What I Did Today Archive 2008

[heebiejeebie]

Decisions...

Yesterday, met up with lottie-mate. After a discussion about veg preferences of the 7 people who eat what is grown on the plot, the JAs are coming out. I'm the only person who likes them. And we need space for parsnips (which I like more than JAs anyway). I might plant a couple in an unused corner - maybe next to the water butt - as decoration because they're quite pretty when they flower. I could plant one amongst the sunflowers and see if anyone notices

Also discussed whether to put in a row of fruit canes or not. This season we'll have a couple more fruit canes and fill the rest of the row with flowers to be grown by lottie-mate's young 'uns. They're so keen!

Lots of things are germinating in the plastic planthouse (which is now absolutely stuffed with seed trays and pots!) and the min temp in there was 1C last night.

[chrissie the chippy]

What with the snow (In Southampton of all places!!! ), I wont be doing much today!

Sowed some seeds yesterday with my mum, from memory we did,

Early purple sprouting broccolli

Broccolli

Cauliflower

Cabbage

Brussle Sprouts

60 Parsnips in toilet tubes (got more to do, just got to nuke the toilet roll tubes first!)

Carrots in tubs as we haven't got the bed ready yet They will probably be ready before the bed is!

Kidney beans

2 types of Tomatoes, sub arctic plenty and money maker

Cucumber

Egg plant (what with my pregnancy brain, I'm not even going to try and spell it!!)

Probably a load more that I've forgoten, we were out there for 2 days solid!!


Repotted the strawberries and potted on our first lot of cucumber plants....


Still got to start off the sweet pepper, peas, other tomatoes, leeks, chillies and herbs....... but might have to wait until after baby is here!!! He was due 2 days ago!!! Seems quite happy where he is! Need to get me potatoes out though so he needs to hurry up

[zazen999]

Planted out the strawb patch; 8 various strawbs, with weed fabric to keep the fruit clean.

Harvested some leeks and PSB

Planted out self-blanching celery, various salads and 4 peas.

[Flummery]

Sold the shed - neighbour and gang of strong young men came to dismantle it. We're having a new one built on the end of the garage starting next week. Cash will go to make frames for netting the beds against pigeons!
Harvested PSB and artichokes for tea.

[Snadger]

Because it was snowing outside I had a much needed seed sowing session inside!
Sowed Kilaton cabbage and Clapton cauli's. Both packets were F1 seeds and supposedly 20 seeds of each. Sowed them in 24 cell trays one seed to a cell. Had no labels so came up with the ingenious idea of folding the packet lengthwaise and sliping the end into the sealed inner packet before using this as a label. The sealed inner packet should stop the moisture getting to the outer packet.
Sowed Cardoons from last years seed also Sea Kale from last years seed, they've got two chances, either they do or they don't germinate!
Sowed a block of F1 sprout seed to hopefully seed to give me a dozen plants ! Sowed African Marigolds and Cornflower. Also pricked out some Ham onions into a 24 cell tray

One good thing about having snow was that I was able to shift a large pot with an apple tree in it to where I wanted it by dragging it along on the snow like a toboggan. I don't need to be beholding to anyone for a lift now.

Lots of firetending to keep the woodburner chuffing along nicely and 3 or 4 cuppa's to boot mean't I was as warm as toast and had quite a pleasant afternoon being the only hardy soul at the allotment site!

[wellie]

I spent most of the day in The Little Girls' Greenhouse sowing herb and salad seeds into the small troughs wot fit into my Wellie's Workshop Salad Bar.
Me and my cat, bathing in the sunshine, sheltering from the snowstorm.... bathing in the sunshine, sheltering from the next snowstorm. Get my drift?!
Had a REALLY productive day, and loved every minute of it.
Thank you for listening.....

[heyhay1984]

Broke the first bit of ground on (previously neglected for about 6 months) lottie, and put in 10 of each of Charlotte and Kestrel spuds. Took me and OH about 2 hours to clear the row. He now moaning of bad back, I'm also feeling it but keeping quiet like wot we wimin is supposed to.

Also spent some time clearing various things off the plot, including about 40 individual plant protectors made from chicken wire. These are now in what appears to be a fire pit at the back of the plot. I did also fall into said firepit at one point. As there is so much wire in it this is the temporary snail graveyard (get out of that one slimey!)

Finally, harvested a random row of leeks which previous tenant had left. This has cheered up OH. Sadly don't think there is anything left on the plot to appease im when I need him to help dig the maincrop spud bed next weekend!

[Winged one]

This weekend, I:

Sowed carrots in a pot for the patio.
Sowed spring onions in the bed beside the fence.
Sowed spring onions in a pot to take to plot in a few weeks.
Potted on the yellow tumbling tom tomatoes - 5 nice little plants from 6 seeds.
Lavished lots of attention on the rest of the toms I sowed last week - there's signs of life in all pots bar the spinach (sowed lots last week - see previous post).
Put used coffee grounds around my peas, beans and lettuces in the garden, a la Alys (I saw it on GW, but already had the grounds to do it ) - also picked off 2 slugs hiding behind the olive tree in the damp!! Birdie feast!!
Put all my biggish plants out for some lovely sunshine, on the patio, on Saturday.
Brought all the same plants back indoors sat night from frost - most had been residing in minigreenhouse past few weeks. Just as well though as woke up to snowy roof Sunday. Plants in MGH sunday, but back in last night and indoors today.

Plan for today (apart from getting bl**dy thesis draft finished) is to ring LA and ask about when getting new keys for plot (2 brand new locks broken in past week!!) and suggest they put a sign up with the latest new lock

Plan for tomorrow (assuming I get thesis draft sent in today) - day off to collect keys, plant 2nd earlies and earth up 1sts, plant onion sets, maybe dig another portion. Oh, and do the food shopping I forgot to do at the weekend so I can feed the toddler and OH

[jackie j]

Popped down to the lottie today and yippee seeds that i thought were lost have poked through !!! Just watered them as in plastic greenhouse and thats all i did.
went to T---o's ( I work there well someone has to ) didnt get staff discount lot of confusion phoned from home to sort it good job freephone no; as I was caller no 25 and 20 mins later call answered problems with sytems all over country.

[Two_Sheds]

Today I hardened off Snadger's Red Epicure broadies ... they went all wilty in the hail, but I told them to pull their socks up about it.
Sowed some lettuce, celeriac and basil - and even more Feltham First peas in loo rolls.

[Arachne]

Today I transferred the last of the last batch of tomato seedlings to its very own pot, and planted more tomatoes (Beefsteak and Harbinger, being the most successful of the last batch), and some chillis (Jalapeno and GYO freebies). I also planted more basil (Dark Opal and Italian Large Leaf) in the pots the veg-box mushrooms come in, with tesco sushi packets as trays. RRR!

(Also, yesterday I filled in my local council's allotment enquiry form - the partner makes objecting noises when I talk about getting rid of the lawn in order to be able to grow everything I want to grow, and there's certainly some plots that *look* like they're not being used in some of the local lotties. My fingers are tightly crossed.)

[zazen999]

Potted on 2 aurora toms.
Sowed:
sweetcorn, peas, beans, carrots, courgettes.

Tried new technique using log maker [the plunger style]. Wrpa newspaper round log maker and make base; fill with compost and tamp down each layer. Stick little sticker over end of newspaper to keep it together. Remove from logmaker and viola - a large newspaper pot.

Tried this with the peas and beans; will report back on progress.

[Getoffmylande]

Although not todays work on Saturday I visited my allotment and spent an extremely productive day down there. I rotorvated the entire plot that wasn't in produce. I'm still picking purple sprouting Broccollli and Leeks, Tidied up around my spring cabbages. Build a new path(well set the ground up and sowed grass seed.) and re roofed a box that i had biult with new felt. Its like a large version of a cold frame idea and i keep all of my netting plastic bottles and the like in it so it doesn't clutter up the shed.
After doing the mechanical dig I also set my two rows of first earlies. which have been chitting in the Greenhouse for the past month.

[wellie]

Getoffmylande - gardener after my own heart....WOT?

Well, today, I weeded over at my gorgeous Mrs. Hyphen-Hyphen's garden (Daddy gave me this Lande) (snort, snort...) and the rain, sleet & snow held off beautifully for the sun to shine down on me. With my fave Radio 2 on in me lugholes, I was lost in The Shrubbery for days....
Ground Elder and Bindweed. Very satisfying days' work!
Thank you for listening.
X

[zazen999]

Secretly bought more carrot seed [shhhhhhh] includes purple carrot and rainbow carrot.