Long awaited Spring Bits and Bobs…

[tigerburnie]

We get good numbers of Cuckoos in the hills and Glens, seems they like to use the Meadow Pipits for their foster caring, I hear them every year up there, but not heard one in our village for around 20 years.
Crikey four years ago, how time has flown sure it was last year lol
Cuckoo by tigerburnie, on Flickr

[Westi]

I watched that news item on the news as well & absolutely ridiculous the increase they are proposing & the excuse that the councils are underfunded! All they need to do is allow it self managed on the current or slightly higher rents. Committees can be a bone of contention I know, but elect the right people - properly with a full closed vote from all members & not that stupid 'I second' this nonsense so their mate gets something through! The only cost to the council would be paying their own council tax, the plot holders rent (or part) goes to the committee to fix & tidy things & ensure everyone pays their subs for insurance.

We have a committee & the plot holders with the appropriate skills fix the tap leaks, rejuvenated a petrol trimmer left which we can borrow to keep our plot tidy just paying for petrol, get gravel delivered & we fill the pot holes in front of our plots, run a coffee shop on Sunday mornings for extra income, grow plants from the free seeds on the mags which we pay for £'s under the prices in shops & generally barter & swap among ourselves. I pay £90 per plot both full sized, structures allowed & although inspected 3 or 4 times a year consideration is taken for circumstances not allowing for a period so long as the committee is notified.

[tigerburnie]

20 degrees inside the greenhouse at 08.30, think it's going to be a hot one, two tomato plants have flowers on already and the plants are tiny really, stress maybe?

[retropants]

crikey, that's early, mine have only got their first set of true leaves, they are sooooo slow this year. They seem to be sulking!!

[Primrose]

I think this year there are going to be some very mixed results when everybody compares harvests at the end of the season. Undoubtedly those with a greenhouse will have benefitted somewhat from protection from rain, low temperatures and cold winds.

[Westi]

The tunnel temp said 40.3C when I went in today & it did feel like a sauna when I opened the doors. The vent is working fine though & things in there seem to have got used to it. I was tempted to leave the back door open, but decided not to as still a few baby plants in there on the staging that are just up & just in case the sonic repeller not working; but I will leave it open when I go down on Saturday as even though some rainy days coming the temp is holding.

Got some more sowing & weeding done today & Runners & French beans plants went in. Dog is literally in the dog house - couldn't find her & not coming when called - found cooling off in the rhubarb bed as I took the fencing off to weed out the neighbours mint escapes & now have way too many stalks at home that she broke so tomorrow will be making as many things as possible for the freezer space but think I may have to check some recipes for pickles & stuff that doesn't need freezer space!

[Clive.]

The job today was to get the wires and 'sticks' along the radeo pea row...in fact luck was on my side as just as I arrived back from a work visit the Evri van had pulled up..delivering said 'sticks', so the job is done.
The peas were coming through the wire mesh hoops that I use over seed rows and the pigeons were sizing them up..I just hope they hadn't got a taste for them as whilst they do now have a certain amount of wire net on both sides it wouldn't take much thought form a wood pigeon to have meal....
I was waiting for the sticks but also we've taken quite a lot of rain over recent days storms and today it was only just dry enough to get on.

It's making the tateys grow fast though...the tops anyway...
..and its a good job today that there is a tall fence on the north side of the plot..
C.

[oldherbaceous]

Sounds as if you have had a very busy morning, Clive…
Ours allotments are really soggy, so I made the first cut on my Comfrey patch and pulled loads of seed stalks out of the Rhubarb.
I’ve got a couple of Moles working really deep in the soft soil on two of my allotments, it’s a real job to try and catch them when they are working like that.

[Westi]

Thanks for the recommendation for Evri Clive. My canes arrived & I was very impressed how thick they are & no splinters - not to mention good price made even better with the quality. Weathers holding fair to date but will be keeping a close eye on it & will get them up to cross brace & further secure the net frame if big wind anticipated.

Today I cleared out the tunnel & moved the staging outside again; prepped & put windbreak around the bed I'm going to try to grow watermelons in. They would be better in the tunnel but these are US big long ones & would just take over the whole tunnel & I have my precious sweet potatoes in there which are pretty good at getting everywhere as well. Put windbreak around the runners as well as left them a bit to plant out so they are quite big but still confused about the climbing bit. Then 1/2 prepped the last brassica bed which will be for Savoys & Red Cabbage.

My list is getting shorter, finally! I would be more ahead if the weeds weren't so prolific, but it was expected as used my own compost & the pallet bins are too big to heat up enough to kill the weed seeds. Something to review in the future, but the plants are growing well too so they're happy which they should be as it's over 4yrs old!

[oldherbaceous]

Really warm here, so planting lots of things out but, giving them some protection from the Northerly winds that they are predicting over the next few days….

[Clive.]

I've just sown a few more sweetcorn, swift...I have 10 plants already...must be feeling hungry. In reality I have an area that just deserves another square of sweetcorn.

I put in another row of beetroot were the first sown has clearly now failed. Second two rows are now just showing.
Chard is mostly a no show so had to order another packet...and a few other bits and bobs too...

...and I have planted out a couple of cucumber, merlin...that I wasn't going to grow...into the cold frame that I wasn't going to use...

C.

[oldherbaceous]

Oh Clive…..this gardening lark is very addictive….
All joking apart, I hope you are getting a lot of enjoyment, out of getting your garden back into production.

[Clive.]

I think it's maybe about not doing other jobs....must see if I can find the vacuum cleaner...

Just had a drive back via the old airfield road, short cut away from busy main road, and there's some fields of barley that are really full in ear..... not so far away are some other fields that were only sown a couple of weeks ago.

C.

[oldherbaceous]

Sounds like my thoughts, Clive…

Gosh, that Barley is early!

[Geoff]

Guess the next thread will also include "long awaited" - down to 2°C again last night.