Busy Weekend

Ann went off to Lichfield at the weekend to look after her mother's 88 year old friend who had just come out of hospital. So I was able to get on and catch up with some jobs whilst she was away. The first job was to erect the bean poles we had won last year in the best plot competition.

On Saturday, Nev on the plot next to me asked about the greenhouse we were planning. I said that Ann had decided on a poly tunnel but that she was away with the car. Nev very kindly offered to drive me to The Range so I could buy one (£89.99) and we then cleared an area for it and erected it. Inside I have placed some mini greenhouses on which the covers had rotted and placed them as staging supports. Staging was created from long lengths of wood from old pallets placed on the supports. The staging is almost full now with seed trays and some Penstemon cuttings. I also set up some lengths of old guttering and filled them with compost and have sown mypeas in them. When they are sufficiently grown they will be planted outdoors just by sliding the matt of pea roots and plants out of the guttering.

The next area to receive attention was the area where we had made a raised bed over a patch that was low and boggy most of the year by surround ing the area with straw bales and filling with horse bedding manure and compost. Main crop potatoes have now been planted in the bed and wooden support rails placed on top of the bales which are starting to collapse. Grow bags with strawberry plants have been place atop the support rails.

The rest of this year's potatoes are going in the second plot next to the compost bins. 

James Ingman's Plot - Early March 2010

Here are some photographs James took of his plot in early March. In the first one you can see his fruit cage structure built around the corner of his plot. If you look hard you might just see some green flecks in the bed in front of it. James assures us that they are winter onions and not blades of grass. He is a bit worried that they don't seem to have made much progress. Don't worry James they will romp away when (if) it warms up and you get them fed.

In the other corner of the plot is the greenhouse built from wood and sheets of polythene. A rebuild was necessary after the first attempt was part destroyed in high winds last autumn. At the edge of the greenhouse you see the cold frame awaiting finishing touches.

The first signs of spring are just evident with the Rhubard just poking through and starting to unfurl it's leaves. James is particularly fond of rhubard crumble so he is growing the right stuff. Wonder what he is going to put on it? I prefer custard on mine to be honest!

A lot of hard work has gone into cleaning the soil of weed roots and bramble residues and getting the bed next to the onions ready for potatoes, still a bit to do like get them planted.

Hope to have some more photos from James towards the end of the month, oh, we are almost there and snow is forecast for Wednesday, so beginning of April may be more realistic!

Signs of Spring

After the slightly harder winter than we have been experiencing, the heavy snow came as a slight shock for some. Spring flowers have been delayed and daffodils are only just coming into bloom. Having repaired my fruit cage which suffered a bit during the inclement weather I looked around for signs of spring.

 

So here is one sure sign that spring is around, site secretary Robin Cooper has rotovated his potato plot and is planting his potatoes. Shortly after that, the stresses and strains of planting were being releived with an afternoon cuppa.

A lot of hard work has obviously been going on just before the break for afternoon tea! From left to right and top to bottom are Robin Copper, Keith Bearpark, Mac Mitchell, Ann Harper, Bill Callaghan and Nora Godfrey. So what about the signs of spring.?

A small grouping from our own plot, daffodils just opening in front of a hellebore, nearby is a white hellebore, note the cunning use of a thin branch from a bush to lift the flower head to view the flower face. The large euphorbia is also in flower, not sure what the variety is but it forms a large bush.

The garlic (foreground) was planted mid October last year and is coming on strongly, The spinach took a bit of a hammering during the winter but all the dead and frost damaged leaves have been removed and added to the compost heap, there are a few leeks which will get eaten over the next few weekends, freeing up a patch for planting. The winter onions just in front of the fruit cage were also planted in October but do not seem to be as strong as the garlic. Next to the fruit cage is a tub of tulips providing a small splash of colour.

So, yes, spring is sprung and the grass is riz! 

So get to your plots and do the biz!

Potatoes breaking through

The potatoes have now broken through and will need to be earthed up soon.