What I did today - 2017

[ESBkevin]

Threw away the old mattress and other junk in the 'spare' bedroom that is now to assist/feature in the germination process (south facing).
We cleaned and prepped lots of trays etc ready for seeds (see the seed thread) and got some seeds away.
Sifted a wheelbarrow full of two year leaf mould to bulk up the shop bough seed compost.
Took a walk and got another big wheelbarrow full of woodchip.
Last year I bought a cheap wheelbarrow from Homebliss on sale for under £18 iirc but the body is very thin and was collapsing around the frame. I took an old wire 'fridge shelf' and inserted it between the body floor and the frame, it's now stiffer and well supported.
I applied about 15 litres of 'water passed by the management' onto the woodchip being used as mulch on the no dig and on the new leaf mould cage. The hope is the nitrogon will save the soil from being robbed and speed the decay process a little.

[DataMonkey]

Cleaned the greenhouse inside and out with disinfectant.

No water on our allotment, so it involved lots of lugging buckets of water from home...

Desperate for spring so that I can start some fun jobs.

[Pants]

What I did

Still new to this. Not got to plant anything yet, but put two new raised beds in. Filled with compost and covered again for a little while. I also put some bark between the beds for walking on.

Also planted some seeds in seed trays in my lean to green house in the garden.

[cheapskate chaz]

Lots done yesterday, cleaning out the greenhouse, moved the Onion,cauliflower trays to a sunnier position(wow! that was hard..phew!), planted asparagus seeds from my own asparagus plants,used compost from my first compost heap(three years in the making)marked out the new position for my poly-tunnel, bought seed potatoes, Estemas and....it`ll come to me..., fresh Parsnip seeds (Tender and True) more peas(forget which, but to add variety). Planted Kelvedon Wonder peas into my guttering racks, tidied up. Today, some one chucked out a new box of Miracle-grow, and got three more pallet collars from work...yeay!
Need more daylight after work now!

[bario1]

As I approached the plot this morning I spied a pigeon-like bird pecking at my dismal looking Daubenton's kale 'nubs'. It flew off at quite a rate, no idea what it was. Anyway, I decided it was time to show the nubs some love, so I constructed two chicken wire collars, and after raking in a top dressing of calcified seaweed and staking, popped them over the plants. Hopefully they'll start to recover.

[Small pumpkin]

Yesterday took delivery of some black gold



Nothing happening today, weather is a little unpleasant.

[bario1]

Another barrow of leaves into the leafmould bin. Stirred up and watered a couple of daleks.

[vitis]

I moved house in January and after doing everything in the house I spent a few days clearing the bombsite of a garden. Bags of junk everywhere, ivy taking over and mud covering some lovely old stone flags. Cleared all that, power washed the flags, put up a greenhouse now it's ready for plants to come in.

Today -

Planted a couple of grape vines I grew at my old place and the only ones I could really bring (other ones were too big and deeply rooted and I didn't want them all). One is a good red variety "Rondo" and another is a cross I made that hasn't fruited yet of Seigerrebe with some North American wild grapes, although sadly it's looking more like the wild grapes at the moment.

Planted corkscrew willow cuttings that came from my old garden and stuck them in some pots.

Repotted a Paulownia tormentosa tree sapling I bought recently into a bigger pot. I want a couple of trees but don't want to wait too long / too cheap to just buy a big tree so the willow and Paulownia should grow pretty fast.

Sowed tomato seeds in propagator.

Planted alpine strawberries and some flowers like lupins in a raised bed I made the other day.

[katkatkat]

I'd put the whole of today aside to make a valiant effort on clearing my new plot and sorting the beds that I need to move my fruit plants to ASAP.

Unfortunately we're getting ravaged by storm Doris and on an amber weather warning so that's a no go. Instead I'm attempting to put all the useful information about my seeds in to a spreadsheet.

[cheapskate chaz]

Damn this time of year! second time this year I`m home with Flu, last night was the worst with only 2 1/2 hrs sleep and a throat like I swallowed razor blades...so, what veg and fruit has you found to be good at restoring good health from Flu, but please..no GARLIC! hate the stuff, although I take garlic capsules!!
Have been taking the usual flu meds, plenty of fluids and soup, but need a spirits lifter, no...not something to decant the Gin into.

[Jonny.D]

Green tea will help get rid of your flu cheapskate chaz

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

Been on The plot most of the day! Not been down there in months and was shocked to see what state it was in!

Not allowing me to post pic's

But kicked it's "Backside" n feel miles better for it!

[Bigmallly]

Re-attached the fence & straightened the polytunnel after Doris's antics yesterday.

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

"Doris" took me a "Quater Light" out which I found! So think I gotta way much scot free!

[sparrow100]

Went up to the plot for a couple of hours pottering in the greenhouse. It feels SO GOOD to be sowing seeds and dabbling around in there. Bright sunshine, t-shirt weather (inside) and 35 modules of chitted broad beans are now ready to grow away. Repotted the pink-flowering rosemary, caraway, some strawberries and tidied up the raspberry canes. Bliss!

And then emptied all my tools out of the shed into my car since the thieves are out and about on allotment plots near us again. B*ggers!