Author Topic: What have you done on the plot today?  (Read 249474 times)

Re: What have you done on the plot today?
« Reply #600 on: 18 February, 2013, 10:21:11 pm »
Almost finished Mrs B's pond. Tomorrow I'll finish it. Let's hope that the frogs & toads find it.

This'll clear the way for digging over the last & smallest of the new vegetable beds, the extra one I realised I could fit in after measuring up around the pond. I've not decided yet what to put in it this year. All the old raised (or at least, plank bordered) beds have been refurbished, though some new timber wouldn't go amiss in a few places. Not much left to do in the way of clearing, new beds, new paths, moving stuff, etc., & almost all the digging's done. Mostly tweaking round the edges (there's always some of that) & planting, for now.

The allotment looks very different from the overgrown wilderness we took over last summer. I spotted some little hardy geraniums springing up, though. Have to keep an eye on them. They were all over half the plot before our campaign of elimination began (Mrs B is a very enthusiastic & effective destroyer of weeds - the difficult part is keeping her from devastating crops), & obviously (& unsurprisingly) some bits of root were missed.

Carrots & some radishes planted. The neighbours with who we share the plot have planted broad beans. Rhubarb's looking healthy, as is the garlic. The leeks planted last year (thinnings given by another allotment holder) are still a bit small to harvest. Of the three currant seedlings obtained last year, only the blackcurrant seems to have survived, which is annoying. I have blackcurrant cuttings a-plenty, & I wouldn't have cared much if it had died. I wanted the red & white to thrive.

The council hedge trimming revealed that the occupiers of one of the new houses backing on to the site have been throwing their grass clippings & leaves over the fence. Gratefully received & put where they'll rot down, but I wish they'd be tidier, & chuck 'em over in a slightly more convenient place. I have a big plastic bin left behind by the previous tenant. Should I put it up against the fence with a sign saying "Grass clippings and leaves in here, please"?  ;D
"A woman on a bicycle has all the world before her where to choose; she can go where she will, no man hindering." The Type-Writer Girl, 1897

Re: What have you done on the plot today?
« Reply #601 on: 06 April, 2013, 07:55:49 pm »
Thiose radishes,  & the winter peas I also planted, are coming up, albeit slowly. No signof carrots. I'll assume them lost.

Lovely day. Several people on the allotments.

I fixed the deficiencies of the pond I made for Mrs B, & took a chance on some planting. Fingers crossed!
"A woman on a bicycle has all the world before her where to choose; she can go where she will, no man hindering." The Type-Writer Girl, 1897

Re: What have you done on the plot today?
« Reply #602 on: 12 April, 2013, 09:32:15 pm »
When it was briefly warmish, in the dim & distant past, I planted some carrot seeds. Since they were well overdue, no signs of life at all after several weeks, I decided a few days ago that sometime next week I'd hoe those rows & re-plant.

But today, Mrs B & I paid a brief visit to the allotment - and they've sprouted! Oh frabjous day!
"A woman on a bicycle has all the world before her where to choose; she can go where she will, no man hindering." The Type-Writer Girl, 1897

Pancho

  • لَا أَعْبُدُ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ
Re: What have you done on the plot today?
« Reply #603 on: 12 April, 2013, 09:36:08 pm »
Maybe my parsnips are still alive as well, then.

I'll be out there tomorrow.

Re: What have you done on the plot today?
« Reply #604 on: 13 April, 2013, 11:58:06 pm »
I am now a member of the East Reading Horticultural Society.

Search engines don't believe in it, so here's the URL - http://www.erhs.org.uk/index.html

Bizarrely, the large allotment site where it has its trading shed is only half-used despite having 30 people waiting for plots. The uncultivated part was abandoned by the council in 1990 when demand for allotments was low, & a few years ago the council decided it would pay people to manage the whole of the abandoned section for wildlife (BTW, it's next to a wildlife reserve which is larger than the entire site) rather than bring any of it back into use for allotments.

Although managed by Reading Borough Council, the site is in Wokingham Borough. In Earley, the part of that borough which includes the site, the waiting list for allotments was closed when it reached seven years. So, we have a half-used allotment site with a waiting list of over a year, surrounded by people who want allotments.  When Earley council asked Reading if it would be willing to discuss handing over the site, the response was "there were no current plans to transfer the management of the site because all of the plots were in use and there was a waiting list". When Earley asked about re-opening the currently abandoned part of the site, Reading first said it didn't have a budget for that :facepalm: Somehow, it couldn't connect the two requests. Eventually, at a meeting at the request of the Earley voluntary group trying to get access & Earley council, Reading said that if someone else came up with a plan & funding it might consider it. Are these people thick, or just deliberately obstructive? Why wasn't that the first response?

OK, maybe this should have been in the rant thread.
"A woman on a bicycle has all the world before her where to choose; she can go where she will, no man hindering." The Type-Writer Girl, 1897

Tail End Charlie

Re: What have you done on the plot today?
« Reply #605 on: 15 April, 2013, 08:47:35 pm »
Finally planted something - broad beans. These are usually in around a month ago. Guess they'll catch up though.
Also put some shallots in.
Did a bit of weeding, amazing how dandelions grow so well even when it's so cold.

Re: What have you done on the plot today?
« Reply #606 on: 15 April, 2013, 10:35:22 pm »
Bailed the water off the plot.    Weeded (sort of).    Emptied compost bin onto plot.


Some point this week I'll dig it all in and see if I can get some seeds in.   Hadn't done them earlier as I was waiting for the frosts and rain to stop.

Re: What have you done on the plot today?
« Reply #607 on: 27 April, 2013, 08:11:43 pm »
First decent weekend day when I haven't been committed to something else.  I have been busy. Three fifteen minute hits of weeding in the veg bed; edged the front lawn, edged the veg bed; strimmed and flymowed the back lawn; tidied the green house (including harvesting the 'Christmas' potatoes);  pricked out loads of seedlings; run the weed wand over the patio; and moved the furniture back up onto the lawn.
Then we decided it was warm enough for a drink sitting on said furniture!   :smug:
"No matter how slow you go, you're still lapping everybody on the couch."

a lower gear

  • Carmarthenshire - "Not ALWAYS raining!"
Re: What have you done on the plot today?
« Reply #608 on: 29 April, 2013, 10:20:31 pm »
The smallest gear (age 13) has started the Scouts smallholder badge (http://members.scouts.org.uk/supportresources/596/smallholder-activity-badge/?cat=7,64,172&moduleID=10), going for this option: 1. Cultivate an area of garden or an allotment for a period agreed beforehand with the leadership team;  2. Grow successfully ... eight types of plant; 3. Discuss the work done and the results achieved.

So on the Saturday we rolled back part of the the silage sheet that has covered my veg patch these last few years and dug 150 ft2, raked, traded, raked, and planted short rows of : carrots, beetroot, salad leaves, radishes, onions, peas, broad beans, one wigwam of runner beans, and three potatoes (sprouty ones from the bottom of the kitchen vegetable cupboard).

Some of the seed was pretty old so he may have to replant ones that fail to come up. No idea how the potatoes will do. Its an interesting experiment and there's plenty of time to replant with newer seed if necessary.

He's keeping a diary augmented by photos - will post a couple of images when he downloads his camera.

It was good to introduce him to veg gardening.


Re: What have you done on the plot today?
« Reply #609 on: 02 May, 2013, 10:40:56 am »
I haz liddle tater plants. None showing on Monday, one on Tuesday, two on Wednesday.  :thumbsup:

And the second lot of komatsuna is showing already.  :thumbsup:

All three of the currant bushes I bought last autumn (red, white & black) are now sprouting merrily, as are all the raspberry canes I got from a neighbour. I thought some of both had died.

The new pond is now teeming with small invertebrates. Lots of little crustaceans, a few water beetles, & a couple of snails. Plenty of algae & a bit of pondweed. Apart from the pondweed & the snails (donated by a neighbour) they all made their own way to it.

Life, life everywhere!
"A woman on a bicycle has all the world before her where to choose; she can go where she will, no man hindering." The Type-Writer Girl, 1897

Re: What have you done on the plot today?
« Reply #610 on: 11 May, 2013, 10:12:23 pm »
Now I haz loads of tater plants, loadsa runner beans, & the first dwarf French beans showing. And of the four types of Japanese veggies which I put in pots in the airing cupboard, three have germinated with success rates of 85 to 100%.

Got to cut the grass on the paths, though, & no sign of the fourth lot germinating. Also, I mixed up the aubergines & cucumbers, so I'm not sure which lot have succeeded.  :facepalm: I think I may have cucumbers, from looking at pictures of seedlings.
"A woman on a bicycle has all the world before her where to choose; she can go where she will, no man hindering." The Type-Writer Girl, 1897

Re: What have you done on the plot today?
« Reply #611 on: 12 May, 2013, 05:31:09 pm »
One of my customers has a rather splendid pond, however it has been invaded by blanket weed,
does anybody have any suggestions on how to clear it, all I know is to use a stick or rake and pull it out by hand.
It is a large pond fed from a land drain so plenty of nutrients getting in that way plus it is silted up a bit so the water warms up and the other plants like lilies & rushes aren't that established, I'm thinking it needs a lot of the sediment taking out then regular raking to get the blanket weed out allowing the other plants to get established and therefore out compete the blanket weed, how does that sound.

Re: What have you done on the plot today?
« Reply #612 on: 19 May, 2013, 10:12:44 pm »
Managed six and a half hours today, it's looking fair tidy, not getting cocky but it's nice to see where the hard work has gone.

IanDG

  • The p*** artist formerly known as 'Windy'
    • the_dandg_rouleur
Re: What have you done on the plot today?
« Reply #613 on: 19 May, 2013, 10:19:21 pm »
Finished the raised beds with Josh (son#2) and he planted the first one up.

Re: What have you done on the plot today?
« Reply #614 on: 19 May, 2013, 11:04:01 pm »
One of my customers has a rather splendid pond, however it has been invaded by blanket weed,
does anybody have any suggestions on how to clear it, all I know is to use a stick or rake and pull it out by hand.
It is a large pond fed from a land drain so plenty of nutrients getting in that way plus it is silted up a bit so the water warms up and the other plants like lilies & rushes aren't that established, I'm thinking it needs a lot of the sediment taking out then regular raking to get the blanket weed out allowing the other plants to get established and therefore out compete the blanket weed, how does that sound.
Sounds about right to me, but I'm no expert.

AFAIK blanket weed grows like mad when there are loads of nutrients & not enough competition & grazers. The RHS says summat - http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?PID=162

So far, the algae in my little pond seems to be kept down by snails (their grazing leaves tracks on the pond liner), & perhaps the hordes of Daphnia visible in the water.

After a little skip diving, I had enough timber (nearly new roof timbers, from a house which had been built bigger than its planning permission & is being partly rebuilt) to edge the upper side of the last bed that needed it, & the lower side of the last bed with nothing to stop its soil from sliding down the slope. Did I mention the plot is on a slope?

It's now pretty much fully terraced, with all the beds brought up to at least the level of the path - well, when they're filled up. Some of 'em need more soil, &  the main need is for organic material. There's clay mixed with sand only a little way below the surface. Compost is being made as fast as possible, leaves are stacked up & mouldering (with more to be added, come autumn), & humus being dug from the bottom of the waste heap in the not-part-of-any-plot corner of the site, handily adjacent to our plot. Some people throw away anything woody, or with a weed root in it, or which won't fit in their small compost bin - & several years later, it's turned into nice crumbly brown stuff.  :thumbsup:
"A woman on a bicycle has all the world before her where to choose; she can go where she will, no man hindering." The Type-Writer Girl, 1897

Tail End Charlie

Re: What have you done on the plot today?
« Reply #615 on: 20 May, 2013, 09:59:44 pm »
Netted my gooseberries.
Thinned out the broad beans and used the transplants elsewhere.
Added a level to a raised bed as part of my master plan to give extra protection to the sweetcorn when I transfer them from the greenhouse to the plot.
Planted parsnips into sieved soil.
Put up some netting for the mangetout to climb up.

All in all, a good day.

Tail End Charlie

Re: What have you done on the plot today?
« Reply #616 on: 31 May, 2013, 11:03:55 am »
Planted out sweetcorn (although they are still under glass).
Mulched and netted more gooseberries.
Planted beetroot and more parsnips into sieved soil.

Mangetout coming up nicely now.
Broad beans looking good.
And the odd climbing bean poking its nose out.

Re: What have you done on the plot today?
« Reply #617 on: 31 May, 2013, 10:36:13 pm »
five hours of weeding, in fantastic sunshine, bring it on !!

Tail End Charlie

Re: What have you done on the plot today?
« Reply #618 on: 11 June, 2013, 03:45:57 am »
Parsnips growing now, sweetcorn coming on apace. Lettuce plumping up well.
Planted some mangetout plants out to clamber up a frame.
Strawberry and gooseberry crop looks promising. The plum trees also have a good number of plums developing, which is great as last year I didn't get one.

Pleased with my Hungarian rye grass. I use it as a green manure and, as the seed is quite expensive, this year I've left some to seed. They have developed ears (exactly like corn) and are over six feet tall. They look lovely when swaying in the wind. It'll be a while before they are ripe enough to harvest though.

Re: What have you done on the plot today?
« Reply #619 on: 11 June, 2013, 12:07:28 pm »
In the last couple of days I've put up some poles for my runner beans to climb, added taller pea sticks because the peas were outgrowing the first lot, & transferred the cucumbers & tomatoes to bigger pots, from which they'll go into the ground before long. And weeding.

Lots of stuff growing. We've been eating radishes & komatsuna for a while, as well as assorted salad leaves from the window boxes. Had to plant more parsley. Pea pods a-plenty, but it'll be a while before they fill out.

I'm tempted to fiddle around under the biggest potato plant to see what's there. Maybe some tasty new taters. Big, bushy, & flowering nicely.
"A woman on a bicycle has all the world before her where to choose; she can go where she will, no man hindering." The Type-Writer Girl, 1897

Re: What have you done on the plot today?
« Reply #620 on: 11 June, 2013, 12:55:32 pm »
Pleased with my Hungarian rye grass. I use it as a green manure and, as the seed is quite expensive, this year I've left some to seed. They have developed ears (exactly like corn) and are over six feet tall. They look lovely when swaying in the wind. It'll be a while before they are ripe enough to harvest though.

I'd be very interested to hear how you get on with this if you don't mind keeping us informed.

Pancho

  • لَا أَعْبُدُ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ
Re: What have you done on the plot today?
« Reply #621 on: 11 June, 2013, 10:34:57 pm »
Found that 50% of my squashes are growing. Had abandoned them thinking they'd succumbed to cold.but starting to clear the bed, I find them

Re: What have you done on the plot today?
« Reply #622 on: 12 June, 2013, 12:32:17 pm »
Flower buds on some of my onions & garlic. What to do?

It seems that it may be due to the late cold spell. It may have fooled 'em by resembling a second winter.
"A woman on a bicycle has all the world before her where to choose; she can go where she will, no man hindering." The Type-Writer Girl, 1897

Re: What have you done on the plot today?
« Reply #623 on: 12 June, 2013, 05:33:00 pm »
Unless someone has a better idea - we just nip them off.

Tail End Charlie

Re: What have you done on the plot today?
« Reply #624 on: 12 June, 2013, 10:22:42 pm »
Pleased with my Hungarian rye grass. I use it as a green manure and, as the seed is quite expensive, this year I've left some to seed. They have developed ears (exactly like corn) and are over six feet tall. They look lovely when swaying in the wind. It'll be a while before they are ripe enough to harvest though.

I'd be very interested to hear how you get on with this if you don't mind keeping us informed.

Will do, longers. I can't see why it shouldn't work and am looking forward to harvesting with my sickle !! Or a pair of scissors.