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

[Hawthorn]

We've been digging! We just got an allotment last week and it has couch grass all over it. A few years worth of growth, apparently. The locals at the allotment said we were mental for taking it on. Lots of people have passed it by Now we know why we got one after under a years wait

[Mydreamlife]

Myfruit cage ( tht I lovingly constructed at the weekend) as blown away!!! Well actually in to the ditch!!!! Can't reach it due to barbed wire and brambles so will send OH in at the week end !!! Very cross though as I even pegged it down!

[Hawthorn]

Oh no! Bad luck

[Blue]

With the help of my Daughter we put in some new herbs and repotted some.
Nicky(Blue)

[Mainer in Exile]

Sowed some more seedlings today: cabbage, kohlrabi, and tomatoes.

[ina]

kohlrabi

Do you sow kohlrabi direct, or in a seedtray/modules? I've just had no luck with them at all so far... And they are one of my favourite veg, and difficult to buy here!

[Mainer in Exile]

I've tried a couple of time sowing them direct. The first time, the local hares ate them all. The second time (last year) they didn't grow at all. This year I am trying sowing them in seed trays, see if I have more luck.

[ina]

I think I'll have to try several methods, too... I hate it when the seed packets always state that they are "so easy to grow"!

[circlecross]

I am usually the opposite - I neglect t o read the packet until something goes wrong then look at the packet and think "oh, that's why..."

trotted early into town with the boys, and it was lovely and quiet, so we picked up some fruit canes, (ridiculously cheap), a compost sieve, some pepper plants so ds1 can plant something straight away, a wigwam support, (my home made affair went fwang! last year), but restrained myself from trying to carry a bundle of 9ft bamboos. I'll wait till I have assisstance I think!

This afternoon I am off to a stable to shovel ahem manure, and fill up the boot of the car (bagged first!) thanks to the wonder of freecycle!

Just got to get rid of all the weeds!

[Green Rosie]

Today I had planned loads in the veg patch - so it is raining heavily . If it is still wet tomorrow I'll go for sowing in seed trays/pots and keep nagging OH to make that cold frame. No doubt having seed trays clogging up our one and only windowsill might goad him into action

[John Headstrong]

I am mainly digging.

the think black plastic has done the job, there are loads of docks and buttercups but they are leggy and white/yellow and easy to dig out.

it is a great day up here (Scotland) first day it has not rained for ages

[JR]

We up today after putting in Nanny Biscuit's spuds yesterday at her house.

Managed to put the peas in before the heavens opened.
Ted over the way gave us some parsnips. Check out the size of that beauty!! Kids were impressed too!

Have to wait until next weekend to carry on now, never mind!

Plot is doing great, garlic and onions planted late last year are getting there and the fruit bushes and trees all budding.

Rhubarb is doing great too!

[circlecross]

hoorah, I finally got some decent time in the allotment. The dh was dispatched with the boys into town, as there was a continental market on - lots of food stalls, the dh had no problem with going. Donned my finest allotment chic, (layers, bug jersey that makes me look enormous, and hat), and headed up there with fruit canes, old grobags to add to the mix and fork and rake.

There was a brass monkey wandering around with a bag over each arm looking for a welder, but undeterred, I got stuck in. Even when my mum rang to ask me where I was as she had rang the house and had no answer, and then to tell me "I might get cold" I still stayed.

I am convinced that the roots are actually some kind of War of the Worlds alien life form lying dormant underthe soil waiting for the lightening bolt. Boy, are those aliens gonna have a nasty suprise when they realise I've dug up all their babies.

Even when the back was throbbing, I dug, determined to get the soil approaching a tilth. Even though I am still going to be removing weeds forever, hopefully now they will be pick-out-able rather than diggable.

And, I got some fruit canes in!!!

My jubilation was punctured (but only slightly)by my point scoring sister who immediately said "Did you support them? Did you put netting round them?"
I replied that if the birds wanted to eat bark over the weekend then there was nothing I could do but that I could probably quite feasibly leave it till Tuesday to do this.

Hurrah!!! I've actually planted something!

If the net is moving a little quicker I'll post photos of the site on my Myspace, for if you have really got too much time on your hands!

[ina]

Congratulations, circlecross - isn't it satisfying, to actually see something planted!

My activity in the garden was restricted to trying to weigh down the fleece I have over some early sowings... It's blowing a hoolie. My mail box has already succumbed.

[Thurston Garden]

Planted out my red onion sets which came in the post yesterday. Planted them inside the big tunnel which was taking a right battering from a northerly wind! We rarely get a northerly here and I am not afraid to tell ya that it was a right damn cold wind! Wud have cut you in half!

Nice and warm in the tunnel though, if a bit noisy. Poor dog was shaking from head to toe - good excuse for packing up early and drinking lotsof tea in the house!