Kitchen Garden Forum

Had a great day at the beach with all the family, even though they are all taller than me now
lots of laughs, sunshine and fish and chips...perfect

as for OH saying.

but do mind the sunburn.

that advice got lost somewhere.
Smarting abit today at work

OH rushes for the Aftersun.

OH rushes for the Aftersun.

Have you got lost again

Still waiting........

Sorry Donedigging, i've been busy trying to sand paper my hands smooth, they are a bit rough at this time of the year, and that will never do.

Red lotion anyone?

Evening everone, had a lovely day today over the allotments, really have managed to get everything upto date, a lovely feeling indeed.
Although i do seem to be running out of room, lack of planning i'm afraid to say, but that's just typical me, one day at a time type of a fellow.

Hope you have all had an equally pleasing day, whatever you have been doing.

Very busy in the greenhouse today: sowing French marigold, cutting asters, dwarf dahlias, cosmos and nine different brassicas, all in roottrainers.

We did have light frost this morning and, I think, there will be more tonight after a cloudless sky with hardly a breath of wind.

And the garden looks lovely with a huge bird cherry in flower and the long rose hedge coming into leaf with honesty, forget-me-nots and primroses at the base.

I have had a great weekend, dug over the last raised bed at home,

Found spiders, snails and worms with my grandson, who is 2 He loved every minute, I was in the kitchen and he had gone up to the greehouse, shouting "I need to find Nanny" ....so funny

bought a plum tree, "Jubliee", still waiting to be planted.

Greenhouse is bursting, at least I have tomorrow off aswell

It's been really, really warm here today, so was looking forward to a nice salad or the like, but oh no, stew, well i think it was stew.

Oh dear, you're really pushing it this time OH!

Planted the last potatoes today (Sarpo Mira and Blue Danube). Wow, is the ground dry, or what?! I was nearly tempted to water them in, but as we need our precious tub water for the sowing and planting still to come, I thought I'd better not waste it on potatoes.

I really puddled the broad beans in the other day (planted out of root trainers) and they have taken off.

Well, Easter's been a long time coming this year, but now we're in for a feast of bank holidays, keeping off the road and hiding from the sun.

What a change from 22 April last year! That started with a frost at -2C; this morning it's almost hot as I open the door. Looks like my third consecutive morning of getting into the polytunnel before breakfast, while it's still human friendly temperatures (not the 100F plus it'll be by mid morning). Peppers and chilis to pot on, cabbages to plant out and beans, courgettes, pumpkins, cucumbers and herbs to sow.

Better get that new 100 litre bale of peat multipurpose down to the tunnel under the cover of semi-darkness before the peat patrol get onto me

Good morning Alan,
Sad times when we have to resort to subterfuge to take delivery of Peat based products. However being exceedingly brazen I took delivery, in full daylight mind you, of 4 whole pallets of Peat Multipurpose Compost which means 320 bags of this wonderful comodity. Before I have finished my project I will need and least another 8 pallets. However 10,000 trees should take up some carbon in the next 200 years of their lives and the 6400 Comfrey Plants plus will make some wonderful enhanced soil improver.
If I were to call it fertilizer I would need about another 6 licences and a couple of million pounds. This country is simply strangling itself with over regulation!
To the Peat Police: the very reason I am using Peat and not Peat Free is because you have not made your case sufficiently and do not answer questions that are put to you and it appears you think that you are perfect!
In truth, with a commercial venture the size of which I cannot afford to not use peat but if the alternatives were as reliable as we have been told over and over again then I would have been happy to use them which is exactly what Alan Titchmarsh has voiced.
JB.

After waiting for the obligatory three years,I cut five spears of Asparagus yesterday.They went straight into the pot when I got home from my allotment and smothered in butter and black pepper when cooked.Delicious eating roll on the next six weeks and more spear cutting.
I also bought 4 bags of Wickes Irish peat-based MPC FOR £13-00.

As I suspected, it did get too hot to do all the work in the tunnel I had planned. Out before sun-up again tomorrow, I think, to finish the sowing - pots and trays all filled and watered