LL's Gardening Diary

[Linda S]

Hi LL I love the way the girls have woven their way into the allotment as in all the bits and bobs you now take home for them and how they enjoy your cabbage and corn cobs but let Mum know that marrow and apples dont quite cut it,

You sound really busy again, and the photos and descriptions of your produce have been beautiful and really informative.
I have really enjoyed the experiment aspect of your diary and find it facinating to read about the different things you grow and why

Keep it up LL and im already looking forward to hearing how next year goes,and you will probably keep us updated on your winter sowings and crops i hope Lindaxx

[lancashire lass]

Hi LL I love the way the girls have woven their way into the allotment as in all the bits and bobs you now take home for them and how they enjoy your cabbage and corn cobs but let Mum know that marrow and apples dont quite cut it,

I went back to some earlier posts since I got the chickens and ... they do seem to get their share of the allotment produce. Yesterday when digging up the potatoes, there were loads of earthworms and I nearly gathered a load for the girls if I hadn't been busy with other things LOL.

You sound really busy again, and the photos and descriptions of your produce have been beautiful and really informative.
I have really enjoyed the experiment aspect of your diary and find it facinating to read about the different things you grow and why

Keep it up LL and im already looking forward to hearing how next year goes,and you will probably keep us updated on your winter sowings and crops i hope Lindaxx

At this time of year especially after very wet weather, the soil on the plot goes from concrete to diggable to saturated clay - so bed clearance tends to be a small spring/autumn window and if I miss it, then it does knock me back (leaving beds for the following spring or autumn) The harvests have been later than usual too - I suppose the long cold spring is partly responsible, but we also had some real drops in temperature now and again during summer which didn't help. Then paid work that pays the bills also gets in the way and gets very frustrating.

Thank you for the compliments Linda - I'm glad you found the diary informative. I found the chilli project very interesting and learned a lot myself - it has definitely spurred me on to carry on next year with new seeds.

[lancashire lass]

I've not been to the allotment since my last post due to (1) one weekend of continuous rain and (2) the following weekend was forecast strong winds and I spent the time in the garden bringing in a batch of apples still on the trees as well as picking up the pears that had already dropped, and generally battening everything down. My biggest concern centred round the chicken run and the neighbour's ash tree that overhangs on my side - only to find the strongest winds had been on Sunday and St Jude's arrival that evening/next morning was actually a non event here. Last weekend I also decided to harvest the sweet peppers from the big greenhouse as temperatures are on a downward spiral now - only 1 fruit was just starting to turn red, all the rest were still green Chillies are definitely easier to grow and ripen earlier. Having said that, I was wowed by the productivity of the Corne Rosso and the Peperone Rubens (big long pointy type fruits) ... maybe I need to sow them much earlier? Meanwhile warmth triggers ripening (unlike ethylene gas such as an over ripened banana used to ripen tomatoes) so bringing indoors is probably for the best anyway.

I really didn't want to go today except I needed to go and see if my shed on the plot was still standing and check for any other damage, as well as take 2 bags of chicken poop/litter and compostables. I've been fighting a niggling cold all week, and the deteriorating air quality from bonfires had triggered my asthma so I wheezed my way there. It was also very cold in the wind so I didn't want to linger. I dumped the bags of poop onto the compost pile at the front of the plot, then did an inspection of the plot. Only 1 pallet had fallen over in the butternut bed, all the apples from the tree had dropped off, the rhubarb had been completely shredded in the wind (I was really surprised at the extent of the damage - as it is in between mine and the neighbour's sheds, perhaps the wind had got funnelled through the gap), and all the Jerusalem Artichokes were falling over in all directions.

I had grown some Kashmiri chillies outdoors - they didn't do as well as the ones at home but there was a good handful of green fruits which I picked before putting the plants in the compost bin. There was a fairly large fruit on a squash plant I'd left behind (Zucca of Naples - a sort of green mottled skinned butternut type squash) which I harvested. Then down to the brassica beds where I took down the netted cage and dumped all the canes, hoops and net in the shed before harvesting the 2 Red Drumhead and 2 Kalibos (red cabbages) - they were just starting to look a little past their best and would only go downhill if left on the plot as they are more late summer/early autumn varieties so would not survive any damaging frosts. The Brussel sprouts look fine although that netted cage was leaning precariously at one end but not enough to affect the plants.

I had brought the garlic bulbs along for planting but still needed to prepare the beds. The cabbage bed looked a good candidate for garlic - it was a nice long bed (for lots of garlic), and the soil was in good condition from digging in the rye grass green manure in spring so also quite fertile. The downside is that it had some weeds that had been growing inside the cage so I started digging and clearing. I got about half way when the heavens opened so had to take refuge in the car. As the Saturday before Bonfire Night is the only time people are allowed to have bonfires on the site, there were several fires still smouldering and the smoke was irritating my chest so I decided to give up the idea of clearing the bed for the garlic. Instead I harvested some Golden self blanching celery and picked a good bunch of borage flowers/buds for the chooks then packed up for the day.

I left feeling disappointed and frustrated - I'd barely done anything worthwhile (except harvesting) and the plot looks as untidy as ever. The wet autumn weather has put a stop to my plans to get the plot dug over, and now that the temperatures are taking a plunge, it will get even more difficult. And I still need to plant the garlic out soon too!

[billnorfolk]

Think they allways look untidy and drab this time of the year.We were lucky with the wind just a small tear in polly tunnel where some stitching has come undone,got a new cover last year same as what is on £27 inc pp should have bought 3 realy in hindsight so will recover it in the spring .Didnt get any cutworms last night so hopefully got em all.

[lancashire lass]

Think they allways look untidy and drab this time of the year

you've not been on my site LOL - some people seem to have immaculate plots all the time and raise the bar for those of us who have to work during the week and hope for a dry weekend

It has been distinctly cold this weekend - frost yesterday that didn't want to go away all day, and a particularly sharp frost this morning. By the time I'd sorted out the chickens, bagged up stuff for the allotment and loaded the car, it was nearly 9.00am before I got there. Despite a gloriously sunny day (and you could feel the heat in the sun if you found somewhere sheltered), I was surprised to find only 1 other at the site.

First task - unload the bags for the growing compost heap at the front of the plot. Then, straight into clearing the old cabbage bed. The bits of marestail seemed unwilling to come out easily and after a few frustrating digs, I abandoned the idea of using that bed for the garlic. My chest was still pretty tight and wheezy - possibly the result of all the coughs and colds at work - so I was looking for something requiring less work. The bed opposite the pond was nearly cleared and just needed forking over, so ready for planting some garlic. In that bed I planted the Illico and Early Purple Wight, with the middle row with Castano (some cloves from a swap with a friend who'd bought some from The Really Garlicky Company, in exchange for some of my saved Illico) I'm expecting the Castano to be a late maturing variety so having it in the middle should allow me to harvest the others early without disturbing that row.

I still had a lot more garlic to plant, so the other bed that "looked" easy was the one next to the track. Easy in that it seems to be marestail free, but it was covered in just about every other weed from nettle, dock, speedwell, plantain and anything else you can think of Having said that, the soil was lovely to dig without that claggy clay. The only problem with the bed is that it is not level but I got round that by making a series of short rows along the length. I also made mounds with the rows so that the garlic would be raised and not be sitting in wet soil ... the downside to this plan is that in a dry spring, the mounds will need watering. I planted 2 (double) rows each of:

Spanish Rocambole
Carcassonne
Lautrec Wight
Music

with a row ready to plant some more Music (must take some more of my saved garlic next time) My next worry are cats - why they visit my plot to dig holes and do their business is anyone's guess, but as I eyed the 2 newly dug over beds, I just knew the garlic was at risk of being dug up. On the smaller bed I had some rickety trellising and some odd canes which I criss-crossed on the surface (cats are unable to "turn" around with all the bits of wood in the way, so less likely to dig holes), and on the bigger bed, I rescued one of the pea nets and stretched it across (almost perfect fit)

I still have some Chesnok, Tuscany and Picardy from this year's harvest that I'd like to plant to keep the varieties going. These are all fairly late maturing varieties and although I got a worthwhile crop, the bulbs were all on the small side as a result of the long dry hot summer and the ground too dry for bulbing up. Lesson learned (I think LOL) - IF we get a hot dry June/July, I MUST give garlic a good watering! (and potatoes ....)

As I was determined to get the garlic in today, I only packed up for the day at 3.00pm. And yes, I know I've done too much and tomorrow I will probably regret pushing myself when I'm back to work, but there is a satisfying feeling that I finally got something worthwhile done on the plot today

As always, I leave the site feeling there's loads more to do and wish I could come in the next day to carry on. As it is, the weather forecast is for rain (one of the reasons for panic planting) so I'll just have to see what next weekend brings (and hopefully by then my cold has gone away)

[lancashire lass]

A work colleague was intrigued by hot chillies and wanted to try some of my hottest ones ... (rubs hands in glee at the unsuspecting victim) Well, I picked a fair few, added a couple of not so hot ones to start off with and brought them into work and a few of us went on a chilli tasting session. The list included:

Box 1

Fatalii (yellow pointy ones)
Trinidad Scorpion Butch T (the orange/red blocky fruits with pointy ends)
Purple Cayenne (ripened red slender fruits)



Box 2

Black Hungarian (ripened to a dark red - top of the photo)
Bulgarian Carrot (yellow/orange)
Habanero Fruit Burst (blocky orange fruits)
Aji Pulsar (smaller/jelly bean shaped red fruits at the bottom of the photo)



Box 3

Chocolate habanero (brown fruits)
Dorset Naga (spear shaped, red next to the chocolate habanero at the top of photo)
7 Pot Yellow
7 Pot Red (the wrinkly fruits at the bottom left hand side)
Jalapeno (blocky bullet shaped right hand corner)



Well, in my opinion (tongue still stinging - I keep looking at it in the mirror as I'm convinced I've cut my tongue LOL) the prize should go to the Aji Pulsar (supposedly a fruit with respectable heat), while the Dorset Naga (which is supposed to be one of the hottest) disappointingly had no heat whatsoever. However, it has been pointed out that my senses are probably on overload so I wouldn't know if anything was more or less hot anyway

So I found the Butch T, Habaneros and 7 Pot disappointing, whereas the Fatalii did seem to have a punch. Flavourwise, the Fatalii was just awful (like chemical fumes, urrgh), whereas the Aji started off tasting like celery but then went very bitter. The habaneros were almost fruity like lychee or banana - I really didn't think that was possible to taste flavours. And surprisingly very nice too. When I had a slice of Jalapeno, it was shouting "Mexican" - I think if you don't eat chilli often, then it's just hot hot hot. But if, like during this chilli tasting session, you get the opportunity to try different ones and compare, then you really do get to taste the flavours.

I ought to point out that most of us wimps had tiny little pieces cut off the fruits, whereas the chilly head colleague wolfed down entire fruits seeds included He said he just liked extremely hot foods so it's not as though he was immune to it

[lancashire lass]

I was torn between some seriously needed housework, going to the allotment or tidying up the garden ... the garden was begging for some attention before the cold weather arrives so I spent most of the day tidying up. The neighbour's ash tree has shed a ton of leaves everywhere but looking up, branches are still full but I just wanted to make a start. I filled several bin bags from the patio and the steps down to the garden and felt a moment of achievement and satisfaction - with the chickens to attend to, I don't want to be slipping and falling on wet leaves, especially when it is frosty or there is snow on the ground (I can be a bit clumsy and have had a couple of accidents which have been rather painful ) I even "swept" the plastic roof over the run as I noticed it was rather dark inside there - no wonder the egg numbers are down this week.

I also made a start on bagging up the used compost and the chillies that have now gone past it - I've decided not to bother overwintering any this year and will start from scratch next year. I more or less emptied the glass greenhouse but just as I was about to close it up for the winter, I couldn't help notice a little robin following me. At first I thought he was just picking up any bugs that I might have exposed, but then I saw what looked like a juvenile (no red breast but little speckles on his/her chest) hopping into the greenhouse ... is it possible the robins raised another clutch in the greenhouse after I had rearranged the shelves in July?

My next task was raking in the fruit tree leaves in the garden. Normally I would have just left the leaves to naturally rot down but the pear trees have pear rust and I want to try and get rid of any source of infection. As I raked, the soil got turned over and exposed a number of earthworms - always at the beck and call of the , it was too good an opportunity to miss and I collected them. Suffice to say the girls were well aware of the worms, and even Scary Blue didn't dash out of the run as she normally does when I open the gate in anticipation of the treat LOL.

Along with the bag of chicken poop and soiled bedding, I had 13 bags which I took to the allotment. I've left the leaves in the bags and will bury those in trenches in the beds later, but all the rest including the spent compost went on the pile at the front of the plot. As it was already 4.00pm when I called round, it was getting a little dark so I only had time to quickly check the 2 garlic beds from last week and the pea netting and trellising had done their job and kept the cats off the beds.

I could have done with taking the cover off the polytunnel and putting it away but it surprised me just how much there was to do today. I'm already planning next year's growing and have decided to move the polycarbonate greenhouse closer to the glass one, with the polytunnel further down. I could do with trimming the privet hedge too.

Meanwhile, despite it being a mere 10oC outside, the lack of wind made it feel quite mild and rather pleasant. It was such an enjoyable day in the garden - I just wish I could spend more time there. When I bought the house, the garden used to be a very weedy lawn but over the years I've been adding fruit trees and structures and it looks so different now but there's always room for improvement

[lancashire lass]

Yesterday was a deep penetrating frost and I half expected to get up to another this morning but fortunately it went a little "mild" (still felt cold outdoors mind) I gathered a few more bags of leaves, a bag of chicken poop and a big bag of kitchen waste and compostables from work, and off to the allotment for just after 10.00am.

Surprisingly very quiet on the site today - perhaps the nip in the air had put some people off, or unlike me, they have finished clearing their plots and now enjoying the time off. I moved the bags of leaves out of the car to join the others from last week - I'll be digging trenches in a few weeks time and using the leaves to line them, along with the last of my manure pile especially in the squash beds. I emptied the contents of the kitchen waste and poop bedding onto the compost heap ... I could have done with some water to moisten the heap but alas, the standpipes on the site are now shut down for winter.

With recent frosty mornings, the plot was looking less weedy with very little effort on my part - but I know what lies underneath the surface .... I got on with lifting the speedwell, dock and dandelion that had established in the butternut squash bed and in a short time it looked nice and cleared. Next, I got on with weeding some of the smaller beds on the plot - these were the earlier potato beds that were emptied several weeks ago and fresh weeds had emerged so it didn't take long to stand back and admire them. Just 4 beds left to go so fingers crossed for the dry weather to continue for at least another week or two - if the soil gets too wet, it will make digging and weeding very difficult. As it was, the soil was lovely to dig today - all that compost earlier in the year had really improved the soil. I wasn't quite ready to leave so started to clear the big squash bed and got 2 rows forked over and cleared ... only another 3 to go, but the task won't be done until I also do something about the footpaths - this is where most of the weeds seem to have congregated in the compacted soil, so that looks like one of my winter jobs.

This year my place of work will be closed for 10 days, back on Thursday 2nd January for 2 days, then a weekend - for the past 3 years we have had snow over the Christmas break but I've got my fingers crossed that it will hold off a bit longer this year. I get so annoyed when I have time off but the weather keeps me housebound It would be so nice to get some jobs done before spring arrives, such as replacing the pond liner and putting down weed suppressant down round the fruit bushes as I had planned last year.

I finished for the day at 1.30pm and as I drove along the bottom track, glanced at the plot to see the tidy beds, but strange how the messy ones always seem to catch your eye ...

[lancashire lass]

Oh dear, I've not been down to the allotment proper in the past 2 weeks Last weekend I decided to get on with raking up the leaves and windfalls in the garden, bagged them and took to the plot. The main reason is that rats have moved into the chicken run so clearing potential food and hiding places was a priority. I usually leave windfalls for the wild birds but I wasn't taking any chances. And clearing the fruit tree leaves was on my list of jobs anyway - some of trees have got infected with different fungus and leaves are a major source of spores so removing them should reduce re-infection. I'll also be giving the trees some much needed TLC this winter, and doing a lot of clearance and trimming of hedges to maximise ventilation in the garden.

Yesterday I did a complete coop clean out and bagged up the bedding ready to take to the plot. For some reason, I just did not want to go to the allotment and kept putting it off. I felt cold even though the weather had got milder, and despite telling myself that while the weather was dry, it wouldn't last and I'd regret it later. Suddenly in the late afternoon, I remembered that on Thursday we were on the edge of the stormy weather and we did get some strong gusts ... my rickety shed on the plot might not have stood up to it So it was a quick flying visit to the allotment just as the sun was setting, but thankfully all seemed fine. The Brussel sprout cage looks terribly twisted but still functioning, and just one pallet down on the butternut squash bed - it had come loose in an earlier storm but now down on the ground altogether.

After unloading the stuff onto the compost heap, I had a look at the sprouts - unbelievably, the soil in the cage was bone dry and shows just what dry weather we've had. Some of the sprouts had blown on a couple of plants but there are still some good ones which will hopefully keep until Christmas. Seemed a shame to leave the blown sprouts so I picked them for the chooks along with some sprout leaves, and picked off the dead and dying leaves to let more air in to the cage.

A wander down to the other end of the plot, and the oca are well and truly dead - you are supposed to let the frost kill off the top growth, and the goodness in the plants then get absorbed into the tubers. Last year I was perhaps a little over eager and although there were loads of tubers, many were very small so this year decided to leave them a bit longer. The Jerusalem artichokes are also dead so I broke off the tall stems to put into the compost bin, and also lifted up some of the tubers - a nice size, and slug free (for the moment) I do like them sliced and deep fat fried like chips.

The evening was quickly drawing in so it was a case of nipping off some green borage leaves and pot marigold and flowers for the chooks tomorrow, then I was off.

[lancashire lass]

I called in at the plot on Boxing Day to drop off compostables and chicken poop, and to check all was well after the stormy weather - surprisingly only one pallet down (the same one on the butternut bed that was blown down last winter) The brussel sprout cage had collapsed at one end but still fine - I decided to bring a stalk home with me complete with the tops for the girls at home. However, I had not planned on gardening so without the proper tools, I struggled but finally got my prize.

A wander down to the shed end to the oca bed and lifted up 2 plants - sure enough, nice looking tubers. Most everything else has died back on the plot, and without brandishing a fork looked remarkably neat and tidy as weeds have shrunk LOL. The asparagus on the other hand are still green with ferny stalks - a testament of the "mild" winter - but I bet they have had to endure winds that have funnelled along that bed.

It was only a flying visit and I had intended calling again the next day but with strong winds once again, I really did not fancy going to the allotment. Today I planned on going but I've truly got the Christmas lazyitis bug and it took some doing to persuade my expanding rear end to get off the settee and down to the allotment. It was already 11.30am but apart from one other, I had the entire site to myself - it was lovely and peaceful, no roaring rotavators or lawnmowers to contend with. The Brussel sprout cage has completely collapsed now in the latest storm LOL but still enough to protect the sprouts.

Today's task was to dig over and clear 2 beds where the french beans had been growing. I also started to clear some weeds from the winter squash bed and had an idea - most of the weeds seemed to be chickweed, and who would enjoy some of it I wonder? After digging up a little pile along with some dandelions, my next task was to retrieve some paving blocks. These are the old fashioned heavy glazed blue bricks that I had acquired when I took the plot on. I once had the idea of using them to make a little patio near the shed but instead they've been used to pin down fleece and other netting. Their new destination was to take them home and use them to lay a floor in the chicken run. Sadly no-one will ever see them as the idea is to butt them up to walls and so on to stop the resident rats from digging holes, with the soil of the run on top for the chooks to scratch. Ideally I would have liked to have bought some proper paving slabs but with finances being tight, there's nothing like a bit of recycling.

I finished about 2.30pm and gave the weeds to the girls ... there was a bit of suspicion as they skirted round the mysterious plants but it didn't take them long to start scratching and pecking at the leaves. Well, that was one cheap and free treat for them LOL.

I've still got a bit more to do on the plot but hopefully I'll get them done before the end of 2013 and then I'll be ready for a new year and the whole thing to start over again.

[lancashire lass]

A combination of the seasonal weather changing, and shifting my weekend time to home (and chickens ), I never did finish planting all the garlic. Well I got the ones that I'd bought or swapped into the ground in November, but I still wanted to plant some of the ones I'd grown this year. The recent weather has been fairly mild so should encourage roots to grow before any cold weather starts in earnest. This morning there was distinct nip in the air which remained chilly for much of the day but that will change in the next few days. Once again it took some persuasion to make the effort and go to the plot and I got there for 10.15am - a few more people around today but still very quiet at the site.

I selected the first bed after the squash beds and dug it over thoroughly to pick out loads of bindweed root that I had missed yesterday - despite recent rains, the soil was moist but not saturated so I wanted to incorporate a little air into it which should make it less cold (dense compacted wet soil remains colder) and raked it over to break up clods before raking up the soil into 3 long rows - the raised mounds should help with drainage so the clove will not be sitting in wet soil (where there is a risk of rot). In the 1st row near the squash bed I planted some Chesnock garlic, the middle row Picardy and the back row Tuscany. In the bed nearest the track, I still had a row to fill and planted some more Music garlic (making it 3 rows in total) With the mild weather, most garlic in the 2 beds already planted up have produced 1-2 inch shoots above ground.

Watching the weather forecast and it looks like tonight/tomorrow morning we are in for more strong winds and rain and again tomorrow night/New Year's eve - so I'm not sure if I'll be able to go to the plot again this year if the soil gets too wet. Two beds which I never used this year because the soil had gone horribly compacted from the 2012 rains and then solidified in the early dry spring weather, were begging to be done. I managed to rough dig one over but then turned my attention to 2 other beds which just needed a little weeding. I decided to pack up after that.

Before I left, I picked up some more of the heavy paving bricks to take home, and dumped a little kitchen waste and a half bag of chicken poop on the compost pile. I'd like to think the pile has shrunk a little from composting down, but I suspect the recent strong winds have shaved off the lighter bedding material LOL.

EDIT: I got a letter from the council for the new tenant/rent agreement payable in January 2014. This year it will cost £45 for rent and £21 for water.

[lancashire lass]

I wanted to take some end of year photos but the weather recently has been pretty grotty so although a day too late for the 2013 diary, took some today. While at the plot, I also wanted to pick up some sprouts and dig up a few more weeds out of the squash bed for the chickens before the rain arrived.

For Christmas I treated myself to a cheap camcorder - taking video clips is very new to me and I can see that I have a LOT to learn (like being careful of the zoom button, and walking with the camera makes for a dizzy picture) Anyway, a non-commentary shaky view of the messy plot - the compost pile and bags of leaves ready for digging into the beds in the foreground, the garlic bed just behind, weedy squash bed (full of chickweed), and (accidentally pressed the zoom here) the rest of the plot with a view of the demolished sprout cage. Uploaded onto Photobucket so I think you just click on the image)



If you can't bear the thought of watching a very amateur video, I also took my SLR camera and got a few different shots. The plot:



Temporary compost heap where I've been putting compostables, kitchen waste and chicken poop/bedding, with bags of leaves ready to be dug into the squash beds:



Garlic bed near the track (I did short rows of mounds because the bed slopes down so there was a risk of rain washing soil down) One of the pallets has been blown down Most of the garlic have started to grow - an indication of how mild the weather has been:



Garlic bed no. 2 near the pond:



With the early Illico getting well ahead:



and even the Early Purple Wight coming up:



Garlic Bed no. 3 which I dug over and planted on Sunday (one of the pallets down from the butternut bed at the top right .... luckily missed the bed) - despite wind and rain in recent days, a cat still managed to find that one bed out of the entire allotment site to dig a hole and poop (middle row about a foot from the front) This is why the other garlic beds have a load of stuff on them to stop the cats:



The oca (New Zealand yam) well and truly died back now and ready to start harvesting proper:



Meanwhile the soup celery is still going strong:



Amazingly the asparagus from seed are still green but flattened by recent winds:



A view of the plot from another angle:



And the beds I've been clearing recently (only one more to dig):



After taking the photos, I got on with digging up the weeds out of the main squash bed and bagged up a load of chickweed for the girls. At this point the light rain that had just started was coming down in earnest so I decided to harvest all of the sprouts, lopping the stalks off at the base. I also dismantled the cage and put the netting in the shed. While in the shed, I retrieved a few planks to bring home to do some more work on the chicken run. By 11.00am the forecast wind and rain descended so time to leave the site.

So full circle from this time last year. This year I really need to tidy up the beds and replace some of the wood, as well sort out the fruit bush beds (I've got the weed suppressant membrane so it's a case of getting it done before spring) and I'm still hopeful that I will get the pond membrane down too. And of course, the chickens will need fresh greens so I will be growing a lot for them too Hope you have enjoyed my gardening diary, and best wishes to everyone for a super 2014 growing year

[lancashire lass]

After yesterday's heavy rain, it was a bit of a surprise to find frost this morning. The thermometer reading outside temperature of the chicken run was a chilly 1oC and felt distinctively chilly and damp. I bagged up a bit of kitchen waste in the chicken poo bag, along with 2 spoiled squashes that haven't stored, and went down to the plot to start digging up the oca. I got there for 10.00am to a very deserted allotment site ... and it was obvious why. The ground was very saturated and some of my paths were puddles so only the hardy or foolish would be working their plot LOL.

I got about half the bed of oca cleared, but my fingers were frozen from raking through the part frozen compost and the fiddly picking of tubers from the root ball. Some nice ones, but a lot of pea sized ones too. I suspect this may have been due to (1) growing the oca in the same bed 2 years running despite extra compost and fertiliser and (2) the occasions when the compost must have got super dry during the summer heatwave. The good news is that despite a mild winter so far, hardly any slug damage.

After a break in the car to warm up, I decided to clear the weeds from the vacated Brussel sprout bed and lift up the root balls left behind. This bed has always been hard work as I'm sure there is a seam of pure clay running through it - despite lots of compost and sharp sand, once again it was difficult to dig over. This year I plan growing legumes (peas and beans) in that bed, so I might start digging a trench and adding some kitchen waste and chicken poo/bedding to it soon.

Next task was to clear the last bed in the row from last week - it was one of the beds that didn't get cleared last spring (too wet in winter, too cold in spring, then baked dry in summer LOL) The soil was compacted down and claggy, so I basically lifted out the weeds and rough forked it over but it will need some more work doing later as I know it is riddled with marestail and there was no way I could dig the roots out today. I'm just pleased to have got it dug over and the plot is looking less neglected and taking shape ready for spring. That leaves just one big bed that didn't get cultivated last year, the pond bed, big squash bed to finish, garlic bed (again - I did clear it after harvesting but weeds had come back but these are surface ones so should be easy to lift) and the onion bed (another one with a fresh crop of weeds) to do.

After the cat poo incidence, I used some of the canes from the dismantled sprout cage and laid them across the surface - as cats like to turn around when decided on a poo spot, the canes get in the way and usually they go away. I went along the row of beds and lifted up the odd weed that had come up since they were cleared - where I had dug in loads of compost last year, the soil was lovely to work despite being so saturated. I managed to dig up 2 big potatoes at the same time, so I can see myself having a proper dig in spring to make sure I haven't left any rogue spuds behind before planting my next crops.

Finally I dug up one of my red soup celery plants - I'm amazed they still have dark green leaves which will make some green feed for the girls. When I was digging over the sprout bed, I also lifted up a baby leek that must have self seeded from last year so with the oca, celery and spuds, I loaded up the car and left at 1.30pm. I was almost tempted to carry on as the weather in the coming weeks may make future visits a bit hit and miss, but my feet were soaked and cold, and with work next day, not always a good idea to get over tired. At least I had some ingredients for a frugal soup for tonight's supper

[Richard]

Very comprehensive and interesting Lassie.

Richard

[jemberelli]

Really looking forward to your diary again this year - it is always so informative, interesting and educational. Thanks LL and good luck for this growing year