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

[Andy Hamilton]

Well, I managed to print off the very well organised seed list and list of "what things to do when" last night... Have to start somewhere, don't I! Last year I printed it off, too, and then lost it.

Ah the best laid plans Every year at around this time I forget two things.
Firstly - despite working out how long it will take to prepare the ground I always under estimate and a patch always stays uncultivated.
Secondly - I forget that my allotment is not a tardis and measure up what
I have got ready for planting thinking that I can plant twice as much as I do.

Trying to keep the plans realistic this year and cultivating one bit at a time planting everything week by week when it needs to be planted. Hopefully the methodical approach will work better than the manic get everything possible in the ground at once approach.

So far just got some garlic in, almost ready for broad beans. Then the usual rhubarb, raspberries, grape vine (no grapes yet 3rd year), hops, red currants and various perennial herbs.

[ina]

Managed to plant a red currant today!

[circlecross]

my mum has bought me some greenhouse plant seeds (toms pepps cucs etc) and some farticus things (cauli, brocc etc) and a couple of fruit canes. Then she said "You'll have your work cut out" with a demonic twinkle in her eye and left it at that. As have I

[charlie]

Planted a couple of rows of onions, and measured where the greenhouse is to go.

[MikeM]

got the first lot of broad beans in, dug the bed where I wanna sow parnips and am almost finished nagging mrs m to decide what she wants me to grow this year.

[Cheezy]

planted in m'brand spanking new heated propagator (I can recommend the Garland Top 10 50W propagator, it has 10 mini props on a heated base, good if like me I want a range of veg, rather than a lot of one type. you can get about 8 evenly spaced seeds in each mini prop, or you can get two "standard" seed trays on the base instead)

Hungerian hot wax chillies
"Tropical heat" habernero chilli
Cayenne chillies
"Tastey"large red pepper
Black krim tomatoes
Brandywine tomatoes
Ferline tomatoes
Sungold tomatoes
Gardeners delight tomatoes
Aubergine (can't remember the variety: small one)

Also planted in a cold frame little gem and romano lettice,leeks and bordeux spinach (as a salad crop)

Down lottie we (actually MOH) dug the raspberry bed and added lots of muck.
While I messed around raising another bed (for potatoes initially then to become her flower cutting bed in late summer)and planning where and if I can plant all the fruit I want to get.

[justskint]

Seeded Broccili, squash, salsify on window sill yesterday. Chard I seeded a few days ago on the sill have started to germinate this morning, this gets me excited!

[Mainer in Exile]

I seeded celeriac and 7 kinds of lettuce today. I got one bed ready in the garden, planted some radish and turnip seeds, and covered the bed with a fleece to help keep it a bit warm.

I can't believe the weather this year. It's still February and already feels like late March/early April.

[ina]

I'm currently excavating some very, very old muck, and I'm treating all my fruit bushes and trees to a very good mulching with it... Don't trust the weather one bit - we usually have a week's snow ("proper" snow, i.e. snowbound) in March!

[oldfella]

Spent the day building a raised seed bed as I received my order from Realseeds today. I think I may have a problem as we have already sown our Feve, Peas, Parsnips, Onions, and about 20 rows of Taters to put in, methinks that I will have to start a new plot. I spent the winter months building water storage reservoir which holds 25mt cube of water from the roofs and and with the help of neighbours put 250mts of pipe down to the river as in the summer we dont get enough rain to fill it so I have to pump it up'' (don't half make yer arms ache). I have been talking to my mate Rène and he tells me that I should dig up all around the fruit trees instead of just around the base of each, mind you his trees do seem much more productive than ours, so I would apreciate any thoughts or tips anyone has on the subject just to give me something else to think about, but what the hell, I not going anywhere. My OH whom incidentally I to met through the Net, but that's another story, is writing down some of her own recipes for me to post and as she is German/Dutch she is translating them for me. Oh well the Dogs are waiting to go to bed so I must go; Night all

[Peggy Sue]

Bit worried my broad beans wouldn't have liked that -6C we had last week but hey, they are up!

Our allotment club delivery of compost and potatoes this saturday which is a bit late, I've aready used loads of compost potting up like tomatoes, aubergine, cauli, broccoli- good job I had some left over from last year. Hoping the spuds will have time to chit, really wanted to get them in Easter but maybe I'm just being impatient!

[circlecross]

got to the lottie today with ds1 frantic and carrying a spade, and ds2 wheezing and trapped in a backpack. He had just woken up and I thought he might go over again. He did not . My relaxing potter in the lottie was accompanied by a backing track of constant screaming. Ds1 was not helping by racing around the place then jumping on ds2 so nerves were a little frayed. Managed to dig over a length of about 2m, pulling out some massive roots (dandelion? dock? who knows) then ds1 wet himself, as a protest to not being able to go to ELC today (due to his behaviour, not my meanness, and so it goes on). So we had to come back.
I am fed up with not having the time, especially as every other lottie holder has suddenly transformed their plot! Mine was the most overgrown - I was ashamed! There is a skip coming next weekend to get rid of the rubbish, and I need to get some work done! I have told everyone it is all systems go, so hopefully we can have a bit of a purge, then take it in stages. Half an hour by myself would be a luxury - even as I write I am fighting of small hands from pressing escape keys and larger small hands pulling at my legs!

[justskint]

I remeber those days, took my boy to work on one occasion walked mud over customers carpet.

[Gytrash]

Spent the last couple of weekends clearing our new half-plot...

Here's a 'Before' pic...


I'll post an 'After' one when it's finished!


We've already got some 'donated' broad beans to plant, assorted seed packets, onion sets, potatoes are chitting, a redcurrant bush, a blueberry bush, and even an apricot tree! (£4 in Aldi!). Looks like it's gonna be a busy weekend

[circlecross]

absolutely chucking a gale here - the water trays were almost emptying and refilling themselves. So nothing doing but fully intend to get something done this weekend. Maybe Mother's Day treat will be for boys to clear off (dh included!) and mummy can potter in the garden

We do have some potatoes chitting (they have been chitting for a month, but our conservatory is colder than outdoors!) and some bags prepared with blood and bone etc so as soon as we have sproutage in they go!

I was looking at the troughs I grew lettuce in last year, and pulling out all the weeds, and I found a carrot! I pulled it out, washed it, and ds1 promptly ate it! He's still with us so it must've been OK.