Sues Vegetable Diary 2012

Forgot what happened last year - maybe it's here!!
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perchy
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Re: Sues Vegetable Diary 2012

Post by perchy »

Ooh how lovely, its great when you start collecting goodies, lovely picture Sue {hug}

I love the trug too )t'
little brown hen
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Re: Sues Vegetable Diary 2012

Post by little brown hen »

Thanks Perchy, the trug was a Christmas present. :-D
Mum to Sox and Boo,and hens, Bramble,
Belle,Bourbon,Holly,Ivy, May and June
RIP Daisy my cat,and Spice, Clara, Alice, Biscuit, Cookie Clarice and Henrietta. Over rainbow bridge, but never forgotten.
little brown hen
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Re: Sues Vegetable Diary 2012

Post by little brown hen »

I spent 4 hours on the allotment weeding. I was shattered when I got home. I got 99% of the weeds cleared, and after I thought I had finished kept spotting more that needed to be cleared. I'll get back on Friday if it isnt pouring with rain and do a bit more, and plant out a few things in the greenhouse. :-D
Mum to Sox and Boo,and hens, Bramble,
Belle,Bourbon,Holly,Ivy, May and June
RIP Daisy my cat,and Spice, Clara, Alice, Biscuit, Cookie Clarice and Henrietta. Over rainbow bridge, but never forgotten.
little brown hen
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Re: Sues Vegetable Diary 2012

Post by little brown hen »

Went down yesterday and cleared behind my greenhouse so I can now walk round the back of it. I managed to redistribute everything and it looks good. Then I was looking at the fruit cage and a sparrow flew inside it, took a blackcurrant and flew out again! yike* So I spent half an hour putting a frame over the bushes and netting! Also a peice of net over the raspberries.
In the evening we went up and weeded my husbands plot. He said he'd done some weeding around the veggies, so we cleared the paths too.
Today I was meeting my friend Daphne, who also has an allotment, for coffee. I got some plants planted, and we had a nice time putting the world to rights. I cleared a lot of grass and weeds along my back fence, and killed a lot of snails and slugs. Enough for today, I'll get back there on Thursday. :-D
Mum to Sox and Boo,and hens, Bramble,
Belle,Bourbon,Holly,Ivy, May and June
RIP Daisy my cat,and Spice, Clara, Alice, Biscuit, Cookie Clarice and Henrietta. Over rainbow bridge, but never forgotten.
little brown hen
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Re: Sues Vegetable Diary 2012

Post by little brown hen »

Went to the allotment this afternoon. It was very wet, but I did things in my shed and greenhouse. I love being up there what ever the weather.
Image Tools all neatly hung up.
Image
I bought a birdbath as a focal point for my flower bed.
Image It really rained this afternoon. Still whats new?
Image I had the flag to fly from my flagpost. But the one there is fine, so Ive hung this one in the greenhouse for the moment.
Mum to Sox and Boo,and hens, Bramble,
Belle,Bourbon,Holly,Ivy, May and June
RIP Daisy my cat,and Spice, Clara, Alice, Biscuit, Cookie Clarice and Henrietta. Over rainbow bridge, but never forgotten.
little brown hen
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Re: Sues Vegetable Diary 2012

Post by little brown hen »

Image I pulled these up today, and they tasted lovely.
Image
The peas are nearly getting there!
Had a lovely time on the allotment. I planted more dwarf beans, turnips, and carrots.
I pulled up the ones in the picture, and tidied up the wallflowers and planted marigold seeds. The strawberries are doing well, and I want to make some jam tomorrow.
Mum to Sox and Boo,and hens, Bramble,
Belle,Bourbon,Holly,Ivy, May and June
RIP Daisy my cat,and Spice, Clara, Alice, Biscuit, Cookie Clarice and Henrietta. Over rainbow bridge, but never forgotten.
little brown hen
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Re: Sues Vegetable Diary 2012

Post by little brown hen »

Wow, its a while since Ive been here. The allotment and a holiday has got in the way.
I spent 6 hours down there sorting out my strawberry bed which had more weeds than strawberry plants. It was blooming hard work, but I cleared everything out and replanted the youngest ones, ignoring the runners that are taking up the path in front. I'll sort them out on Friday. Ive a huge pile of plants left over. Some I will put on the swop table by the main gate, Ive put some on hubbies plot and given some to another allotmenteer. Im shattered, and theres a basket of ironing wanting my attention!
Image
My very messy strawberry bed.
Image
Three hours later and almost all dug out.
Image
the bed is all finished, strawberry plants planted so I can get a hoe between each plant. I spent just under 6 hours working on it.
Mum to Sox and Boo,and hens, Bramble,
Belle,Bourbon,Holly,Ivy, May and June
RIP Daisy my cat,and Spice, Clara, Alice, Biscuit, Cookie Clarice and Henrietta. Over rainbow bridge, but never forgotten.
little brown hen
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Re: Sues Vegetable Diary 2012

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We went to the allotment to see the warden, who had forgotten to turn up! He remembered mid afternoon, so we'll see him tomorrow. So I insulated my greenhouse with fleece, which had been partially eaten by something, and with bubble wrap.
while I did that my husband started wheelbarrowing bark chips onto the paths for me. Then he'd had enough and went home. So I scraped the bark over the paths, and barrowed more on, and an hour later I'd finished. I do it twice a year, and it does help with the soggyness of the paths when we get a lot of rain which is promised on Sunday.
Image
I also found a tiny caterpillar eating a rose leaf!
Image
It is tiny in real life, honest. :oops:
Mum to Sox and Boo,and hens, Bramble,
Belle,Bourbon,Holly,Ivy, May and June
RIP Daisy my cat,and Spice, Clara, Alice, Biscuit, Cookie Clarice and Henrietta. Over rainbow bridge, but never forgotten.
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perchy
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Re: Sues Vegetable Diary 2012

Post by perchy »

You have had some good produce and worked hard, well done, I have just some tidying up to do, the 15 foot caterpillar is lovely yike*

I was at work yesterday and saw a lime green caterpillar climb all the way up a large concrete bollard, took about ten minutes, when he got to the top a Robin got him {cry} I felt really bad !
little brown hen
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Re: Sues Vegetable Diary 2012

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The caterpillar was about half a centimeter long. Couldnt see it properly without enlarging it. Just think of how much it could munch through if it was a foot long! yike*
That was sad for your green caterpillar to get eaten after all that hard work. {cry}
Talking of hard work, I enlarged one of my beds because I decided I didnt need a huge area infront of my greenhouse. It means I'll be able to get more potatoes in the bed next year.
Image
This was the bed before .................
Image
and after.
Mum to Sox and Boo,and hens, Bramble,
Belle,Bourbon,Holly,Ivy, May and June
RIP Daisy my cat,and Spice, Clara, Alice, Biscuit, Cookie Clarice and Henrietta. Over rainbow bridge, but never forgotten.
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MissEllie
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Re: Sues Vegetable Diary 2012

Post by MissEllie »

Beautiful pics LBH, looks like a lot of hard work going on there )t'
The talent for being happy is appreciating and liking what you have, instead of what you don't have
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little brown hen
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Re: Sues Vegetable Diary 2012

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My OH has his own half plot, which he is exchanging for a more secluded one so he can bring our bee hives there in January. We have done our bee test and passed and now we will be able to have them in a more convenient place. We have to wait till 5th November to take the new plot over, then we cant move the bees until January when they will be tucked up in the coop keeping warm, so in the spring when they come out they will acclimatise themselves to the new area and will consider it home. If we moved them now, as the allotment is less than 3 miles from their present home, they could go back to the apiary and that would be a disaster because their hive wouldn't be there, and in the cold weather they would perish.
Image
This is my hive, it has the fence because originally my bees were vicious going out of their way to sting me when I looked through their hive. Then, after they had got in my hood and badly stung my throat, we decided it might be a fox that was upsetting them, so I put a fence round one side, and barricaded the other, and they have been lovely and calm ever since. :-D
Mum to Sox and Boo,and hens, Bramble,
Belle,Bourbon,Holly,Ivy, May and June
RIP Daisy my cat,and Spice, Clara, Alice, Biscuit, Cookie Clarice and Henrietta. Over rainbow bridge, but never forgotten.
little brown hen
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Re: Sues Vegetable Diary 2012

Post by little brown hen »

Image
I put new shelves next to my greenhouse. I had storage boxes there before, but they were awkward to get at before.
Image
The water butt was at a funny angle, so I hammered a stake in and tied it to that, then put a piece of wood behind it.
Image
I had sunflowers and a cloche with aubergines in it, and I cleared the lot today. The aubergines were useless because the weather has been rubbish.
Image
I had an obelisk at the end of the path, but since my neighbour put a chicken run up and shaded the back of my plot, and climbing things dont do so well there anyway, I decided to extend the path.
Image
My trike loaded up ready for home.
Image
I went back this evening cos I'd left my tulip bulbs on the path by the greenhouse, and planted them in a big pot, with winter pansies on top.
Mum to Sox and Boo,and hens, Bramble,
Belle,Bourbon,Holly,Ivy, May and June
RIP Daisy my cat,and Spice, Clara, Alice, Biscuit, Cookie Clarice and Henrietta. Over rainbow bridge, but never forgotten.
little brown hen
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Re: Sues Vegetable Diary 2012

Post by little brown hen »

Winter is coming rapidly, and Ive lined my greenhouse, and tucked my geraniums in there.
Ive pulled up the squash, gerkin and pumpkin plants and dug those patches over. My rhubarb is finished and that has a nice deep layer of horse poo over it, and Ive manured my Brussels sprouts too because they will have finished all the nutrients and need some help. I have some chard growing and they should continue over the winter. I have swedes and a couple of beetroots too. They recon it will be frosty this weekend and the sprouts will benefit from that too.
I had four fish and a lot of babies in my big pond and I managed to catch the last two last time I was up there so now there's six, so after Christmas Im going to empty the small pond and possibly make it bigger, or turn it into planting for veg, probably it'll stay as a pond, but a bit bigger and deeper. That will mean some more liner and hard digging cos its solid clay. The leeks are coming on well. I had to take the tops off because they got caterpillars eating them, but they've all grown back nicely and hopefully they'll soon be ready to eat. Ive a couple of carrots left, next year Im going to grow far more. There are still Raspberries, just a few, and lettuce, also peas, but Im not sure whether I'll get any to eat. Ive planted onions and they are beginning to sprout.
We will be pulling Johns leeks up in a few weeks before he vacates his plot, his butternut squashes are all done, and we'll pick what ever chard is there before he hands it back in December. Its all go!
Mum to Sox and Boo,and hens, Bramble,
Belle,Bourbon,Holly,Ivy, May and June
RIP Daisy my cat,and Spice, Clara, Alice, Biscuit, Cookie Clarice and Henrietta. Over rainbow bridge, but never forgotten.
little brown hen
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Re: Sues Vegetable Diary 2012

Post by little brown hen »

Went up to the allotment to pick herbs, mainly parsley and parcel. There are puddles everywhere, and the slugs have had some of my cauliflowers! I do hope next year is a bit more balanced weather wise.
OH has got his new plot and we've moved our bees onto it. They are all tucked up inside keeping warm. We've left fondant in each hive for them because its hard to tell if they have enough stores for the winter, and we don't want to open up in the spring and find them all starved to death. :-D
Mum to Sox and Boo,and hens, Bramble,
Belle,Bourbon,Holly,Ivy, May and June
RIP Daisy my cat,and Spice, Clara, Alice, Biscuit, Cookie Clarice and Henrietta. Over rainbow bridge, but never forgotten.
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