First proper work done on the New Year Plot

Due to the Weather and Christmas festivities we haven't been to the Allotment much over the last week or so...

First job was to clear the greenhouse completely and top up with compost made on the plot.
In the top photo you can see a wheelbarrow full of this dark crumbly compost that has been cooking in the bin for at least 2 years. We will be planting an early crop of Feltham First Peas here.

In this wheelbarrow is a load of well rotted Manure, it's the last of a load delivered 2 years ago so has broken down well, we planted Squashes and Pumpkins in the muck pile over summer, so has done its work. 

This is the Asparagus bed, Stewarts Purple, which we set up in 2011, we got a good crop last year and this year and following years will get better and better, but it needed a good weeding. 
So after the weeding was done, the manure was used to re-charge the soil  and top dress the dormant root stock.

I worked on weeding this patch today, started it last month but will need to carry on to remove all the invasive weeds, like Ground Elder, Bind Weed, Nettles and Dock. Oddly this year we have had an invasion of Dock, they have very long tapering roots, all has to be removed!  

But if like me you find a tangle of White roots, not dissimilar to the London Underground Map you have Ground Elder, if Yellow roots most likely Nettles! It all has to be removed too. I like to hand dig these out before I do the Rotovating because if any of these roots are chopped up, each piece will grow another plant, Horse tails/Rats tails do the same!

So sadly I only got a small part dug over, I still have all the rest, up to the Scarecrow to do, but it will be worth it. We will be growing this years Potatoes here and muck will need to be incorporated first!

Crop growing update:

Here are the White 'Radar' Onions I planted out October  14th 2012
I think most have sprouted.

Here you can see the Musselborough Leeks I planted out August 5th 2012

Here, if you ignore the few weeds, are the Garlic's, that were planted out October 14th 2012.

So all in all it was a good few hours spent today, so on every available dry day I will be down weeding the Potato patch.

Thanks for reading/returning. Ian. Oh and Happy New Year everyone X