - some late PSB and savoy cabbage mainly. As well as a few more lettuce seedlings. And I sowed another pot of turnips in the garden, and some more cabbage and lettuce seed in modules, as well as some pak choi, for later planting too (I know it may be too late, but I have the space now and a few extra seeds won't break the bank but may give an extra flush of growth!!). Oh, and I have started to fill up the spud bags, as the leaves are coming along very well in both (1 better than the other, but both doing good).

[wellie]

After winning a few lovely classes at The Aylburton Show on Saturday, I woke up feeling that I should go and maybe persuade 'The Forest of Dean & Wye Valley Review' Newspaper today that they did indeed Miss A Trick over the weekend by not having a photographer there. And I did speak to some lovely lovely people in their offices, which made me feel a whole lot calmer than when I did wake up this morning! We all agreed that it was a terrible shame that they hadn't sent a photographer to The Aylburton Show to photograph my spoof front page of their own newspaper in the form of a cake, but we managed to download a few photos from our digicamera memory card, so all was not lost, thank goodness!
And naturally, when the local paper gets posted through to us tomorrow or the next day, I'll get Trousers to show you the result, if they do at all..... Fingers crossed. XXXX

[sewer rat]

Lifted 50kg King Edwards, 25kg each of Red Duke, Charlotte and Lady Christl, picked 25kg broad beans, pulled the same of Purple Top Milan Turnips, baled some straw whilst my mate, who works for the agricultural contarctor I used to work for, had his lunch, weeded two rows of carrots, and then played mechanuic after a woman's car started billowing smoke as it passed me then stopped dead. She asked if I would take a look - initially I thought it was just some spilt oil burning off that was smoking as she told me she had just filled the car with oil. When I took out the dipstick, a jet of oil gushed up. I asked her how much oil she put in - her reply was that she kept putting it in til it was full - to the top of the oil lid - not the dipstick marker.
Pushed her car back to the farm, removed the sump plug and will let it drain overnight but can't help thinking that her engine is totally wrecked
Came home, now off to do my VAT return - joy, joy, joy

[Flummery]

Yesterday I tried some of my huge haul of dried Lanchashire Lad peas as mushy peas. Northern failing, this. I soaked them with a little bicarb which is traditionally done, to help soften the skins, I've always assumed. Then I brought them to the boil. Then I went to turn the gas down and they were - deep, dark, burgundy-purple! Himself was bringing in fish and chips for tea as I'd had a friend I don't see very often over for lunch and it was likely to stretch out into the afternoon, (gas again!).
Well, I have a pic (still in my camera - I'll download it later) of a plate of fish and chips with the most amazing portion of what looks like blackcurrants on the side! They tasted fantastic. Cooked from fresh these peas are a bit bitter and tough. As a purple mushy pea they are a winner!

This has me wondering - what colour would they be without the bicarb? Would puple climbing beans that normally go green stay purple with a pinch of bicarb in the water. Off to experiment.

[Two_Sheds]

I shelled lots of dried (haricot) French Beans; shelled lots more flageolet (green) French beans. Picked 7 big fat Sweetcorns - I made carrot & sweetcorn soup.
Apart from that it was mulching all morning ... grass clippings on the spuds, any bare earth and on the compost heap; and bark shreddings on the paths. Plot looking quite tidy for a change.

[wellie]

It was Green Wheelie Bin Recycling Day Today, so Fert'n'Liza got completely de-frocked for the autumn, and actually, so did Tom'n'Marta. (They'll be Newbies on this GYO Forum scratching their heads and thinking 'Is it Me?'!!) but young Freddie Flobalob Flower Pot Person (clue there!) is still wearing his Asparagus Peas and Mizuna outfit.....

I did a serious amount of weeding in our 'pretty garden', and whilst Trousers did the mowing, I tidied up our Potager Fruit and Vegetable Garden, so we're looking a might bit tidier for Monsieur Con Dubois's visit this Sunday Lunchtime, n'est pas?!

[wellie]

It was Green Wheelie Bin Recycling Day Today, so Fert'n'Liza got completely de-frocked for the autumn, and actually, so did Tom'n'Marta. (They'll be Newbies on this GYO Forum scratching their heads and thinking 'Is it Me?'!!) but young Freddie Flobalob Flower Pot Person (clue there!) is still wearing his Asparagus Peas and Mizuna outfit.....

I did a serious amount of weeding in our 'pretty garden', and whilst Trousers did the mowing, I tidied up our Potager Fruit and Vegetable Garden, so we're looking a might bit tidier for Monsieur Con Dubois's visit this Sunday Lunchtime, n'est pas?!

[Rhona]

Hurrah! Picked our first lot of damsons. The tree is weighed down almost to the ground and I want to use up as many as possible. My plan is do a few jars of compote, and try my first ever wine! It's the best year the tree's ever had so I've done some piccies!

[Flummery]

Wow - that's better than my crop by miles. I shall be picking my damsons today - went to water the greenhouse, passed the damson tree, tried one - gorgeous. Today I will be mostly - picking damsons (but not as many as Rhona!)

[Lavenderblue]

Picked a bowl full of plums. Simon and his papa finished off the woodstore - it looks great! Made 8 jars of blackberry jam. Pegged off some of the strawberry runners, only about 12 million to go. Harvested first pumpkin and several corgettes. Have loads of runner beans still to pick, no room in the freezer so these will have to go to willing neighbours. Loads to do tomorrow before the holiday starts.

[Snadger]

Dug up some second early spuds........Kestrel mainly, lovely spud! Mucked the area with rotted down grass cuttings and dibbled Mamoth leeks into same area.
Cut up some 25Kg gras seed bags and layed on some more of the paths before wheelbarrowing woodchippings from a pile at the end of the allotments and covering bags.
Started to get a bit dark as if it was going to hiss down (chooks went into the coop so I wonder whether this is the same as the old addage of cows lying down before rain to keep there spot dry?
Egg sales are doing well and are no sooner put in the 'for sale' box than they're gone.
Came home and had a fresh double yolker fried egg sarnie..........what better end to the day!

[sewer rat]

Got up and made a batch of Carrot and Lentil soup,went to the field and lifted 50kg Lady Christl, 25kg Charlotte, 25kg Red Duke of York, 25kg King Edwards, picked two crates of courgettes (one yellow and one green) pulled crate of Purple Top Milan, picked crate of broad beans and another of broccoli, picked some peas, watered tunnel, came home, made batch of Courgette, Pea and Mint soup (all my own ingredients), put Carrot and Lentil Soup into cartons, bathed Niamh, did labels for soups, got changed, went to work as Doorman at local club, now I'm on here, waiting for dawn to break so I can go and pick leafy veg - kale, lettuces, rocket, spinach, chard and also peas (one crate of each) then it'll home for a quick coffee, and then off to Lairg Crofters Show for the day where I have a stall. Home about 6 tonight then I have to take photos at a school reunion, before going out to my doorman job again.
They say there's no rest for the wicked - I must Evil Incarnate !!

[Flummery]

Picked over 7lb of damsons, gave the tree a bit of a haircut too. Cut out the old fruiting canes from the tayberry and tied in the new ones. Went to the tip! We know how to live!