What I did today - 2016

[Jay-ell]

I'm certain that some people on this forum think that every time I go to the lottie I demolish something - well that's not true.

Today I harvested

• courgettes
• beans
• peas
• kale
• strawberries
• Pineberries

I also planted

• purple kale
• collard southern georgia
• dwarf curly kale
• collard vates
• tree cabbage
• sorrel
• sowed beans under sweetcorn
• and planted a fuchsia basket

Mind you I did pull the roof of a lean to wood store and started breaking down the large see through shack

[Containergardener]

Wondering if snadger and JL hire themselves out

Worked again zzzz

[Gillykat]

Turned a corner ~ mentally ~ after a run of horticultural disasters had me feeling like this allotment malarky was a constant losing battle Feeling ready for Plan B and looking to see what I can sow in the next couple of days to salavage what's left of the growing season. Popped in to Homebase and noticed they still had some healthy looking young veggies - cabbage, caulis, leeks. Might get some on Wednesday if it's too late to start from seed as car is out of action tomorrow morning and I'm at work all afternoon.

[bario1]

This morning - filled up all my water butts with the hose. Watered the spuds in barrels and bags. Fed everything in the tunnel, toms with T*m*rite, chillies with Chilli F*cus, and sweetcorn with nettle tea.
Scraped and yanked up the disgusting 3" thick mat of mud and weeds that seems to appear from nowhere each season over the concreted area of my plot... a horrible, noisy, back-breaking job! Threw the resulting mess in the compost bin.
Pulled up some of the larger and wilder weeds from the perimeters of the plot so it doesn't look quite so overrun... it's getting away from me again.

Didn't get any of the jobs done that I wanted to get done - just feel like I'm fire-fighting at the moment.

[Snadger]

Finally got my Summerhouse roof felted and have the bad back to prove it!

Under layer was applied and nailed into position with 13mm clout nails. Green layer was a different kettle of fish. First problem was getting the extremely heavy roll on to the roof. Nearly got it up by taking it a rung at a time, only to fall off at the last hurdle. Ate my three shredded wheat and got it on to my shoulder. Only problem was the weight on my shoulder was pulling the ladder away from the shed.Finished up rolling it over my head and checking i hadn't bust my specs!
The roll i had was short of what i needed but managed to patch it up with some self-stick stuff I had lying around.
Painted bitumen under all the joints and flattened them into position.The end overlaps still need cutting and fixing but will have to wait for another day as I was badly in need of Ibruproven.
The glasing bars still need sealing of also.

Dug some more tatties to go with my steak dinner, watered indoor stuff that needed it, and went to my other plot.

I decided the chicks were big enough to look after themselves so opened the broody hut door into the run.
The mother hen dived out and was instantly set upon by the other chooks. I thought the cockerel would intervene but he just watched on the sidelines.
I hope the chicks will be ok and will have to go and check on them in the morning.

[Jay-ell]

popped into Morrisons on the way to the lottie to get some soft drinks and came out with 2 raspberry plants, a Tayberry and a blueberry.


Planted out the raspberries - already have 2 of the same variety and needed these to fill the bed. That's should enough with the 6 Joan J planted the other day.

Continued demolition of the rear section - the side fence is out now but there's crud that needs sorting out (e.g. chicken wire and netting) and the wood needs stacking somewhere (perhaps I should build a wood store to store the wood from the old wood store )

Potted the Tayberry into a MFB also potted up something else, not sure what but I potted it up anyways.

Got a passion fruit plant from Snadger.

Planted out 3 rhubarb and an Udo.

Harvested all the gooseberries - ate them all as well.

Potted up the blueberry at home as the ericaceous compost was in the garage.

[Bigmallly]

Popped in to Homebase and noticed they still had some healthy looking young veggies - cabbage, caulis, leeks. Might get some on Wednesday if it's too late to start from seed

I called in H0mebase last night & picked up 6 Winter Caulis £5 down to 40p & 12 Winter Cabbage same price...............

[skeggijon]

Strimmed the forest off the new plot in preparation for rotavating it and weeded a couple of the raised beds.
Munched on blueberries while watering everything in the polytunnel and greenhouse.

[happyhumph]

Can't do much at the moment so planned how I'm going to string cucumbers across the roof of the greenhouse as they're trying to get out of the windows at the moment. Also how to tie turks turban squashes into a hedge.....

[Cadalot]

I was over the allotment early to assist in identifying the plot numbers for the deputy head of parks, a result in the fact that non cultivation notices have spurred some action to tidy and do some work. not so good when it results in fly tipping on an empty plot that is being treated for Japanese Knot Weed.

It looks like two notices to quit will be sent, problem is finding one two of the eight on the waiting list mad enough to take the plots on as parks have no money to clear them. I suggested the first year free of charge as an incentive.

I managed to get some paths cleared and more parsnip seeds harvested from the parsnip tree.

I met the Redrow Site Agent and Contracts Manager who appear to be happy to assist in the formation of the drop off and pick up area when they get started, which is good news especially as the access road will be closed to parked cars except on Sundays.

[Snadger]

Shifted some dead foliage and put down some cardboard i had scrounged. Went to old plot and hacked down my Comfrey plant. Made some Comfrey tea in a 2 litre milk carton and dug up the plant. After splitting up I managed to get 12 pieces which I planted on my new plot.
I raked the area where I had lifted some early spuds and planted a couple of rows of of yellow haricot french beans.
I also planted spare onion sets (about 100 I think) close together and will use these as spring onions or if they get a bit bigger, pickling onions.
Noticed the bees were working my potted dahlia plant so moved it close to my pumpkins to asist in germination, I hope.
Cut the edges of the roofing felt on my summerhouse and nailed on the inner layer and glued the mineral layer with bitumin paint.
Watered indoor plants in both greenhouses.
I spent the next two hours faffing on with chicks. One had escaped so I left the broody coop door open for it to return. Instead Mum decided to flee the coop with tutther chick. They went under the coop and I toyed with the idea of blocking them in there for the night. The problem is I know rats frequent that area so I had to use the garden rake to chase them out.
Mum and chick disappeared to next allotment and were just getting more frustrated the more I tried to catch them. I ended up propping the coop door open in the hope they will return. If not, they will be easy meat for the fox. but by that time I'd had enough of chasing them

[happyhumph]

Still taking it easy so;

Strung up bailer twine along length of greenhouse roof for cucumbers, relocated a couple of squash vines which had gone exploring through the chard, raapini & dfb. Persuaded them towards hedge - they can grow through that if they want. Dug out a few bits of bindweed, fed toms, cucs, peppers, & physalis. Cut a few branches off an ash tree with loppers to improve the view.

Bit tired now

[Snadger]

..............as a follow on from yesterdays chick chasing escapade, I went to the allotment early to see if they had returned to the coop? No such luck.So i shut and locked the coop door and opened up the pophole to all. I eventually espied mum and two chicks wedged in the area between my run and next doors shed. They didn't seem to be able to get out so i had to resort to drastic measures.
I borrowed a wire cutter and cut a flap in my run to allow them to get back in. To cut a long story short it worked .....eventually. Once , I tied the flap shut with wire.
The two mother hens had a bit of a barny before I left this morning. Its strange how the pecking order has to start again once a chook has been in the broody hut for a while.

Called back at the plot later to see how things were going and one mother is strutting about with her eight chicks and the other is doing likewise with her two!
I've already got a favourite, a little white one, just because she/he is a different colour and probably the runt of the litter!
Went to collect the eggs and a third chook is sitting on eggs! Not this time sez I, and booted her off the nest!

[Containergardener]

Worked
Rescued some froglets from deck again
Watered and fed

[Jonny.D]

Mowed the grass. Squeezed the Dahlia seed pods. Bit of weeding. Checked the Brassicas for eggs & caterpillars. Tied 2 of the Echinaceas & cut off the strawberry runners I wont be using.