LL's Gardening Diary

Members adventures in the Vegetable Patch all year round
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Minxy
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Re: LL's Gardening Diary

Post by Minxy »

Oh no, that sounds awful! After all of that work too.

I'm not sure if it helps but it may be worth investigating/disputing the water costs with them?

On our allotment site they tried to put the charges up. However, the Board put forward a case for reducing the water charge on the basis that the water is not being used all year round. Our site secretary turns the water off at the mains at the end of October and it is not turned back on again until the end of March. I believe that it was part of the agreement to keeping the charges down.

Alternatively, can you find someone to plot share with and share the costs? Good luck with it all.
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lancashire lass
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Allotment update

Post by lancashire lass »

I should briefly update my GYO diary ... I decided to pay the allotment rent after all and will give it another go this year. If nothing else, I could use the year to empty the shed (yep, could take me a whole year :oops: {rofwl} ) and if there is anything I can bring home and grow in the garden, such as the raspberry canes and rhubarb, strawberries and so on. Some fruit bushes on the plot are well established now and probably won't like being dug up but I might be able to get cuttings.

Anyway, the plan this year is to keep the vegetable beds down to a few basics - potatoes, onions, some garlic, winter squash (stuff that doesn't need much attention during the growing period apart from watering) - and then also grow some flowers in the other beds. All the beds need covering with some form of weed suppressant because weeds make the plot such hard work. If I was honest, that's one of the main reasons why I want to give up the plot.

Minxy wrote:the Board put forward a case for reducing the water charge on the basis that the water is not being used all year round. Our site secretary turns the water off at the mains at the end of October and it is not turned back on again until the end of March


Our water is turned off end of October and unless we have a scorching early spring, is not turned on again until beginning of May (which I find unacceptable especially if we have a dry period just before sowing - having a water butt filled up before the water is cut off in autumn is essential to make sure there is a source of water in spring) In this case, I am wondering if the council are just charging more because of all the cuts? This year we had to fill in a form about what we had on our plot - such as a shed, greenhouse and so on .... made me wonder if it was another way to charge more?

Minxy wrote:Alternatively, can you find someone to plot share with and share the costs?


My first plot was shared with a friend - generally it was fine but there was a lot of give and take which I found frustrating especially when I just wanted to get on with something. I seemed to be the one doing a lot of "giving" ... it's a long story. I don't particularly want to go down that route again.
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Minxy
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Re: LL's Gardening Diary

Post by Minxy »

Hi,

really pleased to hear that you are keeping it going. You've such a great plot and work so hard on it. :)
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lancashire lass
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Sunday 26th Feb 2017 - first visit since mid-September 2016

Post by lancashire lass »

Minxy wrote:Hi,

really pleased to hear that you are keeping it going. You've such a great plot and work so hard on it. :)


thank you )t' I think my enthusiasm has waned because I'm getting older so not recovering as quickly as I used to, and I so want to get on with some of my other interests which are taking a lot longer than planned.

After Storm Doris on Thursday, I just had to pay a visit to the plot ... the shed on its last legs and the last standing pallets either side of the asparagus beds plus the weed suppressant laid down over beds were all at risk of being torn up. I didn't intend doing much today and was prepared for the worst. I arrived at 9.45 am to find the gate open so carefully drove round the track to my plot. I was pleasantly surprised to find ... no damage. The shed was still standing, even the netting over the swede bed was still pinned down, pallets were leaning but no worse than when I last saw them. However, as suspected, the weeds have been growing and covered the entire plot:

Image

The only visible damage was the weed suppressant membrane had lifted up at one end of the pond bed - the wind had pulled the black pins up and flipped it over but luckily still attached at both ends.

The Stockbridge Arrow rhubarb is already pushing up!

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The pond also looks fine - a lot fuller than when I filled it but to be expected. The water still looks clean and clear, the elodea still looking green and fine. No sign of the floating hyacinth but I suspect they don't survive freezing temperatures, and the duck weed also absent (does it die back?)

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It didn't take me long to peel the membrane back and push the pins into the sodden soil. Have to say that the pond bed in the past has always been messy but the weed suppressant membrane and the re-lined pond has really kept it looking smart.

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The yucca plant has even put fresh growth on and tried to send up a flower head.

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After a tour of the plot, checked the shed over and noted that 2 of the pear trees had buds coming on as well as some of the raspberries, I decided to fork over and lift weeds up on the first bed by the car space (where I grew onions last year) The nettle and dock were well anchored so I think I need to come back with weed killer, but most of the rest were fairly easy to lift up - mainly speedwell, chickweed and the odd grass - and the soil was lovely and fertile and easy to fork over.

I didn't want to do too much given I've not done any gardening in 5 months so I decided to just give the asparagus beds a quick weed over. Again, mainly speedwell and chickweed with a couple of dockweed and a thistle. Amongst the weeds was a headless dead frog ... yuk.

I could have spent a bit more time on the plot but I thought it was a good start for the season. Next time, weather permitting, I will bring the bags of chicken poop and soiled bedding that have been building up at home. I need to concentrate on getting the potato and onions beds ready for spring so the sooner I get them dug over, the better.
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Richard
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Re: LL's Gardening Diary

Post by Richard »

Hope you're pacing yourself Lassie.

I'm sure your results will be as good as ever.

Richard )t' )t'

PS. Love the pond, great for summer wildlife beneficial to all your veggies.
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lancashire lass
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Sunday 9th April 2017

Post by lancashire lass »

Richard wrote:Hope you're pacing yourself Lassie.


{rofwl} I've done nothing on the plot since that last post - the following weekend it rained, weekend after there was a little domestic crisis, weekend after I had flu hence the weekend after that I was still recovering then I went back to work. I then needed the following weekend to recover from that! Finally, it has been so busy at work with students trying to get their projects finished before end of term which has had a knock on effect on me while I was also involved with developing a safety course at work .... suffice to say that I had been busy but not on the plot.

The mild spring turned into summer on Sunday - so the weeds are in full bloom :oops:

Image

I'll be honest, I was seriously looking at using the time over Easter to clear out the shed and dig up any useful plants to take home so that I could give up the plot. But then I was inspired to plant shallots and onion sets this weekend (the 2 beds in the photo under green netting to keep the cats and birds from lifting up the sets and digging holes).

The 2 beds I selected were surprisingly not that weedy so manageable but the ground was still hard work as we haven't had any serious rain for a good couple of months. The top layer was compacted clay soil but at least there was some moisture underneath - the taps hadn't been fitted to the stand pipes yet but I was perhaps one of the lucky ones (my plot at the bottom of the hill keeps moisture for longer in a dry period - downside, also gets wetter in a wet season) Still, my knee was a little tender with using my foot to push the garden fork into the soil, and even my finger joints ache from trying to break up clods with my hands as I was planting, not to mention stiffness in my elbows, shoulders and back .... I really felt like I'd done a serious work out at the gym LOL
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Re: LL's Gardening Diary

Post by wildlifemad »

Keep the faith LL!! It does get harder year on year but just remember the flavour & the fact that you know exactly how you have grown your vegs. Do you manage the plot on your own? If so do you cover the beds when you've finished with them to stop the weeds? As you have read in my diary we covered some beds for winter & it saved a lot of work so we are determined to cover them as soon as we finish with them, anything to make life easier.
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lancashire lass
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Easter Sunday and Monday (16th & 17th April 2017)

Post by lancashire lass »

wildlifemad wrote:Do you manage the plot on your own? If so do you cover the beds when you've finished with them to stop the weeds? As you have read in my diary we covered some beds for winter & it saved a lot of work so we are determined to cover them as soon as we finish with them, anything to make life easier.


Yes, I manage the plot on my own - it's never been an issue in the past but of late, it's become a lot more hard work. If we have a wet winter (heavy rain or snow), covers actually make the ground worse (as if water pools underneath and then slowly drains (bear in mind my plot at the bottom of the hill in winter can get waterlogged) and anything dug in over autumn just rots completely and adds to the dense soil. Covers can prevent wind from drying off the soil which is why I don't always find them useful) But yes, you are right - covers do keep the weeds from germinating or growing over a mild winter. And bear in mind that covers cost money (done the cardboard thing but the plot is too big for a repeat of that. And old carpets are actually heavy and not welcome on some sites for good reason) On this occasion something went wrong - I usually take 3 weeks leave after the August bank holiday and spend a lot of time on the plot digging up the potatoes and clearing the plot and getting ready to plant garlic, but last year it all went pear shaped and I didn't manage to get to the allotment. And on my first day back to work, my line manager sprung an unwelcome surprise on me adding to my workload (and the usual colds from freshers week went round like wildfire just to make it even less appealing to go down to the allotment)

As I had booked Easter week off as leave, I spent the week up to it making sure everything would run smoothly as can be while I was away ... it involved a lot of stocking up and tying up loose ends. So Good Friday was spent resting up although I did do the weekly shop - the supermarket was mayhem and more reminiscent of shopping on Christmas eve. Saturday turned into a rest day but I was up with the larks on Easter Sunday and set off at 7.30 am to the allotment. Despite weedkiller on the car space, the weeds were still more green than yellow but I need a proper sprayer before attempting another spray session.

There was a decided nip in the air so I buttoned my allotment jacket up and got stuck in digging over the big bed by the car space. It was covered in grass, some dock, wheat (from the chicken run poo pick), speedwell and loads of chickweed. With no rainfall for a few weeks despite forecast of a good drenching over the Easter weekend, the soil was even more drier than the week before but luckily the ground was not as compacted. As the bed was a little bigger than the average others, I decided to finish for the day at 11.30 am.

As to be expected, I had the usual aches and pains on Easter Monday but loaded the car determined to get on with the smaller garlic beds from last year so that I would be ready to plant the potatoes. However, the weeds seemed to be even more well anchored into the soil which was compacted than ever - I could barely break the soil with the garden fork and after a couple of hours, only managed to clear one tiny bed (out of 6!) So I moved down to the main plot hoping one of the other beds would be easier. I managed to dig a couple of good sized weeds out but when I needed another rest break after barely 10 minutes from the last, I decided that perhaps I had done enough. By the time I got home, I could barely walk with back strain and hip ache. It's taken 2 days of resting up to see if I can get at least another visit to the plot before I go back to work.

So it's been fairly disappointing on the plot so far. Even more frustrating, I can't find the sprayer for the weedkiller (for the foot paths though I am seriously looking at glyphosate for the beds as well at this rate after being defeated by a dandelion the other day) It wasn't cheap, had a little hand pump which pressurised the bottle and then you released the spray without having to squeeze the hand repeatedly. I'm a little financially strained at the moment and would rather not buy another one. However, in my searching I did find the connector for the hose pipe (to fit to the stand pipe) so at least I can do some watering now for seed sowing (if I can get a few beds cleared!)
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Re: LL's Gardening Diary

Post by wildlifemad »

Hi LL. Sorry you are having such a tough time with the allotment. As you say you can never win, its either too wet or too dry. We are desperate for rain now to help with the digging, just seen the weather forecast & there is still no real threat of any rain. Keep the faith!
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lancashire lass
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Made a decision about the plot

Post by lancashire lass »

well, I've made a decision - I'm giving up the allotment plot {cry}

Two years ago I was struggling more than usual but last year I thought I had a plan to keep the plot by planting fruit trees, bushes, raspberry canes and asparagus crowns as well as re-lining the pond and covering horsetail central with plastic sheet and weed suppressant. It seemed to work until I was ill in July from which I never really got back into gardening after that. When I got my brand new (!) car, I was more than a bit loathe to use it to carry manure and other smelly and potentially messy wet stuff, not to mention muddy feet on the carpets (with or without covers) and despite a bigger boot, the back hatch is actually smaller than my old car. So the usual autumn tidy up and getting ready for winter didn't happen ...

After a mild winter, many weeds had already got a head start but the dry spring meant the soil was hard work. Worse, on the Easter weekend, we still did not have the taps on the standpipes at the site despite above average temperatures when most people would have been sowing seeds and planting potatoes. I struggled to clear one of the beds on Easter Sunday but by Monday I had to abandon the rest as just too difficult and it took me days to recover. The weekend after there was still no rain so that meant the soil would be even worse, the week after that over the bank holiday weekend, I was away visiting relatives (planned months ago) By then I think I had already given up and over the spring bank holiday weekend, I just could not be bothered with the plot.

I got an extra day's holiday so yesterday was spent clearing the shed .... however, this might take more than one visit :oops: The plot was just a mass of weeds, most were 18 inch - 2 feet high (a couple of parsnips nearly 5 feet with their huge flower heads) What I did spy was a potential bumper crop of blueberries and gooseberries not seen before on that plot, grrrr typical. So I've sent a letter to the council to say I am giving a month's notice and hopefully before then the fruit will be ready to harvest. I'm not going to bother taking any plants as they are mature and well established and the move would most likely knock them back or kill them off. And it's the wrong time of the year too. Besides, if I do decide to plant up my garden with fruit bushes and raspberries, I will get fresh stock which should grow and produce higher yields.

This doesn't mean the end of the gardening diary as I still have a garden at home, a sadly neglected garden with mature fruit trees all needing some love and care, plus a couple of greenhouses and the double polytunnel (which are empty this year - another sign of how things have been this year)
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Re: LL's Gardening Diary

Post by Mo »

What a shame.
You have done so much with that plot. Someone else is going to benefit from all the fruit you've planted, and the fertility built up.
All those weeds are a sign of good ground.

But you can only do what you can do (and I should be out getting my wilderness under control)
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lancashire lass
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Sunday 4th June 2017

Post by lancashire lass »

Well I didn't do much shed emptying yesterday but I did take some weedkiller - in less than a week of my last visit to the allotment, the weeds were even taller and bursting into flowers. If someone took on the plot, they wouldn't know there were asparagus or lavender, and even the blueberries were swamped despite weed suppressant membrane down (it has got weathered so weed seeds settled on the top have thrown roots through it, plus the inevitable horsetail and bindweed punching through and sprouting in earnest.

I concentrated on putting weedkiller down on the footpaths, especially round the said bushes and asparagus, plus a ginormous dock that had managed to grow in the small gap of membrane on the pond bed right next to one of the new pear trees (it was as tall as the small tree!) It was forecast rain later that afternoon so when the clouds rolled in at about 11.00 am, I finished the last spray treatment so that it would have time to dry off and start doing its thing.

The onions and shallots are still under the netting I had used to cover the beds to keep the birds and cats from digging up the sets. Because a couple of weeds had grown at either ends of the 2 beds, they had actually lifted the netting up so the onion and shallot leaves were able to grow normally. The leaves on them were surprisingly dark green and healthy, and because I had already hand weeded the beds before planting the sets, the beds were fairly weed free. The bulbs will not be ready by the end of June so it seems like a wasted exercise but I can't abandon them now.

Last week I made a start on the garden - again, weeds. Like the allotment, the weeds have just sprung up and grown at a phenomenal rate. There are only patches of weeds where I have not put weed suppressant membrane down, but the worst weed so far has to be bramble. With so many birds visiting my garden, I suspect they are the reason why I can't ever seem to totally eradicate it. I had a quick peek of the fruit trees and there are plenty of apples .... just have to wait and see what happens with the June drop. After I give up the allotment for good, my plan is to try and rescue the garden but I also want to try and build a pond - I was really surprised by how well the relined pond at the plot took off. I have such a big patio that I'm already planning on how to build a new pond! But, one thing at a time .....
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Re: LL's Gardening Diary

Post by wildlifemad »

Sorry you are giving up the allotment LL but there is little point in carrying on if you can't manage it, if you are anything like me, it would stress me if I couldn't keep on top of it & the dreaded Marestail is an added stress to the "normal" weeds. At least you can focus on your garden now & will be easier in terms of being able to walk out of the back door to do it rather have to get in the car & you'll save your rent money!!!! Good luck with the garden & look forward to reading about your progress with it.
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Re: LL's Gardening Diary

Post by Cheshire Chick »

Sorry to hear that you are giving up on your allotment, but it means you will be able to spend even more time in your garden. I bet you have a beautiful garden - would love to see some photo's.
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Re: LL's Gardening Diary

Post by lancashire lass »

{hug} thank you guys. I am hoping to go to the allotment this weekend to finish emptying the shed (plus grab a couple of things I've decided I'd like to keep ... more rubbish to bring home ....) but now I'm not looking forward to doing very much if we are in for a heatwave! Oh well, I did tell myself to the end of June.

wildlifemad wrote:At least you can focus on your garden now & will be easier in terms of being able to walk out of the back door to do it rather have to get in the car & you'll save your rent money!!!!


)t' my thoughts exactly. And the other good thing about the new arrangements .... I can take little breaks as often as I like rather than committing myself to a solid slot of time on a Sunday morning, the kettle is nearer, and there's even a toilet I can visit!

Cheshire Chick wrote:I bet you have a beautiful garden - would love to see some photo's


I don't have a garden, I have an urban wilderness.

Much like the allotment now, I stopped getting pleasure from my garden earlier on when I couldn't cope doing both. When I was buying my house, having a garden was number one on my list. I had a relatively young dog (Bearded Collie/Spring cross) with loads of energy so it was somewhere for her to play, and a cat in his more mature years (his prime spot was on the shed roof under the tree) The "lawn" was a mass of dandelions (the previous owner's selling point when I viewed the house in late April was how pretty all the year flowers looked ) {rofwl} but I eventually got it under control. I also planted several fruit trees (apple, pear, cherry, plum even a hazel) and fruit bushes mainly blueberry and raspberry canes. And every year I had a project and added something to the garden whether it be laying a length of paving stones by the shed, building a greenhouse (first I had to lay the floor!), then another, an awning over my back door, created a "secret" garden at the bottom of the garden (so that you couldn't see it from the house because I had disguised it with trellising and climbing shrubs. Unfortunately the neighbour put a climbing frame next to it on their side of the fence - their young children would see me and come asking questions and constantly bugging me instead of letting me enjoy the peace and quiet ... just to warn you, I really don't like children ...) Now you can't see the secret garden at all because everything is all overgrown LOL)

Then I got made redundant. I took on an allotment plot to save money by growing my own fruit and vegetables because my garden wasn't suitable (mainly because of trees and overgrown privets so too much shade, and worst of all, the established tree roots and heavy clay soil) As more of my time was spent at the allotment, less time was spent in the garden.

I tried to keep on top of the mowing but the lawn was dreadful - lots of weeds but worst of all, "wild" grasses appeared (couch grass, creeping grass, meadow grass and what I can only describe as bog grass) which the mower couldn't cope with and eventually it died. I treated myself to a Flymo with a collection box - biggest mistake I made. It was like trying to mow with a lump of concrete and every mowing session was like a gym workout.

I managed to keep going up to about 4 years ago when I lost my old dog through illness. I decided to abandon the non-existent lawn in favour of weed suppressant membrane to kill off the worst of the weeds especially bramble. I also bought a polytunnel and a couple of years later, extended it with another identical one (all in my Gardening diary when I did the chilli challenge and then the chilli experiments) There was then the chicken projects - built one run in 2013, then another in 2014!

However, I've not been down to the bottom of my garden in nearly 3 years. About a third of the length of my garden is just wilderness where the trees and privet hedge have got out of control. There's no such thing as "trimming" the hedge - for some reason my neighbours stopped cutting the top of their hedge and now it is over 15-20 feet in height. Even the loppers struggle to cut through the 6 foot long branches, but the worst bit is what to do with them. That's how I've ended up with a great piles of tree branches in my garden. Last year I paid for a 2 bin (fortnightly) garden waste collection so that I could get rid of them .... and that's where it comes back to the allotment. I simply couldn't cope and do both at the same time (also, the bin men would arrive after I left for work and I'd find my bins everywhere bar where I'd left them which just got too much for me) And even my 2 greenhouses and double length polytunnel are empty this year.

So sorry Cheshire Chick, I don't have a garden, never mind a beautiful one {cry}
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