LL's Gardening Diary

[lancashire lass]

As it is New Year's eve, thought I should summarise the highs and lows of 2015.

New Polytunnel

Last winter I mulled over a serious (experimental) chilli project that had potential for further research, and decided that I really did not have enough greenhouse and polytunnel space so decided to buy an identical polytunnel with 2 doors in the cover so that I could butt it up to the old one to make one long one (also, air temperatures are more stable in larger greenhouses than small ones - slow to warm up and cool down so reduce stress on growing plants). The price of polytunnels seems to oscillate with demand - definitely much cheaper in January than in March / April so worth shopping around then if interested. It also meant I had to alter the garden and move the polycarbonate greenhouse and old polytunnel further down the garden, lay plastic sheeting and weed suppressant membrane down before erecting the new frame.

I learned from 2013 that chilli plants can grow a lot taller than you think so had to consider height of the tables - as the floor can get cold especially in spring, there had to be height but not too high. I dismantled the plastic shelving in the greenhouse and was able to make long rows down the side of the polytunnels and put big trays (which I had acquired from a throw out at work) on top. Ideally I could have done with levelling off for an automatic watering system but ran out of time.

The new polytunnel with 2 doors is great for being able to walk the entire length of the 2 tunnels, but ... heavy rains showed a flaw in the new cover. For some reason one section just sagged and filled with water to form a pond that dragged the cover down. I was able to solve the problem with some well positioned canes but is annoying

Chillies

Despite extensive research on how to increase the capsaicin (heat) levels of chillies, my chilli project did not go according to plan. This year the spring warmth never happened so I delayed potting on and putting in the greenhouse and polytunnel, and the summer weather was too cool and often cloudy - not ideal conditions for increasing the chilli heat by normal gardening methods let alone an experiment. However, the mild autumn and winter has meant many plants remained viable for longer so the few fruit that did grow were ripening although a one off frosty night killed most of the top growth off. Little point trying to assess the capsaicin levels but the mycorrhizal experiment did contradict suggestions that it helped to increase yields. Instead, most treated chillies delayed flowering by 2 weeks or more so the fruits never fully developed in time. However, the early maturing Beaver Dam chillies that I had left on a windowsill at work got pot bound and the treated plants did seem to survive the heat and lack of water better, and the foliage was distinctly different and healthier than the non-treated.

I also grew far too many plants and varieties - I was never bothered about the eating qualities especially the superhot varieties so it didn't matter about the number of fruits. The world's hottest chilli Carolina Reaper, turned into monster plants in comparison to others but not the most productive. The one with the greatest yield was either mis-labelled (either the supplier or most likely me) or a new "chocolate" variety of the Dorset Naga but as my one and only surviving Bhut Jolokia Chocolate was nowhere to be found I think it would be fair to assume it was that one. The Spanish Naga (just one seed left from a 2013 purchase) also did exceptionally well. As I made a big effort to keep insects out of the polytunnel, I'm fairly confident the seeds will not be hybrid and can be saved. Next year I will try to trim down what I grow to more manageable levels.

My spare plants were sold and eagerly snapped up by work colleagues - many have come back to me to say how well they did - I made over £25 so was a nice little earner when I needed it the most to buy in chicken feed that I had to get before pay day.

Garlic

Another big project started in the autumn of 2014. Not only lots of exciting new varieties but trying out a pre-treatment of cloves prior to planting to kill off potential diseases and microscopic pests that hitch hike on newly purchased bulbs as well as saved ones - such as garlic mite which often kill off plants or spoil on storage, or fusarium which causes rot. This involved soaking the cloves in a series of solutions - first bleach, then an alcohol rinse and finally a soak in seaweed before dusting them in diatomaceous earth to prevent re-infestation and then planting them in holes filled with top soil so that the bulb does not come in direct contact with the soil but allowed roots to grow into it. The other method involved "solar sterilization" of the soil by covering the empty beds in late summer with black plastic sheets so that the sun would warm up the soil and kill off possible pests before the autumn planting. And then there was the planting arrangement - positioning the rows so that the wind would blow down them and improve air movement which should reduce risk of leek rust that appears in cool damp conditions.

I also treated the cloves with mycorrhizal spores and raked in dried blood which are both highly recommended on some garlic sites. At work there has been a lot of research on using iron in a formulation to increase yields in potatoes, chillies and tomatoes so I decided to try it out on garlic. My little experiment in 2013 using iron sulphate showed that bulbs did seem slightly bigger but the downside is that it acidifies the soil and the plants seemed smaller than non-treated. I decided to try the blood (iron from haemoglobin) because it also contains protein which is a rich nitrogen source.

The results were not conclusive although the bulbs grown in raised mounds at the front of the plot did significantly better than those further down the plot in raised beds. I don't know if the new arrangement reduced leek rust as this year there was hardly any anyway. Some of the new varieties like Red Duke, Red Donetsk, Romanian Red, Iberian, Albigensian and Provence were lovely, healthy with large bulbs. I can certainly highly recommend Red Duke to anyone interested in growing garlic for the first time but even some of the others are just as good. This year I have planted from saved bulbs so should do better as they are now adapted to the local soil conditions, and of course a few new ones.

This autumn I decided to use the big squash bed for garlic - I had never grown any alliums (onion family) in that bed since taking the plot on in 2007 so I'm hopeful that it is disease free. The squash bed had remained under cover all summer after I had piled loads of chicken bedding and leaves on it in 2014 so in a way were solar sterilized at the same time - it also made it easier to dig over but there was the problem of drainage. The bed was the lowest on my plot so prone to waterlogging so I had to build it up. Too big to do the entire bed, I broke it up into mini raised beds which I filled with sharp sand for drainage as well as manure. I had also read up that alfalfa straw was good for garlic so bought a bag from the farm store and spread it out amongst all the beds. As the sand would have diluted out the soil nutrients, I went against the usual advice and added fertilizer and dried blood which I lightly forked in (I'll add more in early spring as a top dressing) When I came to plant the last cloves on the lowest beds, despite the waterlogging elsewhere from heavy rain, the raised beds were fine so I'm hopeful they will work okay although the paths were a nightmare to walk on!

Sweetcorn and winter squashes

Nearly a disaster as the normal mini-heatwave we usually get round about April never happened. I kept waiting for the forecast and before I knew it, June was round the corner when I plant them out. I did get inspiration from another forum member who suggested using the car like a mini propagator - the sun warmed it up to temperatures that really boosted germination of the squashes so I might use that method again. Because one of the big beds was used for garlic, I trimmed down the number of plants this year and grew some new varieties. However, it hasn't really been a good year for pumpkins and winter squashes and most plants only produced one fruit each or none at all. Well down on previous years.

As for sweetcorn, I decided to divide the seeds into 2 batches and treat one half with mycorrhizal spores. I delayed planting out and during the one and only day when temperatures soared, the treated plants seemed to survive much better. And when planted out, the lack of rain this summer meant the newly planted sweetcorn struggled but the treated plants seem to resist it and were fine. However, like the chilli project, the flowering heads appeared much later than the non-treated and with such a late start sowing them I nearly did not get any cobs in time. I grew a new variety called Quick Treat F1 - plants seemed dwarfed in comparison to other varieties and cobs were smaller, but taste-wise were fine. However, I have decided to go back to Lark next year which are still the best IMO.

Onions

I was very late planting the onion sets due to the unseasonably cold spring but finally it had to be done. I decided to follow the same treatments as for the garlic. As I had raked dried blood into all of the garlic beds, there was no way of knowing if it would make a difference so for the onions I treated only half the bed. The results were amazing - the treated plants kept on growing for longer which made for some lovely sized bulbs. And they stored well too but that might have been due to other conditions.

Potatoes

I was only going to grow 3 varieties after growing far too many in 2014 but an impulse buy took it to 5 so that meant preparing another bed. I decided to trial the dried blood on the Vivaldi, Charlottes and Inca Belle by growing 2 rows each, both with my usual chicken manure pellets and other fertilizers but one with dried blood added and the other with extra chicken manure to make up for the additional nitrogen in blood. Like the onions, the dried blood made a significant difference - the plants kept on growing a further 2 weeks and when the tubers were finally lifted, it showed in the size of potato. I'm definitely sold on the idea of using dried blood but it is expensive at about £4.50p per 3 kg from the allotment shop compared to other fertilizers and chicken manure at about 90p - £1.50p per 3 kg. Lots of people on my site have been raving about using potato fertilizer so maybe next year I should trial that in comparison to dried blood?

Fruit

An odd year - a bumper crop of summer fruits like the currants and blueberries as well as apples and pears, but the plums were poor. The rhubarb now into the 2nd year turned into monsters, actually pushing up much earlier than usual. By late summer the leaves had pushed the fence over so had to have a serious trim.

I got an unexpected gift of strawberries from work - a delivery for someone was not claimed and there were no contact details as the person was not on the staff list. After 3 weeks, the plants were dying so I was offered some which I managed to rescue. I grew them on in pots on the patio and in autumn planted them out on the plot. Not many had actually survived, but these had sent off loads of runners so the number of plants had multiplied.

Garden and Allotment

I had given myself too much to do this year with the chilli project so both garden and allotment suffered. The privet hedge was manageable by the polytunnels but further down the garden, the greenhouse was in the way and I simply ran out of time to trim the hedge and elders. I also paid for garden waste collection to take the privet trimmings but the pile down at the bottom of the garden just got bigger as the branches were longer and more difficult to cut back. At least the wild life should be happy with so many places to forage and hide LOL

As for the allotment, many beds did not get cultivated as the dry spring made the soil hard work. Digging in the chicken bedding helped a lot but there was never enough to go round all the beds. I even thought I might get an eviction notice from the council for not cultivating all the beds, and when the horsetail got out of hand, I seriously contemplated on giving up the plot. Then it was suggested I grow permanent crops so once planted up those beds were already filled leaving me with a more manageable number of beds for rotational crops.

So from midsummer, I started a weed treatment - I noticed the soil where I had used a different weedkiller to the usual glyphosate had remained weed free for much longer so decided to treat other beds as they became clear. It certainly knocked back the horsetail but doesn't totally eradicate it. So next year I will have to be diligent and treat it earlier like before and hopefully get on top of it.

The cool and often cloudy summer did lull me into thinking the beds were fine but I underestimated the reduced rainfall we had in this region. As a result, crops like potatoes did not do as well as they should have and the (non-treated) ones died back earlier leaving behind much smaller tubers. If we had had hot sunny days I might have considered the watering issue better. The garlic did fine but it does make me wonder if they might have grown bigger with extra water.

This autumn I shopped around and when free p&p were offered on sites, ordered in some raspberries, gooseberries and asparagus crowns. The fruit canes and bushes have since been planted up and the crowns should arrive in February. All I have to do is decide where to plant them .... I also ordered the potatoes for next year - Arran Pilot (first early), my fave Vivaldi (second early) and against my better judgement, an early main crop called Isle of Jura which is new one for me. I don't usually grow main crop as that means the plants are in the ground for longer and more prone to slug damage as well as late blight in a bad year. Meanwhile I've been preparing the beds early this year digging in as much chicken bedding and poop as I can to break up the heavy clay soil ready for spring.

Crops for 2016

Well it all comes down to timing, the weather and my weary back and hip but if all goes to plan then hopefully I will be able to fill the other rotational beds with peas, carrots, cabbage and other brassicas like swede and calabrese as well as beans and parsnips plus the usual winter squashes and maybe a few tomatoes both in the greenhouse and plot. It goes without saying that the chilli project will be repeated but in a much more reduced form to make it more manageable. I'm sure I'll get some more inspiration from others and probably end up overdoing it again but I hope this time I've learned my lesson ... who am I kidding?



Best wishes to fellow gardeners and anyone reading my diary - I hope you all learned not to do what I do and have a great 2016

[lancashire lass]

Well, not a lot of gardening going on at the moment but my seed potatoes have arrived I inspected the bags and all look very good although the tubers are bigger than I'd like and as they are sold by weight (1.5kg each), means fewer of them. An average 16 potatoes per variety, possibly a few more of the first earlies. As the beds I've been preparing are fairly big, I worked out that if only 8 potatoes per row are planted, they will be about 2 feet apart ... ideal for main crop potatoes but a little excessive for first and second earlies. Still, it will mean the plants won't be competing too much for water and nutrients and hopefully grow bigger for it and have higher yields.

To recap, the list is:

• First earlies - Arran Pilot
• Second Earlies - Vivaldi
• Early maincrop - Isle of Jura

I have yet to spread out and chit them, but hope to get it done this weekend (I'll have to keep them off the window sills for the moment as the temperatures this weekend are going to plunge to sub zero - winter has finally arrived proper)

Meanwhile ... it's time to start thinking about sowing (or in my case "chitting") the chilli seeds for this year's projects.

[lancashire lass]

Well, today was my first visit to the plot in 2016. Have to say I didn't want to go but the bags of soiled chicken bedding was building up and as it was forecast dry weather for the weekend, I knew I'd be cross with myself if it was a missed opportunity. There was rain overnight which was just enough to saturate the ground - once again the paths were puddled, my boots quickly got weighted down with clods and I was slipping and sliding (or sinking!) in the mud. This made it a short day at the plot.

I had 9 bags of poop and bedding which I decided to put as a mulch round the blueberries - it was also one of the beds nearest the track end so I wasn't walking up and down the full length of the plot. My sulphate of iron order had arrived last week so the original task was to "acidify" the soil ... alas I forgot to take it with me but I did have some dried blood and potash which I added as a top dressing, with the soiled bedding on top. Potash (potassium sulphate) also acidifies the soil (the sulphur compound which is converted to sulphuric acid in the rain and soil) as well as provides potassium for fruit and flower development - a little early to be adding fertilisers at this time of year I know but I wanted to get the bedding down as soon as possible on top of the additives. First I had to lift up the weed suppressant membrane and afterwards put it back ... with the footpaths all wet and muddy, the task was not so simple.

I did manage to clear some bindweed root out of the way, and I was surprised by how poor the soil looked underneath the membrane - last year I put loads of leaves down before covering the beds. I imagine the soiled bedding will disappear as quickly so I might have to consider adding more compost/and manure in spring. I noticed the bushes didn't do so well last year so they need a good feed and pick-me-up this year to get them productive again. Next visit I should take my secateurs to trim off some of the dead wood. I did notice lots of new buds appearing.

I wasn't really able to inspect the plot too closely due to the muddy paths but I had a good view of the garlic beds. All but the Spanish Rocambole (I did spy one showing) have come up now, even the ones planted on the 20th December are about an inch or so high. As always at this time of year, the Illico are well ahead of the others and nearly 6-8 inches tall. I'm so glad I opted for mini raised beds with all the standing water otherwise most would have drowned by now. Providing spring and early summer are not too wet, the bulbs should be alright.

I had to pass the new gooseberry bed so was able to have a peek and see how they were doing - all 3 are showing some buds which is a good sign (there's always a risk with bare rooted plants) Gooseberries shouldn't be given too much nitrogen feed otherwise they produce lots of new growth which are more prone to mildew but a dose of potash is good for them so I did a small top dressing. I had brought the roll of weed suppressant membrane with me but decided to wait for when it was drier before covering the bed.

The cabbages looked a little moth eaten and I did kick myself for not putting slug pellets down while it was still mild. The purple sprouting and kale on the other hand looked really lush, and believe it or not, I spied a little broccoli sprout. And (!), 4 cauliflowers - 3 were small about 2 inches across and didn't look right - I suspect they might have got damaged in the frost but I'll see how they are next week. The 4th on the other hand was the size of a clenched fist and actually looked alright but I wasn't sure if it was ready for harvesting. Again I'll see how it is next week all being well.

I was only at the plot for a couple of hours but before I left I was trying to decide what other jobs I could get on with next time before the spring panic. I've decided to use the front bed to the left for onions but it desperately needs manure and sand digging in to raise the level. The larger bed that had the bean green manure still needs digging over - I was originally going to make it either the sweetcorn or winter squash bed but I still need to plan my asparagus bed and it is one of the better parts of the plot with very little in the way of horsetail or bindweed so ideal. But being at the front of the plot is putting me off. I have decided to pot up the asparagus crowns when they arrive rather than plant directly on the plot so there's no immediate hurry to get their bed ready just yet. I need to give their bed more thought.

When I left the site at 1.00pm, I noticed there were very few people around - probably like me had found the plots were too wet to do anything worthwhile. Still, I'm glad I made a start on the blueberry bed.

Since the Christmas break I have been sorting out my house (specifically the "dining room" which has always been a dumping ground) and found I had several little bags of fertilizers from previous allotment shop purchases. I've been pooling and emptying the bags into sturdy pots which make it easier to carry and dispense out, and think I should have more than enough for 2016. I've also been giving my chilli plans more thought too - I really want to give the capsaicin project another go. But I have decided to modify it to just a few select cultivars rather than the mammoth list I did last year. Now is the time to sow/chit chillies and peppers to get them off to an early start so that is next on my list of things to do.

[lancashire lass]

The subject title says it all - I have just paid this year's rent for my plot which is £68.79p of which £47.30p is the yearly rent, and £21.50p is the water charge. We were also told that the charges for 2017 will be going up an extra 3p per square metre to 16p per square metre, and water charges to go up from 6p to 9p per square metre. Total 25 pence per square metre ... my plot is 360 square metres - if my maths is correct, that means next year's rent will be about £90 ... that seems like a big jump in rent Especially as we don't get anything else extra for it (some sites offer free compost or manure, toilet facilities, disposal of rubbish etc) other than the water which we pay for anyway (and even then it is only available between April and October/early November depending on the seasonal weather when it is shut off for winter) I suppose it is still cheaper than most other places but the sharp rise in rent does concern me.

I suppose the answer to that would be to give up the plot or move to a smaller one if I had not just invested in lots of fruit bushes, canes and asparagus crowns as well as sand and manure for the beds.

[lancashire lass]

Last year when I was considering whether to give up the allotment plot (or take on a smaller one and start from scratch - not really an option given how much time, effort and money had already gone into this one), it was suggested I could cut some of the work load (digging) down by planting "permanent" plants. Since autumn I bought some gooseberry bushes, raspberry canes and asparagus crowns and last Saturday, I finally got round to some fruit trees. To be honest (1) I don't actually need to grow more apple trees as I have plenty growing at home and (2) I wasn't going to spend a fortune on them either - if I did give up the plot some time in the future, some of the fruit bushes can be lifted and moved, but trees are a permanent feature.

Asda were selling the bare rooted fruit trees at £5 each so I bought 2 apple and 2 pears. Sadly there wasn't much choice of apple varieties but I bought a Jonagold and a Braemar (I have a Braemar at home but the tree is butted right on the edge of the chicken run and since I cut it right back it never really recovered although still flowering and producing fruit) The 2 pear trees are Doyenne du Cormice and Concorde.

After inspecting the trees themselves, I read all the labels carefully to make sure they were good pollinating partners - with so many apple trees at the allotment site, I wasn't too worried about them but pears are not that common so it was important that they could pair up well. Have to confess when looking at the rootstock that I had no idea if they were semi-dwarf or about to grow into monsters .... I'm not really too bothered about that at the allotment unlike in the garden where it could be a problem. I intend planting these in the "pond bed" which is near the shed end (north facing) so the rest of the plot won't be in shade. I also like the idea of a mini orchard down at that end of the plot.

The next problem is when to plant them! So far we have either had nothing but rain so the plot is too wet to work or even walk on, or just been freezing cold weather over the weekend which is the only time I can get down there.. Once again the forecast is for rain this weekend and with a return of mild temperatures, so the sooner the trees are planted the better. Fingers crossed all goes well this weekend.

[lancashire lass]

I called in at Tescos to do my weekly shop today and they had bare rooted trees so I had a look and got a Golden Delicious apple and a pear William which is what I was really after. I suspect I won't be able to get all 6 trees in the pond bed but I could plant 2 by the side of the shed. Just have to plant them all now ....

[lancashire lass]

Last night I got totally engrossed in my genealogy searches that it was very late when I went to bed - result, I over-lied this morning. And then I didn't feel like going to the allotment. However, it WAS dry, mild but very blustery outside so I had no excuse. I decided to only plant 3 of the fruit trees rather than do too much (I've not done any serious gardening and digging since before Christmas) but it still took me a while to load the car. Finally at 10.30 am, I set off with the 3 pear trees.

The overnight rain had filled all the puddles on the plot and foot paths so I had to gingerly squelch my way to the far end to the pond bed with the bags of compost, top soil and fertilizers. First thing to do was to clear the rhubarb in the far corner - the crown had been small when I planted it and hadn't seem to do as well as it should so I thought it would be an easy task to lift up. Maybe not - the root was surprisingly deep but I managed to get it up. As I tried to lift its neighbour up, I realised that it was much deeper than the other. So I abandoned the idea of planting one of the trees in the corner. Instead I decided to plant it in the asparagus bed next to the shed. While digging the hole and clearing out the asparagus, the plants were rotten and dead which might explain why they haven't been doing so well in that bed. As I widened the hole, I lopped off a chunky root which was clearly a piece of rhubarb - I can't believe how far the roots have spread out.

The next holes in the pond bed were in the 3 corners (the other has the Yucca plant), and 2 more between the corners on the length of the bed. I added the compost and top soil to all the holes (there wasn't very much of each to be honest), then added the potash, superphosphate and a handful of chicken manure plus a few scoops full of vermicullite and used the spade to mix it up with soil in the base of the hole. As it hadn't taken as long as expected, I decided to treat all 6 holes even though I'd only brought 3 trees.

The Williams pear tree went in the left hand corner nearest the shed - it looked a good strong tree and I imagine could grow quite big. That corner of the plot tends to get battered by winds funnelling past the buildings on the other side of the track so I got some strong canes and made an upright and a brace and tied the tree to it for support. In the other corner by the lavender bed I planted the Concorde pear and did the same. The last pear tree Doyenne du Comice was planted next to the pond near the raspberry bed. To finish off, I watered them in.

I went round and got all the other canes into place ready to plant the apple trees. As it had gone a lot better than expected, I decided I would go home for lunch and come back with the other trees. So at 3.00 pm I returned with the apple trees and got stuck into planting them - I planted the Jonagold in the old asparagus bed, the Golden Delicious in the 3rd corner on the bed (near the established apple tree) and the Braeburn in between the Golden Delicious and Williams pear tree. Back-filling the last 2 trees was probably the worst of the lot as the very heavy clay soil was riddled with horsetail roots, loads of them! Determined not to put any of the roots back, I spent ages picking them out of the clods. Even so, the holes weren't completely filled but should be fine for the moment while they are dormant and I will get some top soil to top up.

I was about to pack up for home when I spied the cauliflower and a beautiful big head of purple sprouting broccoli so I decided to harvest them before leaving. 2 more tasks and that was to lift up the bean netting off 2 of the garlic beds - all the garlic are now growing, most about 2-3 inches tall and for the most looking good. One row however, didn't seem to be doing so well with several gaps - if I'm right, they should be the Iberian Wight. I'm a bit surprised by that as I thought they were supposed to be okay in UK wet weather - these were new bulbs and not grown from my saved batch. The other task was to put some more weights on the plastic sheeting on the big empty bed that were flapping in the wind. I have decided this will be the new asparagus bed so will need to start clearing it soon. The crowns should start arriving in the next few weeks but I've decided it would be better to start them off in pots and plant out later.

On the whole the plot doesn't seem that bad - despite the mild winter, the only weeds seem to be in the 3 beds where I had dug in the chicken poop and bedding. I suspect a lot of the grasses growing are in fact the wheat from the mixed corn (my girls are not that fond of it so could have been gathered in the poo pick from the run. I think a good hoe and digging over will act like a green manure, finger crossed. The Joan raspberry canes I got from a friend are showing signs of life but all the other new ones are still looking dormant (or dead) In the strawberry bed, the plants look drowned but alive. I'm not so sure that bed was the best place to put them now so I might have to find a new home for them in spring.

As I left at 4.30 pm, I glanced at the plot as I drove slowly along the bottom track - have to say the newly planted fruit trees has made that end of the plot looking much better.

[lancashire lass]

Despite a nippy easterly wind, it was actually not a bad day. A bit of sunshine but mostly cloud, my main task today was to make a start on the new asparagus bed (last year's garlic bed) A few garlic were growing - mainly the Cristo which had died back early last year and then got lost. There were about 12 plants, surprisingly only single cloves (unlike some of the ones further down the plot (Bella Italiano) which were sprouting multiple shoots from all the cloves in the bulb) I decided to try and rescue them and move them, so made sure most roots were undisturbed in a clod of soil.

I had brought along 10 bags of soiled bed and chicken poop (4-5 weeks worth) and the idea was to use them to loosen the soil up a bit in the new bed. That bed was originally pure clay and although I'd dug stuff in before, it could quickly revert to clay especially after a wet winter. As I arrived at the site for 10.00 am (the gates were already open which meant the allotment shop was open), I got to my plot to find the foot paths were not only dry but the top layer cracked. It was so nice to walk about the plot without slipping and squelching my way around. As it was, most of my efforts were nearer the front of the plot so not far to walk.

I dismantled 2 rotting pallets that I had lifted from the big squash bed when I was building the mini raised beds for the garlic last autumn. I intended to make "raised beds" for the asparagus based on the same principle as the garlic, so the good wood would come in handy. For now, I just needed to move the pallets that had been weighing down the plastic sheeting. Surprisingly, working the fork into the soil was not as bad as I expected - the soil was a lot more looser than in the past. Perhaps it was last year's top soil? I try to avoid compost when planting garlic and onions as this seems to encourage base rot. After forking and checking for any weed roots (especially horsetail) I really was even more surprised to find very little (about 99% of any horsetail root was distinctly dead) so maybe the weed killer treatment had worked after all? I wonder why it didn't do as well on the pond bed? For the moment, one end of the big bed is still covered with plastic sheeting so the 3 new beds are only 2/3rds in length done but at least I'd made a start especially on what in the past has been the worst part, and dug 6 bags of the soil bedding into the soil.

3 bags went as mulch round the new gooseberry bed. That is another bed where the soil is problematic and in a summer bakes into solid concrete. I also made some little collars from an old compost bag and threaded them round the base of the plants - as I intended to cover the bed with weed suppressant membrane, too often bindweed manage to find the opening by the base of the bushes (like the blueberry) and emerge, making it difficult to treat the weeds without accidentally contaminating the bushes with weed killer. I have no idea if this is going to work, but with 2 sheets of membrane on top, hopefully it will keep any weeds at bay. I hope to get some bark chippings on the bed which should make it more weed proofed (fingers crossed)

The last bag I decided to put on top of the soil in the triangle bed where I planted 6 canes of Tadmor raspberries, again the soil is not clever (all part of the same seam of clay) I'm not quite sure how to lay weed suppressant membrane round them as raspberries spread by roots - I might have to wait until spring to see what happens.

One more task to do and that is to dig up the oca - with all the rain and muddy plot, I have only just managed to get down to the bottom end (last week to plant the fruit trees) Considering these were just the rogue tubers that had got accidentally left behind in the last harvest, the crop wasn't too bad although lots and lots of little ones. I will chit some of the better ones for this year.

A quick check of the plot - the newly planted trees look fine, the strawberries look better than last week, the lavender could do with a trim. I pushed the fork into the potato beds and the bedding I'd dug in autumn/early winter has done its job and kept the soil from going claggy. The weed suppressant membrane over the blueberry bed was ripped and really weathered so will need some new membrane laying down. I still have to put some iron sulphate down (helps to acidify the soil) and some fertilizer to perk them up this year but is on my list of to do things. All the garlic look well - now that I could see them properly, I reckon there has been about 1-2% loss (as in, cloves which had not grown) but generally fine. I moved the Cristo into a bit of spare ground and hopefully they'll pick up.

I finished for the day by 2.30 pm. As I drove home, there was brief shower of rain so well timed. Quite pleased with day's efforts.

[Richard]

Hi Lassie

You do so well both in your Garden and in this Forum Diary.

Thank you so much.

Richard

[sandy]

I agree, I am useless growing anything but love reading LL's diary

[lancashire lass]

that's very kind of you both. I've got quite a few new different things going on this year so I'm sure the diary will be carrying on a little longer LOL

Last weekend, winter decided to throw some snow and cold easterly winds our way and I didn't fancy standing on a chilly damp plot. Everything was starting to dry off and then on Wednesday it just rained all day - I didn't need to visit the plot to know the moats had most likely returned. This weekend however, has been so different - we've had some lovely sunny weather and rising temperatures and feeling very much like it is time to start sowing seeds and planting things. At this time of year the weather might still surprise us with more wintry weather, or, as usually the case when I decide to be cautious, spring might decide to come a little early. I can never win.

Last week my onion sets (Golden Ball F1) finally arrived - I had got an e-mail from T&M to say they had been despatched on the 4th March but they only turned up on the 10th via the internal mail at work The box was clearly marked "live plants" but thankfully as sets were fine but if they had been seedlings might not have survived. How could it take 5 days to travel just 500 yards from the post room to my pigeon hole????? Not impressed. The sets are currently spread out on a tray somewhere cool and dark and hopefully they won't try to sprout before mid-April when I hope to plant them. Meanwhile, I thought I ought to start preparing the bed at the front of the plot. It had been under black plastic since autumn 2014 so was completely weed free but where the plot dips, water had pooled underneath and the whole bed was very wet. I forked it over and added a big bag of vermiculite (which I can get hold of in large quantities from the stores at work where chemical deliveries are packed in vermiculite in case of spillage - none of it was contaminated BTW) I had read somewhere that vermiculite was unsuitable for clay soils but a contradictory version suggest it is helpful in breaking up clay soils. This bed is surprisingly for my plot, on the sandy side but I thought might be an idea to bulk up the soil (and is a lot more lightweight to carry than sand) I will finish the bed with manure before planting. I decided to put the black sheet back - to keep it weed free, but also to help warm up the soil (now that it has been forked over, air pockets in the soil should help to warm it up better)

On Thursday I got an e-mail to say the first of the asparagus (Pacific Purple) had been despatched ... I guess I won't be seeing those until well into next week. So that more or less decided the other task today - to finish digging the new asparagus bed. I'd already decided to pot them up and give them a head start in the greenhouse/polytunnel before planting out, but the sooner I get the bed ready the better. I had 5 bags of soiled bedding which I forked into the last of the beds. There will be 10 Pacific Purple, and the others are 4x Arienne and 4x Mondeo ... trying to work out how to plant them, I decided to leave the 2 smaller beds at the front for the 2 lots of asparagus still to be despatched, and extend the back bed across the full width and then down the right side in a sort of "L" shape.

While I was digging, the rubber sole from the heel on one of my boots broke away. The plot was still too wet and damp for my sad trainers, but a bit of string to tie it back came in handy. I know they were cheap boots but the leather is barely broken in. I can only think the wet plot this winter has been too much for them.

I had one more bag of soiled bedding so decided that as the weather forecast this week will be calm (high pressure), I could perhaps put it as a mulch on the triangle bed with the Tadmore raspberries. Looking at the canes, I think I could see some buds appearing. I went to look at the other raspberry bed but apart from the Joan from a friend, the others looked a bit dead. Too soon to be worried I know, but some signs of life would be a good indication they were alright. I had a look at the fruit trees and all seemed well with them. I had one more task to do and that was to lift up the Chinese artichokes from the bath tub - I have not been looking after them so was going to put fresh compost in the tub but the tubers were so small and already sprouting, I decided to leave them.

I was ready to leave but the 3 beds behind the brassica cages were beckoning - one was green from what I presume is wheat from the girls feed (they are not fond of it so ends up in the poop bag when I've poo picked the chicken run and then spread out on the bed) In some ways it is just a green manure so I forked over the bed, then used the hoe to slash and chop the grasses into the soil. I'm afraid I might have also diced a few earthworms at the same time The bed up from that one was surprisingly weed free apart from a few clumps of grasses so I forked it over and hoed it ready for planting. By now my shoulders and hands were hurting from the digging and twisting the fork around (the tines break up clods and mix the bedding into the soil - basically a man powered rotavator LOL) ... I'm sure to regret today's efforts tomorrow.

Another good day at the plot - shame work gets in the way of wanting to do more especially with the weather calming down and perfect for digging the plot ready for the big spring planting. I've booked the week off after the Easter break ... be warned, it's bound to rain then because I want to be outdoors while off (so many things to do) I won't list what I hope to accomplish as it is bound to go horribly wrong, but maybe it's time to dust the camera lens and record any changes. I'm actually feeling quite positive this year unlike this time last year - instead of spending all my time picking weed roots out of claggy soil, so far (fingers crossed) last year's weed treatment seems to have worked.

[lancashire lass]

The asparagus parcel arrived yesterday - for 10 plants, it was a surprisingly small box. I opened it up and the roots are thick and fleshy and look in good conditions so I'm pleased. I had a read of the instructions (always a good place to start LOL) and it is recommended to plant immediately if possible. If there is a delay in planting, the alternate is to lay them out on a tray with a covering of moist sand/compost and place in a dark cool place like a shed. At this moment in time, I need to get some compost to plant them up and also start some serious seed sowing, but I can't seem to get the time to go for it - I've tried to go to work early so that I can collect some on the way but traffic for some reason has gone barmy. And even sneaking out at lunch times has hit a snag - due to more building work where I work (and a general slashing of car spaces to make out how "green" we are, humph), I doubt I'd find a parking space when I got back. Even evening home-time runs are beset by having to give someone a lift home.

H2O2 aka hydrogen peroxide has many uses in the garden as well as home - this link about hydrogen peroxide has some examples. I particularly wanted some for starting off seeds (experiment 2016!) to see if it really does improve germination - basically seeds are packed with carbohydrates as energy stores for that initial growth until the leaves appear above ground and then photosynthesis begins. In photosynthesis, the energy of the sun combine carbon dioxide and water to make carbohydrates with release of oxygen to atmosphere. Cellular respiration (which occurs at night or in seed germination) is the opposite of photosynthesis - to break down carbohydrates, oxygen is needed to release the energy for cellular function (growth) and the by products are carbon dioxide and water. Well, after that basic biology lesson (sorry), the news I was moving towards is that I managed to acquire not just one bottle, but 2 bottles of (30%) hydrogen peroxide from work which were destined for disposal. Neither bottles had been opened, one had been stored in a fridge so should be fine and the other not but as it has not been opened and only a year old, I think should be fine. The solution is industrial strength unlike what you can purchase over the counter so even after some degradation they should still be active. Now, I just need that compost .......

[lancashire lass]

Yesterday afternoon I received an e-mail from T&M to say the 2 varieties of asparagus I'd ordered had been despatched. As both the onion sets and the asparagus from DT Browns had sat in the internal post for days on end, I wasn't expecting to see them until next week. So imagine my surprise when I popped in the post room to see if I had any (work) mail and there were 2 parcels One was a book recommended for my genealogy course, the other was .... the asparagus I suspect the parcel was delivered directly to the address I'd put rather than the internal sorting office like last time.

So - panic. I really must get all the asparagus crowns planted this weekend, and I still had no compost. Friday morning traffic is usually quieter than other days in the working week, plus I decided to set off extra early today and got to the diy store on the way to work about half hour earlier. I decided to get 3 bags of top soil (should have got 4 I realise now) and 3 bags of compost. They are sitting in the car in the work's car park and then tonight I'll take the compost out (might sow some seeds!), leave the top soil and dump them at the allotment first thing tomorrow before doing my weekly shop and on to another trip to get the manure. They only had farmyard manure, admittedly on special offer, but it is not only very smelly compared to horse manure, bags have a tendency to weigh a ton.

And then ... only 1 week to go and it is the Easter weekend and I've booked the rest of the week off. So let the gardening begin! (weather permitting)

[lancashire lass]

What a beautiful spring day today - lovely sunshine and a hint of warmth without getting hot and bothered while digging. I even got a touch of sunburn on my nose and cheeks. Well, my weekend plans did not go as I'd have liked - I got home late from work on Friday evening and on Saturday morning I did not feel up to an early morning trek to the allotment so I had to take the compost and top soil out of the car before I set off to do my usual week shop. I went to the diy store and after a tentative lift of one of the bags of farmyard manure, realised they were not as heavy as those I got in autumn, nor did they stink (I suspect they were horse manure but not labelled as such - it hardly smelled at all). At 3 bags for £10, I decided to get 6 bags and 3 bags more of top soil. Have to say the weight in the back of the car was reaching its limit.

This morning I bundled 3 bags of vermiculite and one of the bags of top soil I'd taken out on Saturday into the car, with some fertilizers, the asparagus crowns (I decided to plant them direct rather than pot on), and made up 2x 2L bottles of seaweed solution with a small drop of hydrogen peroxide in, and a bottle of plain tap water (the standpipes at the site are still without tap handles) I arrived at the plot just before 8.30am and my first task was to start soaking the asparagus crowns in the seaweed solution ... for such a small amount of hydrogen peroxide, I was a bit surprised by the fizzy solution (for a moment I thought I had got a bottle of coke until I saw the old lemonade label) I read up some more about properties of H2O2 and how roots need oxygen and it prevents root rot so I was sure the soak would be beneficial ( )

While the first batch (Purple Pacific) were soaking, I got stuck in emptying the bags of vermiculite and 4 of the bags of manure on to the new beds, added some superphosphate (for root development), potash (associated with movement of water, nutrients, and carbohydrates in plants) and dried blood (high nitrogen feed) and forked it over. Then I got some canes out of the shed to use as both a marker for where I'd planted the asparagus but also as a support when they start growing. After digging a planting hole, I made a cone shape mound inside with top soil and spread the roots out, covered with more top soil before back filling with the bed soil. The idea of the top soil was to aid drainage but also keep the manure and fertilizers from coming into direct contact with the roots until they had got established. When I unpacked the Purple Pacific, there were in fact 9 very good crowns and 4 much smaller ones (I had only planned on 10 plants) so the small ones were put in the corner. I drained the seaweed solution into a watering can and diluted it down with the tap water to "water" them in but it barely wet the soil surface. I checked on my water butts by the shed and thankfully one was 3/4 full so was able to give them all an extra watering in.

While the 4x Arienne and 4x Mondeo crowns were soaking, I got the last 2 bags of manure out of the car and emptied them onto the new onion bed and lightly forked it in before putting the black plastic sheet back (hopefully to warm the soil in the sun) Then I finished planting the rest of the asparagus crowns, and emptied the rest of the top soil onto the beds. When I went to get some water from the butts, I decided to give the newly planted fruit trees a good soaking as well as all the raspberries and gooseberries - although the soil under the surface was still moist, the recent dry spell was drying the soil off quickly and they need to be kept well watered until they were established.

Before I packed up for the day, a quick check of the rest of the plot - still looking weed free for the moment, the plot actually looked okay. The lavender however, looked worryingly half dead (no green leaves) and I'm hoping is just its winter coat but I don't think I've seen them like that before. Still no signs of life with the raspberries but definite buds on the gooseberries and some blueberries, and the garlic have definitely grown an inch since last week so feeding them next week will be high on my list of to do. I left the site at about 2.30pm feeling very pleased with today's efforts.

[lancashire lass]

As predicted, the dry spell we've enjoyed is coming to an end just when I have plans for lots of digging in the next week when I'm off work. Providing there aren't prolonged deluges and so far forecasts suggest just rain (and wind!) then the plot should be okay - at this time of year, the sun's warmth (and the wind) help to dry soil off better than in mid-winter. Still, it's the timing So that means I have to plan the coming days ...

Today is my last day at work and tomorrow looks like a (dry) mild day, so this morning I decided to get some more farmyard manure (only 3 bags - one for each of the potato beds to be mixed with lots of vermiculite and forked in) and also 3 bags of Ericaceous compost for the blueberry bed which badly needs rejuvenating (due to neglect) despite the chicken bedding and some fertilizers I had already put down earlier. I picked them up on my way to work so are sitting in the car ... it might be a bit smelly driving home tonight LOL

On Saturday I need to do my weekly shop and I'll also get 3 more bags of manure plus more top soil and then that will be the potato bed sorted. The rest of the plot shouldn't need any manure and instead I'll just use the old compost from last year's chilli project to add vegetable matter to the soil to help break it up (and any bags of soiled chicken bedding and poop, plus the usual fertilizers for hungry crops) so by May/June all the beds will be ready for summer plants like the squashes and sweetcorn. Saturday is forecast rain but no worries, I'll probably need to rest up after Friday's digging LOL and is my usual day of rest (tv catch up) but at least I'll be ready for Sunday - providing the weather is okay (national weather forecast suggest dry, local forecast is sunshine and showers ...) Monday looks set to be the same so I guess it'll just be a case of see how it goes on a day-by-day basis. I have loads of seeds to sow so won't be wasted.

I have also bought some debris netting (hope it arrives today otherwise I'll have to come in to work one day next week to pick it up as I've put my work's address for delivery) - only a metre width which I can use to make a fence round the asparagus bed. The bed is open so the plants are at risk from strong winds - not so much while young, but certainly when mature as they can easily get up to 5 feet tall with ferny like leaves which catch the wind and the stems break. Hopefully the combination of using stakes to support the plants and the netting fence round the bed as a wind break will reduce the problem. I also want to replace all the pallets used as wind breaks on the plot with debris netting - too many just rot in the heavy clay soil and then fall over during a strong wind. I can always use good pallet wood to make the mini raised beds, and replace wood already rotted (some of it has been down for nearly 9 years and falling apart)

My other purchase which has already arrived is another roll of weed suppressant membrane to use on beds but especially the footpaths which I'm keen to sort out this year. I doubt I'll get the whole plot done this year but if I can make a start at the front of the plot, it will give a good impression. The roll is 50 metres long - the plot is 51 metres so it doesn't take a genius to work out that I won't have anywhere near enough anyway but we'll see how it goes.

fingers crossed we get some good dry days next week because my primary task will be digging all the beds over and getting them ready