Kitchen Garden Forum

Today I have done more work on my mega cold frame, and tilled all the soil under it, I have put some rocket tatoes at the back where it is about 30 inches high, did this last year in a home made polytunnel and they were quite good. I will put some french beans in there tomorrow if its is not too wet, but it looks like it will be

I dressed part of my raspberry bed with manure.

Planted some parsnips in a raised bed.

Brought some landscape fabric and wire mesh in our fave shop 'Mole Valley Farmers' (oh and some bark to top up the allotment paths)

Picked some purple sprouting, leeks and the last of the sprouts.

Tomorrow it is gonna piddle down so might not get up there, time is marching on at the moment eh?

Compo

Walked the dog for two hours, chinwagged at the lotties on the way back, my plots are sofdden and sticky.
Took some photo's in the greenhouse and watered some seed trays.
Updated my Blog with the pictures.

I did so much I ache sooooo much this morning I have a clay soil but am on the side of a SW facing hill and soil isnt too wet. Shallots out in the raised beds and some belated garlic. I have 2 6ft long concrete animal water troughs I use for the tomatoes so I emptied them and replaced with fresh compost ready for the wamer weather. General tidy up and turned the compost piles. Wonderful to be out in the sun

Compo, sounds as if you got more done yesterday than i did.
Hope the weathers not too bad round your way, it's a bit gloomy hear but no rain.

We've been trying to sort out the drainage system once and for all This involved getting Graham next door to dig a 2 foot hole on his side of the fence and link it to our web of channels. He has a water supply of his own that bubbles up under the grass and then flows rapidly through the next 3 allotments. Have been up to check it and it seems to be working
Also we seem to have solved our shade problem - took the use of a chainsaw and an axe but we roped Allan in and managed to take down the leylandii 'hedge' that someone had so considerately planted 10-15 years ago The new plot holders to the north are well pleased as they don't have a shade problem now, either
Also managed to leave in two trunks of eight feet at a suitable distance apart - well you've got to have somewhere to tie the hammock
We planted some extra rhubarb offshoots and our first earlies - Rocket and HomeGuard. Pretty exciting as we've only been able to plant taters in bags before

Got home just before the hailstones started - nearly enough to make an ice-man

Cleared up to watch the eclipse, but didn't see it all as it clouded over again

sadly nothing in the garden, there are still rivers running thru the village its like a bog!

Rain all day today, Sunday, but yesterday I cut back all our buddleias at home, topped and tailed the cuttings and bundled the middle bits up to use as pea sticks on the allotment, also cut a rather prickly Rosa rugosa hedge. Every year I think, I 've cut it too low but then the new shoots spring up into a really dense, dog-proof hedge with lots of flowers, followed by large rosehips.

Dear Monika, I wouldn't have thought of using buddlia cuttings as peasticks. Are they likely to root or not as ours are already sprouting a lot of leaves

Works beautifully, tea-shot. I have done that for years. And the good thing is that, at the end of the season, when the pea haulms have dried up (and left their nitrogen nodules in the ground), we just put the whole lot, pea sticks and haulms, on a bonfire. You just have to cut the dried seed heads off when pruning(as I said, topping them), otherwise lots of buddleia seedlings spring up in the pea bed. Because we have to net our peas and broad beans against jackdaws (which rip open the pods to get at the peas and beans), I know exactly how long or short I need the sticks and can adjust that when pruning the buddleias,

Forgot to say, they have never rooted!

Brilliant I'll be out tomorrow with the junior saw and the snips Thanks for that Monika.

Gazed longingly at my seedlings, suffered with the cold and a vomiting baby.

The weather better be clear on Tuesday.

Hope you all feel better soon Malk.

Whats so special about tuesday.

Nothing in the garden, rained cats and dogs all day long and still raining,pools of water everywhere, here in the West Midlands.
Bren

Dear Bren, theres a P.M waiting for you to read.