What I did today - 2015

[Gillykat]

Third bed completely dug over today more tomatoes picked (and quite a few didn't make it home as they were popped straight into me gob fresh from the plant - delicious! ) and last few strawberry runners potted up.

Feeling good about the plot at the moment as I just do small bits at a time instead of trying to kill myself by digging over 'man-size' bits of bed! I'm also starting to see where we need to work on putting permanent paths and mentally working out what crops will go where next spring

[Jungle Jane]

Forcing hyacinth bulbs for the first time,two pots,one pink & one white,they're in the summerhouse in a black bag for 10 weeks now,hopefully they'll grow & I can bring them indoors. Potted an autumn bliss raspberry cane,i was going to plant it in the ground,but then I read how it can spread like a weed,so it should be ok in a pot.

[Snadger]

Potted up two dozen Wheelers Imperial pointy spring cabbage and another dozen (giving me two dozen) Spring hero ball headed Spring Cabbage. Both lots of plants are a bit small and femmer so i thought i would bring them on a bit in modules in the greenhouse.
I was going to sow my The Sutton broad beans in modules also but ran out of compost.

[Bigmallly]

Did a little bit of DIY before emptying the Sweetcorn bed & feeding to the chooks cos it was pants...........The chooks loved it though.............

[bario1]

Started the big Autumn clean up operation this morning. Pulled and chopped up some of the sunflowers and last year's PSB, along with some nettles and raspberry canes and a tomato plant, and piled it all up for composting - not sure where i'm going to compost it all, as my bins are rammed as it is. Sitting at my desk now with wrists pulsating with nettle stings!
Also staked a PSB plant that had been blown over.

[bario1]

Got to the allotment this morning just before dawn! The big clear up continued...
Also, staked a couple of kale plants that had blown over, and gave all the brassicas and leeks a dose of comfrey tea - hopefully they'll put on a growth spurt before winter sets in. Now i'm paranoid that I stink at work... i swear i can still smell it!

[susieq100]

Cleared away some more of the outside tomato plants - only 2 left but there is still some fruit! We must have had a very mild autumn thus far.

oth lots of plants are a bit small and femmer

Snadger - is this a Geordie expression? Not heard it before. What does it mean? Weak, spindly? Or is it 'pretty' because it's a bit like feminine? Just wondered. I like words.

[Bigmallly]

I think it means weak but could be wrong.

[Snadger]

Cleared away some more of the outside tomato plants - only 2 left but there is still some fruit! We must have had a very mild autumn thus far.



Snadger - is this a Geordie expression? Not heard it before. What does it mean? Weak, spindly? Or is it 'pretty' because it's a bit like feminine? Just wondered. I like words.

Weak and spindly.

[Guest]

Composted 16 pepper plants. Well phase one wasn't to bad as they were cream crackered from neglect. Phase two will be harder as I have to decide which deserve to be overwintered

[Snadger]

Went to Morrisons re Veggie's Elfe potato link. No Elfe's, so bought a miniature rose for a squid!Sorted out my home grown usable Elfe potatoes from my keepable for seed Elfe potatoes.
Swallowed my pride and treated my allotment paths with Glyphosate whilst their was still some growth to absorb the chemical.

Pulled some old cauliflower plants and gave them to the hens.

Harvested my black grapes from one greenhouse with the intention of making them a base for chilli jam!

[WPG]

Made a start on the big allotment clear-out, which was well overdue. Dug out two beds of parsnips which had gone cankerous, pulled out all the old squash, peas, annual flowers, bolted lettuce, bolted broccoli, overgrown radish etc. Covered the empty beds with weed control mat.

[Bigmallly]

Removed the last of the sweetcorn & covered the bed with tarp till spring. Cleared all the runner beans from half barrels & re-arranged the canes so they bend out rather than in, hopefully they should be easier to harvest next year, cleared more leaves out of the pond.

[Tripmeup]

Cleared a bed to plant onions in tomorrow, hopefully.
Picked some more toms and chillies

[susieq100]

Planted the garlic. Composted the courgette plants. Dug in some radishes that had gone so woody that I could have made furniture from them! De-matted a path. Working on this slowly to remove all weed control fabric from the paths as it is patently useless at controlling the weeds. Am going to plant grass on the paths and strim them regularly. Hopefully the grass seed will help to suppress the rubbish. And if not, I shall move to plan C - not yet sure what Plan C is ... but I will formulate it if and when I need it (she said with conviction).