Winter bits and bobs.

[Westi]

Hi retropants!
I'm just taking every opportunity of sun & warmth to try to catch up really. I was so behind with the constant rain stopping play before Xmas, then taking so long to be able to work the soil & some of the frisky wind was just plain dangerous. The difference in mood & motivation when I could go down a few days each week again was perfect timing & I was much more productive as so few on the site work their plots over winter so few chats.

[Clive.]

Bit of a mucky murky day at times...with a few doses of sharp showers and quite blowy too. Found a job in the polytunnel...a new plant table being constructed...to replace one I made in 2007...maybe a bit hefty and over engineered and will I be able to get it out.?..folks have built boats and aeroplanes in garages..and then............

Tonight...I've just been up town for a shop and to say it is 11 C it is amazingly clear and starlight and the twinkling lights of Norfolk coastline are very clear too, out across the Wash.

C.

[retropants]

Westi, I don't even have to go anywehre anymore to get to the plot, it's at the bottom of the garden, but there is so much to do, I'm currently ignoring it.

I have put in the diary to sow pepper and aubergine seeds on Sunday, a bit late, but it's just been so ghastly. The greenhouse is an embarrassment, must get in and tidy/clean it out. I'll be at Chesham Local Produce Market tomorrow, selling my soaps and things. Fingers crossed for a good day.

[oldherbaceous]

I hope you have a busy day at the market, Retropants….do you still enjoy doing them?

[Westi]

Another wet & dreary day, even the builders shut up shop early as they were soaked. We did get down to the supermarket in-between the showers though which was lucky. Tomorrow is still looking good & as it will be too wet to do any plot work so I can sort out the bags for my neighbour to take to the tip as too heavy for him in their current state as one has soil in the bottom which got wet when the brick fell off. I will just use another bag & transfer the branches to it & then the mud can go on the compost. This will take a while as my thornproof gloves are not so thorn proof, but not all morning so maybe can do a few more sows in the tunnel or a little bindweed/ground elder digging can get done. Rain is then back until Wednesday. Currently the weather shows 1 nice day followed by 3 manky ones; on the positive my back will certainly get a decent rest in between visits!

[oldherbaceous]

I hope Peter, is okay…..haven’t seen him on here for a while now!

[Clive.]

What a lovely Spring like day today, the birds were singing and the ground has dried on the top in sheltered spots...

I had a delivery of dahlias arrive at home here....so I got on with weeding round the edge of their allotted space ready to fork over and clean up the area next..

...and the forecast then for tomorrow says....blowing a gale into the afternoon with heavy rain..

C.

[Clive.]

The rain has just started here...however I did get the planned patch dug over this morning, after a quicker than sometimes visit to the big garden first.

I have to admit to a little bit of cut and cover as I turned it over and deeply buried some small seeded in fog type grass that had threatened to cover the area..
The new dahlia tubers are residing for now in store in the cool back room.

C.

[oldherbaceous]

Really miserable out there now, but I did manage to get the muck trailer emptied over the allotments….just over 40 sackfuls, so getting a good heap built back up, for the allotment holders!
I was going to order some new dahlias, Clive, but never got around to it….yours should look fantastic, this Summer.

[Clive.]

The dahlias were picked on one of my sudden...want it to be like it used to be..whims...
The list includes, Skyfall, Princess Nadine, Fashion Monger, High Fidelity, Mediteranee, Happy Butterfly, Great Silence, Creme de Cassis, Senior's Hope.

The pick was mostly of, what jumped off the page that I was looking at but included some single types to keep the bees happy..

.........two though were picked out of amusement....

One being....at my first workplace a colleague used to call me 'Monger'...a surname shortening exercise... but I can hardly be called fashion monger.!! with my torn at the sleeves V neck jumpers and my quilted body warmer of a type I have worn for years and thus have several graded out examples.

C.

[retropants]

I had a pretty good day, thanks OH! Mostly still fun, if the weather behaves!

[Westi]

Hi all! I would like some advice please!

I'm going to grow my 1st early spuds direct without chitting as it's such a flaff getting them down to the plot when chitted. Despite having them protected with bubble wrap, loads of the chits fall off on the journey, not to mention the multiple trips & weight of them... & dog in the mix doesn't help!

How do I stop them chitting while waiting to plant them? I believe they need planting deeper, if correct how deep would you recommend & finally I looked at the long range temp & no frosts in the mix so could I start these a bit earlier than St Patrick's day? I will have fleece available. Just taking them down a few at a time will pretty much make them successional grown but being earlies I do tend to rub around & take some as needed rather than digging them.

Cheers in advance! X

[Clive.]

The historic regime for chitting at home here was always tray up and place under sideboard cupboard in the hallway..a darkish spot to initiate chitting..then bring them out into the light to keep the chits green and stocky. House not heated to cosy modern standards.. Eventually out to the greenhouse.
Farms around here had chitting greenhouses in every yard..chitted potatoes then hand picked from tray and placed on planting wheel on the planter... Not anymore...big boxes of potatoes are tipped into a hopper and they are rumbled about, scooped up and then sent down into the ground..so will these have chits.? I suspect not.

C.

[Clive.]

Wet start today, from overnight..local river noted as brown and muddy....had to head home for a few mins for an appt, then as I arrived back to the big garden it was gorgeous and sunny and jobs were swimming round my head....then it came as dark as night and it really lashed down with rain...jobs went out the window..or rather into the polytunnel potting on...

C.

[Geoff]

The only way to slow them down is cool and dark. I plant around St Patrick's day in a bed that has been warmed by a polythene sheet and I put the sheet back over after planting. I have it on hand with some old cloche hoops to make a tent if it is frosty after they are through beyond what earthing up will cover, I build the tent most years. Down in the tropics near the Dorset coast I would have thought you could easily start planting a little earlier than me, I'd try 6" deep. The earlier you can grow the less likely you are to lose the crop to blight. I do chit mine and this year I have the opposite problem. I'm trying a row of Java that look very nice seed potatoes but are refusing to chit, I've moved them from the spare bedroom to the kitchen this morning to see if that will wake them up.