down at the allotment and in the garden what are you up to

[Shirley]

We've got some fartichokes to plant too - we'll be getting them in the ground asap.

[gunners71uk]

went to lottie today edged one side of me path and dug part of the adajent plot about 3 ft across to keep weeds down got about half way.dug up most of me parsnips for the christmas period,dug up some leeks,cant get into proper digging as its so boggy.allotment friend dropped of me home made christmas cake.got some digging to do and need to move some pooh.not many down .
regards

[Rohen]

I got accosted by two plum trees at Homebase on Sunday ; a Victoria plum and an Imperial Gage tenner each

So I went and popped them in the ground at the allotment... I shall post pics when I remember to take a camera along to the plot

[Joe]

planted some garlic; fixed up raspberry cane support thingies that the wind had damaged and did a bit of weeding... OK, the mrs did the weeding :)

[Christine]

there is a quote button on the right hand side. hit that and cut out the bits you dont need.

Huge thanks (if I've got this to work). I got lost on my way back to the original question and have just found it again.

My allotment is bleak and very, very wet but the leeks are struggling on - too small to take them up yet - and the cabbages look just as unappetising as they did a month ago. White broccoli looks happy, though, as the white fly is reduced by cold and wet weather. Planted bulbs of tulip and daffodil and some 'woodland' bulbs, too. Also, gooseberry, raspberry and blueberry bushes, and grape vine have been in for about a month or six weeks.

Good news on the campaign for happier birds! My neighbour (no re-cycling, no home cooking, no interest in plants, no interest in the environment) announced that she only buys free range chickens now, having seen the River Cottage programme. I haven't yet told her about where the birds come from in the pre-packed and take-away chicken she usually eats - but I will, I will!

[PurpleDragon]

We now have a beautiful oak sapling in the middle of our garden and it's gonna look amazing when it grows. :P We are going to put one of those flat stone circles around it - the ones you generally see shrubs in.

We have also made a start on our willow tipi - it will be about 12' across. We got bare root willow from Forvie Tree Nursery (from the insistance of my Mum :) ) at 30p each :!: and the scrounged willow cuttings will go along the chicken run mixed in with the scrounged elder, to make a wind break.

This afternoon Himself is going to plant out the blackberry and blackcurrant plants in the weed area. We are going to tread down the weeds (which are about 6' high right now and put black plastic over the top. Then we will plant thru the plastic, and put grass cuttings down over the top of the plastic to hold it down and also keep them warm over the winter months. Himself wants to plant berry bushes all down the one side of the garden, but we will need a heck of a lot more plants - it is about 275' long!

Also, I need to put the strrawbs into the polytunnel, and put the horse manure down in the plot to rot down over the winter.

[Boots]

Sounds good PD.

Been out in the yards this arvo, and am pleased to report we have some progress, too. Paddocks are on the mend and sorghum is on its way up, in patches, mind you - but that's ok.. It's coming up. Pigeon pea has all shot really well and is looking good. The stuff in the beds is doing much better than the orchard, but am not sure if that is because they were a different batch of seed or the conditions. Orchard is tough going... despite a lot of work out there, it is still largely clay based and very compacted. I can see signs of repair though, so that's good.

Amaranth is up too, and even found some down by the dam inlet. You would be amazed what I find down there! The odd lettuce, pumpkin, corn...Rain is a powerful thing.

Need to put in more contours. They are booming... lots of feed shooting up along all of them, and it is nice to see green lines if nothing else. Have some weird thing appearing in lots of different places and have no idea what it is.... It is a pretty leaf. Have scattered that much seed, I lose track of what is supposed to be appearing. Will have to take a picture and see if anyone can ID it. Prolly a weed, but nothing is really a weed when you have goats, so will just wait and see whether they like it.

Spent this arvo raising rock walls. After the rain, they are all full of soil and I am now wondering why on earth I spent so long carting soil before... From now on, I will be letting the rain move it for me!

Have a stack of topsoil collected in the end of a goat pen though and have just begun laying out some fresh feed bins to fill tomorrow and plant out. Girls are already groaning, "But its Christmas!!!!"

Had a batch of ducklings wander out today, only to be attacked by the drakes. Lost 3, so Mama duck and her brood now have exclusive rights to the coop and the rest can think about their behaviour for a bit..

We have our first batch of peacocks due on or about the 10th, and must say I am very excited. I love the noisy buggers. Mama Peahen was very sensible and set up home in one of the goats birthing stalls, so they will all be safe from harm and have heaps of room to wander about once they hatch. Can't wait to see them.

The kittens ventured out today too. 4 little curious critters. One without a tail. Am not much of a cat person, and they are very much daughter number 1's thing - but they are cute, no denying that.

The buck is in with the does at the mo, and his pen is looking GOOD. Might put him back on Christmas Day, so he can get a surprise too. It is full of feed. The does next pen is not so good though, Can't seem to get it going this time. I tried millet in there and won't bother again. Stringy rubbish that it is... Might see if I can turn it over tomorrow and bung some corn in or something.

Vegies aren't much. Will try and give them a bit more attention over the Christmas hols.Looking forward to some digging tomorrow, so should go to bed, I think. 'Night.

[gunners71uk]

any way got down the allotment did a load of digging great way to detox lol
picked a load of leeks and made a leeks au gratin in the freezer for sunday.its quite funny seeing all the steaming piles manure appeared over the xmas period at the allotment.i will sleep well tonight.zzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Rohen]

Bought a water butt and positioned so that it can get the run off from the shed that Ive just had put up in the garden.

Insulated the shed and just have to finish that off and then tile the floor

Its all happening...

[gunners71uk]

well hoping to do a bit digging down lottie tomorrow but not today as got a serious bit of pork to demolish AND ITS NEW YEARS DAY !!!
so had a tidy in me garden checked on sweet peas getting tall i have pinched out,neighbour gave me a load of pots trays sorted them out which to keep ,aeriated me lawn and thats about it still waking up
HAPPY NEW YEAR
REGARDS DAVE

[Merry]

Ain`t no way any digging will get done on the allotment for a while. It`s absolutely waterlogged!
All I can do is pick the stuff for dinner and do shed and tool maintenance. aka tidying up!
And have a lovely look through the seed catalogues
HAPPY NEW YEAR FOLKS!

[red]

dug up and divided rhubarb plant from old home - and shared with family and friends bits of the poor old plant - hopefully it will take again as its a good flavour rhubarb.

more fencing.. in the rain..
more digging.. in the rain..
attacked strange climbing plant in greenhouse as want the room for productive plants, like tomatoes. made huge list of seeds from seed catalogue...

[gunners71uk]

well went to the allotment first job cleaned the allotment toilet had to use bleach to make it clean one of a minority who keeps it clean.swept it out as well.then gave me hands a good wash!.
then pulled some leeks for sundays tea.
then had a look at the ground did a good bit of digging.it wernt too wet it crumbled up as i turned it not clay ground fairly loamy so thats a bit more done.now sitting here and drinking baileys lol
regards dave

[Chickpea]

We've been promised new toilets on our allotment, but I'm lobbying for a communal shed too. We're not allowed individual sheds or structures of any kind (greenhouses etc.) but there are some communal tools which are stored in the toilets. It'd be a shame if our lovely new toilets ended up full of rakes and mowers. Even if they just left one of the existing toilet sheds minus the toilet for use as a storage shed.

I'm trying to dig out couch grass. For at least two foot down there's no soil to speak of, just a solid tangle of couch grass roots. What can I do? I'm sorely tempted to Roundup the lot. "Take off and nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure".

[Boots]

If you can't put up a hut, then I guess bringing a pig in is out of the question?

That is a heck of a lot of roots. Can you blanket in mulch and build the bed up instead? Gotta be easier than trying to pull/dig that out...