What I did today 2012-2014

[Snadger]

Cut down my Jerusalem Artichokes. Tried to cut down my sunflowers but I couldn't get the secateurs through them.
Had a bit of a mooch around the plot and tryed to plan where will be he best place to site a polytunnel type thingy.
Had a call from a prospective plot holder who I will show round a vacant plot after work tomorrow.
The rents aren't due until April but the previous plotholder has vacated his plot so we will let it for free until April and use this as a probationary period. If very little work has been completed by April the prospective plotholder will be turfed off to give another from the waiting list a chance.

[hamamelis]

Got the 5th bed up to the proper length and took a few more barrows of leaf mould off the heap, so that's the top half of the plot now basically done for winter (ok, still need to weed one bed and actually spread out the mulch, but it started getting dark). Bottom half still needs quite a bit of work, but it's starting to really look like an allotment now.

Cut down the JAs, and dug up most of them, along with a parsnip- it might not look impressive to anyone else, but it's the first one I've ever grown, and there's more where that came from! Thinned the lamb's lettuce, and transplanted the thinnings- might as well see if it works- and planted the last few shallots I'd forgotten about.

Soup time!

[Marcher]

I bought a hop rhizome today, it only cost 3 quid. I could have got the ornamental golden variety, but apparently it doesn't flower as well as the normal varieties. They grow as an annual plant and die back each autumn (which is kind of a good thing when you consider that they can grow at up to 1 foot per day ).
I'm looking forward to growing such a lovely plant, and one where I should be able to see it growing by the day. The hops themselves I'm hoping to use as a sleeping aid instead of the hops and Valerian herbal tablets I currently use. I have trouble staying asleep and hops are an old folk remedy for it. Not sure how I'll use them yet, maybe in a tea or something, or maybe in a salad with lettuce (another plant that helps you sleep).

[Loudbarker1]

Not sure how I'll use them yet, maybe in a tea or something, or maybe in a salad with lettuce (another plant that helps you sleep).

I suggest infused through a solution of malted barley followed by fermentation

[Two_Sheds]

- collected even more autumn leaves
- got an hour's weeding done: mostly annual grass, dead nettle, nettle, speedwell & groundsel, all flowering
- planted onion sets, finally: some in trays outside, some under net on the lotty. A bit of caliente mustard went into each planting hole to try and outwit the resident white rot
- sorted out my water butts, and got rid of two that I don't really need
- biked 6 bags of peelings up to the lotty daleks
- watered No.2 Dog Poo dalek: it's going down in volume even in the cold weather
- forked through No.1 Dog Poo heap: it's about a year old, and unrecognisable: it's just really good, crumbly dark soil now
- collected even more autumn leaves
- made fat balls for the wild birdies

[Snadger]

- collected even more autumn leaves
- planted onion sets, finally: some in trays outside, some under net on the lotty. A bit of caliente mustard went into each planting hole to try and outwit the resident white rot
- sorted out my water butts, and got rid of two that I don't really need
- biked 6 bags of peelings up to the lotty daleks
- watered No.2 Dog Poo dalek: it's going down in volume even in the cold weather
- forked through No.1 Dog Poo heap: it's about a year old, and unrecognisable: it's just really good, crumbly dark soil now
- collected even more autumn leaves
- made fat balls for the wild birdies

I thought it was the root 'growing' that gave out the fungisidal properties TS?

[Snadger]

Plated up three of my tomato variety seeds that I had fermenting in jam jars. When they are dry I'll be able to packet them from the paper plate I've used. I only keep one tomato of varieties I like for seed, but this should be enough for the few plants I grow.
Dug up a shy of PFA tatties for my tea. I like to leave these in the ground and use them fresh as they deteriorate very quickly once they are out of the ground.

[Snadger]

Must have myself one of those hop plants..............

[Feral007]

Started the biggest garden bed today. Ran out of dirt, still a little hay left. Can't wait till pay day to get the rest started. But have put in the edge along the pathway, corn will go in there, and it's a double reach section, so will be putting in beetroot, lettuce and other sundries, along with some flowering plants. The other garden is looking good, chard going well, and lettuce, but the carrots appear to have gone to God. Might be some pak choi coming thru but can't be sure. Need to get some flowering plants in as there are plenty in the middle section, but the cabbage moths are finding the veg in both end plots. The slugs - grrrr - are doing in the chard seedlings as they come thru. Just need to go check the frost expectations for tonight and see if I need to cover the two tomatoes that went in.
Edited to add: slight, all good.

[PyreneesPlot]

Planted out garlic - 5 heads yielded 58 cloves, 4 rows 16 per row.
Planted the peach tree from our neighbours. Dreaming of peaches tonight

[Snadger]

Pruned my cordon apple trees after work ............until the light faded.

[horticultural_hobbit]

Wheelbarrowed, and then builder bucketed bark chips to make a path along the far side of the plot next to the roses. Was very wet, and boggy. Loads and loads of woodchip to make it all even and passable.

Also put woodchip to create a barrier border between my half plot and the adjoining now most likely abandoned half plot.

[Feral007]

Planted out the corn seedlings into the new garden edge. Put some seeds for capsicum, carrots and some flowers into the bed as well, and a couple of other areas of the herb and veg bed. Everything is looking ok, except for the cucumber plant, did not like being transplanted to the garden. I'm not hopeful for it.

[kathycam]

You could dry the hops and have them as a pillow? Thats what my old flatmate did.

Not been down yet, but planning to put cardboard down and wood chip, as far too many weeds in our social space. Will probably do some weeding and maybe move a currant bush, thats getting crowded out by other perrenials.

[Two_Sheds]

- got another 3 sacks of autumn leaves
- spent 2 hrs digging couch grass out of the border
- 1st racked this year's raspberry wine: 42 bottles' worth. Very nom it is already