Early Spring Bits and Bobs.

[Shallot Man]

Primrose. What puzzles me, if you are paying your rent and maintaining said plot. How can they evict you.

[Stephen]

"The No Work Garden" nice idea but even "no dig" gardening which Bob espouses (like Charles Dowding) is far from "no work"! I've seen a lot of gardens or allotments which have received no work. I don't think they look good.

[Stephen]

I know that we haven't heard from Stravaig for a while.Hope she and her family are O.K.They are/were living in Kiev.

Yes, they were in my mind too.

[Stephen]

Re: Woodbridge. I would contest eviction fiercely if I was tending the plot. I have posted about evicting those who don't do so, irrespective of their reasons. I hear so many reasons for not looking after their plot, ill-health, bereavement, producing a family amongst them. The council or other organising body need to offer a deal about priority if you are a returning tenant in good standing, to persuade or encourrage those who are temporarily unable to look after the ground.

On our set the waiting list has been closed at 40 (apparently), which is crazy. There are plots which need tending and cutting off the list denies that there is demand.

[peter]

Tempting to threaten a lawsuit, a time limited tenancy is pointless, that council should be getting more ground procured to create a bigger or alternative site.
My Town Council capped new tenants at 5rod, but if they are given a 2.5rod plot they are not allowed a second 2.5, UNLESS there's no one on the waiting list.
Only three legitimate reasons for losing a plot

Relinquishing it voluntarily - includes death.
Being thrown off for breaking the rules.
The site being disposed of by the council after proper consultation.

[Mr Fallowfield]

"The No Work Garden" nice idea but even "no dig" gardening which Bob espouses (like Charles Dowding) is far from "no work"! I've seen a lot of gardens or allotments which have received no work. I don't think they look good.

Just to put your mind at ease , the sub title of Mr Flowerdews book is “ getting the most out of your garden for the least amount of work. “ . Sounds good to me .

[Compo]

Interesting stuff all this, really lucky that our site has 40 odd plots and a list of six. We have a light touch when it comes to keeping your plot up to scratch but there is a line to be drawn. Other sites are clearly more strict and i guess that depends on demand pressures

Hope Stravaig is ok, the Ukraine situation is heart breaking

All well on the plot first carrots in guttering are showing. Spring is here and this is the time of year when if you don't pull your socks up the growing calendar will bite you on the you know what.

all the best

Compo aka Dave

[Shallot Man]

Best reason for not working your plot. Reminds me some years ago, on a plot inspection. Me to the plot holder. You haven't done much work on your plot. Reply, I am growing grass for my rabbits at home,

[Westi]

I'm assuming the lack of posts is entirely due to everyone taking advantage of the wonderful weather we have been having?? I'm in the mix with you all but sorting out the home garden today. I like a mix up of colours in the garden & I also like a bargain so pretty much collect reduced price plants & bulbs at every opportunity if they attract. As a consequence every spring is a big surprise finding forgotten bulbs/flowers up, while trying real hard to identify foliage of other things growing.

I do take pics every year but I also move things if they were a bit cramped or unhappy where they were so photo's not that helpful. Off to lottie tomorrow with a mixed bag of miscellaneous baby bulbs that I found while weeding so will be just as pretty!

[peter]

First weekend this year that my availability to get to the allotment has coincided with decent weather and ground dry enough to work on. Been up both afternoons till dusk this weekend.

Saturday was membrane lifting and digging a five foot bit across the width of 18 by the main path, plus some tidying up and rubbish disposal. Wind tried to interfere with membrane works.

Last autumn I dug up all my elephant garlic, Oh no I didn't, seven of the blighters had surfaced and got transplanted.

Sunday much more.
Mowed lawn at home for first tome this year.
Rotovated my previously spade dug areas, about five rod.
Rotovated less deeply the undue area I had uncovered, about eight rod. I use membrane alot as weed suppression, got down about 4" witht he little Honda, the RTT3 is due back from its much needed service, belts at adjustment limits and slipping a bit, on Tuesday and I've got a new belt form my now Loncin engined Merry Tiller.


Leaves the kill-zone, previously raspberries, waiting to see if I've actually killed all the bindweed, and the brassica area to de-membrane and dig.
So some more tillage of what I did today and then spuds to go in and 300 onion sets to go in, thinking of make in a kind of T shaped set square thingy as a planting guide?
Long side goes across and notched for each row, short side aligns it to my guiding string and has a horn to distance from previous planted tow. My onion set planting always ends up a bit wonky which doesn't help with hoeing.

[Primrose]

All of this rather begs an embarrassing question now i,mtoo unfit to cultivate the vegetable plot in our own garden.
If my OH can,t cope with it this year, do the Council feel they have the moral right to force me to allow somebody living in a flat without a garden to have the right to come in and take it over ?

We,ve both been out of Action with Covid. It was very unpleasant. If you,re now a few months away from your last vaccination, remember your immunity could be starting to run low. Mr Primrose bought his home from hospital after having surgery. Despite us both self isolating, wearing masks indoors and opening windows, I still caught it.

Is there any way Admin can make contact with Stradwig to check she is ok?

[peter]

...
Is there any way Admin can make contact with Stradwig to check she is ok?

Not really and she hasn't visited KG since last October.

[oldherbaceous]

Poor Primrose, I hope you both feel a whole lot better, very soon. If I lived closer, it would be a huge pleasure for me, to help in your garden…..

Gosh Westi and Peter, you have been very busy…..I did manage to get an 80 foot row of Swift potatoes in….been busy potting plants up all weekend.

[retropants]

I spent the afternoon emptying out the strawberry troughs and refilling & planting with last years runners. Fingers crossed for a bumper harvest! Tomato seedlings are up in the propagator, and lettuce little gem have also poked their little heads up. I will risk sowing the carrots this week, but last year, all three sowings appeared one day and were gone the next, pesky snails & slugs. I gave up in the end.

[Geoff]

What glorious weather - I'll be well cream crackered by the time it breaks. All my potatoes planted. Odd selection some of which I know little about that looked interesting in the garden centre; Manitou (10), Setanta (10), Desiree (10), Picasso (10), Cara (20) and Charlotte (33). All the stuff in the polytunnel (as it starts its 10th season) is loving the light and warmth. Potatoes growing fast, Rocket (4) and Charlotte (8) and the mangetout peas are climbing the sticks, lots of birch twigs from the tree I lost in the last storm. The only worry is the over wintered salads might bolt before the fresh plants are big enough. It seems a shame to plant anything in the beds outside and make them look untidy, quite smart all weeded and cultivated apart from the late brassica bed that is still giving us loads of meals of sprouts, sprouting broccoli, kalettes and various kales, including Red Russian that we use like sprouting.