I meant to say 'is quite mild' above. You guys probably knew that
Unless I'm mis-remembering, this winter has seemed mild and dry so far. I've only got 3 of the 5 250 litre butts (I have them linked in a chain off one downpipe on my house) full so far. Normally the five easily fill up and I'm sure before now.
I went up just to check on the plot this weekend, got loads to do up there but I don't have the time at the mo as I'm trying to get stuff done in my house.
I need to look up how to prune currants again, I can never remember. Also got 3 bushes I want to move. I didn't end up buying any cordons, chose 7 apples and pears I wanted but I kept needing the cordon money for unforeseen dramas so will leave now til this autumn.
I put the seedling trays outside in the hope it rains, they're hardy perennials and will be ok.
The flower garden I'm trying to create around my apple tree and in the middle of the raspberry compound has sprung up loads of bulbs:
Most of them are Violet Beauty allium which fell apart into a million little chunks when I dug them up so don't know if they'll flower. The other plants are linaria purpurea, veronicastrum and astrantia.
I need to saw off that low branch on the tree too.
A good day at allotment , lots done , cold to start with but warmed up nicely when sun came out Moved a couple of blueberry bushes into fruit cage , now got 4 in it Broad beans coming up but under clouches Hoping to go to plot on Tuesday , 4 fence posts to mend , always jobs to do I trust you are keeping well
It was nice today, even here. Good job the sun doesn't reach my garden at this time of year or I might have jumped down off my painting ladder and run out to play in the garden. ☀️🌱
Feb already, time is flying by. Hope the summer drags.
Went up the lotment today, first time in a fortnight to check on things.
My seedlings have melted but I think two kinds will recover. Left them outside in a -6 followed by a -8 followed by a big old heap of snow. They are supposed to be hardy, no hope of them flowering this year anyway, I'll pot on in spring.
Put all the pot plants outside, Heleniums, lupins, little raspberries and some of my precious eryngiums.
I wanted to move two currants and a goose today (the twigs below) but it's too windy. Need to get them moved before spring and I end up having to water them, hopefully tomorrow if the wind drops.
Clay is awful at the mo, really sticky and not helpful to work with or walk on. It's formed a sort of pâté over winter. Next phase is a solid crust come the dry weather. Hopefully I can then smash it into dust before the year is out.
Bulbs are coming up and plot hasn't flooded (second winter) so all good. That mess in the bottom right is my last sump for keeping the water from creeping up to the surface. Have to fill them with stuff that isn't clay. Chucked a bit of topsoil on today just to help weigh down all the paper and card. I think that area was going to become my compost bin anyway. Will have a look for my plan, I've misplaced it.
If anyone wants a messy and arduous solution to a flooding problem, I'm your humanzee. 🦍
I tried that photo on an image resizer instead of cropping so will see if that loads any quicker.
Nice at the plot this morning. Had a frost last night so ground was crispy and stayed like that until mid morning when it started to get unpleasantly sticky.
Got my gooseberry, pink and blackcurrant moved and planted two pieces of globe thistle I dug out the garden. They are a particularly tough and ugly type I grew from seed. Got plans for them to sit around a small pond when I dig it, with a stinging nettle patch.
Took advantage of the crispy ground to do some weeding, mostly couch and buttercups. Noticed while weeding that I was stood on my rhubarb, all 3 are sprouting. Signs of life on two of my apple trees, Broadholme Beauty and Egremont Russet. Nothing on Little Pax, dodgy little twig. Forgot to check my crab apple.
Moved some linaria around, they are going to be one of my main pollinator plants. Also going to take a few ears of stachys byzantina from the garden, lots of bee types like that plant. Also got allium sphaerocephalon because they are 10 a penny and some persicaria seedlings and that's pretty much the year covered. Assuming my fruit flowers are first and they should be.
Found this today, anyone know what it is? I like the cut of its jib. Leaves are tough, and slightly rough.
What I like about this allotment site is I can leave it for weeks and no-one meddles with it.
Sorry don’t known , you seem to be busy I have bought a 5 year Diary to keep notes on what I do & when at allotment Seeds potatoes are chitting in conservatory Haven’t been to plot for a few days have been pruning trees at home
Broad beans are coming up and some weeds seems to be growing , will try and get there this week but want to finish cuts trees at home first
Started off drizzling but has turned into a nice day , doing lots of jobs in-house today
Back up the plotment this morning, not to do much, just to check in. Need to do some serious weeding but I had my garden boots on (have special allotment boots) and didn't want to get them all clayed up.
Might move the sweet pea fence this year so I can keep that edge weeded all year, it's always a bit overgrown. I could just not have the sweet peas but it seems a bit joyless, especially when they grow so well there from a direct sowing.
Checked on all my plants I left out. A lupin had fallen over but was fine. Rummaged around in the pots and all my Heleniums have new growth which is ace, although that means I have 11 to plant back at the garden. Can't remember most of their names.
My crab apple butterball actually has leaves starting to open, well ahead of the other 3 apples.
Cut down half my Joan J's - going to double crop three this year. Cut down all the All Gold, not sure whether to test them yet as they didn't crop that well. On the other hand they were really late and I don't much like a pale raspberry when the weathers getting cold, may try double cropping if they're always late. Forgot to cut back my primocane blackberry, Reuben, will do that next weekend. I was reading on the rhs 'compare my blackberry' page that Reuben needs a really long warm season due to late flowering and late cropping...might not be a good choice for the north. Wonder if you can double crop that, just to get the earlier crop...🤔...probably not, nothing is that simple. Edited to add, not double crop but keep as a floricane...
Cut back all the currants. There is one group of 3 that is two reds and a black, but I couldn't remember which. Cut them all like redcurrants, I don't think that will harm a blackcurrant.
Gave some thought as to where to have my composting area and where to have the potting bench. Still not sure.
Wandered around the site with my brew checking out the other plots (from the path of course)...my plot neighbour has two new cordons, a Morello cherry and an Opal plum. Some other plots have been dug over and covered and saw some fine snowdrops amongst the weeds🙂
Pity I'm not doing onions this year, had to chuck some soft ones away from the last of my harvest pile. The good thing is they go back on the plot. I think I might have left some garlic in too, in three places something is sprouting. Some of it is sprouting in my kitchen cupboard too.
Something interesting happened on my way up to the plot, passing my previous site. I got introduced to a Harris hawk that lives on the site. Never seen it before, lovely bird. Apparently it has a tree it likes to sit in when allowed out so I will keep an eye out in future. I'd have thought the other birds would give its presence away but I've never noticed anything. 🦅
Hello , I have managed to do all my pruning and burnt it , that’s currants , Apple ,pear fig ,clematis , Quince & Roses Next job is to clear some veg that has survived A few weeds growing which need clearing and some more pots to repair
Potatoes are chitting in Conservatory and o/h has put some cabbage side in tray and they are all coming up , far to many
Hoping to get to plot towards end of week Weather forcast is good
Birds , last year we had up to 4 Buzzards flying around , good to see
Posts
Hoping to get to plot at weekend
Unless I'm mis-remembering, this winter has seemed mild and dry so far. I've only got 3 of the 5 250 litre butts (I have them linked in a chain off one downpipe on my house) full so far. Normally the five easily fill up and I'm sure before now.
I went up just to check on the plot this weekend, got loads to do up there but I don't have the time at the mo as I'm trying to get stuff done in my house.
I need to look up how to prune currants again, I can never remember. Also got 3 bushes I want to move. I didn't end up buying any cordons, chose 7 apples and pears I wanted but I kept needing the cordon money for unforeseen dramas so will leave now til this autumn.
I put the seedling trays outside in the hope it rains, they're hardy perennials and will be ok.
The flower garden I'm trying to create around my apple tree and in the middle of the raspberry compound has sprung up loads of bulbs:
Most of them are Violet Beauty allium which fell apart into a million little chunks when I dug them up so don't know if they'll flower. The other plants are linaria purpurea, veronicastrum and astrantia.
I need to saw off that low branch on the tree too.
Moved a couple of blueberry bushes into fruit cage , now got 4 in it
Broad beans coming up but under clouches
Hoping to go to plot on Tuesday , 4 fence posts to mend , always jobs to do
I trust you are keeping well
It was nice today, even here. Good job the sun doesn't reach my garden at this time of year or I might have jumped down off my painting ladder and run out to play in the garden. ☀️🌱
Went up the lotment today, first time in a fortnight to check on things.
My seedlings have melted but I think two kinds will recover. Left them outside in a -6 followed by a -8 followed by a big old heap of snow. They are supposed to be hardy, no hope of them flowering this year anyway, I'll pot on in spring.
Put all the pot plants outside, Heleniums, lupins, little raspberries and some of my precious eryngiums.
I wanted to move two currants and a goose today (the twigs below) but it's too windy. Need to get them moved before spring and I end up having to water them, hopefully tomorrow if the wind drops.
Clay is awful at the mo, really sticky and not helpful to work with or walk on. It's formed a sort of pâté over winter. Next phase is a solid crust come the dry weather. Hopefully I can then smash it into dust before the year is out.
Bulbs are coming up and plot hasn't flooded (second winter) so all good. That mess in the bottom right is my last sump for keeping the water from creeping up to the surface. Have to fill them with stuff that isn't clay. Chucked a bit of topsoil on today just to help weigh down all the paper and card. I think that area was going to become my compost bin anyway. Will have a look for my plan, I've misplaced it.
If anyone wants a messy and arduous solution to a flooding problem, I'm your humanzee. 🦍
I tried that photo on an image resizer instead of cropping so will see if that loads any quicker.
Got my gooseberry, pink and blackcurrant moved and planted two pieces of globe thistle I dug out the garden. They are a particularly tough and ugly type I grew from seed. Got plans for them to sit around a small pond when I dig it, with a stinging nettle patch.
Took advantage of the crispy ground to do some weeding, mostly couch and buttercups. Noticed while weeding that I was stood on my rhubarb, all 3 are sprouting. Signs of life on two of my apple trees, Broadholme Beauty and Egremont Russet. Nothing on Little Pax, dodgy little twig. Forgot to check my crab apple.
Moved some linaria around, they are going to be one of my main pollinator plants. Also going to take a few ears of stachys byzantina from the garden, lots of bee types like that plant. Also got allium sphaerocephalon because they are 10 a penny and some persicaria seedlings and that's pretty much the year covered. Assuming my fruit flowers are first and they should be.
Found this today, anyone know what it is? I like the cut of its jib. Leaves are tough, and slightly rough.
What I like about this allotment site is I can leave it for weeks and no-one meddles with it.
I have bought a 5 year Diary to keep notes on what I do & when at allotment
Seeds potatoes are chitting in conservatory
Haven’t been to plot for a few days have been pruning trees at home
Broad beans are coming up and some weeds seems to be growing , will try and get there this week but want to finish cuts trees at home first
Started off drizzling but has turned into a nice day , doing lots of jobs in-house today
Might move the sweet pea fence this year so I can keep that edge weeded all year, it's always a bit overgrown. I could just not have the sweet peas but it seems a bit joyless, especially when they grow so well there from a direct sowing.
Checked on all my plants I left out. A lupin had fallen over but was fine. Rummaged around in the pots and all my Heleniums have new growth which is ace, although that means I have 11 to plant back at the garden. Can't remember most of their names.
My crab apple butterball actually has leaves starting to open, well ahead of the other 3 apples.
Cut down half my Joan J's - going to double crop three this year. Cut down all the All Gold, not sure whether to test them yet as they didn't crop that well. On the other hand they were really late and I don't much like a pale raspberry when the weathers getting cold, may try double cropping if they're always late. Forgot to cut back my primocane blackberry, Reuben, will do that next weekend. I was reading on the rhs 'compare my blackberry' page that Reuben needs a really long warm season due to late flowering and late cropping...might not be a good choice for the north. Wonder if you can double crop that, just to get the earlier crop...🤔...probably not, nothing is that simple. Edited to add, not double crop but keep as a floricane...
Cut back all the currants. There is one group of 3 that is two reds and a black, but I couldn't remember which. Cut them all like redcurrants, I don't think that will harm a blackcurrant.
Gave some thought as to where to have my composting area and where to have the potting bench. Still not sure.
Wandered around the site with my brew checking out the other plots (from the path of course)...my plot neighbour has two new cordons, a Morello cherry and an Opal plum. Some other plots have been dug over and covered and saw some fine snowdrops amongst the weeds🙂
Pity I'm not doing onions this year, had to chuck some soft ones away from the last of my harvest pile. The good thing is they go back on the plot. I think I might have left some garlic in too, in three places something is sprouting. Some of it is sprouting in my kitchen cupboard too.
Something interesting happened on my way up to the plot, passing my previous site. I got introduced to a Harris hawk that lives on the site. Never seen it before, lovely bird. Apparently it has a tree it likes to sit in when allowed out so I will keep an eye out in future. I'd have thought the other birds would give its presence away but I've never noticed anything. 🦅
Next job is to clear some veg that has survived
A few weeds growing which need clearing and some more pots to repair
Potatoes are chitting in Conservatory and o/h has put some cabbage side in tray and they are all coming up , far to many
Hoping to get to plot towards end of week
Weather forcast is good
Birds , last year we had up to 4 Buzzards flying around , good to see
Hope you are keeping well and obviously busy