Today the BBC are reporting that 2012 was the second wettest year on record in the UK*. You ain't kidding!!
This year has been possibly? no, definitely the worst year for allotment gardening. I successfully grew some early peas, rhubarb and some round courgettes but that's about it! Everything else has rotted. In fact, I haven't seen the allotment since September as it's been THAT bad. Plus I only wrote 6 blog posts last year!
I received my allotment tenancy renewal last week and I'm wondering if the plot is still there? It might have slipped off the face of the planet for all I know? Nice weather for ducks but horrible for vegetables. I am dreading my first plot visit of 2013 but hopefully I'll bump into some fellow allotmenteers and report back on their experiences too.
There was a positive to 2012 though, one of my blogging buddies, Matt, made a lovely courgette gratin from my yellow round courgettes. I'm definitely giving these another grow in 2013!
You can try his recipe here: http://easyteas.co.uk/2012/10/21/courgette-gratin/
*(According to the Telegraph, Wales was the 3rd wettest)
Thursday, January 03, 2013
Friday, July 20, 2012
Fifty Spades of Clay
Whilst a lot of women are spending these long and miserable rainy days musing about Christian and Anastasia in 50 Shades of Grey, I'm worrying about my plot... my soggy, saturated, waterlogged plot. I've barely been up to see it this year hence the scarcity of blog posts since spring. It just won't stop raining and it's the same story all across the UK so I can't blame the Welsh climate this time.
The 2012 plot plan has been rewritten as I cannot get the ground ready in time for potatoes and squashes. Everything is growing in the *raised beds this year including 4 varieties of squash.
I have pretty much given up on growing beans as well as they have been appalling this year and I'm normally a dab hand at growing anything podded. My broadbeans started well but then only grew to about 10cm tall, flowered slightly and created one measly bean before keeling over and rotting into the ground. Pathetic would be an understatement. Plus the slugs got to the one bean before I did so I couldn't do much with them except pull them all up and put them on the compost pile. No broadbeans this year sadly.
I think the only thing I can do this year is grow in the raised beds and spend the rest of the year clearing the other side of the plot in preparation for some new beds. The couch grass has gone bonkers so it needs to be strimmed, covered to rot and then turned over and weeded. It's going to be a long job that will take me into winter. I would start digging now but the ground is saturated. Even after a dry day, the top soil is solid but 6 inches down it's mushy and heavy and pretty much impossible to dig.
On a positive note, I'm growing tomatoes on the balcony at home and they're flourishing! I hope I don't get blight 30ft off the ground?! If the weather eases off I'll be able to grow some more delicate plants but whilst we're getting drowned in biblical rain I'll keep the seeds in their packets.
The rhubarb has been consistently wonderful and I've made about half a dozen crumbles this summer. When we get a bigger freezer I'll try and store them as I'd like to enjoy rhubarb in the autumn too. The rhubarb is sitting in a huge pile of couch grass however so Karl has offered to help me dig it out and replant in a few weeks in exchange for a couple of crowns (rhubarb, not 10 shillings!) and some nice ales down The Albany pub.
As you can see from the photos (taken in May), Spring had a good start with all the bees pollinating and spiders carrying eggs around. There was even blue sky! Since then we've had the wettest June on record and the first half of July has been riddled with flood and storm warnings. As I write this post, the sun is shining and the weekend is meant to be dry. Fingers crossed this is the UK's summer at long last?!
*Special mention to Evergreen Wales for making my raised beds. Top gardeners and I doff my potting cap to them! You can find them at www.evergreenwales.com
The 2012 plot plan has been rewritten as I cannot get the ground ready in time for potatoes and squashes. Everything is growing in the *raised beds this year including 4 varieties of squash.
I have pretty much given up on growing beans as well as they have been appalling this year and I'm normally a dab hand at growing anything podded. My broadbeans started well but then only grew to about 10cm tall, flowered slightly and created one measly bean before keeling over and rotting into the ground. Pathetic would be an understatement. Plus the slugs got to the one bean before I did so I couldn't do much with them except pull them all up and put them on the compost pile. No broadbeans this year sadly.
I think the only thing I can do this year is grow in the raised beds and spend the rest of the year clearing the other side of the plot in preparation for some new beds. The couch grass has gone bonkers so it needs to be strimmed, covered to rot and then turned over and weeded. It's going to be a long job that will take me into winter. I would start digging now but the ground is saturated. Even after a dry day, the top soil is solid but 6 inches down it's mushy and heavy and pretty much impossible to dig.
On a positive note, I'm growing tomatoes on the balcony at home and they're flourishing! I hope I don't get blight 30ft off the ground?! If the weather eases off I'll be able to grow some more delicate plants but whilst we're getting drowned in biblical rain I'll keep the seeds in their packets.
The rhubarb has been consistently wonderful and I've made about half a dozen crumbles this summer. When we get a bigger freezer I'll try and store them as I'd like to enjoy rhubarb in the autumn too. The rhubarb is sitting in a huge pile of couch grass however so Karl has offered to help me dig it out and replant in a few weeks in exchange for a couple of crowns (rhubarb, not 10 shillings!) and some nice ales down The Albany pub.
As you can see from the photos (taken in May), Spring had a good start with all the bees pollinating and spiders carrying eggs around. There was even blue sky! Since then we've had the wettest June on record and the first half of July has been riddled with flood and storm warnings. As I write this post, the sun is shining and the weekend is meant to be dry. Fingers crossed this is the UK's summer at long last?!
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| Bees Pollinating |
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| Broad beans before they went soggy |
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| Allotment essentials! |
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| Raised beds full of plants |
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| First rhubarb harvest of the year |
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| Raised beds and overgrown patch opposite |
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| Rhubarb looking plump! |
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| Old rotten plants for the tip! |
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| Spider with eggs |
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| Strawberry plants flowering |
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| Worzel might need a new hoodie! |
*Special mention to Evergreen Wales for making my raised beds. Top gardeners and I doff my potting cap to them! You can find them at www.evergreenwales.com
Sunday, May 06, 2012
Allotment Layout 2012
It's taken me a couple of months to sort out my final allotment layout for 2012 but it's completed at last.
I'm sticking to my usual veggies this year with a couple of extra fun plants to see how they get on. I have a yellow ball courgette to try out and some Jerusalem Artichokes that my neighbour gave me. I have included Sarpo Mira spuds again this year as we didn't benefit from the ones that we planted last year. (Dave went over them with the strimmer by accident!) They're blight-resistant and unattractive to slugs so fingers crossed they do well. I have 12 tubers but I may also get some late cropping varieties if I have some room left.
The general plan is to put all delicate plants on the raised beds (beans, peas etc) and the hardy sprawling plants on the ground (potatoes, squashes...)
I have bags of seeds that haven't been used from last year so if I find some random space I will be sticking them in where suitable. Otherwise they're heading for the compost bin as they won't germinate. It's amazing how much excess you get each year. I need a bed just for "left over" seeds.
The raised beds have been lined and filled with more soil right to the top - they look fantastic!! Tempted to get the other side of the allotment done for next year as they look so good.
So far, the first batch of broad beans are in. They have been transplanted twice from the raised beds being made but they seem okay. I'm going to plant a second batch at home. The potatoes and jerusalem artichokes are next once I have dug over the ground beds again. Still plenty of couch grass to dig up.
I also cleared out some space in the green house so that the occupants of Plot 21B have somewhere to put their tools. A mouse jumped out of a bucket which scared the living daylights out of me whilst I was moving stuff around. Eek!
Just hoping the weather stays dry for more than 2 days to get the beds completed. Everything is still very wet and more rain is coming on Bank Holiday Monday. :(
I'm sticking to my usual veggies this year with a couple of extra fun plants to see how they get on. I have a yellow ball courgette to try out and some Jerusalem Artichokes that my neighbour gave me. I have included Sarpo Mira spuds again this year as we didn't benefit from the ones that we planted last year. (Dave went over them with the strimmer by accident!) They're blight-resistant and unattractive to slugs so fingers crossed they do well. I have 12 tubers but I may also get some late cropping varieties if I have some room left.
The general plan is to put all delicate plants on the raised beds (beans, peas etc) and the hardy sprawling plants on the ground (potatoes, squashes...)
I have bags of seeds that haven't been used from last year so if I find some random space I will be sticking them in where suitable. Otherwise they're heading for the compost bin as they won't germinate. It's amazing how much excess you get each year. I need a bed just for "left over" seeds.
The raised beds have been lined and filled with more soil right to the top - they look fantastic!! Tempted to get the other side of the allotment done for next year as they look so good.
So far, the first batch of broad beans are in. They have been transplanted twice from the raised beds being made but they seem okay. I'm going to plant a second batch at home. The potatoes and jerusalem artichokes are next once I have dug over the ground beds again. Still plenty of couch grass to dig up.
I also cleared out some space in the green house so that the occupants of Plot 21B have somewhere to put their tools. A mouse jumped out of a bucket which scared the living daylights out of me whilst I was moving stuff around. Eek!
Just hoping the weather stays dry for more than 2 days to get the beds completed. Everything is still very wet and more rain is coming on Bank Holiday Monday. :(
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| Allotment Layout Plan 2012 |
Monday, April 30, 2012
New beds!
You wouldn't believe we had a heatwave in March would you? Droughts have been issued in certain parts of England despite much of the UK hiding under pure grey cloud. It's practically impossible to do anything with the relentless rain we have had for the last couple of weeks. Storms have brought down trees in the local area and my compost bin managed to fly about 20 ft down the plot. The greenhouse is just about holding itself together but it's far from watertight. The plot is one long squelchy bog.
I have, however, had a little help this year with a new raised bed system that has been installed on one side of the plot. It's not quite completed but I am mightily impressed by what has been built so far. I've had to move some plants in anticipation of some wonderful new fresh soil that will be delivered fairly soon. More details on this in my next blog post. :)
I've ordered most of my seeds for this year and the plot layout plan for 2012 is nearly finished. Just a couple more tweaks and I'll upload it for viewing. Having half a plot means that I have to be strict about where everything goes but I hope that this also means that I will be neater with my planting too. The new bed system should help with this.
Here's a picture of the plot so far, the beds should be cleared of rotten wood and fresh soil added in the next week or so. Very excited about my plot this year! Rhubarb already looking very tasty!!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
I have, however, had a little help this year with a new raised bed system that has been installed on one side of the plot. It's not quite completed but I am mightily impressed by what has been built so far. I've had to move some plants in anticipation of some wonderful new fresh soil that will be delivered fairly soon. More details on this in my next blog post. :)
I've ordered most of my seeds for this year and the plot layout plan for 2012 is nearly finished. Just a couple more tweaks and I'll upload it for viewing. Having half a plot means that I have to be strict about where everything goes but I hope that this also means that I will be neater with my planting too. The new bed system should help with this.
Here's a picture of the plot so far, the beds should be cleared of rotten wood and fresh soil added in the next week or so. Very excited about my plot this year! Rhubarb already looking very tasty!!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Monday, March 26, 2012
Lady Mary Allotments
I have just stumbled across this article about Lady Mary Allotments. It's a lovely piece that features a video interview with Richard and Judith who manage the plots.
I'm surprised I haven't see this before but I'm glad I found it. The original article is here:
http://claudiaheadon.wordpress.com/2010/12/17/capture-cardiff/
I have embedded the video below. (Yes, my plot features in it but you wouldn't recognise it!)
I'm surprised I haven't see this before but I'm glad I found it. The original article is here:
http://claudiaheadon.wordpress.com/2010/12/17/capture-cardiff/
I have embedded the video below. (Yes, my plot features in it but you wouldn't recognise it!)
Sunday, March 04, 2012
Winter Clearing
We had a significantly milder winter this year with a minimal sprinkling of the white stuff in December. Last year's bitter weather didn't kill off the blight so I fully expect tomatoes to be a no-grow area again this year. Shame.
The plot hasn't been particularly frozen or water-logged (so far) so it has been fairly easy to dig. The couch grass has taken over unfortunately so that has been testing my back this month. Trying to find where the paths were??
The strawberries have been particularly tricky as well, they decided to grow on the concrete?! I tried to control the new runners last year but it was near impossible so they are in a bit of a tangle now. Will need to net them from the birds this year as they had a feast last summer.
I also dug the brassica patch where the kale and cabbages were growing. They both grew really well but the slugs had a feast on the cabbages which was annoying. I know the soil is perfect for them but I have to booby trap each plant to get anything close to a non-nibbled brassica. Planting cabbages are a 'maybe' this year.
My neighbour kindly gave me some Jerusalem Artichokes to grow as well so I dug over the bed by the greenhouse. Think I will make the bottom end of the plot potatoes and roots as the soil is quite deep there.
I also have new neighbours at the back of the plot. I am now Plot 21A and the back is 21B. A family are now working the land at the back and are making good progress in turning the soil over. This makes managing the allotment so much easier for me as I have half the land to manage and at half the cost.
The plot hasn't been particularly frozen or water-logged (so far) so it has been fairly easy to dig. The couch grass has taken over unfortunately so that has been testing my back this month. Trying to find where the paths were??
The strawberries have been particularly tricky as well, they decided to grow on the concrete?! I tried to control the new runners last year but it was near impossible so they are in a bit of a tangle now. Will need to net them from the birds this year as they had a feast last summer.
I also dug the brassica patch where the kale and cabbages were growing. They both grew really well but the slugs had a feast on the cabbages which was annoying. I know the soil is perfect for them but I have to booby trap each plant to get anything close to a non-nibbled brassica. Planting cabbages are a 'maybe' this year.
My neighbour kindly gave me some Jerusalem Artichokes to grow as well so I dug over the bed by the greenhouse. Think I will make the bottom end of the plot potatoes and roots as the soil is quite deep there.
I also have new neighbours at the back of the plot. I am now Plot 21A and the back is 21B. A family are now working the land at the back and are making good progress in turning the soil over. This makes managing the allotment so much easier for me as I have half the land to manage and at half the cost.
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| Compost Bin area cleared and covered |
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| First bed cleared |
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| Strawberries tamed - sort of! |
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Sharing the plot
Over the past 6 years the plot has been shared by Karl, Dave and myself. It's been thoroughly enjoyable but unfortunately the last two years have been particularly difficult as Karl bought a house far away from the plot and Dave is looking to do the same this year having got married in 2010. This means that I have been struggling to manage 8 x 25 sq metres on my own and it's impossible to find the time to look after that amount of land.
So, when the renewal came through I wasn't sure what to do.
I went to the plot on Sunday to have a look around and decide the fate of my hobby. I pottered around the greenhouse sorting through tools and rubbish and nearly jumped through the roof when a rodent jumped out of a box! Whilst there I bumped into Sheila, a face everyone knows on the plot and an excellent gardener. I explained my situation and she sympathised.
"Don't leave", she said, "I would miss you terribly".
(Well that was a lump to my throat!) "Why don't you share it and cut the cost as well?"
Sound advice I thought and Sheila kindly spoke to the committee to help me find a plot sharer. I've just sent off the forms to share the plot so we will see what happens. I'm a bit nervous about having a new plot partner but hopefully it will be okay. I'll keep the front half and they can have the back half. I just can't manage both unfortunately.
Greenhouse/Shed needs clearing out to share but I can do that within a couple of hours. I just hope the mouse/rat isn't in there any more!!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
So, when the renewal came through I wasn't sure what to do.
I went to the plot on Sunday to have a look around and decide the fate of my hobby. I pottered around the greenhouse sorting through tools and rubbish and nearly jumped through the roof when a rodent jumped out of a box! Whilst there I bumped into Sheila, a face everyone knows on the plot and an excellent gardener. I explained my situation and she sympathised.
"Don't leave", she said, "I would miss you terribly".
(Well that was a lump to my throat!) "Why don't you share it and cut the cost as well?"
Sound advice I thought and Sheila kindly spoke to the committee to help me find a plot sharer. I've just sent off the forms to share the plot so we will see what happens. I'm a bit nervous about having a new plot partner but hopefully it will be okay. I'll keep the front half and they can have the back half. I just can't manage both unfortunately.
Greenhouse/Shed needs clearing out to share but I can do that within a couple of hours. I just hope the mouse/rat isn't in there any more!!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Slug Destruction
My recent trips to the allotment have resulted in finding the biggest and slimiest slugs EVER! I think August is the time they decide to stuff their slimy faces with whatever is left on the plot. Since all the rain, they have just turned into monsters! They turned my cabbages into lace and have been climbing up my bean poles for the most tender beans, I even slid on one en route to the greenhouse! They are seriously massive now and are everywhere!!
But, despite their disgusting persona, they do make me laugh when the Guardian run stories like the one below. Very, very entertaining!
Slug brings Darlington traffic to a halt http://gu.com/p/3xq5v/t
But, despite their disgusting persona, they do make me laugh when the Guardian run stories like the one below. Very, very entertaining!
Slug brings Darlington traffic to a halt http://gu.com/p/3xq5v/t
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| Not only eaten but pooped all over my brassicas! |
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| I had to use gloves, they were seriously slimy!! |
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Slug Fest
I just wanted to write a quick post to mention Tom at http://tomskitchengarden.blogspot.com and his Rogue Gallery. He tweeted me for images of garden rogues and well..., I couldn't resist sending over some of my slimy foes! The SLUG!!
His story on my slugs can be found here: http://tomskitchengarden.blogspot.com/p/rogues-gallery.html
Just scroll down to Slug Fest
His writing had me crying with laughter this morning - his blog is a fantastic read and I thoroughly recommend giving his site a visit. I love his "weed of the day" posts. Brilliant.
He is also on Twitter @Haplessgardener
Thanks Tom! :)
His story on my slugs can be found here: http://tomskitchengarden.blogspot.com/p/rogues-gallery.html
Just scroll down to Slug Fest
His writing had me crying with laughter this morning - his blog is a fantastic read and I thoroughly recommend giving his site a visit. I love his "weed of the day" posts. Brilliant.
He is also on Twitter @Haplessgardener
Thanks Tom! :)
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Growing in small spaces
Before all the recent rain came along, I was at Karl's house for a BBQ in early June. Since he bought a house it has been difficult for him to get to the allotment so he tends to grow veggies from home in his petite garden. It's actually quite an achievement considering how much space he has to work with. It is a very cute little garden and he uses every inch wherever he can. Karl used to drive me potty with his haphazard planting in the early allotment days but now he has a space that has to be meticulously planned and organised each year. It is impressive how he manages it all.
Karl's garden consists of two decent sized bricked beds, one raised smaller bricked bed and a patio floor. He experimented with square foot gardening last year where he grew something different within 1 square foot in a bed but I think this received mixed results. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_foot_gardening
This year he has mostly grown tomatoes in the larger beds and made good use of sturdy sacks and troughs for smaller plants. He is growing asparagus successfully from a large black pot (a plant that was very difficult to grow on the allotment) and he is training peas up a spiral support. The herb sack is especially well made with little pockets of thyme varieties. You can find strawberries growing in little planters alongside the bed walls and random pots of prepared seeds ready to pop up over the summer. Even the smallest corner is a home for the humble watering can.
I adore the homemade look to people's gardens. There is so much more personality in a back garden than an allotment as you can truly put your stamp on it. I love the personal touches of lanterns, baskets and tealight holders that are interspersed amongst the plants at Karl's. It is a very thoughtful and snug kitchen garden.
*I'm sure Karl will correct me on some of the above information but this is just my observation.
Karl's garden consists of two decent sized bricked beds, one raised smaller bricked bed and a patio floor. He experimented with square foot gardening last year where he grew something different within 1 square foot in a bed but I think this received mixed results. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_foot_gardening
This year he has mostly grown tomatoes in the larger beds and made good use of sturdy sacks and troughs for smaller plants. He is growing asparagus successfully from a large black pot (a plant that was very difficult to grow on the allotment) and he is training peas up a spiral support. The herb sack is especially well made with little pockets of thyme varieties. You can find strawberries growing in little planters alongside the bed walls and random pots of prepared seeds ready to pop up over the summer. Even the smallest corner is a home for the humble watering can.
I adore the homemade look to people's gardens. There is so much more personality in a back garden than an allotment as you can truly put your stamp on it. I love the personal touches of lanterns, baskets and tealight holders that are interspersed amongst the plants at Karl's. It is a very thoughtful and snug kitchen garden.
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| Potatoes in sacks |
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| Asparagus |
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| Courgette |
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| Fig tree and spiral growing peas |
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| Herb sack |
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| Storage |
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| BBQ |
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| Tomatoes |
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| Hidden watering can storage |
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| Tomatoes and strawberries |
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| Tomatoes |
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| Lanterns, candles and baskets |
Thursday, June 23, 2011
May & June on the plot
We've had a funny old spring so far. Heatwave in the week leading up to the Royal Wedding and then endless rain throughout most of May and June. It has not made planting easy at all.
The good news is that produce has been popping up although we have had some surprising failures. Such is allotment life! We had our usual lovely crop of strawberries but I made a mistake leaving them without netting and they have been nibbled by the birds. Raspberries are doing okay too. Just a few tasty ones popping up here and there. Not bad seeing as they were only transplanted at the end of last year.
The broad beans are doing very well. I have been spraying them with washing-up liquid frequently and it has helped them grow taller before pinching the tips out. Only one plant has blackly on it so far and I scrubbed it down before pinching (and squishing) all the growth and bugs out of the top. Messy but at least the plant has a chance of producing pods now. You have to be vigilant with broad beans and really look after them during flowering otherwise they get massacred by blackfly aphids. The ladybirds have also caught onto the aphids and are helping me out by munching on them too. Very handy natural predators.
Other successes are the potatoes, both varieties are doing well and the Apache have started flowering.
Our biggest disappointments have been the courgettes and runner beans which have been attacked by something being netted. The courgettes were fantastic under the cloches but once they had established, we took the covers off and something ate them! Really surprising as we usually do really well with courgettes. The runner beans have also had a very slow start. We have planted them twice and only half have come up. Again, I think something is having a nibble despite netting and slug pellets. Very strange. (rabbits???)
One of my allotment neighbours has kindly given me an assortment of climbing beans to plant as he has too many. They are a mix of french and berlotti I think? We shall see what happens. Weirdly - nothing has eaten these yet despite not being covered at all!
Just one more thing…
We have an extra recruit on the plot! My friend, Abby, has asked if she could help out on the allotment to learn about growing veggies. Not sure how much she will actually learn from us but she seems to be enjoying it so far! Together we have planted carrots, beetroot, spinach and the mange tout. It certainly makes a difference having a team on the plot working together.
(Apologies for the late posting - technical problems!)
The good news is that produce has been popping up although we have had some surprising failures. Such is allotment life! We had our usual lovely crop of strawberries but I made a mistake leaving them without netting and they have been nibbled by the birds. Raspberries are doing okay too. Just a few tasty ones popping up here and there. Not bad seeing as they were only transplanted at the end of last year.
The broad beans are doing very well. I have been spraying them with washing-up liquid frequently and it has helped them grow taller before pinching the tips out. Only one plant has blackly on it so far and I scrubbed it down before pinching (and squishing) all the growth and bugs out of the top. Messy but at least the plant has a chance of producing pods now. You have to be vigilant with broad beans and really look after them during flowering otherwise they get massacred by blackfly aphids. The ladybirds have also caught onto the aphids and are helping me out by munching on them too. Very handy natural predators.
Other successes are the potatoes, both varieties are doing well and the Apache have started flowering.
Our biggest disappointments have been the courgettes and runner beans which have been attacked by something being netted. The courgettes were fantastic under the cloches but once they had established, we took the covers off and something ate them! Really surprising as we usually do really well with courgettes. The runner beans have also had a very slow start. We have planted them twice and only half have come up. Again, I think something is having a nibble despite netting and slug pellets. Very strange. (rabbits???)
One of my allotment neighbours has kindly given me an assortment of climbing beans to plant as he has too many. They are a mix of french and berlotti I think? We shall see what happens. Weirdly - nothing has eaten these yet despite not being covered at all!
Just one more thing…
We have an extra recruit on the plot! My friend, Abby, has asked if she could help out on the allotment to learn about growing veggies. Not sure how much she will actually learn from us but she seems to be enjoying it so far! Together we have planted carrots, beetroot, spinach and the mange tout. It certainly makes a difference having a team on the plot working together.
(Apologies for the late posting - technical problems!)
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| Friend or Foe? |
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| Broad beans flowering |
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| Cabbages (looking a bit nibbled!) |
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| Part of a donated bean selection (Thanks Paul!) |
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| Courgette |
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| Dave's potatoes |
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| On closer inspection - VERY nibbled cabbages |
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| Something ate our courgette plant! :( |
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| Spuds looking luscious and green |
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| Spuds close to flowering soon |
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| Raspberries! (delicious) |
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| Some runner beans have made it (but not all) |
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| Wonderful strawberry bounty |
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| Dave's tomatoes |
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| Dave's tomato construction |
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Twitterings
Just a quickie...
The Dig Issue is now on Twitter! You can follow my tweets here: www.twitter.com/thedigissue
The Dig Issue is now on Twitter! You can follow my tweets here: www.twitter.com/thedigissue
Monday, May 09, 2011
Spring has sprung in April
I always seem to think I've got loads of time before I need to start sowing anything and then panic when I realise that it's April already and I haven't planted anything! This has been another one of those years.
Our harsh winter died down pretty quickly and we have been enjoying the warmest April on record since... erm... well, a long time ago! It has been a bit of a distraction to be honest. With Dave in Thailand for 3 weeks I've been digging after work whenever I could fit it in. When the thermometer hits 23°C you do tend to favour the local pub's beer garden instead tho. Who can dig in that heat?
Distractions aside I got a couple of rows of broad beans planted and my apache spuds in the ground as planned. They've popped up nicely within the last 3 weeks so I'm rather pleased with them so far. I've strimmed the grass twice this month and decided not to wage war with the dandelions. (Although they still make me mad)
Most of the beds are ready for planting although we are losing a battle with the couch grass encroaching onto the beds as the wood is disintegrating. We may need to make some drastic decisions next year.
I had a turf war with a spider over the course of a week too. One had decided to make a ginormous web across the greenhouse door that I walked into 3 times! I tore it down every time I went into the greenhouse and by the next day there was another one! I am not kidding - this happened about 7 times. Clever yet stupid creature.
On a positive note, I've managed to get my hands on an old Nikon D40 DSLR and I've fallen in love with it. Great camera for photographing plants and bugs. Might have to invest in a new one when I'm feeling a bit more flush with cash! All the photos in this blog post have been taken with the Nikon.
So that's April done. Onto May...
Our harsh winter died down pretty quickly and we have been enjoying the warmest April on record since... erm... well, a long time ago! It has been a bit of a distraction to be honest. With Dave in Thailand for 3 weeks I've been digging after work whenever I could fit it in. When the thermometer hits 23°C you do tend to favour the local pub's beer garden instead tho. Who can dig in that heat?
Distractions aside I got a couple of rows of broad beans planted and my apache spuds in the ground as planned. They've popped up nicely within the last 3 weeks so I'm rather pleased with them so far. I've strimmed the grass twice this month and decided not to wage war with the dandelions. (Although they still make me mad)
Most of the beds are ready for planting although we are losing a battle with the couch grass encroaching onto the beds as the wood is disintegrating. We may need to make some drastic decisions next year.
I had a turf war with a spider over the course of a week too. One had decided to make a ginormous web across the greenhouse door that I walked into 3 times! I tore it down every time I went into the greenhouse and by the next day there was another one! I am not kidding - this happened about 7 times. Clever yet stupid creature.
On a positive note, I've managed to get my hands on an old Nikon D40 DSLR and I've fallen in love with it. Great camera for photographing plants and bugs. Might have to invest in a new one when I'm feeling a bit more flush with cash! All the photos in this blog post have been taken with the Nikon.
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Gradually digging through all the beds |
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Rhubarb crop |
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Bee on the chive flowers |
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Beer space ready for a BBQ |
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Broad Beans popping up! |
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Row of Broad beans |
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Forget-me-not (It's flipping everywhere!!) |
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Snoozing on a glove in the greenhouse...ahhh! |
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Apache spuds come to the surface |
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Apaches! |
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Raspberries in flower with ants all over them |
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Rosemary in flower |
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Worzel Scummage flopped over |
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| Spider's web in the greenhouse doorway (a new one each day) |
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| Strawberries in flower |
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| Strawberry |
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| Through the rhubarb |
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| Unripe red currants |
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| Growing space at the flat is limited so I've used the last small spud seeds to do spud containers on the balcony. |
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