Really?

Has Blogspot lost all my posts or have I really posted nothing since August?

I have a thousand (slight exaggeration) photos on my phone from the plot.  I really must find that lead.  Maybe this holiday I can find the time to do that.  Snow means I'm not venturing further than the pub! I'm trying to understand Twitter, it makes Facebook look easy, and generally looking up absolute rubbish on the computer and getting very bored.  Why when you're bored can you not do anything constructive?

Adding these photos here on the 6th February but only because I've changed phones.  Did I tell you about my new phone ... :)

The pumpkins didn't work in the bag so were taken out and put into the ground.  No trophy here :(

Bean Harvest

Bringing home the beans:

July 28th  85 grams

August
2nd   325 grams
4th    525
7th    1100
10th  1575
11th  1775
15th   1125
20th   1200

The Achocha plants were amazing :

August
12   125g
13   125
15   850
20   800
23   2230

September
1    750g
8     525
15   720
17   800

October
2    800

That's all I recorded but the Achocha kept going until we had a bad frost.

How many mangetout?

Very sadly I started to count how many mangetout we had with hindsight I should really have done weight!

After the second week we had a major problem with the plants collapsing, next year I shall use chicken wire to let them scramble up to prevent this.

I'm now seed saving and getting a few more mangetout each day in addition.

June
24th   21
26th   22
29th   33
30th   25
July
2nd    63
3rd    38
5th    57
6th    55
7th    15
8th    27
9th    18
end of July biggest pick 27

Grand tour

Finally persuaded number 2 and 3 son to have a look at the allotment.  They were quite interested so I dug up a potato surprised myself at how big it was!

Long time no see again!

News from the award winning plot!  Joint 10th place in our first year.

Picked the first Cherokee beans last night,  3 ounces.  Also another handful of mangetout that have begun to crop again.  I've left them in the ground to save the seed for next year.
Allotment isn't recognisable now the Blue Banana squash is an amazing ground cover plant.  The two pumpkins are also doing well.  We have 2 to 3 courgettes nearly every other day now from the two plants.
The Achocha has climbed up the trellis and started to go over the compost heap.
Potatoes and onions almost ready to harvest.  Chickpeas have 8 or so pods per plant.  One raspberry plant has got berries and the gooseberries seem to have taken.
The two rhubarb plants seem to be happy too.

Harvest time!

A handful of mange tout today.  Hopefully they will keep producing to justify all the watering we are doing now.

Pumpkins have been planted in their final growing position.

Achocha and horseradish planted

I have now run out of room and had to start on the plastic covered side.  The Scarecrow has done a fantastic job of making a new planting bed for the Achocha.  Hopefully they will climb up the trellis and over the compost heap. 

I've put a little fleece windshield up for them until they get established.  The cabbages planted the other day have really benefitted from their shield.

I rescued a horseradish plant today from Homebase and have planted that.

Worm wee!

I've managed to get about 2  litres of "worm wee" from the wormery.  The first tray of compost is getting full.  The worms seem quite happy and nobody is escaping.

Lovely sunshine

Everything is really growing well now even the second hand shallots have started to grow.

Tonight I sat and cut up little plastic collars from drinks bottles.  I'm hoping that this will give the beans a little protection from snails.  I've lost 3 beans to a snail who invaded the greenhouse.  I'm going to find him tonight using a torch!

Unfleeced

Took the wind protection away from the peas today.  Night time temperature said to be 12 degrees.
Good weather today 24 at lunchtime.  Beans are looking strong still need to wait a little longer to plant out as they won't survive a cold snap.  However, The Scarecrow has pronounced this is it now there will be no frosts.

Frost!

I have tucked the potatoes up at night yesterday and today under little boxes to avoid the frost.  The Scarecrow visits mid morning to untuck them.

What is a rod?

'A rod is a measure of land dating back
to Saxon times when it was defined as
the total length of the left feet of the
first 16 men to leave church on Sunday
morning...'

But what Church we have 4 in the village

Onions and shallots

On Sunday 9th I popped in the 3 shallots one of the other plotters/allotmenteers found and gave to us last month.  I also planted three rows of onion sees at the end of the short potato row.  Stepped back to admire and realised I'd planted them east west, hmmm, never did like rules.

Peas are still looking healthy and beginning to find their own way up the supports.  It is still cold hovering around 7 degrees, (where's the little ciricle on the keyboard?)  I think they still need their fleece protection.

Hail showers!

3rd of May and a few hail showers today.  Out winning a trophy for my Vespa so haven't checked the damage, poor mange tout.

Checking on the peas

The mange tout are doing well.  One plant at the very end has been nibbled but is surviving.

The rasperries are beginning to put out shoots.

Busy, busy, busy

Each evening there seems to be another job.  Luckily The Scarecrow checked on the peas today, fleece is still on and 'they look happy' do you know I think he cares!

Today I thinned the red cabbage into pots on the seed packet it says plant out when large enough to handle approximately 5 weeks from sowing.  In my extremely useful Veggie Grower's Bible it says plants need 5-6 true leaves and be at least 10-13 cm before planting.

Oh and the greenhouse is working really well, except the day I forgot to open the zip front and fried my newly emerged lettuces.

Planted so far

Mmm... I'm sure I got this bigger last time.

Yippee - finally

Good day today, potatoes, and Bijou Mange Tout are in the ground.  The peas have been really successful nearly all the seed germinated and the resulting plants quickly grew to about 6" before we planted out today.  Fortunately the compost we were given was ideal so at least the plants will have a little bit of kinder soil before they reach the clay.


Mange tout 'Bijou'

 Hopefully the fleece will give them a little protection from the wind and the birds.

The wigwam!  The birds began to sit on it straight after it was built.  A robin is very fond of sitting among the branches.  I hope he catches all the insects and leaves the peas alone.

The potatoes are also in but not so exciting to see.

Long time no see

Not written for a while as all we've done is dig, dig, dig.  Still not able to plant.  I reckon the potatoes can chit another week!  I love that word.

Peas are poking through I keep topping up the little grow pots with compost but they are determined - hope they like rough ground.

I made two little clay balls to throw at the Scarecrow to keep him digging.  Another allotmenteer came over and said to him 'Oh I see you've made ...'  Would you believe it we actually know what we're doing - by accident.  Now off to look up clay balls on the internet.  Hmm... better be careful with that one!

Feeling really pleased.

On reflection we did get a lot done on Sunday.

I actually enjoy digging but not so much as getting the roots out.  I have a new way to relax, sitting on the ground with a bucket pulling up roots!  Our ground is so full of roots you can fill a whole bucket without even getting up!

Here are some photos - check out the roots!

Mother's Day

The sun shone today.  Digging has been really difficult! I only got down one day after School.  The Scarecrow couldn't dig much either what with picking up two more pallets and a roll of plastic sheeting.  Oh I know, less talk/definately less planning with the computer - just get on and do it.

Today the two strapping lads I still have at home (one 18, plays football goes to the gym, the other 16) dug over the rest of the allotment.  They toiled relentlessly, happy to pay their mother back for the years she has nurtured them...

O.K I did fall back to sleep this morning. 

Digging

I know you're not supposed to slice up roots but there is no choice.  This allotment life is hard we spent nearly all of Sunday and still haven't even dug one side yet :( 
 Bad news: gave in and moved compost heap down by nearly a metre, well had to move the whole plot down to make a path.
Good news: rescued one slow worm thingy.

I got the biggest root ever out today, you could make a walking stick from it.

Getting warmer

Worms have settled down - less escapees.  Still covering them up at night, it was sunny today but weather forecast isn't brill. 

Finally using another package - not 3D

I have now gone for a flat planning option with pretty vegetable pictures!  Using a free 30 day trial at the moment but it handles 5 year crop rotation.  Grow Veg.Com

If it would just stop raining I could actually go and did the allotment.  It has been raining so much the 40 gallon water barrel filled up within a couple of days.

and it even generates a plant list

3D or not 3D

When I realised I could make my compost heap 3D it had to be done.  Unfortunately this has now caused all sorts of problems as I want 3D plants but they would take hours to draw.  OK perhaps I do have a problem with perfectionism.

The plan so far (in almost 3D)...

Potatoes

Now I have my potatoes.  It says leave at least 5 years before planting potatoes in the same place to avoid potato cyst nematode, powdery scab and spraing!  Now we need to divide the plot into 5.  So much for all the books talking about 3 year crop rotation.

Not content with graph paper ....

How to waste hours of your life!  I have just got to grips with Google SketchUp and have a scale drawing of what we have achieved so far.

I will now be able to set "The Scarecrow" a task each week, complete with a scale plan of exactly what he needs to do!

 

Here is the drawing with the compost heap at the bottom.  The blue bit is the carpet covering the compost.  The right hand side is used as storage at the moment.

The plot measures 8m x 10.5m approximately.  We will remeasure once it is dug over.

Testing soil

Its been raining on and off for last two days so haven't done this but will try at the weekend.

Dig a straight sided pit to 2 ft.  Leave overnight, covered.  If water collects - high water table.
No water - fill pit with water and leave covered for 24 hours.  If water remains, drainage is poor.
Most plants go down 20 inches.  If darker topsoil rests on thick layer of clay or rock deep digging won't help and raised beds may be necessary.

Wormery scraps

Things to put in wormery

fruit peelings (not citric)
veg peelings (not too much garlic, leeks, onions, potatoes
bread
uncooked food scraps (not fish it gets smelly)
cooked food scraps (bury to avoid smells)
tea bags
paper towels
cardboard tubes
newspaper - several sheets each month
egg shells

occasional lime application approx. every 6 weeks less if using egg shells

What to put on the compost heap

List of ingredients for the compost or wormery.

These can be put on the compost heap.  * can be put in the wormery too.

Nitrogen rich 'greens'

fruit peelings* (worms need to avoid citric fruit)
veg peelings*  (worms need to avoid garlic, leeks, onions)

soft plant prunings

flowers
weeds (no seed heads)
tea bags *
coffee grounds
egg shells *
animal and poultry manure (not going to use as not sure whether organic fed)

(small amounts)
grass clippings

Carbon rich 'browns'

cardboard
fallen leaves (small amount)
shredded paper
newspaper * (be careful coloured inks)
paper towels *
paper bags, packaging (scrumple in loose bals)
egg boxes
cardboard tubes *
hedge clippings - tougher ones
plant prunings (woody ones shredded)
sawdust
wood ash (small amount but untreated wood)

Here is the rather smart compost bin. Note - if you want to keep rodents out your heap you need to buy very small hole chicken wire!

Nothing there

This is the view looking the other way.  The stack of pallets are for a compost heap.  But it's still snowing every other week!  When does Spring start - 20 minutes later The Scarecrow is quite long winded we have decided on 21st March, the Vernal Equinox.

The water butt and womery are up and running.

In the beginning ...

So here it is - our Allotment complete with owl box.

We signed the contract on 27th January 2010.