Winter bits and bobs.

[oldherbaceous]

A busy old day for you, Clive….nice to read you are getting your garden re-stocked, will look lovely later in the year.

Just did a few bits today….had a good bonfire over the allotment and also got Big Bertha to fire up, and that’s not the easiest jobs after it has been sat a few months, so was very pleased!

[Westi]

Been procrastinating about going down tomorrow as wasn't keen on the predicted frost, mist & drizzle. Just thought I would have a peek to see if updated & it was! It will be sun when I go down, temp a bit low but above 0C & quickly increasing over the morning.
I'm hoping the soil will workable to get the spuds in & covered, then will finish weeding & mulching the last few fruit trees. This should leave me time to sort the onions as a lot have not been impressed with the rain. I fortunately have some sets left so technically will have mixed beds so will change the bed layout a bit as petty pointless having space wasted with paths & I can just put on a big mesh cover rather than lots of little ones. Fingers crossed!

[retropants]

I finally made myself tidy the greenhouse today when we got home from Dorset, well most of it anyway. Then I sowed the pepper and aubergine seeds in the heated propagator. Chucked out a load of broken stuff and brittle plastic trays and some dead plants. The cactus and succulents don’t look too terrible, I’ll give them a tidy up and feed next weekend.

[Westi]

The weather lied...! It was freezing, soil still frozen, icy paths...the full Monte of 'don't want' basically! Mainly stayed in the tunnel so got lot's of sows done both direct in tunnel beds & in pots on the staging. I did manage to weed under 2 more fruit trees & mulch them, hoed moss off the membrane paths along the side fence shaded by neighbours chicken structure & sorted the raised bed. The raised bed surprised me as had some saffron popping up, it was basically a no show from when planted over a year ago so thought they were duff's. My final job as I had time was getting the seed box sorted again in alphabetical order after it fell foul of the dog trying to reach a dead spider & knocked the box over.
Plan is to go down on Thurs now as much improved temps of 7C - 9C & sun from the off so could get lucky & get the spuds in yet or not!

[Westi]

Well I got the no chit potatoes in today, even with the delay & them living at the plot for a bit only a couple decided to chit. Fingers crossed, but they are tucked in well with a wee bit of help from the dog. The fleece cover had disappeared; probs wrapped in someone's tree so they got a double layer of micro mesh which should keep them safe until time for them to show.

Then moved to the onion beds as a fair few gaps so did as planned & got rid of the paths. Still to finish the 2nd one & need a bigger cover for them both. Then just 2 fruit trees to weed & mulch. Next job after will be topping up the 'to be' squash beds with my compost & any other beds that will have greedy plants in them. Actually main incentive is to empty the front of the compost bin as the black plastic cover is trapped in there & I want it on the squash beds so not weeding all the time. Sows on the staging starting to show, but it has been pretty warm in the tunnel.

Build up date is the Brickies have finished today. Next team will be the roof guys but they won't be long as using some new roof cover that is kinda shrunk wrapped onto the roof after it is secure & they will also put the sky light in with the same; it comes with a leak proof 30yr warranty.
Weather holding but temp is dropping for a couple of weeks, back to my Michelin Man look then!

[Clive.]

On the way to work I noticed this morning that a farm just on the north side of town has a small field ridged, early potatoes, that were put in yesterday...they will no doubt be putting 'plastic' over them today.

I quickly pulled down some previously dug ground and popped a few shallots in today.
Maybe a few potatoes to go in tomorrow....

C.

[Clive.]

The first two short rows of potato Casablanca went in at the big garden yesterday...with some small stocky chits, having been in a tray in the north facing greenhouse.
I also set up the vegi-mesh carrot tunnel and quickly this morning three short rows of carrot 'Romance' were sown.

...and now listening to Radio Caroline North on 648Khz, live from the radioship Ross Revenge. with competition this month sponsored by someone with a name familiar here....

C.

[oldherbaceous]

Well done on all things, Clive, including the sponsoring….

[Westi]

Got done what had to be done quickly thanks to being able to take the new fork down. This one is actually the right height for my back so no aches. I kept one small narrow path though as kept the elephant garlic separate. Prepped the bed for the outside broad beans to go in when next down & will start the squash beds compost top up & have a wrestle with the black plastic as not supposed to be windy. I expect a change of clothes is going to be a necessity though!

Terrible growth with the tom seedlings in the propagator, still really leggy & only 2 leaves even though potted on into bigger pots as I thought it was the compost. Mind it is a different compost as well but still no change in growth. Do you think these need proper growing compost now? I normally don't change until a proper little plant but they just don't look happy.

[Clive.]

Meanwhile, I've just had a bit of a trimming mishap....self inflicted haircut day...paying a bit too much attention to a Roxette track on the radio...took me back to my days zooming around in my vermillion Mini Clubman Estate with the Minilite alloy wheels.... and suddenly I realised that the shearing was a bit shorter than originally planned...need to pay more attention....down to 3mm from usual 7mm.!! maybe though a good time of year to do a bit of scarifying and shift the thatch.... and the grey....

C.

[retropants]

Hello Clive, It will soon grow out!

I did even worse to my husband a couple of years ago. I’ve always cut his hair, and once, I got distracted forgot to put the length guard comb on and did a huge slice of no. 1 down the middle of his head. It was supposed to be a 5 on the top . I think I was more upset than he was. Had to take it all back to match.

[Clive.]

Woolly hat on this morning, 4C low noted on the way to the big garden. Nicely 10C, when I went to open up, in the greenhouse though first thing and seedlings have visibly grown...at last.
Sowed a few more things and placed into the propagator and pricked out a few onions from a seed pan that seem to have been sat there just under size for moving on for a while.
Until late last week the overnight temperatures had been low and for a while light levels were low....not today, it's gorgeous sunny, although there's a light breeze is from NE.
Carefully entered the home greenhouse just now...to rescue a bag of compost so the lettuce seed is now sown and on kitchen window sill drawing up water from a saucer...the compost was just a little dried out....

C.

[oldherbaceous]

Well I seem to have a bucketful of health problems going on at the moment, and just to add to them, I tore one, or more of the very top muscles on the front of my leg, ( and it had to be my good leg), when I did it, I couldn’t move my leg forwards, or sidewards and couldn’t even get in the car…..the pain is easing now and i’m starting to get a bit of movement back but, I know I must be very careful, or I will soon be back to where I started!
Anyway been sowing at lot of pots and planters up with all sorts of veg, as I think I might well be late starting over the allotments this year….even going really carefully in the greenhouse, I still managed to catch my foot on a broom and twisted my leg, making me yell out…it’s eased off again now, so will have to be even more careful.
Looks like next week is turning really chilly again, with a nippy North wind…..

[Geoff]

Sorry to hear you are struggling OH, hope it sorts itself out.

Froggies are courtin' on a lovely afternoon

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IMG_4985.JPG (2.33 MiB) Viewed 4288 times

[oldherbaceous]

Thank you, Geoff, I will get there!

Lovely pictures and glad to see you still have some frogs….the Herons have decimated our Frog population here.