Monday 25 July 2011

More peas Norma?




Busy week on the plot and absolutely delighted with my maincrop peas. The kids have been eating them straight from the pod but I still managed to freeze a few! We are eating maincrop potatoes already and courgettes. The strawberries have all but finished now but were very welcome...yum!

Wednesday 9 March 2011

Spring is here!

Well Spring has offically arrived at the Bowdon allotments! Today I saw this lovely mass of frogspawn which, along with the daffs, is encouraging me to start work on the plot.
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I've cleared some of the old debris and added a bit more manure to the potato beds for this season - rotation being the key here. Still not sure how to deal with the wireworm that infected last years crop but fingers crossed.

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Friday 17 September 2010

Slacking Summer



Its been an interesting summer which has seen a hosepipe ban enforced for the Northwest (one of the wetest places in the UK) followed by loads and loads of rain.
The strawberries cropped fairly well until August and then the Raspberries came into their own, so we have had soft fruit for a few months now. Apples are being harvested and potatoes are all dug - quite a few were 'spoiled' with what looks like wireworm but I need to ask some of the old timers.

I'll try to do more on the blog next year!

Sunday 6 June 2010

May

Well its been a busy May at the allotment, mainly because we have had the driest May on record! Watering by hand is very time consuming but at least I can fill a large water barrel with the hose!

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There have been a few disappointments such as the climbing French bean and sweetcorn which were planted out just before the last frost! The potatoes are coming on nicely and the soft fruits have romped ahead with all the good weather.
The 'salad bar' is now providing us with plenty of mixed leaves and the herbs make a nice addition to any dish.

Tuesday 27 April 2010

Planting out

It's nearly May and really feels like summer is round the corner. Daytime temperature is getting up to 18 degrees C & no sign of night frosts.......yet!
Been a busy few weekends down at the lotty which has seen me sowing herbs; corriander, parsley and thyme. Also planted out sweetcorn, squash and pumpkin but it may be too early for these tender crops...time will tell.
French beans are being grown in modules and will be planted out in the next week, I'm having two rows of dwarf french beans and two wigwams of climbing beans.
I've also sown some more mixed lettuce in our 'salad bar' area....can't wait!

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Monday 12 April 2010

Green shoots


Its been a busy week down on the plot and the weather has been glorious these past few days. I tested the soil temperature on Sunday and was surprised to see at 10 degree's (about 5" deep)& 12 degrees near the surface. Good to see that the Red Barron onion sets are making an appearance.

The fruitcage is waking up and the goosberries have popped their leaves, I need to get some manure around the raspberry canes & strawberries soon. You can just make out the strawberry runners that I was kindly given by a neighbour.

Finally, here's a full shot of the plot

Thursday 8 April 2010

Indoor planting


Now is the time of year to start planting those seeds that cannot be sown directly into the cold soil at the allotment! I don't have any fancy greenhouses, potting sheds, conservatory or even a heated propagator but I do have seed trays with lids and a nice warm floor! This year I've decided to go for some easy veg including dwarf sweetcorn, courgette, squash & pumpkin plus I've also done a tray of sweet Basil.

Sweetcorn and basil can be sown directly into a seed tray with about 1.5" of potting compost & then covered with 1/2" of compost or vermiculite. With the squash and pumpkin seeds, I've gone for a biodegradable home made pot that I can simply drop into a hole when the time comes. Making these posts is easy, fold a piece of A4 paper and tear in half. Wrap around a broom handle or larger cylinder (depending how big you want the pot) & leave about 1" of paper at the end. moisten the paper to stick it together (spit or water works well) and fold the excess paper back inside to form the pot.