A P(l)otted History Part 3 Jan 2016 Onward

[Pa Snip]

So on Wednesday I found that having eventually got back into this site on Tuesday it was down again.
oh dear what to do, well lets go spend 5 minutes (or so) up the plot mulling ideas over.

There was the two new raised beds to think about for a start.
A few minutes contemplating (not my navel) and the answer came to mind.

Wasn't planning to do this yesterday but opened the shed got out the fork, shovel and wheelbarrow and
started moving soil from one of the medium sized raised beds to the two new ones.

RESULT !!!! ended up with almost empty bed and two new beds completely filled.

So what am I going to do with this almost empty bed..................

Dig some more out of the ground for a start, going to put straw in below normal surface level

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I am going to experiment with a outdoor Hot Bed, been years since anything hot happened .

Going to straw line it, incredible as it might seem I need to go and get some more manure

Need some heavy duty clear polythene to cover the bed using the framework (need somewhere that sells it off the roll
oh, local allotment shop is open this morning, That's me off to see if they have any.

[Pa Snip]

Success, trading shed had some strong(ish) clear polythene on a roll.
Next job, go get straw bales and get some manure sorted.

Not today though unless it brightens up

[Primrose]

Pa Snip. With all these raised beds you''ve been building, are you sure you haven't done a deal with the Hatton Garden bank robbers to hide their missing millions which have never been recovered. : What an ideal place to hide all those biscuit tins stuffed with bank notes. - under layers of straw and manure in an allotment! Mind you, if I come across any smelly notes in future, I may start wondering about their provenance!

[Pa Snip]

Primrose

You're dafter than me lol

[Pa Snip]

I used to be indecisive, now .......................................

I've changed my mind,

hotbed idea scrubbed. Too much faffing around. Can't be bothered with trying to find a supply of really fresh manure then having to go bag it up and cart it to the plot.

To be regularly effective I reckon it will need topping up with fresh manure twice a year, spring and autumn.

I decided to scrub the idea this morning when I saw heat rising from all the 3 segments of the plot that I had put a layer of composted manure over back end of last year. The segment which is plain soil with no composted manure on it was not visibly sending up any heat.

I reckon a cover over existing raised bed that has soil & composted manure combination in it will be just as effective.

[Westi]

Keeping to the manure topic, I have found a source of some fresh material from rabbits, guinea pigs and chickens. Well a source, it started as one friend who I let come to the lottie to take what she fancies for her hubby with Huntington's & she posted on FB all her critters create too much poo! Told her to take to lottie so we have effectively bartered!

From that post I have had an offer of an organic horse pile, about 5 years old! Only question asked can their tractor get into the allotment! Oh Yes! Thankfully only one horse so should be able to manage the amount but will find myself with lots of new lottie friends if bigger than I thought!

You feeling lucky Pa? No more pre-nup, trained foxes - heaven's don't know what do with the moles I've got tunnelling up to yours though!

Westi

[Pa Snip]

Nice one Westi

Often surprising what can lead from what seems a simple barter.

For one brief moment there I thought the horse was organic and 5 years old

[robo]

I've been given around ten bags of pigeon droppings every year for the last four years ,we get free horse manure on top of our own chicken muck not to mention around a ton of cow pats I think I've become a connoisseur on sh##e , pigeon is the best

[Pa Snip]

I've been given around ten bags of pigeon droppings every year for the last four years ,we get free horse manure on top of our own chicken muck not to mention around a ton of cow pats I think I've become a connoisseur on sh##e , pigeon is the best

Hope you wear a face mask whilst shovelling it around, that stuff is lethal. I speak from experience.

I certainly would not advise anyone to use it.

Coming Back to P(l)otted History, unsurprisingly there is not much growing on our plot at present, the rhubarb that was on the plot when I took it over (which we are not sure of the name of) is coming up well again. Presently 6 > 9 inch sticks
The Glaskins Perpetual rhubarb that I moved to a new spot last year is just about to poke its heads out the ground

Onions, Shallots and Garlic.
Onion sets put in last year to overwinter are progressing. The wind across the site does create some windburn and broken leaf stems to contend with.

Jermor shallot leaves are looking pale, almost as if lack of nitrogen, they re in a raised bed of their own so will get some treatment this week

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Shallot Eschalote Grise seems way behind, some have only just started to emerge. This is an experiment, never tried it before but had good reports on taste, allegedly a shallot used by top chefs. Only one row on right of picture. Other plants are Onion 'Electric'

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Garlic, 3 different varieties have been overwintered and are now looking good. All in raised beds and looking better so far than inprevious years.

[Primrose]

I wonder whether over the course of the year the soil temperature in your raised beds, because the sides are quite high and exposed to sunlight (and therefore heat) will have a favourable effect in making your crops grow at a faster rate.
I recall when I tried growing potatoes in sacks and containers, in the warmer weather, the sides got really hot which must have had an effect on the soil temperature in the containers.

[Pa Snip]

Hi Primrose

I am hoping that will prove to be the case.

The Senshyu onions and all the garlics are currently in beds about 20inches high.

Those raised beds and the new raised beds on other side of plot all get sun except on their narrow north side.

One of the other plotholders and I were remarking only yesterday how warm the wood sides that catch the afternoon to evening sun all felt.

Soil thermometer on my wanted list

[Primrose]

Are you going to rig up some Heath Robinson Solar panels to put on the sides of your raised bed.
Am surprised somebody somewhere with access to some cheap materials hasn't come up with this idea to heat their greenhouse.

[robo]

Solar panels ha ha the Bain of my life, great when he Sun shines but so is life they are a pain in the butt other times ,as you can guess if had plenty of experience with them , not cheap to set up apart from the panels you need a controller as well as an inverter and big batteries probably looking at £3000 , bumble
solar is the best place to buy but if the sun douse not shine for three days you need a generator

[dan3008]

if you want solar panels, this is what you want to do
solar panel cold frame seems good, but costly

[Pa Snip]

I want solar panels even less than I want a hot bed