Spring Bits and Bobs.

[Clive.]

I had a drive out to Newark yesterday...that tested me, I just haven't driven any distance for ages..
My dear old boss used to reckon that in his day it was 'motoring' and now it was 'driving'....Motoring sounds enjoyable, whilst Driving is blooming hard work...
I visited the 55 year anniversary event of the Hornby Railway Collectors Association, it was too near not to go. Loads of lovely tinplate O gauge and diecast and tinplate Dublo rattling round the layouts in the hall.

Meanwhile, two fields up from here the self propelled carrot lifter is motoring or driving or plodding around the field. The carrots had been been covered with a film of plastic and then strawed over for the Winter so there's some sort of tractor hauled wuffling off of the straw happening ahead of the lifter and also rolling up of the plastic. It was terribly wet when the straw went on and must be quite a job now. I ought to go and have a look...in my younger years I would of been up there like shot on my old push bike, on the farm road..

C.

[oldherbaceous]

Sounds as if you really enjoyed your day yesterday, Clive.

It must be so tough for the farmers trying to get the last of the Winter root crops out….maybe the supermarkets will pay them extra, for all their hard efforts….on the other hand!

[Geoff]

Bit of a surprise that I could achieve this after the weather we have had. This is my '3 legumes' bed, broad beans down the middle and sweet peas and runner beans each side. The broad beans will be ready to go out after a couple more days in the cold frame.

IMG_4867.JPG (4.39 MiB) Viewed 219 times

[Westi]

Things went to plan today, well actually even better than I expected. Tunnel tidied & put everything back in the shed or wherever it should be. I just couldn't be bothered getting wet all the time! Beds are all dug & fed & the supports put up for the tomatoes, well tied to the top frame but will secure the pegs into the ground when the plants go in. Cucumber bed will need a new frame to climb as the old one blew away & broke the timber, but I'm sure I will sort something out. Broad beans in there are actually hitting the roof, lots of flowers right up the stems but no sign of any pods, but they are pretty good at self pollinating so will be interesting to see the harvest & the spring greens are finally growing.

I harvested what was good & have an abundance of spinach & lettuce, but next doors tortoise will like them & that meant I also took the outside crop up which means I got the last onion sets in which I bought as a back up, but inspecting the seeded ones they look fine, but they will all be used. Then to finish off I weeded, fed & dug the last bed which will be for the sweetcorn. Only hiccough of the day was the bus for home came in but it was not going out again as driver said some lights were flashing, so 30mins sat on a very uncomfortable seat in the shelter waiting the next one. Dog was not impressed either!

[Primrose]

Geoff that looks an immaculately prepared bed. Just needs some green shoots in it to complete the picture!

[Westi]

Back on a weather warning for tonight & tomorrow, very breezy but focus is on the seaside areas as expecting big waves & flooding which will surge up the river into the town as well. Access in is blocked already as a lot of silly folk go down there in their cars for just a high tide so the waves wash over the top, (obvs don't mind their car rusting)! But it is also a working quay full of fishing stuff one side & lot's of small boats the other & being hit by any of this stuff would not have a good outcome, not to mention small cars will just be washed away.

I expect the coast guard will be busy tonight, both from the fools trying to get close plus many big boats sheltering behind the IOW will potentially break their mooring if not tucked in tight. We often end up with a couple of big posh boats on the quay walkway or beach after these events, fortunately no crew can stay on them.

[oldherbaceous]

Another wet and windy morning and a jumper colder too!
Been potting lots of veg plants on, so the plants should be well advanced, when the time comes to finally plant them out….

[retropants]

Agreed OH, it has got very chilly today. I second the second jumper! Wet & windy here too, I can't even get in the greenhouse any more, so much stuffed in there! I hope the teeny lettuce & cabbage seedlings don't mind being outside.

[Cider Boys]

Very windy here today so I took the opportunity to mow the lawns. The grass was very long and my rotary mower cannot cope with long wet grass but the strong winds helped dry the grass so I could take a cut with the mower set at its highest. I also thought it a good idea so sow another row of parsnip seeds. Sowing parsnips seeds in gusty winds is what good fun is all about, but I managed and do expect parsnips to pop up all over the vegetable patch. Later I sowed some Cosmos seeds in trays in the green house to get out of the wind.

Is warmer weather is on its way?

Barney

[retropants]

I really hope so, it was bitterly cold cycling to work this morning.

[oldherbaceous]

Managed to get some border work done at one of my jobs this morning but, now just started raining again so, back in the glasshouse again….

[peter]

Off to Colchester again then?

I believe that's where it is now.
glasshouse. / (ˈɡlɑːsˌhaʊs) / noun. British a glass building, esp a greenhouse, used for growing plants in protected or controlled conditions. obsolete, informal, mainly British a military detention centre.

[Westi]

Trying to get the best of todays wee few hours of sunshine I caught the early bus, not the real early 5am one but the next one. Dog & I were the only ones on it, so might have to check the timetable on that as can't see it lasting, unless lots of folk got on & off before it hit my end as it does cover a huge patch. The red sun was out to confirm things were not going to last, so kinda pleased with my decision as finished the tunnel.

The plants I took down to acclimatised & coped with the new environment so all of those planted out & I dog proofed it with new plastic mesh fencing, complete with little gates so I don't have to step over. I will take the rest of the plants in the back room down on Friday to get them used to the temp in there, as shock/horror we have nearly a full week of the little yellow sun on the weather report! (Might even have to leave one door open as temp quite high as well). Time to get focusing back on the outside as I think I have to concede defeat & do some re-sows, some new sows, will get main crop spuds in & do some general mooching & tidying.

I'm trying not to get too excited, but just the chance to catch up is enticing & just maybe; we are heading into the late Spring with temp & weather we expect. Fingers crossed!

[oldherbaceous]

Not a bad day…..even a little sighting of the Sun, this afternoon!

[Clive.]

One of those days when every job was suddenly workable...but there's only so many hours in a day.
..and time was spent, with an amused audience, coaxing a normally immensely reliable rotavator to perform from its sojourn in a damp corner of a shed... Normally the onion ground will pull down from winter digging with just the large Wolf 3 tine cultivator, not this year, the rapid dry on the top meant I couldn't pull it through the crust...so tickled the top very lightly with the rotavator after checking the forecast for a continued day or two of dry...

C.