Temptingly early Spring Bits and Bobs.- 2017

[oldherbaceous]

Peter, it grieves me to give you praise, but that really is a credit to you....well done old boy....

I chucked two ninety foot rows in this morning, before most peoples curtains were open.....i had run Big Bertha, (howard gem) through the soil last night, though, so only had to plant them.

[peter]

OH perfect timing for the rain to firm up the soil a bit.

[Stephen]

What I like about working on the plot at this time of year is the freedom. Most of the ground can be attacked with vigour as you cover up last year's mistakes.

[peter]

Good day today.

Pruned the two espaliers, late I know.
Got the middle and second corner posts, for the big compost bin, in facing the plot, two 1' concrete gravel boards on path end & first half, one on second half.
Dug from rotovated section to first half and started digging out inside half nearest path.
Had to get some more postcrete as I'd made one hole a bit bigger than intended.
On the way rang to get a manure delivery and got, "half five today or a weekday evening", this was around quarter past four mind, said "Durr, ok half five today." in Spike Milligan mode.
Delivered as usual with pinpoint accurate reversing all the way up the site and tipped neatly on my tarpaulin. £40 for a ton delivered, shavings or chopped hemp bedding so easy to shovel, especially with an American / Cornish / Irish spade, long mop style handle and shaped as per the playing cards.
Barrowed the lot onto this year's squash patch, interrupted by a heavy shower, tidied up and had a bonfire of all the random bits of wood I'd found over winter.

[tigerburnie]

That wood ash will be good around fruit Peter, my Dad always swore by the stuff for Rasps.

[oldherbaceous]

Another funny thing i noticed, the last April the 1st Happy Birthday topic, was nearly an all Boy reply, but the Cucumber topic, was an all Girl reply....Just my observation, mind.....

[Geoff]

Managed to get some digging done this weekend. Still wet as you can see, just have to break the lumps up!

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[Primrose]

I was interested in your cloche covers Geoff. Over the years all my transparent sheets have gradually become storm or wind damaged and broken but the only sheets I,ve been able to find these days are too narrow so only protect low plants like lettuces when inserted in their wire hoops rather than taller plants which is frustrating. I'm down to about three remaining sheets now which are held together with unsightly duct tape !

[Geoff]

They are roofing sheets from a friend who demolished a car port, held in place by sticks to define the width then wire hoops to hold them down. They are warming the soil for Parsnip sowing, I leave them there after sowing so I can use slug pellets.

[Monika]

We spent a very productive four hours on the allotment today (sunny and almost windless), mainly getting things ready: liming the brassica bed, measuring the pea and bean beds and putting in the supporting posts, preparing the site for courgettes with last year's (well-rotted) manure and wheelbarrowing in several loads of fresh manure which will now rest until later this year, but we also planted just a few potatoes Estima and Wilja. The other potatoes are already planted in large pots at home.

[Westi]

Beautiful day down South today - 16.5 degrees! I'm a wee bit red as well, so will soon be factor 30 & hat time! Sowed my parsnips, dug a trench & filled it with sieved compost to avoid those really cheeky veg I dig out each winter that do make me giggle, dug the hole for my hot bed for my sweet potatoes (& maybe a cheeky melon), but 2nd week with no fresh muck delivered! Sweet peas in, a few protected salad crops & cleared all the back fence area & around compost - oh & threw the ball for the dog - lots!!!

I see Country File weather is giving us a reality check, but everything is protected that needs to be.

[peter]

A lovely day today, warm and sunny.
Society shop duty, mowed my site track & my paths.
Rotovated half of a friends plot.
Finished my digging and excavated a two foot slot of the new compost bin.

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[Geoff]

Those look like a serious boundary fence especially for an allotment, good job though. Looks like you've got a serious mole problem!

One of those days today that feels illogical somehow. Spent the morning clearing the debris off an herbaceous border and adding it to the compost heap then the afternoon mulching the border with compost probably containing last year's cutting down. Is there another way?

[Westi]

Blimey Peter!

Please share your recipe for surviving all that hard work! I'd be no use to man or beast after trying to do all that!

[Primrose]

Well done on all that effort but it sounds like a day's hard training at a commando boot camp.
I just hand weeded three borders in my front garden and was totally knackered.
I'm envious of your soil Peter. It looks as if there are hardly any stones in it.

Geoff, yes composting and mulching with the same material does rather seem like double work and reinventing the wheel. Is there any way your herbaceous material could be chopped up really finely in autumn and just left to rot down In situ over winter either on the surface or lightly forked in? I've been pleasantly surprised how well this has worked for me with my climbing bean and tomato compost trench