Sunday 31 January 2016

Time to cut down the tree

This Laylandii tree has been growing on our plot for many years, as they have shallow roots the strong winds lately have started to push it over, sadly onto our neighbour's shed, so it's time it came down.
So with the help of a few plot holders, Ian, Adam, Dave & John with his chainsaw, we managed to get most of the right side removed, it only took a few hours too. 
So next week, weather permitting, we will attempt to remove the rest. 
While I was there I dug up a few Parsnips for dinner too.

Thanks for reading/returning. Ian

Sunday 10 January 2016

First Blog of 2016, very damp, but at least not flooded

We went to the Allotment today just to check it out as I'd heard some of our neighbours plots had flooded! But luckily ours was OK, just very damp. 
Surprisingly there were still some Charlotte potatoes in the ground so I dug some up for tonight's dinner. 
This time of the year is ideal for fruit tree pruning, while they are dormant, this Apple tree will need some pruning to keep it healthy and aid fruit growth.
As I said our plot was very damp, so I checked the well, I don't use it much as our rain barrels provide much needed irrigation, but as you can see the well is full, I estimate its only a few inches below soil level, so the water table has risen quite considerably. 
But at least no rain today, some plots are under water and wont dry out for months. 
So sad to see.

Onions, Garlic, Kale & Potatoes still doing well. No sign of Rhubarb yet, under the manure, but spring is just around the corner, so better get some seeds started.

Thanks for reading/returning. Ian