Kitchen Garden Forum

Yesterday I was working on 'Loch Ness'....and today tackled the real monster...'Fantasia', the mighty thorny one. Pruning out blackberries and tie in of new material to the frames.

Ground was hard at first to walk on, not fully frozen but better than slush and muck.

C.

Loads and loads of geese on the move today...heading NW..maybe they thought Spring had arrived.....

Then again I was sorting a pathside area and cut back some, self set, Hypericum..so maybe I was equally adrift.... My former colleague tended to call it 'Low-pericum' and that bit now is......

C.

Had to press on cutting the herbaceous borders down today, although the borders were very wet…..like to get them all done before Christmas, as always start hedge cutting after Christmas!

A return to next herbaceous border is the hoped for tomorrow....and a few dahlias to lift and tray up....

C.

I couldn't finish weeding the front flower beds as way too wet, not 100% due to just rain but cars splashing up water from a big hole out that developed right outside the gate, all fixed now. I stayed with the flower beds though & weeded & fed the 2 narrow beds that take the arches over the path. I then made a start on clearing the other back beds as so many plants were mush, the chard was main victim, but did manage to take some little diddy bottom leaves for the freezer.

I will just keep plodding on now I've started on it as want it weeded, fed, reconfigured & covered as the brassica's are going in there next year. Might be able to get down next Wed, but the rest of the week is pants.

There seems a certain deja vu to todays weather...it seems a repeat of last Saturdays...wet.

Did indeed get some border work done yesterday by the sundial lawn side...and there was even a period when the sundial was working well... Then it poured down at 2:30pm..
A good section of border completed quite quickly as it was in good order with most elements well behaved and still within their plantings of threes.

C.

It's been a while. But hello anyway. After 10 years of either being plot secretary and in the last year association chair - I am intentionally free of any formal office. Just sheltering from a sharp shower whilst clearing some outdoor tomatoes and making way for overwinter onions. Lots of non allotment things to do too. Either with sea cadets as a catering instructor or with a Seniors group.where I make lunches and soups. Just turned 67 and not slowing down yet!!

Hope to join in more over the winter.

Compo

Nice to see you back Compo! Keeping busy as usual so I see.

I managed to plant a double row of aquadulce broad beans to-day, a little late but better than not planting any. My leeks are now looking good despite struggling through the long dry summer. I hope to stay up at Bath for a break and see my sister-in-law next week, I love the countryside, gardens and Regency buildings in and around Bath.

Best wishes

Barney

Notice on gate to site "Organic Manure for sale £140 a load,£90 half load".Doesn.t state what constitutes a load or half load.Can't see many takers at that price .

Really lovely to see some of the old forum members back!

My Broad beans are just coming through over the allotment, Barney, so will have to be vigilant for mice…..hope you have a wonderful time in Bath!

That sounds expensive Snooky, but I suppose with the loading and transport cost, I can see why they have come up with that figure…..of course, as you say, it depends how big the load is and also, how well rotted the manure is too….

The most awful day here today, strong wind and non stop rain….going to leave everything wet for tomorrow!

Coincidence with regards to above post about manure ??.Just found out that the Compost Centre in Woking has ceased trading.They supplied the local garden centres locally and were very reasonable with their pricing.We are going to miss them.A lot of the plot holders on the site used their products year round and now after 40 years of trading - gone.

It has been so windy today, which along with the rain meant stay inside! Didn't really get to stay inside though as things were blowing around so I had to collect bricks to secure the council bins & the garden furniture; along with returning others bins & stuff. I suspect the RNLI was kept busy as well, always someone mucking around close to the quay dodging the waves, but they don't have the fog horn thing anymore to call in the crews as gone high tech so the first I know is the ambulances & police screaming down the school road & I did hear that a couple of times.

I think I will get down on Wed judging by the forecast to date so I will be able to finish a few chores. I will leave the asparagus still though as a much bigger impact can be made sorting, covering & closing the smaller beds so I will get that nice feeling looking back from the gate when I close up.

How to I send an email to all my suppliers? "Yes I did remember Black Friday, I spent £250 and I don't want anything else, thank you".

Probs a little too wet today but I couldn't waste the sunshine this morning as it doesn't look too promising for the next few days. Basically I was just weeding & clearing the little beds but I was surprised how many plants had gone to mush. The chard usually stands OK even if a bit rough looking but even that was mush but the swede just shrugged it off.
Not quite finished as I want to widen the beds in that spot for the summer brassica's but that shouldn't take too long. That will just leave the 4 back strawberry beds & the asparagus to clear so almost back in control; well until I tackle the shed clear out! That might take a bit longer as I didn't do it last year & Ive been throwing things in there. Not intentionally, I just found I was going to miss the bus if I didn't get out of there pdq!