What I did today - 2016

[Dorothy rouse]

Bought some stuff in allotment shop, including small bag of onion sets, so will put in where there are spaces. Dug over about 3/4 of potato bed, digging in some of the not very decomposed stuff from compost bin. Dog slept in the sun, then after an hour or so he got fed up, so that was that! But feel good mornings work.

[elleme]

Yay, 3 sunny days in a row. Yesterday painted my scruffy old wooden greenhouse, which is now a fetching shade of green and looking a lot better save for the bit I've missed at the top. So I might take a ladder out there later to finish the job. This morning I transplanted my broad beans from garden containers to the allotment. Also checked and watered my windowsill seedlings. Summer savory, which I plan to plant near the broad beans and later french + runner bean sowings has now germinated and yet more zebrune shallots have come up.

[Gillykat]

A lovely few hours pottering between 10.30am and 2pm. I'll swear if I didn't have a husband to go home to feed I'd be on the plot until it was too dark to see! Lovely and warm ~ 16c according to greenhouse thermometer.

Jobs done include....

1: Planted Blackcurrant 'Ben Nevis' and three each of Raspberries 'Glen Ample', 'Glen Moy' and 'Joan J'.

2: Pruned back a few overhanging hawthorn branches which were hanging over the path and gave me a few scratches last Sunday.

3: Sorted through half my canes and wiped them down so they were clean and ready for use in the coming weeks. Will do other half tomorrow.

Inbetween these jobs I stood and watched various bugs and beasties ~ a Honey Bee on the pulmonaria, Millipede in the polytunnel so I removed him (or her?) to the compost heap, a Wolf Spider running across the soil on the raised bed areas and a small Ground Beetle in the fruit bed. Chatted to postie neighbour (think he's called Steve) and he'd just seen a Bumble Bee sunning herself on some wood planks. Loads of birds singing too - Coal & Blue Tits, Song Thrush, Blackbird, Greenfinch, Chaffinch and a Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming from the nearby park Really feels like Spring is just around the corner!

[Bex2012]

A few productive hours today! Planted my patio apple and pear tree that I bought into tubs. Was meant to do the blueberries too, but i forgot to take the ericacious compost over with me.
Dug out all the strawberries and gave a load to the plot holder next door, not sure what I will do with the others.
Helped my OH put together the final two raised beds, thats it, Im not buying any more!
He also dug up and relaid all the retaining edging on the central path as it was wonky and annoying him. While he was doing that I dug out more couch grass, and then finished laying the mebrane for a new path.

[Snadger]

On top of a lot of demolition and rotten timber burning on my project plot I managed to let the last plot on the site and collected numerous rents and key monies from existing plotholders. (Must have been the letter I sent out last week saying "Pay up or you are oot"! Serves me right, now i,m lumbered with taking payments!

Still haven't got my onion sets in, but its on the list!

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

Washed and sterilised all my seed sowing gear! Thinking the new season begins in the morning! Not sown a single seed yet!

[Jonny.D]

Filled raised bed with compost from last year & covered with plastic to keep the birds from eating the worms.

Started clearing space to move compost bin to.

Sowed more seeds.

[veggiechicken]

More "road" making, spiny plant removal, beds rearranged from large singles into small doubles, bed edging with branches. Just another crazy day in the garden, ably assisted by 3 puppies and 2 chickens.
Have to laugh at their antics. One time I threw a ball for the dogs to fetch, and the chooks chased after it too - and reached it first
Hoping to lay a few more "roads" tomorrow. May even take some photos for the calendar

[lolie]

Just pulled up the strawberries and will pull up the Florida basket tomatoes later.

[AkionTotocha]

I fixed my plastic greenhouse to the ground and walls of the courtyard while my friend levelled the dry stone wall of the raised boarder on the front

[lolie]

Tomatoes pulled and a few more cuttings taken for over-wintering.

Just need to find the motivation to move the soil from the bed to the dirt pile now.

[bario1]

This morning I started the arduous task of adding leafmould to the ground I dug over last weekend and yesterday. The soil is really heavy, silty, waterlogged clay, and comes up with an audible squelch when you lever it out with the fork. We have a massive pile of leaves at the site that the council add to every year, so there's plenty of lovely 5-10 year old leafmould available if you can be bothered to dig it out! I'm going to add a barrow load of this to every square metre of soil, dig it in, and then cover with a layer of manure, then cardboard. Hopefully this will create a much lighter, free-draining soil.

[BarleySugar]

Today I planted out onions and garlic that I had started in modules because I didn't have the space cleared at the plot. They have just been growing outside in the back garden so are well hardened off. There were a few smaller garlic cloves that I didn't have space to start off, so I poked them in too.

[bramble]

Dug out another two drills today for my early potatoes.
When i had that done I put seaweed, rotted leaves and chicken pellets in the drills.
Then I decided as all was ready I might as well plant the potatoes, so thats what I did.
I now have 2 drills of Colleen first earlies and 2 drills of Orla first earlies.
They are now filled in and covered over with black plastic for the next few weeks.

[Snadger]

Finally got my onion sets planted. Took out the remains of the mooli crop, a quick tickle over with the spade, fertiliser dressing, rake level and bobs your uncle! Done dusted.

Started to disassemble the plot I am giving up. Took down the brassica hoops and loosened some of the wire fencing I'm taking with me to build the NEW chicken run!