Saturday 19 April 2014

Been busy paving at the allotment


Last night I promised myself a day of rest after a fairly busy time so what did I end up doing?  Laying paving stones at the allotment and planting out the peas!

My tall peas supported by an excellent purpose built runner bean frame. 
I bought a bean frame for the peas.  It is a purpose built frame with hinges on the top and bulldog style clips to hold the netting on.  It was very easy to put together and if it holds up to the wind I will recommend it.  Around it I planted Turners Spring, Table top and purple podded peas which I sowed in 1/4 seed trays and then hardened off in the cold frame at home.

I then planted the first thing in the raised beds. some Hatif d'Annonay peas which form sturdy plants and need no support.

Hatif d'Annonay Peas.  Apparently these need no support. We shall see.

I then stopped for lunch in my shed which gave me some time to admire the view and enjoy all my hard work over the last year.




After lunch I then started on laying some more of the paving stones around my shed.




These will give good access to the shed and compost bins.




I just need to add another row at the front of the shed to enable us to sit out and to easily get by the shed doors when they are open and I'll be done.

All the plants are doing really well.

The rhubarb has gone mad!
The radishes will need thinning soon.

The potatoes are growing fast.



The leeks are getting really tall and beginning to thicken up 



and the spring cabbage is beginning to make heads after their disastrous start.



All in all a very pleasant day down the allotment even if I didn't get my day of rest.  Who needs rest anyway if there's interesting stuff to do instead!

































Friday 4 April 2014

Five hours well spent down the allotment.

Today I spent five hours at the allotment and got loads done.  Being a root day in the biodynamic cycle in went the onions and the carrots.
I managed to straighten the final edge and made the side bed about 30cm wider in places.  

I then planted out my Tree onions and the first lot of carrots and covered them in mesh to stop the carrot fly. I also popped in some home harvested radish seed as a cash crop between the tree onions and the potatoes.
The flax seed has germinated!!! I have never grown this before so it should be interesting to see how it grows.
I then planted my onions sets and onions sowed this year.  Just as well we like onions! They did well last year so fingers crossed for the same again this year.



My spring cabbages are making a good recovery from being eaten by slugs in the autumn and my leeks are about to be picked.


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I also harvested the first crop of rhubarb this year.  Rhubarb and custard it is then!