Penellype's Allotment

[Snoop Puss]

Do you know what was grown in the tunnel last year?

Might make a good spot for early salad items too, as well as other leafy greens such as spinach and the like. Same for the end of the season.

[Penellype]

The road end of the tunnel had shallots in it, otherwise there wasn't much of a clue, except for hawthorn suckers, some couch grass, willowherb and loads of horsetail. From the height of the weeds it may not have had much grown in it last year.

[1Bee]

Penellype that's just amazing progress, and it all looks so good!!!

[Penellype]

It might not look so good if all the horsetail grows up through the weed matting - I felt I had to take that risk as I don't think I will ever get rid of it all. I decided that apart from where I am growing fruit bushes I was not going to dig it all over before putting down the raised beds. I've never done it like this before so it will be interesting to see what happens.

[1Bee]

We have a lot of horsetail on our plot. While digging deep and carefully pulling out all the roots does help, from my experience it doesn't eradicate it. It hasn't grown through basic weed matting on our plot, and where there's open soil, I've come to realise that although it's ever-present, it hoes off easily and doesn't seem to impede growth or out-compete any crops.

Through a combination of digging, weeding, hoeing, covering, liming and improving, the general trend is a reduction in horsetail, and I'm learning to co-exist with what's left.

[bikermike]

We have a lot of horsetail on our plot. While digging deep and carefully pulling out all the roots does help, from my experience it doesn't eradicate it. It hasn't grown through basic weed matting on our plot, and where there's open soil, I've come to realise that although it's ever-present, it hoes off easily and doesn't seem to impede growth or out-compete any crops.

Through a combination of digging, weeding, hoeing, covering, liming and improving, the general trend is a reduction in horsetail, and I'm learning to co-exist with what's left.

Amen to that!
It will certainly grow through porous matting, sheet does seem to stop it (although if you lift the sheet up, you will see spirals of it as it tries to find a way through).
Mowing helps too.

One thing that I've found is that if you pull up one stalk, it puts two new ones up, but they tend to be a bit thinner. If you pull some out, it's worth fishing round in the soil to find the next ones and pull them out. But if you do that, bear in mind it will put more up, so you need to pull them up. But if you repeat this, it does tend to exhaust itself more quickly.

[4Shoes]

The snow helpfully held off until about 11am, allowing me to get another 2 car loads of horse muck into the hotbed. That was enough to fill it full enough when trampled down. I now need to add some of the used compost from last year's plants and find a large piece of bubble wrap to cover it with, and leave it to heat up.

Looking good - Well done

how about a Mini Poly Tunnel with Blue pipe and plastic?

Same size frame as you beds, so you can easily move it. Couple ropes over top to stop blowing away.
Early cut and grow again / salad leaves perhaps

[Penellype]

The bubble wrap is now on the bed - I found an 8m piece that I knew I had somewhere, so its 3 layers thick. I've got one of these https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 which I am going to put over the hotbed when I have put on the top layer of compost. The bubble wrap is to insulate the top more closely to build up the heat without it being lost - I can't grow plants under it.

[Penellype]

A bit restricted as to what I could do today as everything was covered with frozen half melted slush which was trying to thaw. Covered the hotbed with bubble wrap as above and filled the onion bed with rotted horse muck and leaves. There was some muck left so that and the last bag of leaves went in the bottom of the bean bed - I now need to get some more.

The water butt was full again so I bucketed some into the blue barrel, but I am running out of storage. My main difficulty with water butts is fitting the tap - it is seriously difficult to do this without another pair of hands and I am not at all confident I could get it watertight. I also wasn't sure if a water butt would fit in my car. Having rung Wickes and had a chat to someone about this problem I came to the conclusion that I would be better with 2 90 litre dustbins, which they sell for £12 each (their 200l water butt is £30 and the tap needs fitting) as I can definitely get these in the car. So I went to Wickes. Despite the computer saying that there were plenty of dustbins in stock, there weren't any.

Luckily B&Q is just round the corner from Wickes, so I went there via Tesco (for food) and Costa Coffee (for a large bag of used coffee grounds) and Wilko to see if they had any dustbins, but theirs were £12.50 and were only 70 litres. B&Q had plenty of dustbins, but they had been stacked in such a way that the tops and lids were all distorted and it would be impossible to keep a lid on, and they were £14. I could get a 210 litre water butt for £28 and when I looked at them they had the taps ready fitted. I persuaded them to let me try to get it in the car before I paid for it (it fitted quite easily with the back seat down) and finally got it to the plot about an hour later than I'd hoped.

There wasn't time to do anything else except dump the water butt and coffee grounds at the plot and come home. At least most of the snow has now gone, but it is once again very muddy.

[Snadger]

Have yersel a day off lass.............you deserve it. You know what they say about all work and no play............

[Penellype]

Have yersel a day off lass.............you deserve it. You know what they say about all work and no play............

Ahh, but this IS play!

[Snadger]

Ahh, but this IS play!

I somehow KNEW you were going to say that!

[4Shoes]

For beer making I use a Water Butt Tap like this on my fermentation bucket.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/27274486517...4960635&crdt=0

The Tap is fitted so that when the bucket is on the floor, the tap is clear. I just set pail on counter. Put 2nd fermenter under and pull top pail forward enough for beer to flow from top to bottom.

To fit ...
Simply drill a hole same size of slightly smaller (and open out) as the threaded shank at the desired height. (might fit higher to get watering can under)

If tight fit, screw in tap with rubber washer on outside. Final half turn to get tap pointing down . Tighten backing nut. Strong finger tight will be enough if the hole is a tight fit.

You may need a spanner if looser fit. DON'T OVER TIGHTEN.
Finger tight to start, then a Qtr.



You can connect a hose to this fitting or put butt on bricks.

Wickes do this one.. Hose clop needed

Wickes Water Butt Tap 3/4in | Wickes.co.uk


Best luck.

[1Bee]

Another note on the horsetail - try and pull the roots straight and gently but firmly in the direction they're growing. I've found if I pull at an angle or wrap around my hand they just snap.

I hope you've got a lovely comfy chair somewhere on that plot, Penellype?

[Penellype]

Another note on the horsetail - try and pull the roots straight and gently but firmly in the direction they're growing. I've found if I pull at an angle or wrap around my hand they just snap.

I hope you've got a lovely comfy chair somewhere on that plot, Penellype?

Thanks for the advice - I will try that.

Comfy chair? I have one of those white plastic things, will that do?