Selfsufficientish.com

We had the same wind so I hid indoors beside the fire!

The weather has been rubbish here. Intermitent heavy showers and STRONG winds! Alotment has been positivly neglected this weekend as weather and poorly darlings has limited us greatly. Have managed to move the ponies and poo pick the field (Both the used on and 48hrs woth on the new one!!) so not completely wasted weekend! Also managed to get some seedling from the local garden center Heavily reduced so hopefully we should get some earlier veg!

The o/h went down the allotment and managed to dig up the remainder of
the J. artichokes before they decided to root themselves again!
Also managed to plant another couple of rows of broad beans, before the sleet came down!
Finally finished chitting the remainder of potatoes.

Lots more snow today... Can hardly see the garden!

In amongst the snow and freezing wind, hoe'd the weeds (they really hate that when it's this cold), finally rigged up my water collection system (real Heath Robinson affair of old sink pipes, gutters and a collection of barrels at the top of my allotment being fed from my shed roof at the bottom of the allotment, with a gravity irregation system in mind for the summer , if we get one this year.)

Finished the main structure of m' friut cage, just need to stop it wobbling so much in the wind, then I'll get some plastic mesh for it.

Potted up my tomato, chillie, cauiliflower seedlings.

I just can't get out there at the moment it's so wet and water-logged! I was hoping to do some work this weekend, but the weather forecast still looks grim

I'm hoping to pick up a greenhouse from my Dad's on Sunday though, then I can start planting things up in my garden to take to the allotment, so it's not all gloom

Planted hedge plants in the rain today - at least there was no risk of the roots drying out

Couple of days ago it didn't rain so I got in another row of broad beans and the rest of the onion sets.

Lots of seeds/seed trays clogging up my one windowsill - Time to really nag OH to make that cold frame .....

Yesterday here was beautiful - sunny, breezey but up to 19°C. The earlier flowering of the cherry trees was covered in bees; many more than I've seen in the previous two seasons, so I'm hoping for a reasonable harvet this year. Today looks pretty crappy though so it's going to be an in-the-garage building panels for the Mk IV hen house. One more day of sun and bees before the blossom falls would be just perfect....

Hooray for decent weather at a weekend at last! I spent two days digging brambles out of a derelict allotment - back breaking (and arm-bleeding!) work but so satisfying to see the difference it's made. I now have a pile of brambles about 8ft high by 12ft across - I assume that burning it is the best bet (I don't have access to a chipper)?

You could make bramble tip wine out of the youngest shoots (but I wouldn't recommend it!). Yes, burn it.

I hate meese's to peice's, the little bastards have dug up my third sowing of pea's (they were presoaked for an hour or two in chillie oil to prevent this...I am told it needs to be done over night), they have nipped the growing shoot of second sowing in places (first sowing OK)
So potted up some more to grow in the green house rapidly.

Added extra stability to the fruit cage, just need the netting now.

Saturday chucked it down, first rain we've had in ages, this pointed out the leaks in my new water harvesting/irregation system (ie it pissed it all away ), so spent the morning tightening up joints etc.

Dug a double trench ready for my potatoes which are going in next week.

Planted out the first of my salad seedlings, hopefully this mild weather will suite them.

in the garden today my cabbages are doing great as are my caulis, my scallies lettuce and radishes are doing great guns also, all my sweet peas have settled in swimmingly.
Everything is really comming to life, its so exciting seeing life come back after the winter sleep, just think shortly home grown fresh organic produce mmmmmmm

all the best for the new season
Russ

After the great snow we had the great flood. Sunshine today, so it's started drying off a bit...

Got on today sowing ots of seeds 'cos my lovely OH made me a cold frame . (We are just hoping the wind doesn't pick up tonight as the top is as yet not fixed on properly).

Had hoped to sow seeds direct as well but too wet after Sunday's rain.

Had a really good session in the veg patch this morning - levelled soil, made a bean trench and filled it with manure, sowed parsnips, leaf beet, radishes and rocket. Transplanted lettuces and cabbages.

Then I looked at the weather forecast - snow is forecast for here on Sunday