True to our word, we are once again back in the land of almost synchronous blogging.
Today was a perfect spring day, the first nice day since last week some time. We have been benighted with wind and rain and have used our time off to improve matters in the (home) garden. We did nip up to the plot last week very quickly to plant six more strawberry plants - Hapil - but as it was so whistlestop we didn't bother recording anything. We also had a quick visit from our friend Mr B who is mightily impressed with the plot.
Whilst garden activity was paramount, we also spent time sorting out the seeds we are planting from home. The broccoli and leek seedlings seem to be OK in the coldframe (now with hinged lid - cool), the peas planted in the gutters are springing up and the onion seedlings were priced out to little peat pots.
We also sowed all sorts of other seeds - tomatoes (3 sorts), basil, parsley, aubergine, courgette, sweetcorn (2 sorts), butternut squash, marigolds (again), sunflowers (ditto) and lettuce. They are snug and warm in new propagators in a new plastic greenhouse thingy nice and handy for the house.
But today was a different matter. We actually sowed seeds in the ground that you, dear reader, have seen being so lovingly tended over the last few cold months. The earth now is a revelation following its uncovering after winter months under plastic - after all the rain and cold, it is now warm crumbly brown soft soil that responds to hoeing and raking. N once more amazed, as he was by the luscious soil our original compost pile became.
In the garlic bed (Bed 1) we added 3 rows of carrots (Flyaway), 4 rows of radishes and 4 rows of salad leaves in between garlic rows. Both garlics are looking good. No vampire trouble for us methinks and who knows, Elephant Garlic might win a prize at the local produce show.
We unveiled Bed 2 and sowed the following - 4 rows Excellenz and 2 rows Kelvedon Wonder peas; 1 row Napoleon onion; 1 row Red baron onion; 2 rows of Harlequin carrots (leaving room for successional sowings). Both beds covered anew with the eco-mesh (bar the Elephants, who can hold their own against birds).In a daring move, 2 small rows of each of the onions was planted in the Pagoda in between the summer raspberries as they are not going to do much at all this first year. N was dubious (nothing new) but I am confident onions and raspberries will get along perfectly well.
Also in the Fruit Cage, our second blueberry bush planted - so they can, err-hm, stimulate each other. Both now sitting comfortably on ericaceous compost.
An inspection of the seedbed revealed a scattering of seedlings which were later identified as broccoli. We have put home-made cloches (bottle tops) over them to give them some protection. Remember this is Ironman broccoli though so it is well-hard innit - it is the first of the seedlings to appear. Nothing yet from the others, nor from the grass seed - we may need to make do with a leisure area of dirt and stones.
Nice chats with our plot neighbours, including Leo the dog who is most friendly. (N adds that there were some remarks questioning the perpendicularity of his Fruit Cage construction. Pshaw - all he cares is that it's still standing.) The ladies are pondering the addition of a greenhouse to their bank, and this makes us consider how to make the most of ours. It already has daffodils, and may be home to our pumpkin crop, perhaps also courgette (zucchini) and anything else rabbits don't eat.
We have a new neighbour who is clearing out the plot opposite. We try to offer encouragement. He has lived in the village for 30 years so it goes to show that it is never too late to get into allotmenteering.
We are all geared up for the open meeting in the Falcon on Thursday. And very excited about the real prospect of actually growing things properly now.
I don't know what happened. We just lost the momentum for a bit, distracted by trivial non-plot matters such as the felling of a tree in our garden, our cat's first rabbit of the season and such. But we will try now and capture for you two weekends worth of plot activity on 8/9 and 15 March. Because we don't want you to think that we have lost interest in the plot - far from it.
(The thing I am realising about blogging is that it's really meant to be contemporaneous, not a Proustian gathering of thoughts. Is it better not to blog if you leave it too long to remember the minutiae? We have probably deprived you of a better quality blog because we have now forgotten some infinitesimal moment that you would have enjoyed. On the other hand, the act of remembrance can be a great editor and maybe the reader appreciates that more.)
8/9 March
A lot of seed action. We have got Red Baron and Napoleon onions sown at home in a seedtray just showing. We moved the brave broccoli and leek seedlings to the garden cold frame and sowed 2 small gutters worth of Excellencz and Kelveden Wonder which perch nicely on the conservatory window ledge.
On the plot, we prepared the new seed bed (located now in the Pagoda if you recall - keep up) by hoeing, raking and putting some of the nice pumpkin soil on. We then actually sowed the first seeds in the seed bed - cabbage (Primo), broccoli and leeks (Ironman and Malabar - as an experiment to see they do better than the home sown ones), sunflower.
We also sowed the grass seeds for our lawn. All very therapeutic. No garlic showing as yet but we decided to lift up the Enviromesh from the elephant garlic as it is so big and strong. The comfrey is looking good.
The weather was nice and mild and we had lots of feedback from Jan who had gone to the Council's allotment meeting. Seemingly, the Cottonmill Lane site has security problems that make ours look like toytown so we feel very lucky. The Council are happy to act as postman for our plotholders to arrange an open meeting. I have booked the Falcon pub to host the evening.
Also a spring tidy for our plot shed. A tidy shed is a tidy mind.
Our allotment lock. Very old skool.
14/15 March
Very exciting - we plant our first Early potatoes - Arran Pilot. They had chitted long and hard and were definitely ready for the off.
We also planted some Belle de Fontenay potatoes purchased from Homebase as a sort of comparison on a hastily improvised bed next to the comfrey previously covered with carpet. We work out the distances between rows and potatoes very seriously and wonder if we have left enough room for the maincrops which need more space.
The garlic planted two weeks ago (or maybe more in Blogland?) is now showing. The daffodills are looking fab, including the few that have sprouted up uninvited in the plot. We carefully allow for them when moving or doing pathways. They could be very old.
One of the autumn raspberry canes already has tiny little leaves.
The weather did an about turn overnight so Sunday was meant a dash in the rain to sow sweet peas around the inside of the Pagoda. We have lovely ideas of a fragrant monument to lure in the bees and nice insects. We have to sow them even though it is nasty wet and cold because the seeds have been soaked overnight in warm water, like it says on the packet, so we can't leave them otherwise they will go mouldy.
We promise we will be better bloggers.
What a way to celebrate a birthday - yes gentle reader, it was K's birthday on 1 March, so many happy returns were expressed.
Some very good time was spent in Aylett's garden centre on the actual day, purchasing the following: Apple tree (Cox), Apple tree (Scrumptious) - both the second size up from dwarf - and several varieties of Euphorbia for the garden. We also splurged on a blueberry bush, six replacement Elsanta strawberry plants and a fruit cage net pack. We did look on the internet but frankly it was too difficult to work out the price per metre and this looked as though it could do the job, which was to cover a fairly eccentric large wooden structure (yes, I mean the Pagoda).
We were very struck by the complications of buying fruit trees - they have to be of the same number pollinating group or else the "business" doesn't get done, they come in a variety of structures and arrangements, and some even coexist on the same tree. Weird. We will return and get a cherry tree.
We get to the plot and are overjoyed to see the daffodills out on the bank. The water is not on yet so we had to bring some water for the new trees. N dug large holes for the two new trees and the blueberry bush (in the Pagoda of course) and worked out a cunning way to give the trees some good support. The strawberries went in and were mulched with some of the very handy (and free) wood chips. This should keep the fruit dry and provide some protection for the plants. If we were the Prime Minister, our catchphrase would be "Protection, protection, protection".
K planted the Solent Wight garlic, purchased so long ago now. It turns out that there are nearly sixty cloves to plant which is a heck of a lot of garlic. It now takes up a lot of space in one bed, next to the Elephant garlic (pictured). I worry that already the bed planting is in jeopardy and that we have created a garlic monster. Can we plant things in between? Would there be enough room for carrots, say? We know that onions and carrots make good companions and that onions keep away the Dreaded Carrot Fly. Guess the same is true of garlic. We see how easy it is not to stick to the plan.
Today was a somewhat subdued start but soon the plot worked its magic. We also had good chats with the Nettle Guy (Derek) and Pat and Jan. All the plot holders have been invited to a meeting held by the Council to discuss vandalism and security. We can't go, but others will be there. We think that now is a good time to get our Allotment Society going and quickly allot (ho ho) roles. I have to find the venue for the first meeting to which all plotholders will be invited, Jan has to speak to the Council lady and so on. All very (bio)dynamic.
After the politics it is a welcome relief to return to our primary task of the day - covering the Pagoda with the fruit net. It's a bit tricky but we manage it in the end. The net is very fine so you actually cannot see it at a distance. But it is good to know that it is now finally done. We think about sticking up some bird scarers (old CDs).
In a bid to improve our social area, we remove the carpet and dig it all over. The idea is to prepare it for sowing grass seeds. We think it will be nice to have a good patch of grass as our social area so we will sow them next week after giving any nasty weeds the chance to make an appearnace. We stamp and walk on the raked earth. Inspired by this, we dig over the seed bed in the Pagoda and put a little path around it (from the free clippings). It really is beginning to look quite good.
Back home, the broccoli, sunflower and leek seedlings have made good starts. Not so the Tagetes (French marigold) which seems to have just gone poop. No signs of our onion seedlings yet. We nearly planted the seed potatoes today because the weather is so nice, but were warned against it for another couple of weeks. I think we will try to be brave and sow seeds directly in the soil rather than start everything off as seedlings - next week, I am determined to sow cabbage seeds in the seed bed, and also leeks/broccoli, as a comparison.
We have learnt so many new things since we started plotting, not least the importance of timing and instinct.
Geese enjoying the awakenings of spring (turn your head to appreciate fully.)
Weather note: fab, sunny, mild - perfect weather for catching out the unwary.
We unveiled Bed 2 and sowed the following - 4 rows Excellenz and 2 rows Kelvedon Wonder peas; 1 row Napoleon onion; 1 row Red baron onion; 2 rows of Harlequin carrots (leaving room for successional sowings). Both beds covered anew with the eco-mesh (bar the Elephants, who can hold their own against birds).
Also in the Fruit Cage, our second blueberry bush planted - so they can, err-hm, stimulate each other. Both now sitting comfortably on ericaceous compost.
An inspection of the seedbed revealed a scattering of seedlings which were later identified as broccoli. We have put home-made cloches (bottle tops) over them to give them some protection. Remember this is Ironman broccoli though so it is well-hard innit - it is the first of the seedlings to appear. Nothing yet from the others, nor from the grass seed - we may need to make do with a leisure area of dirt and stones.
Nice chats with our plot neighbours, including Leo the dog who is most friendly. (N adds that there were some remarks questioning the perpendicularity of his Fruit Cage construction. Pshaw - all he cares is that it's still standing.) The ladies are pondering the addition of a greenhouse to their bank, and this makes us consider how to make the most of ours. It already has daffodils, and may be home to our pumpkin crop, perhaps also courgette (zucchini) and anything else rabbits don't eat.
