Spring Bits and Bobs.

[Clive.]

...and having just visited the compost heap with a bucket of paper shreddings..I see the Early Onward peas are popping up too...11 days since sowing.

C.

[Westi]

I'm all geared up for tomorrow when the taps go back on! Usually I am the only one down in the back row with just one chap around the corner, but I wouldn't be surprised to see more down, so no dog games, straight to the tap! Saying that it probably won't be on until one of the committee guys comes down, but they usually sneak them on slightly in advance. Weather is saying 10 days of nice sun but no rain, but the drizzle we had on Wednesday was persistent & lasted most of the afternoon & evening so should have helped.

Besides being a hose hog my plan tomorrow is to get some direct sows in when I take the last cover off & give the to be brassica bed some more of my compost & measure their bed to get a new walk in net tunnel for them. Any of you got any recommendations for one of these? The aluminium poles just aren't up to the wind, the steel frames are cost prohibitive but I have been told that the aluminium ones have different thicknesses & strength, just no idea what I should be looking for in the small print blurb to say they are stronger? Any recommendations or ideas for the world's worst bodger to make one? You know I am pants at DIY but I do have inherited corner joiner thingies, some of them metal. Will obvs need to factor in depth but have some stake thingies to put poles in so they last longer.

[oldherbaceous]

Been pricking out tomato plants…..good job to take your mind off things.

[Clive.]

With the Early Onward peas coming up I decided to put in the row of Radeo.

To show how organised I am...not.!!...the seed collected from 2023 and 2024 rows sit in paper carriers, as picked....so it was a bag of 2022 collected seed that I located and have sown..it, in fact, nicely used it out for the full row, 3 seeds wide.

I see the Maris Peer potatoes are coming through, just ready for some rather cool nights in the forecast...however, luckily they are in early morning shade of the north fence and the little shed..

..and booked to be part of tea is some freshly stewed Champagne rhubarb.

C.

[Westi]

No sowing done today but every bed now opened, fed, compost top up & lightly dug, greatly helped by the rain we had on Wed & my full reign of the tap today! Unfortunately I forgot one small issue which was buying another few metres of hose as I had a split last year, but at least the butts & Trug's were full so not too far to walk. I recovered the runner beds though to keep them from drying out as I will need to be able to put the frames & stakes up.

This way I am now ready to do some sows & planting out on Monday, the brassica's are big enough to go in & I have enough environmesh to cover them while I search for a suitable walk in cage at a realistic price.

[Geoff]

My brassica cages are not walk in except with a bent back. I have posts about 45" out of the ground to which I attach metre high (sorry about the mixed units) windbreak netting. I then staple binder twine to the tops of the posts and create some cross strands and throw butterfly netting when needed over the top secured with market stall clips. Works for me with 25x10' main bed and 10x10' early bed. Planted Calabrese Marathon and Cabbage Primo under a cloche in the early bed today. Also planted out my Broad Beans from rootrainers and potted first batch of tomatoes to 5" today.

[oldherbaceous]

Gosh, you folk have been busy!

Have you ever visited, Green Lane allotments in Weymouth, Westi, as a friend of mine has just got a plot there!

[Clive.]

Got to 'make hay' whilst the sun shines ....weather too good to be true, in terms of getting on, had my woolly hat on this evening though when out to close greenhouses...and having a bit of a tussle with seedlings..too sunny hot one minute, then overnight lows

We used to put up two temporary brassica cages with tall round wooden posts dug/knocked in and then baler twine pulled tight, wound around the post tops, around and across diagonally. It would have been a fraction higher than Geoff's but still not able to be stood fully upright within it. We used galvanised mesh dug in at the bottom, against the bunnies and then net above and over the top to keep pigeon and pheasants from coming to dine. We don't though grow brassica these days and it was before the days of using insect mesh. The baler band would then be recovered and had a second year using around the broad bean rows and after that would be fraying out.

C.

[Clive.]

This morning I did the annual chop down of the phygelius 'Winchester Fanfare'...it's a rather suckering thing and lives in the corner of the front garden just behind the wall..

Later, after a plate of Boston sausages, I sowed 3 rows of beetroot. Boltardy, Burpees Gold, Renova and a short section of old seed di Chioggia, to make up an otherwise short row.

I worked the ground down, after an add of Growmore, with one of those old Wolf Garten soil millers...I actually got it from my late uncle, who had only used it briefly....I admit to only thinking of using the classic yellow wooden handle at the time I acquired it for another Wolf tool head...but in today's dry conditions it worked well,.

I put water in the seed drill so that the seed is onto some sustenance straight away, with dry soil raked back over to trap the damp against the seed.
I had to cut a few new wire cages from the big roll I had in stock...and cut 4 extra for the next sow of Chard

Very cool East breeze from across the back field..and some low numbers tonight in the forecast..

C.

[Clive.]

Well, I decided to sow the Bright Lights chard too...after putting all the tools away...
"Milled" the soil down for the row...conditions were really just too good not to get it sown....although somehow it feels a fraction early...for here.

Chard has become an absolute staple vegetable here, it's so quick to pluck a few stems, upon arriving home from work, wash them, chop into short sections and into the microwave Pyrex bowl.

I also just said Yes, to a few, surplus to requirements, early seed potatoes from across the road,....I had said No previously... but thought better of it and changed it to a Yes, this might just be enough to persuade me
to turn over a bit of ground that eluded my Winter dig efforts two years running.. I've just been and 'scritched' some 'rubbish' off the top of the ground as a precursor...

C.

[Westi]

OH, I can't recall the name but went to Weymouth quite a bit over the years & as is my habit I always mooch around the allotments if I find them.

I think I might have found a net cage at a reasonable price...well certainly in relation to the 2 bigger sellers who seemed to have claimed about 10 pages each online before I even got to the Chinese ones! I just kept going though as was pretty brain dead by this time anyway & then found Knowles Nets do them & £200+ less! They look good, loads of size options, proper door & have loads of features I like especially no stupid joiners in the mix. The end of the aluminium supports are squashed down & drilled & you have a little black cap to screw on top that to waterproof so no rain entry. Also something clever on the ends in the ground as well but like I said a bit brain dead. I haven't bought yet as sent them an e-mail to see if they will do a direct delivery to the plot, but should not be an issue as they are just at Bristol & plot only just over a mile from home. Fingers crossed as I don't even think I have room to store at home as so much building stuff around.

Then just for fun the site e-mailed to say computer system at the council back in action & someone had gone in to receive payments. After this I deffo needed a nap...they might have been in, but totally changed the method of payment so had to register & pay for each plot individually & they kindly gave the plots their own numbers not ours. On the positive my brain got a workout!

[oldherbaceous]

Never heard of the word, scritched, before Clive.

[Clive.]

I thought it may be a word conjured up by one of my former work colleagues relative to scratching away weeds with a very sharp blade hoe....however, the online dictionary suggests scritch is to scratch around gently.. and also has animal links...as in scratch and itch or as a show of affection to a pet...

...I was showing no affection to the willow herb seedlings !

C.

[retropants]

In the greenhouse, the cucumbers have popped through and the peppers and aubergines are onto 2nd leaves, I've also sowed some flower seeds: nasturtium, pot marigold and tagetes. The Kalettes have pushed through, still waiting for the lettuce and tomatoes to show themselves. I'm a bit behind, and like OH, we've had a family bereavement, well 2 actually. So, a bit lacking in motivation & energy. Managed to get the patio climbing roses into their final pots and they look happy. The flowers I've just mentioned will go in around the base of the roses and I also pop tagetes in amongst the tomatoes etc. I hope the slugs don't eat them all this year, they really seem to like them.

[Westi]

Did a can water of everything today as couldn't be bothered fighting the hose as despite the warmth it is still quite stiff & unyielding after it's winter tuck up. Plan was to do some sowing & planting on but got distracted with the weeds & ragged paths when I was weeding the fence raspberries so just cracked on with this area as it wasn't windy so could actually get new membrane paths down. Paths look a bit clean & shiny but that won't last long. That actually finishes Plot 1 prep except for the little bed behind the table & sorting the plants on the outdoor staging which need new compost & a change of flowers so it looks a bit brighter.

I've heard nothing about the net tunnel, but strangely walking down I spotted a back plot with a new frame up. Nothing like it popped up on my search but it looks the right height & length & has extra supporting diagonal poles between each upright so would be more stable in our winds. The owner wasn't down but my plan is to corner him for some info when I see him. I see his car down there regularly & can just look over my front fence to spot if he is down. He doesn't know me so should't hide!