What I did today - 2016

[Jay-ell]

I had a raised bed in the front of the plot which was rotten so I decided to take it out.

Emptying it out was a bit like a round of It's A Knockout.

Fill a trug with soil
Howk the trug into the Barrow
Wheel the Barrow down the rickety narrow path between the black currants and the fruit trees
over the soft uneven bed
90 degree turn, past the bits of timber propping the fence up
Another 90 degree, over a 6" log, past the large gooseberry in the middle of the path, past the lupins then to the end of the bed where the trug is howked out and hoyed on the bed.
Then it's back again
Repeat 5 more times.
Round 2 is similar but instead of the gooseberry there's a compost bin and toilet to contend with.

Also pulled up the rotten wood which made up the two sides of the bed.

Chopped up some of the pampas to mulch around the pumpkins. After a while the pampas decided to chop a bit of me up. (Note to self : those thick leather gloves you brought down - wear them )

I had figured out where my tomato supports were. They'd dropped them off next door without leaving a card.

Put them up in the gh as I've decided that I don't like the idea of strings from the glazing bars.

I had moved my coat hook the other day when I built the cucumber trellis. Today I built my melon trellis.

Previously I had stuffed a load of comfrey leaves into a sealed bucket to break down. Turned the tap and lovely straw coloured liquid can running out - lovely. Added this to the gh water butt feeding my toms.

[susieq100]

Yesterday another long session at the allotment. All remaining beds now ready for action. Strawberries weeded and strawed (did a swap with a neighbour - he had some rhubarb and he gave me a couple of wads of straw), garlic hoed, turnips thinned. I even managed to sow some kale and would have done more sowing had I remembered to bring the seeds with me! Never mind, I have to go back today as I did not get around to the strimming, so I can do some sowing as well. I even did some cosmetic tidying to the approach to the plot. It actually looks as if someone lives there now!

[Martin H]

Yesterday I got another bed ready for action (ooh er missus). It took some work, some of the weeds have got a bit big:



Three beds to go. I should get at least one more done today if the rain stays off.

By the way, the person who said "docks are easy, just wait until they put up a flower spike then you can just pull them out cleanly" was talking rubbish. My stony clay not only makes the dock roots fork like my carrots, it also holds onto them so tightly that pulling is impossible.

[Guest]

Yesterday lots of planting out. The beds are filling quicker than I thought they would. Went to do some more planting out last night and noticed my giant stride peas that were starting to romp away had been obliterated. After I calmed down I noticed a calling card - my ruddy ducks!!! I don't know how they got in though

Edit: Martin most of my veg don't get big

[SaraJH]

Mowed the front lawn as planned and OH constructed the dwarf pea and bean frames.

They look fab however I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to harvest anything lol.

Lesson learned for next year, space them out more

[vixylix]

Well I've done LOTS - I finally feel like I'm on track and just waiting for sunshine, growth and veg!

Sowed various carrots, beetroot, radish, spring onion, coriander and basil along with chives, thyme, parsley, lettuce, spinach and rocket. The raised bed is now full and all seeds sown (assuming they all germinate!)

Planted out currant tomatoes, lettuce, marigolds, cosmos, sweet peas and one golden queen tomato which had got too big for the growhouse. I didnt have the energy left to plant the rest out so that's a job for another day.

Moved strawberry seedlings, sweetcorn, oregano, celeriac and lavender to the growhouse to start hardening off. Watered EVERYTHING and re-arranged all the pots to fit in.

The sun even made an appearance! feeling so much better but now achey and tired so slumped on the sofa

[Martin H]

Today I dug some more weeds and broke my digging fork in the process.

Then I planted out some tomatoes, some more sweetcorn and some flowers for cutting that had been in the modules too long (cornflowers and godetia).

[SusieG]

Mowed the front lawn as planned and OH constructed the dwarf pea and bean frames.

They look fab however I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to harvest anything lol.

Lesson learned for next year, space them out more

Lovin' the look of your beds, Sara. See what you mean tho' regarding harvesting .... you'll have to send someone really tiny in .......

[SusieG]

Well I've done LOTS - I finally feel like I'm on track and just waiting for sunshine, growth and veg
The sun even made an appearance! feeling so much better but now achey and tired so slumped on the sofa

Now is the time to pour wine ..........

[Florence Fennel]

Yesterday - transplanted Alpine Strawberries grown from GYO seed - they're doing better than any of my plants in the jam patch. Planted out cauliflower. Planted Gladi bulbs. Transplanted chives. Cleared some of the tulips to dry out the bulbs. Earthed up potatoes.
Today - potted on aubergines and chillis and the last 3 tomatoes to their final tubs. Tidied up stayput and potting bench. That doesn't sound much, but I've been busy in the garden all day. Back to work tomorrow for a rest

[Snadger]

Went to Homebase and purchased 40 canes for my toms and a punnet of sweetcorn..Also bought a sall Japanese Acer Palmatum Atropurpurea for three squid. OH likes them but I find them a bit boring (everyone seems to have one)

Potted acer into a bigger pot at allotment.

Hoed up some more tatties that had showed their heads above ground in my tattie field

Took off the cast iron flue pipe from my woodburner to allow me to reposition it along with its paving slab base. Started to cut sections for bracing summerhouse roof around newly positioned flue pipe.
Decided I needed to borrow Jay-ells steps but couldn't be arsed to walk to his plot so left it for another day

Used up what I had left of Poundlands finest green woodstain before it solidified on me.

Raked out the remaining triangular area i have left to plant which eventually may house the sweetcorn once its been potted it on and its grown a bit.

[Jonny.D]

Put rope up to support tomatoes.
Chopped up more green waste for compost bin #2.
Watered loads of stuff.
Sowed Lettuce & Rocket.

[Cadalot]

This weekend

Plot 1A - Runner bean trench given a new layer of compost, re strung munty frame and runners in
Strimmed the paths
Weeded

Plot 23B - Made three more raised bed frames
Made base for portable debris netting hoop cage
Filled Dalek 1 with grass clippings and

Home - Completed all the remedial works to the fencing
Cleared all the large remaining pots of compost to Plot 23B
5 fence posts to Plot 23B for re use
sown 3 trays of Spring Onions - Ramrod, Shimonita & White Lisbon
Potted up the Burpless Cucumbers
Potted up the Butternut Squash
Finally painted the Cold frame as put back in its correct location
Slug killing and cleaning all the trays modules etc. that were stored in the Cold Frame

[MissC]

Today my blowaway lived up to its name and emptied all of my seedlings on to the floor due to some very unexpected high winds. Some are salvagable, most are headed for the compost heap. Gutted is an understatement.

[SaraJH]

Today my blowaway lived up to its name and emptied all of my seedlings on to the floor due to some very unexpected high winds. Some are salvagable, most are headed for the compost heap. Gutted is an understatement.

Oh no, so sorry to year that

It's not too late to get more seeds going, could you also direct sow anything?