I go by the principle that all weeds need three things to grow, light, moisture and food, if you can take away any one of those the weed or plant will die, the easiest one to deny the plant is light so by covering the soil it will kill the weeds. I know that weed seed can lay dormant in the ground for years but if you spread the soil out to encourage the seeds to germinate and then when they have cover them over to prevent light getting to them they will all die off rot and enrich the soil.
Been to allotment today , very windy yesterday evening Only problem a fire bin blown over , sitting area roof need minor repair and a couple of fence post broken One of the fence posts had damaged Plum tree , will have to deal with that , not sure where to leave it to summer or cut damaged branches now ? Did minor / temporary repairs as required
O/H planted some shallots & garlic and started pruning gooseberries and autumn clematis
Last Saturday we went to an Allotment Association Shop in Lincoln where we got the shallots and some seed potatoes 🥔 which are chitting , very good value , in the past we have gone to Wilkos The main crop Pink Fir Apple , never grown them before , always like to try something different each year
I went to plots today too. I had to reattach some felt to shed roof. The fruit cage and the brassica cage are both at a bit of z drunken angle but otherwise intact. I have grown pink fir apple a few times. They are a late crop but not one I would use as a standard potato. They have a lovely flavour, best scubbed well and cooked with skins on. Definitely a salad type very knobbly. Ratte are another useful one a cross between fir apple and Desire flavour of the former but smoother skin and shape.
I visited my plot on Monday morning for a few hours fixing the shed work, I noticed that the wind had blown over someones polytunnel and one greenhouse had been completely flattened, the damage that I saw seemed to be quite random the wind works in mysterious ways.
Made it to the plots yesterday, picked some winter salad from the greenhouse border. I dug up the Dahlia tubers they all seemed to be rotting. It seems we can't win these days, with these very mild winters they were drying out too much if I lifted them in Autumn, if I leave them in permanently, the slugs and snails eat the emerging shoots. So the last few years I have left them till about now and then brought them into the greenhouse, and this has worked well. Looks like I will have to buy new stock again this year. Luckily I only grow a few for cut flowers, and the Chrysanthemums seem OK this time.
@Allotment Boy , hello , I cover my dahlias with a mulch over the winter and have been ok , I’m sure one year it won’t work out , thats chance I take Currently away at moment , hopefully will start on allotment next week , of course subject to weather , March always a busy month Everywhere is so wet
Been to allotment today , O/H dug up the rest of the leeks , which are ok but not very thick , also pick last 3 small cabbages , lots of purple sprouting broccoli 🥦
Put in 3 new posts in and redid netting
Hoping to go there tomorrow to finish off and weed a couple of beds
Weather still dry tomorrow but cold and a frost due
Another good day at allotment , o/h had major burn 🔥 of stuff pruned I pruned the summer raspberries As ever lots of little jobs done Hear is a picture of the posts I’m using for the fencing , posts in B&Q buckets with post post concrete etc
@GWRS Have you seen the bad news of this site closing? 😭 Just in case you want to keep in touch with anyone the rose thread are joining Houzz.com and Gardeners Corner . I have joined both. @Allotment Boy@barry island
Posts
Only problem a fire bin blown over , sitting area roof need minor repair and a couple of fence post broken
One of the fence posts had damaged Plum tree , will have to deal with that , not sure where to leave it to summer or cut damaged branches now ?
Did minor / temporary repairs as required
O/H planted some shallots & garlic and started pruning gooseberries and autumn clematis
Last Saturday we went to an Allotment Association Shop in Lincoln where we got the shallots and some seed potatoes 🥔 which are chitting , very good value , in the past we have gone to Wilkos
The main crop Pink Fir Apple , never grown them before , always like to try something different each year
I have grown pink fir apple a few times. They are a late crop but not one I would use as a standard potato. They have a lovely flavour, best scubbed well and cooked with skins on. Definitely a salad type very knobbly. Ratte are another useful one a cross between fir apple and Desire flavour of the former but smoother skin and shape.
Looks like I will have to buy new stock again this year. Luckily I only grow a few for cut flowers, and the Chrysanthemums seem OK this time.
Currently away at moment , hopefully will start on allotment next week , of course subject to weather , March always a busy month
Everywhere is so wet
Put in 3 new posts in and redid netting
Weather still dry tomorrow but cold and a frost due
I pruned the summer raspberries
As ever lots of little jobs done
Hear is a picture of the posts I’m using for the fencing , posts in B&Q buckets with post post concrete etc
Have you seen the bad news of this site closing? 😭
Just in case you want to keep in touch with anyone the rose thread are joining Houzz.com and Gardeners Corner . I have joined both.
@Allotment Boy @barry island