Scrapheap Challenge

[Snadger]

I got to the plot around lunchtime when it was quite warm and dry. So much so that the tee shirt came off straight away. (Plot is quite enclosed so i can't frighten anyone!)

Started by cutting down all my comfrey plants and bunging them in a small barrel to make comfrey tea. Made the mistake of taking said barrel to tap and filling it with water. I couldn't lift it so had to drag it back to the plot. Just as I will drag it to the bottom of the plot once it starts stinking.



I put a sledge hammer head on top to keep the comfrey submerged

Then the rains came!

I decided that I would occupy my time inside the summer house as it was raining really hard.

At my house my neighbour tends a beech hedge which has a honeysuckle growing in it at one point. Instead of just cutting the honeysuckle the same level as the hedge i asked him if he would leave the honeysuckle and I would train it up a wooden obelisk.

I managed to get quite a bit of that obelisk made today and will make the rest in situ.

Took a piccie when I propped it up to make sure the scale was correct. It is roughly 8 foot high, I say roughly, because i couldn't fiond my tape measure so the whole structure was made by guesswork. To be a good tradesman, you need to be a good guesser!



The other cross latts will be added in situ along with a wooden ball I will purchase from B&Q for the top.

It wasn't painted then but it is now, as I took it back into the summerhouse and painted it with wood preserver I had lying around.
It cost nothing to make as it is made from scrap wood and should be a worthy addition to my retirement cottage garden.

[Containergardener]

Honeysuckle also grows if shove some stems into the ground ..as I found out ..rampant pergola now
Nice obelisk .

[Snadger]

Not a lot done this evening. Took one of the carrot frames off and weeded carrots before returning frame.
Did a bit of weeding, munched a few peas, read a few chapters and took some fresh eggs home!

[Snadger]

Potted on my Red Devil kale seedlings into a seed tray full of 1 dozen modules There is no 'redness' to be seen in the seedlings so this must appear as they mature?

Harvested another carrier bagfull of Courgettes which i will palm off onto my Daughter. I'm sure she will hide when she sees me with another carrier bag!

Harvested a bag of calabrese shoots which just seem to be going on and on. (Big up for an open pollinated variety!) These taste like PSB without dirtying the pan!

[Containergardener]

Courgettes

[Snadger]

Busy day at the plot yesterday. Started by putting my tray of Red Devil kale seedling under netting outdoors for them to grow on.

My Red/white Japanese onions and Shallots have dried off nicely and I tidied them up and put them all into a tray. The japs won't store so will need to be eaten first. Exploring the possibility of planting some of the shallots in the Autumn to see what happens.



I still have all my spring planted onions to harvest yet but the Japs have performed a lot better.

I have had a decrepid shed lying in pieces at the bottom of my plot since I moved it from my previous plot. It was hardly worth saving, but hey ho!
I had piled all the rubble taken out in the area to be used as the shed base. Yesterday I roughly levelled it and stood the rotten wood on top for a base to build the shed. To cut a long story short i had all four sides mocked up in position and held up with a wing and a prayer. I need to buy some 2" and 2.5" nails to fasten it together properly. Once its squared up I have some timber board with which I will re-floor it.

Here is a piccie of the Obelisk I made for training up a honeysuckle at my retirement house. It was made from scrap wood, the only cost being the £3 ball on the top!



It looked huge when i made it and i was worried about its 8 foot height. Once in position I was glad i hadn't made it any smaller.

[Snadger]

Back at plot for a couple of hours while freezer defrosts at home so I can clean it out!

Pulled up my spring planted red onions which aren't very big, pickled red onions?

Planted some Florence fennel where the red onins had been.

Potted on some spring cabbage into modules.

Did a bit of weeding.



My shed will never win shed of the year award (its me who is cockeyed btw, not the shed!) but at least its graduated from a heap in the corner and will get added to as time and resources allow

[Containergardener]

It has character

[Snadger]

Should really stick this on the yellow sticker thread. Picked up a bargain at Homebase today methinks!



Two items for 99p including a punnet of eight Dianthus for 50p. As far as I know these are perennial and their lovely raspberry colouring will go a treat with all the other named Dianthus I have planted. So much so that I think I may start specialising in pinks!
To go with them a packet of 'The Sutton' broad beans. I have grown these overwinter indoors on my other plot and they will be planted in the polytunnel when toms/cukes are finished...................and all for 49 Peeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Plaited my garlic



.......and even had some cloves that were split which I shall plant in the near future for next years crop..




I might plant some shallots in the autum also.

[veggiechicken]

My HB had 8 geraniums/begonias for 50p - the dianthus were £1. All seeds halfprice and the Country value seeds are only 99p anyway. I did look yesterday

[Snadger]

Smashed a pair of large scissors trimmimng my camomile that I planted between paving slabs.

Gave my toms in the polytunnel a good soaking and a feed of comfey tea.

Did lots of weeding

Planted a row of lemon thyme grown from seed from China that looks nowt like lemon thyme

Ate quite a few peas until I sickened myself.

Harvested some black,yellow and green French beans.

Dug a shye of my maincrop spuds to make sure they hadn't been attacked by keel slugs...........they hadn't but were quite small compared to last years crop.

Here's a piccie of my Passion fruit plant I grew from a seed last year. No flowers or fruit, but the foliage is quite decorative anyway and its about six foot high. Its trained on the front of my summerhouse.



Its in a pot so that i can cut it down to a reasonable height and take it indoors for the winter.Has anybody had any joy withj these i wonder and actually got some fruit to eat?

[Snadger]

I was at the plot Early this morning to collect my dog cage as I was going to a Fur and feather auction. I fed the chooks and told them they may be getting some company later today!

Returned at 2.00 o clock with three Cream Legbars which are 10 weeks old, two Lavendar Auracanas which are also blue egg layers, and one Speckled Maran to hopefully lay chocolate brown eggs.
They were put straight in with my other flock as I new the cockerel would sort out any squabbles. They were all given clean water, some mixed corn and shared a calabrese plant between them.
One of the oldies is a bit of a worky ticket but when she tried it on with one of the newvies the cockerel stood broadside in between them and protected the newbie!

I hung around for a while pottering and making numerous trips with the watering can, watering plants, but when I left they all seemed to be getting on fine.

[Snadger]

A nice surprise and a shock awaited me at the plot today!

First the suprise!



Two lovely large blue Auracana eggs.Aquired chooks on Saturday and first eggs Monday..............can't be bad!

Where the heck are my young Cream legbars sez I? They didn't appear to be in the run and weren't in the coop. Someons nicked them thinks I..................rather strange they should only nick by dearest aquasitions and re-fasten the wire I had tying the gate of the run? I was about to ring the Police when I thought I had better check out every possibility. I have a wheelie bin in the corner which i used to keep my feed in. On pulling this out here were the three 10 week old birds jammed in behind it!

Shifted stuff around so that there were no hidey holes and threw handfuls of layers pellets to them which they lapped up greedily. Worst case scenario is that I will need to build a run within a run for them if they won't settle or are getting bullied. Tomorrows another day.

Potted on three clumps of leaf celery into a large pot to grow on indoors and transplanted five clumps in gaps where stuff had been harvested on the plot.

My Sunflower plants are now about 10 feet high and the recent winds have snapped off one of the immature tops. Bugger!

[Snadger]

The young Cream Legbars seemed to be settling in a bit better today. I scattered extra mixed corn all over the run today in case they hadn't been getting there fill of layers pellets from the feeder.

I did some edging with grey pan tiles to tidy up the bed in front of the summerhouse. Hard work as the Pan tiles need to be set in position to about half there depth. Unfortunately rain stopped play before I finished the border!

Here's two piccies of the same border. I may have to just them slightly as the path runs slightly uphill at the end.



Last year I got a FREE packet of mixed perennial seeds some of which have now flowered.

Here's a couple of piccies of two flowers I am not familiar with maybe someone can enlighten me?



Finally remembered to get my Spring Hero, ball headed sproing cabbage sown into modules. Also added extra canes to my cukes which a re making a play for the moon

[Snadger]

Harvested green,yellow and black climbing French beans.

Pulled up all the nettles on the plot and bunged them into a small barrel to make liquid feed. Thats me sorted now with a barrel of Comfrey and nettle tea.

Dug up a couple more shyes of Charlotte tatties and planted another fourteen leeks in there place.

Lots of weeding done and kept any docks or dandelions for the chooks who were willing recipients.