Autumn Bits and Bobs.

[tigerburnie]

I can't think of much that's edible that will like their feet wet in winter, will rice grow in your neck of the woods?

[Westi]

It would be an excellent idea Primrose, but I think the guys at the front of the site have pretty much over the decades improved their plots & have topped up the soil enough to cause no concern now, as this was the first area opened for those returning from the war. The site was financed by a rich family who farm in the New Forest still & they also paid for the housing estate nearby for these families. It was once a nice walk from their homes to the site but now we have a bypass & overpass to get there.

The 3rd row was opened in the 50's & the back row where I am was opened in the late 80's & this area was used for the council to drop off the dredging from the Avon & Stour for years which is why I have such a thick layer of sand over the clay, along with the odd find of beer bottles & plastic wine glasses. I do think the flooding is a result of the farmer not being able to work his land for so many years while the railway is upgraded, they have milking cows & a big supply of manure & really turned over the soil with their huge tractors with huge attachments. Them not working it & the railway putting in water flow off pipes along the new embankments & the huge heavy equipment have led to the run off reaching me. I have 7 beds affected.

V071zi0lSweke0zOwHJ3Eg.jpg (4.79 MiB) Viewed 71929 times

(Topped up this bed twice but not covered - it's on the list)

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(Not a great pic but I have water in the channels from just 1 days drizzle so helping a bit).

[tigerburnie]

That is horrendous, I'd have thought you would qualify for some sort of help, either with the drainage, or in some form of compensation for your lost crops.

[Stravaig]

Beautiful blue sky here (in Kent) and some lovely white big-big puffy clouds. The clouds are very low down, way below the horizon. I've no idea if that means anything. But it's nice to see a blue sky for a change.

[Westi]

Hi Burnie! I expect the council & farmer is receiving any compensation or incentives. My plot neighbour is hoping to climb through the hedge row & go over & have a chat with them when he can, but it is all activity with setting up their HQ currently. We have chatted & agree it would help if they could dig a moat along the hedgerow behind our plots & with their equipment they should be able to make it pretty deep, but the neighbour is also keen for them to line this our side, so we will see. Personally I expect they will just divert him with the risk of trespass but will see.

Neighbours are not affected as have raised beds, but did tell me their beds are more soggy than they would like.

[oldherbaceous]

This is exactly what I have been thinking about today, Westi!
As long as the land behind you isn’t much higher than your plots, it would be such an easy job for them to pull a ditch out, with all the machinery they are likely to have….it will definitely be worth having a word with them!

Taking it a step further, the Council won’t except run off water, coming off their site, as it could well get contaminated!

[Primrose]

Nothing to do with current flooding but still slightly seasonal.
Our village church clock has developed festive fever in the past few days and decided to strike 36 times on every hour.

It's been driving nearby neighbours nuts specially during the dark night hours. THey,ve now switched off the chimes until it can be repaired

[Stravaig]

It's lunchtime and it's already so dark here I'll have to put on the lights.

We live half-way up a steep hill so I don't expect to have flooding problems. But you never know what might happen next in these days of uncertain times.

I've got loads of kitchen chores to do so I suppose I'd better get on with it.

[Primrose]

I think the dark winter days are hated by everybody. I suppose one can understand why northern countries like Finland which have such short daylight hours can have high alcohol consumption . There's probably little else to do to cheer yourself up !

[Westi]

Hi OH!

If the railway won't play then I will chat to the farmer as we go past his fields on the way home & I often see him. He won't be able to access via the tunnel under the railway which is his access as that is full of water & the cabins are blocking it, but there is an emergency access lane beside the plot for the railway & since they are working there they should have the keys to access.

As for the council, they won't care, but ours is not alone in that as on another sites folk got flooded from spill off from the water companies letting effluent out into the stream when it was already running high & the filthy water contaminated all their plants so they had to be thrown. Their committee approached the council to get them to fix it & they basically dismissed them. What they are doing is paying themselves, & slowly building up sand bags to keep the worst out in the future but a long term project. as got 40 plots affected. (Thought for the future though)!

[Cider Boys]

Let's hope you can find a solution Westie.

I went for a walk across the marches to the river this morning and it was windy and cold. I was pleased to see dozens of little egrets, 4 grey herons, 2 snipe, green sandpipers, flocks of swans, skylarks and starlings as well as sightings of several small groups of roe deer. The tide was in when I arrived at the river (hence the strong wind) and there were numerous wading birds in the distance but I could not identify them; on the walk home I saw a hovering kestrel and then a great white egret which made my day. I always hope to see a common crane (not the many cranes I can see building Hinkley C) as one was spotted a coupe of years ago on the marshes and moors near me but none to be seen yet.

Too cold for gardening so still haven't planted any broad beans, if I don't plant any this autumn it will be the first year I have missed for decades.

Best wishes to all

Barney

[Primrose]

Barney. It will be a shame if you miss your broad bean planting. The ground here is frost solid. Do you have a greenhouse where you could start them off in cells?

Judging by the white layer on the ground this morning no doubt OH will be starting off a new early winter thread!

[oldherbaceous]

I was thinking of that, Primrose, as I was trying to get my fingers warm at work, first thing this morning….

[tigerburnie]

It has not got over zero degrees all day, scrape the car windows, go to the doctors to collect a prescription and the windows were starting to freeze again at two in the afternoon.

[Westi]

Minus 5 down here today so no soil work so started on clearing the shed. Would have been more productive if I didn't have the little doggy helper, but 1/2 done. Warmer tomorrow but will do the rest & get the inside finished as I want to paint the inside as it's an old shed & showing some signs of rot which I am addressing, but thought a gloss paint inside might extend it's use. It gets a wood paint outside every year & got the paint for that as well.

My Santa's little shed arrived today, but it wasn't! It was a rather nice raised bed, all constructed & lined ready to go. After several attempts I got through to a human who admitted their error; the outcome being but I can keep the raised bed for my inconvenience & little shed to follow next week! Result indeed as it is really nice, curved edges, about 3' tall & 6' long. No idea of what wood but not many knots in it, but nice wood work curving the corners so probs not cheap! Perhaps the real Santa intervened?? It is 1st Dec & Santa is raring to go so time for Winter Bits & Bobs OH!