Bobs 2012 Dairy

Forgot what happened last year - maybe it's here!!
User avatar
HappyBob
Legendary Laner
Posts: 1512
Joined: 19 Dec 2011, 02:14
Gender: Male
Location: E. Yorks

Re: Bobs 2012 Dairy

Post by HappyBob »

Thankyou Spreckly, Today I recovered my cold frame covers with some new visqueen, it seems I have to recover them every year but I much prefer it to glass as it makes the covers a lot lighter and a lot safer to handle. Also sown broadbeans, onions, leeks, parsnips in tubes, lettuce, radish and spring onions. It feels like the season is gettin nicely underway now that the greenhouse is looking a little fuller... :-D

New coldframe covers

Image

I,m always happy when I see the greenhouse benches filling up

Image
Dont ever grow up, its a trap
User avatar
HappyBob
Legendary Laner
Posts: 1512
Joined: 19 Dec 2011, 02:14
Gender: Male
Location: E. Yorks

Re: Bobs 2012 Dairy

Post by HappyBob »

Started 200 onion sets off in modules (24 modules to a tray) as a bit of an experiment. I usually plant striaght outside at the end of march, but thought I,d try something a bit different this year.
Dont ever grow up, its a trap
User avatar
HappyBob
Legendary Laner
Posts: 1512
Joined: 19 Dec 2011, 02:14
Gender: Male
Location: E. Yorks

Re: Bobs 2012 Dairy

Post by HappyBob »

Prepared two raised beds for brassica,s. raked 2oz Growmore and levelled and added a small amount of lime. Also raked and tidied up 4 small raised beds were the legumes are going to live, these are were the pots were grown last season, these beds were double dug and heavy manured last year so will still have plenty of juice left in them, although I still gave a light dressing of growmore.
Dont ever grow up, its a trap
User avatar
HappyBob
Legendary Laner
Posts: 1512
Joined: 19 Dec 2011, 02:14
Gender: Male
Location: E. Yorks

Re: Bobs 2012 Dairy

Post by HappyBob »

Double dug the last of my three beds today,. Gave the winter brassicas a liquid comfry feed to give them a bit of a boost. Moved broad beans, parsnips and onion seedlings from greenhouse into coldframe to harden off.
Dont ever grow up, its a trap
User avatar
HappyBob
Legendary Laner
Posts: 1512
Joined: 19 Dec 2011, 02:14
Gender: Male
Location: E. Yorks

Re: Bobs 2012 Dairy

Post by HappyBob »

Well today turned over three small beds where a few chrysanths and dahlias will grow and put in a bit of Growmore so thats all my digging done for this year. Planted out a dozen parsnip tubes, still got another dozen to plant out when they harden off in a couple of days time. fruit beds got hand weeded. The site water was turned on on tuesday so while no one was down I took advantage and filled all my water butts up.
Dont ever grow up, its a trap
User avatar
HappyBob
Legendary Laner
Posts: 1512
Joined: 19 Dec 2011, 02:14
Gender: Male
Location: E. Yorks

Re: Bobs 2012 Dairy

Post by HappyBob »

Yesterday I planted out my 1st and 2nd earlies spuds, a 45ft row of each. I dont know how others plant out their spuds but I have done away with the traditional trench method and in the last 3 years have adopted to simply using a bulb planter to make a hole 8-10 inch deep I then throw a trowel full of seived home made compost down the hole pop in the spud then another trowell full of seived compost on top, I then back fill the hole with the bed soil. I have not seen any decrease or gain in the potatoes produced but it is a sight easier then trenching. I also took 3 dozen chrysanth cuttings for the wifes blooms further into the year.
Dont ever grow up, its a trap
User avatar
HappyBob
Legendary Laner
Posts: 1512
Joined: 19 Dec 2011, 02:14
Gender: Male
Location: E. Yorks

Re: Bobs 2012 Dairy

Post by HappyBob »

Today, planted out 30 broad bean plants. gave all the paths a treatment of glysophate, I dont use glysophate on the actual growing beds but am happy to use it occasionally on the paths. I also built a small frame out of a bit of scrap wood, to hopefully protect carrot bed from the dreaded carrot root fly. it still needs its enviromesh covering but i,m still waiting for it to arrive. Put up some new flags, just my little bit to support our troops.

Broad beans planted out.

Image

Frame for carrot protection.

Image

New flags waving proudly..

Image


General veiw of the allotment

Image
Dont ever grow up, its a trap
User avatar
Annie
Project Hedgehog Leader
Posts: 10383
Joined: 01 Aug 2010, 15:45
Gender: Female
Location: lennoxtown North of Glasgow

Re: Bobs 2012 Dairy

Post by Annie »

Think you deserve a sit down in your new chair now !
Which variety of broad bean are you growing HBob - I usually grow the Sutton as its supposed to be for small gardens but don't find you get many pods , usually enough for one dinner and one pot of soup, bit disappointing really.
The best carrots I grew were in a big rhino tub that sat on a 2' decorative wall - that seemed to deter the dreaded fly - too much effort for it I think . Hope your cunning plan foils them too )t'
It will be alright in the end , if its not alright, it isn't the end .
Quote from the proprietor of the The best exotic Marigold Hotel for the elderly and beautiful
User avatar
HappyBob
Legendary Laner
Posts: 1512
Joined: 19 Dec 2011, 02:14
Gender: Male
Location: E. Yorks

Re: Bobs 2012 Dairy

Post by HappyBob »

Annie wrote:Think you deserve a sit down in your new chair now !
Which variety of broad bean are you growing HBob - I usually grow the Sutton as its supposed to be for small gardens but don't find you get many pods , usually enough for one dinner and one pot of soup, bit disappointing really.
The best carrots I grew were in a big rhino tub that sat on a 2' decorative wall - that seemed to deter the dreaded fly - too much effort for it I think . Hope your cunning plan foils them too )t'


:-D I,m actually sat in my chair as I type Annie and very comfy it is too. The variety is Aquadulce. I bought the packet 5 years ago but each season I let a few beans run to seed for the seed so this will be my 4th year of saved seed. Fine on the good carrots you grew Annie, I will grow a few in a box off the floor, these will be for our small anuall veg show. I grew some nice carrots last year or they would have been but for the pesky fly }hairout{ hence my cunning plan this year... :-D
Dont ever grow up, its a trap
User avatar
HappyBob
Legendary Laner
Posts: 1512
Joined: 19 Dec 2011, 02:14
Gender: Male
Location: E. Yorks

Re: Bobs 2012 Dairy

Post by HappyBob »

Planted out main crop potatoes today, I,m a bit early with them this year as i want to try and beat the slugs (the little ones that live in the soil), the slugs season seems to start mid Aug so I may or may not get as good a crop as I usually do, but I,m hoping this will offset by less slug damage. I planted them the same as the 1st and 2nd earlies, using a bulb planter with home made seived compost above and below the tuber.

My sieving station. Compost gets trowelled into sieve, good stuff falls through into collection container below and the rubbish goes back into the yellow box. I,ll take out any inorganic material then it will go on this years compost heap to further rot down.

Image

Image
Dont ever grow up, its a trap
User avatar
Mallard
Legendary Laner
Posts: 2002
Joined: 09 Apr 2009, 21:56
Location: Grantham, Lincolnshire
Contact:

Re: Bobs 2012 Dairy

Post by Mallard »

I like the neat and tidy compost seive! )t' It reminds me of one you may have come across complete with a steriliser on another forum! )grin2(
I'd like to live as a poor man with lots of money.
- Pablo Picasso
User avatar
HappyBob
Legendary Laner
Posts: 1512
Joined: 19 Dec 2011, 02:14
Gender: Male
Location: E. Yorks

Re: Bobs 2012 Dairy

Post by HappyBob »

Mallard wrote:I like the neat and tidy compost seive! )t' It reminds me of one you may have come across complete with a steriliser on another forum! )grin2(


I havent seen it to be honest Mallard, but will have a look as the steriliser sounds interesting.
Dont ever grow up, its a trap
Benny&Co
Project Hedgehog Leader
Posts: 13793
Joined: 03 Jan 2011, 11:51
Gender: Female
Location: South

Re: Bobs 2012 Dairy

Post by Benny&Co »

Wonderful pictures Bob, I do love seeing everyone's progress and learning from you all.

I think I may have gone a bit wrong with my compost.

Didn't realise you're mean't to sieve it and I have started reusing last years.

This possibly explains why I've got beetroot seedlings sprouting up with my coriander seedlings and things like that!! >dum<
Bev x
Our family: my-Lovely-Hubbly and I, Benny and our two little Ladies - Betty and Gloria.

RIP dear little Ladies - Lottie, Cottie, Elsie, Dottie, Hilda and Margie. You may have gone, but are never ever forgotten.
User avatar
HappyBob
Legendary Laner
Posts: 1512
Joined: 19 Dec 2011, 02:14
Gender: Male
Location: E. Yorks

Re: Bobs 2012 Dairy

Post by HappyBob »

Benny&Co wrote:Wonderful pictures Bob, I do love seeing everyone's progress and learning from you all.

I think I may have gone a bit wrong with my compost.

Didn't realise you're mean't to sieve it and I have started reusing last years.

This possibly explains why I've got beetroot seedlings sprouting up with my coriander seedlings and things like that!! >dum<


Thankyou Benny&Co, I dont think its compulsary to seive it, this is my home made compost from two years ago and i prefare to seive it, to filter out stones, twigs, and other debris that may find its way into my veg beds. Am I correct in assuming that you are reusing last years commercially bought compost? which will be main reason that its got a few guests in it. This year i,m also planning to use some of last years spent compost (seived)mixed with a little of my home made compost and pearlite to make a potting compost, to help save a little cash (after all the Victorians never had garden centres did they). I am aware that because neither has been sterilized that I could be causing myself some problems, hence the interest in a homemade soil sterilizer.
Dont ever grow up, its a trap
User avatar
Spreckly
Legendary Laner
Posts: 5826
Joined: 26 Mar 2011, 14:21

Re: Bobs 2012 Dairy

Post by Spreckly »

Bob, all your allotment work sounds wonderful. Interesting about the bulb planter for the spuds, though. OH makes a trench, while I load it with some soot (saved from last year's chimney sweeping), place the spuds, and then some chicken pellets, before raking into a long, small tunnel. So far we have only planted first earlies. It is so cold today after the beautiful week we have had.

Hope your main crop does well, plus all your other veg, you have worked so very hard.
Locked