Wet & Dismal harvesting Sunday

Well despite an earlier forecast of dry weather, it turned out to be a drizzly day.

But we had been told that the Potatoes were ready for collection today, from the on site shop so we ventured out and yes our Charlotte & Anya Potatoes were there with our name on.
Anya is a cross of Desiree & Pink Fir Apple and is described as a Salad type, so nice hot or cold.

So we went to the Plot to harvest some crops, in the picture above, from Left to Right, Horseradish, Sprouts, Leeks & Carrots.
All looking surprisingly good after the freezing temperatures of the last few months, in fact the Sprouts have improved I think from a little freeze and are lovely and sweet.

So we were only there for about half an hour, didn't even take my camera for fear of getting it wet. But there is next week, which is a special weekend, watch this space for next update.
Thanks for reading/returning. Ian

Clear up Sunday, part 2

A lovely day today, blue skies and sunny too.

We did have a light snow shower on Friday, but went same day.

But as you can see 'Bonfire Time' again, still clearing up, we tidied up the Strawberry beds of old dead leaves & removed the Straw from between plants, a good hiding place for slugs & their eggs!

I also dug out an old Blackcurrant bush that was rather old & less productive, in the space made we plan to have a couple of Blueberry trees.





Now that the Rain Barrels have thawed out a small leak has developed & why does it have to be right at the bottom of the main barrel? The one all the others are filled from !!

So do I drain it and try to fix with 'Duct Tape' or replace with a new one?












The Birds are still hungry so I put up an extra feeding platform, with mixed seed & fat balls too.

We put out a fat block last week & today noticed it had been totally eaten, not a scrap left, so shows you how hungry the Birds are at the moment.












So as you can see the sky was Blue and not a cloud in sight. But still chilly, so only about 2 hours was spent there (we forgot to pack a flask).
Still more clearing to do, but almost there.

My main crop seed Potatoes arrived this week, a new variety 'Markies' so will be 'chitting' them soon ready for planting in March/April.


Thanks for reading/returning. Ian

1st Sunday of the New Year

It seems to be a tradition now, looking back to last year, we were on the plot on Sunday 3rd Jan 2010 too.

First job was to clear this raised bed and put the Garlic in, 3 varieties: Aquila Wight, Elephant & one Un-named. I put netting over just while they get established as we get Pheasants that just claw bulbs up whilst searching for insects etc.








But the main job was to collect all the old/dead foliage up and have a big Bonfire. I love this time of year as you start with a clean slate and can plan whats going where.

The Seeds have arrived & the Potatoes are due soon, so now the ground preparation can start.











So after 3+ hours work we managed to take down all the Pea & Bean frames, pull up all the spent flowers, weeds etc. Luckily most were dry enough to burn so the Bonfire was quite a big one (although burnt down somewhat in this photo).
Eventually all the ash will be dug back into the soil, recycling at it's best :)


Thanks for reading/returning. Ian

1st Day of the New Year 2011

The Ice & Snow that had stopped us doing any work on the plot had finally gone.

So now the ground wasn't frozen solid, we managed to finally dig up the Parsnips, also harvested some Sprouts too, that were frozen last week, was hoping to have them for Christmas Lunch, but had to have them today instead and they were lovely & sweet.








So as I said the Snow had now gone and hopefully lots of soil bound bugs too.

Just need a few dry days and the serious work can start, clearing & soil preparation and of course a bonfire.

I am planning to put a pond in this year to attract Frogs & Toads, so the Slugs better watch out.

Another task to do today was to refill the Bird feeders with fat balls & blocks. They still need assistance from us as the ground is still too cold to hold the bugs they need.

Thanks for reading/returning & Happy New Year too all.

Frosty day on the plot

First week of really cold weather, -4 today. Soil & Rain barrels frozen solid.

Only thing I could do was re-fill the bird feeders with fat balls.

This cheeky, fat, Robin was 1st in the queue.












Snowy Leeks.

These leeks will be so nice when at full maturity. Apparently a good frost does them good. I hope they survive -4 !









Picturesque Plot.

As the ground was frozen solid, no digging was possible, shame, so a quick check to see that nothing was missing or stolen and all was well.





But heard some good news, our association has managed to secure a grant to pay for a secure locking gate at the entrance to our site & some barbed wire too.
Should keep the undesirables out :)

Thanks for reading/returning. Ian.

Wintertime

Sorry been a long time since last update, but had a busy few weeks with projects at home, plus the weather hasn't been good for Allotment work.
But did have to rush down one afternoon, due to phone call from neighbor who's shed
had been broken into, so checked ours which had been opened but all was OK, but talking to other plot holders about 12 sheds had things taken from them, mostly tools & mechanical equipment, especially petrol powered. Apparently there is a notorious gang who only take these type of things as they have a ready market for them, which is a worry. But at least I never keep expensive equipment in the shed, prefer to keep my
tools at home.

.
So now for this week: We put some 'fat balls' up for the birds & almost straight away this cheeky Robin appeared.

It's important now the weathers colder to keep the feeders topped up.





The Sprouts are still doing well and with only 34 days to go until Christmas, they have time to get bigger.

Only crop harvested today was Carrots, but managed to temporary plant some extra Raspberry canes ready for cropping next autumn, will put them in the fruit cage with the rest soon.


Thanks for reading/returning, Ian.

Weekend before the clocks go back

Almost another 2 week interlude, but this picture is of the harvest from last weekend (17th) as we didn't have time to do anything else, due to other commitments.

Raspberries, Carrots
and
Sweet Potatoes which we actually grew in a large pot.



So back to today, which was another sunny, but chilly, day.

These Brussel Sprouts are looking good, and should be huge by Christmas, which seems to be the only time most people eat them, but we like them with a Sunday roast. But they do taste so much nicer than Shop bought ones.












These Leeks are doing well, some have already been harvested and added to some of the Potatoes dug up were made into Leek & Potato soup, a perfect winter warmer.















So as I said earlier a lovely day, but because my wife was convalescing after a bout of food poisoning, got from a local restaurant, I didn't have time to do anything more than harvesting.

Today's harvest:
Tomatoes & Raspberries.

Thanks for reading/returning. Ian.