Sues Allotment Diary

Forgot what happened last year - maybe it's here!!
little brown hen
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Sues Allotment Diary

Post by little brown hen »

Happy New Year everyone. Hope its going to be a good year for growing veg. Ive been up a couple of times to do stuff. I started clearing the path in front of my plot of moss. I got about three quarters done. Then I went and potted up strawberry runners in the green house so we can have early strawberries, and I planted my garlic, also in the greenhouse. Ive still got to finish the front path, but it needs to warm up a bit. OH bought me a DAB digital radio to have up there, and I used it on Thursday and its brilliant, so I now have Ken Bruce loud and clear while I get my allotment ready. :-D
ImageThe front path
Image Strawberry plants.
Image Garlic.
Mum to Sox and Boo,and hens, Bramble,
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Stef
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Re: Sues Allotment Diary

Post by Stef »

Clearing paths and strawberries? I am impressed, Sue. It's still freezing round here, the wind is evil! But I suppose that, like us, you were just excited that the rain had stopped :-D
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little brown hen
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Re: Sues Allotment Diary

Post by little brown hen »

Absolutely Stef.
It was raining first thing this morning, and I had to go to the doctors first thing, and called in at the allotment on the way home. There was a bit of snow on the ground, and it was 2 degrees, and surprise, surprise I was the only one up there, apart from the chickens. We are supposed to be having reasonable weather the next few days so I'll start hoeing/digging over the plot ready for the better weather in a month or so. :-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 Allotment Diary

Post by little brown hen »

Just been and bought my seed potatoes. I got Rooster and King Edwards. Our local garden centre has its Potato Fest this weekend. Its extremely popular and as the weather is supposed to be rubbish I thought Id get them while I was buying chicken treats. )t'
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 Allotment Diary

Post by little brown hen »

Went and collected my seeds yesterday. Very exciting, there was garlic, butternut squash, carrots, sprouts, beans etc and herbs, hyssop, sweet Cicely and strawberry sticks. Just need some good weather now.
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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Annie
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Re: Sues Allotment Diary

Post by Annie »

Well done Sue, you are most certainly on a roll with preparations for the growing season on your Lottie
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MissEllie
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Re: Sues Allotment Diary

Post by MissEllie »

Looks like you're off to a good start sue. When will your early strawberries be ready if you've started them now? We have some plants from last year but no real signs of life yet.
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Re: Sues Allotment Diary

Post by little brown hen »

Im presuming early spring, but Ive not done this before so Im hoping a month or so before the ones out in the ground. They aren't showing any signs of doing anything yet.
Ive been down a couple of times now. Yesterday I planted more garlic and dug up leeks, pulled up swedes and cut cabbage. Today I plotted out trenches for potatoes.
Image
Trenches marked out ready for being dug.
Image
The sun was out and it was very pleasant up there.
Image
Ive lit my bbq a couple of times now to get a bit of warmth, it isn't very satisfactory, and I would like a chimera.
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 Allotment Diary

Post by little brown hen »

February already!
I now have trenches dug for potatoes. The clay soil is sodden, and shlurps when dug out and has been very hard work. There are lumps in the bottom of the trenches to remove but Im waiting until they dry out a bit. I planted a few bulbs around the pond.
I have planted leeks, cauliflowers and brussels sprouts in trays in the greenhouse and my garlic is growing really fast.
I went on 14th and moved an old small greenhouse frame with canes in it across the plot, and I tidied up the area where it had stood. I also emptied one of the compost bins to fill in puddles on some areas, I also used horse poo too.
Ive bought a wood burner, and put a piece of mesh in it so I can also burn charcoal. It works really well. I also bought a 4 tier plastic greenhouse which I installed today and I can put plants in there to bring on before I plant them out, but that isnt going to happen until it warms up a bit at night.
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 Allotment Diary

Post by little brown hen »

Image
Wood burner
Image
The shed and canes before I started tidying up.
Image
Canes beside my tea shed.
Image
Tidied area beside the shed.
Image
New greenhouse.
Image
Potato trenches
Image
Compost bin emptied, and the area ready for it to go back.
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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Annie
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Re: Sues Allotment Diary

Post by Annie »

My goodness Sue, you have put a lot of work and effort in today, you make sure you have a good soak to ease your muscles. I can see what you mean about the trenches, they look really wet and heavy but wow you didn't skimp on the job, I take my hat off to you.
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
little brown hen
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Re: Sues Allotment Diary

Post by little brown hen »

Thanks Annie. I have a bed covered in chitting potatoes which will go in next month.
and tomorrow Im going to sort out my herbs and see what's survived. I have some to plant and one that I cant remember what Im supposed to do with :-D when it grows, so that will be interesting!
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 Allotment Diary

Post by little brown hen »

Been to the allotment a couple of times this week to do some weeding and check the greenhouse. Ive planted cauliflower seeds, some while ago, and after a couple of weeks they werent doing anything, so I planted some more. Bad move, they've all come up! So I'm going to have a whole bed of just cauliflowers. There are some brussels sprout plants too, and leeks. Ive weeded two of the beds, and dug over half of one. The weather has been lovely the last couple of days, but they are threatening snow at the end of the week. Its about time we had some nice spring weather, and I feel so sorry for people in the north who are still snowed in.
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 Allotment Diary

Post by little brown hen »

As there is nothing I can do on the allotment at the moment I decided to make my 'small' pond bigger.
Image
I started a week ago, and took out the water, (most of it) and the liner, and started digging. It was very wet and muddy, I was paddling in the water that remained, and I made it wider and deeper.
Image
I bought some liner, and went up and put that down, and tried using the hose to fill it from the water butts, but gravity wasnt with me, and I had to use two buckets to fill it.
Image
The next day I went down to bury the liner. I cut off the strip that was excess, but when I looked at the pictures I'd taken the liner looked baggy, so today my son Angus came and helped me and shaped the sides a bit better, and finally I think it is finished. Ive got tadpoles in it and some pond weed which I bought yesterday, and now it needs to settle and perhaps when it rains fill up a bit more. I think when its done that it is going to be just right. :-D
Image
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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Linda S
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Re: Sues Allotment Diary

Post by Linda S »

Looks lovely Sue and all the froggys that reside there should make short work of any veg gobblers )t' Lindaxx
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