Easter Sunshine and Shed Painting!

Another full day down the allotment today, taking advantage of that big yellow thing in the sky...  managed to get loads done!  Finished the 2nd bed on plot 120, officially the broad bean section (and some climbing beans).  Heavy digging, lots of serious weeds - nettles, thistles and comfrey.  Bit soul destroying to start with but good to see it finished!  Already some broad beans in there from yesterdays planting.  Put up 2 sets of climbing bean canes in preparation for later on when we put in the Blue Lake climbers and maybe some runner beans - had far too many runner beans last year so planning on doing a lot less this time and more Blue Lake as they were rather special, eating the last lot from the freezer tonight with tea!  Can't believe Plot 120 is looking so much better already.



Just 2 more beds to be done that side now, one will be for brassicas and the other will be for 'odds and ends' - my curiosity corner!

Simon sorted out his irrigation system for the greenhouse too today, taking advantage of rainwater collection, should work well hopefully, especially when we are away on holiday and his chillies need watering!



Last but not least today, I got busy with the paint brush and some paint I had lying around at home in the garage.  Might not last long as not proper outdoor paint but better than just throwing it away!  Turned our dreary unloved shed into a happy, smiley blue shed!  Still wonky and still has some holes in it but Simon patched the roof and it looks a whole lot better with its new coat on!



Simon says it looks like a beach hut, but thats not such a bad thing!  We like it, its cheerful!

Busy Easter Saturday

Down to the plots to do some more digging today.  Weather was on our side too which makes a change.  Finished the onion bed on Plot 120 and put in 100 more white onions.  50 Stuttgarter and 50 Hercules, the more onions the better as we got through loads last year.  Made a start on the next bed too and put in a couple of handfuls broadbeans that I had left over from sowing in root trainers at home.  Mixture of Suttons and Dreadnought.  The first shoots are appearing on the ones at home so as soon as they are a decent size they will be taken down the allotment.



Met some new neighbours that have just taken the plot across from us, nice to meet some new faces!  Hopefully they will enjoy the site as much as we do, it certainly is a nice atmosphere down there.

Simon picked the first of this years rhubarb today, very tender and sweet and enough to make two rhubarb crumbles, one for us and one for his parents as an alternative Easter present!

An Allotment First!

Had some exciting news at our AGM - the NGS, the National Gardens Scheme, have asked our allotment site to be the first allotment to be featured in their Gardens Open for Charity annual national event.  Hadn't realised what a big deal it was until I looked at their website, an honour indeed.  No wonder our plot seccretary is going around making sure everything is going to be spick and span!

http://www.ngs.org.uk/gardens/gardenfinder/garden.aspx?search=type:advanced-c:Somerset,+Bristol+&+South+Gloucestershire-d:0-d1:20130811000000-d2:20130829235900-t:True&id=30543

Gardening for all! Over 100 individual plots in 5.5 acres, all very different, growing seasonal fruit and vegetables, herbs and flowers. We have built our own garden room from recycled materials as our Community centre. We also have an orchard where Taunton Transition Group will demonstrate Seasonal Cooking. Teas at Garden Room, plant stall and preserves on sale. Children's Discovery Trail.

Should be a good event so got to get the new plot sorted before 18th August, cant let the side down!

 



 

And after lunch....

Back to work after lunch and Simon planted my 10 asparagus crowns that came a week or two ago from Suttons Seeds, variety called Gijnlim.  They have been sat in compost in the greenhouse at home and today went to their new home in two raised beds.  5 in each.

'Gijnlim is an outstanding asparagus variety that has been a consistent top performer in recent trials, out-yielding others by up to 25%. It's early too, giving the first succulent tasty spears in mid to late April and continuing to crop heavily until mid June. It is an 'all male' hybrid, forming no seeds which means all its energies go into spear production and troublesome seedlings in the bed are avoided. We supply one year old crowns, grown in East Anglia, which can be picked as soon as the year after planting. Plants crop for well over 10 years, and established beds can be cut from emergence of the first spears until mid-late June. Crops for up to 15 years.'  Suttons Seeds blurb from their website.

So wont be eating any this year but a good investment for the future.



Did some more digging on our new plot 120 next door, tarps are still down doing a bit of weed control but started digging one end to put in some more red onions.  Put in 5 rows of Red Baron, thats 100 onions.  Already have some growing in a raised bed too but now we have more room we can take advantage and grow more!  Made some great red onion chutney last year so will be good to make lots more!  (Great in cheese toasted sandwiches!)  So thats plot 120 underway.  Lots more planning to do, and lots more digging!



 

 

Taking Advantage of Sunshine!

Yes, sunshine.  A rare sight these days!  Still not very warm in the wind though.  Went down to the plot to get some work done.  First of all we planted some new fruit - Simon got some raspberry canes for his birthday, Autumn fruiting ones, so in they went.  Also a rhubarb from home that needed a new home.  I put in 3 currant bushes, a red, a black and a white, got them with a garden centre voucher I was given from work.  Gave them plenty of room to grow.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then planted all our potatoes, did 2 rows of Nicola, chose this variety as it is blight and eelworm resistant, two problems we suffered a bit with last year.  Then 2 rows of Rooster - good sized and healthy looking seed spuds, then 3 rows of Pink Fir Apple - love these knobbly funny shaped spuds - great salad potatoes.  All had lovely healthy shoots on them so hoping they will all do well.   And after that it was time for lunch - Simons home made bread and my home made muffins and a great cup of coffee.

 



 

 

Chilli Updade (More new plants & fruit on some already)

The seeds that The Chillees gave to me back in Feb 28th are coming along lovely the two types of habanero, long hot & paper lantern have both germinated, and of the three types of Naga chilli, the Jolokia and Bengal have germinated, but as yet nothing from the Dorset Naga.

They will all stay under the lights until they get nice and strong before I will have to try and find some windowsill space for them later on.



That has got to be it for this years chillies and sweet peppers as I very have little space left in the house before the weather gets it's act together and warms up so I can get them all in the greenhouse.

Pinching out the tops of Chillie plants!!

My verdict on Pinching out the tops of Chillie plants is that it seems to promote quite a lot of new growth from the point at which the plant was cut.

The Left picture is of the Long Slim Cayenne pepper back in Feb 22 when I pinched out the very first flowering tips.

The Right hand picture is how the Long Slim Cayenne pepper looks as I write this.


Where the pepper plant was cut, Three nice strong new stems have been produced which are now about the same length as the main stem and lots of new leaves have grown around the main stem as well.

I think because it's still very early in the growing year I may use this plant as an experiment and continue to pinch out the new growth when they have grown around about the same length as the main stem and see if it continues to grow 2 or three new stems from each cut.

Hot Peppers and Sweet Peppers Setting fruit Already!!!

Well we are at the end of March 2013, Spring is supposed to be here but you wouldn't think so what with the weather we have been getting here in Somerset again.

At least some of my Pepper plants think the Summer time is coming, as quite a few of the plants that where started back on New Years day are in flower and some are even setting fruit.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="339"] Redskin F1[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="265"] Krakatoa F1[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="339"] Superchilli[/caption]

Every day or so I have been hand pollinating the pepper flowers with a old soft artist brush and it seems to be doing the trick just fine.

Work Begins..

Went down to the allotment this morning to make a start on the new plot.  Bit daunting but with a bit of hard work, thick gloves and determination we started to get it looking more like an allotment and less like a bramble patch.  Trimmed back all the brambles along the back hedge, got a bit scratched but managed ok with shears and secatuers, some stems really thick, must have been years old.  Simon marked out the plot with rope then sorted out all the long twigs to make a hurdle hedge down one side.  Picked up all the rubbish, litter and general gardening detritus then Simon stumbled upon two folded up tarpaulins in the undergrowth, big enough to cover 2/3 of the plot and start weed suppressing.  Two compost bins found in under the brambles too with fantastic compost ready to go.  Made a half hearted start on digging.... then I had to finish to go to work.  So work in progress, pleased with what we have achieved in one morning.  Lots more digging to do though!

 

Work so far....



And the two plots side by side.....



 

Seeds!

Gorgeous sunny Sunday and the greenhouse in the garden was 25-30 degrees so time to get started with the seed planting,  just the ones for March sowing today.  Did a couple trays of cabbages, Jersey Wakefield, a heritage variety.  Couple trays of brussel sprouts, one Bedford Fillbasket and one Brilliant F1.  Couple trays of kale, Dwarf Green Curled (did brilliant last year) and Starbor.  Two trays of Musselburgh leeks.  Broad beans in root trainers - Suttons, Bunyards Exhibition and Dreadnought.  Then some sunflowers - Wahoo, same as last year, lovely bushy and short sunflowers with loads of flowers, some Solar Flash and some Giant Yellows.  Got the Gladiator parsnips started indoors as well, doing the same way as last year as the germination rate was really good, on damp kitchen paper somewhere warm.

Hopefully they will all progress well as will need the space in the greenhouse for all the April and May seeds!



 

Back to Having 2 Plots!

Took over a 2nd plot again today, had asked the plot secretary to let us know if the little plot next to ours became available as it would have been a nice addition.  However, when the call came through, it wasnt available but the plot the OTHER side of us was...... same size as ours so a lot more work, not really been worked for a while, was towering with thistles last year so hope to get it all dug over before things started getting out of hand.  Lots of brambles but mostly spreading over from the hedges so should just need cutting back and keeping control of.  So, deep breath and signed for it.  Hopefully get it dug over by end of March (got week off end of the month so no excuse!) and get the beans and potatoes in at least.  Rest of Plot 119 all ready for seedlings when the weather sorts itself out.  Simon put up the little greenhouse in the garden at home this week so hopefully get sorted with seed compost tomorrow and get some seeds started, propagators all ready to go now too, so no excuse!  Just looking forward to Spring!

 

The work ahead.....