Tuesday 25th April The forecast cold winds arrived this morning and I had only a light sweater. It had been so cold that the frost had hit all the exposed potato haulms on lots of plots and even those on my plot that I had protected with fleece showed some signs of damage on the leaf tips. To warm up I started by rolling out the Association rotovator and cultivating the first customer's plot under the 'free cultivation for new tenants' voucher scheme. The plot had already been cleared with a mechanical digger so I was to just create a fine tilth. It took longer to lift the landscape fabric cover than it did to actually work the soil. With so little rain recently the soil was super dry so I re-covered the patch as best I could afterwards and put the machine away before returning to work on my own plot. Today I had made sure I had my seeds. It was a quick task to run my hand cultivator over the prepared strip and carve the drill with a trowel. I sowed only half a row as they are a hybrid designed for baby turnips and I plan to sow a maincrop later in the rest of the row. I then planted out a few of my Poached Egg plants I had grown at home in modules. I planted them in amongst the brassicas hoping to attract predatory insects to control the greenfly. Once planted I hope they will reseed themselves every year as they used to in the garden at home. I also started to screw together my bean frame ready to tie the canes to but one post rotted off so I had to leave the job half done. By then it was time to gather my harvest of leeks, a cabbage (not very solid but useable), some more unexpected purple sprouting together with curly kale sprouts, and some rhubarb. A neighbour then offered me a huge parsnip, one of many he had dug up, which I accepted. It was much bigger than my 8 inch stripling. When I got home I realised I had forgotten to cut any of the asparagus spears that are emerging from some of my asparagus plants. I hope the other plants in the bed will come into production later but the ones I am cutting now must be the variety 'Connover's Collosal' as they are huge and thicker than my thumb! Sunday 23rd April
I was at the Trading Hut checking on the details of a plotholder wanting some rotavating done when my son arrived wanting some supplies. After giving him a conducted tour of the plot and having a chinwag it was time to go to the cafe for coffee! Having refuelled I returned to the plot and started the process of sowing a row of peas. Having the bed mulched complicates things as it takes quite a while to clear a strip before digging a trench. However the soil was nice and moist under the mulch (in contrast to the soil I dug for the potatoes on my last visit). I soon had scattered the 3 packets of old seed, cheap from InExcess (Douce Provence), and added a light sprinkling of paraffin before covering and firming the soil over the seeds. Leaving the watering until later I moved to my roots patch and prepared a seed bed for some turnips, only to find I hadn't got the seed packet in the batch of seeds I had with me. I'll sow them next time. That left just the tunnels to anchor down with stakes. The old stakes, the bottoms of Dahlia stakes bought from the Trading Hut, were still in good condition and were soon bashed in with my club hammer. Some of the securing screws were missing but fortunately I had remembered to bring a box of new screws. I had to cut 4 stakes to locate the doorway bar as I used scrap timber for them last year and they had all rotted away. The top end of the stakes will cut down nicely to make at least two row markers each. Over coffee it had been mentioned that it will turn cold next week and that potato shoots would need protecting. As mine are already earthed up, I used two lengths of fleece I had stored in bags hanging in the shed/greenhouse. The shoots are safe for the week and then I will move the fleece onto the carrots to protect them from carrot fly. Finally I watered all my seeds and seedlings and cut two more fat asparagus spears to take home for lunch and my weekly session listening to Gardeners' Question Time. Thursday 20th April After spending the morning sowing the seeds I should have sown long ago, I came down to the plot to plant the rest of my potatoes. Before I could start my new neighbour told me about a couple of thistles that he had tried to dig out but their roots ran deep into my plot so the first thing I did was to dig out the accessible one. I seemed to be digging down for ever but eventually got it out without it snapping off. The root was about two feet long and fortunately there were no side shoots! I left it on the fence for my neighbour to see. For a moment I stopped to admire the blossom on my crab apple tree. The variety is Everest and I transplanted it here after a neighbour at home complained that it was dropping 'berries' all over her garden. It flowers profusely and has hundreds of red crab apples all along its branches. A few have been taken by birds and if you look carefully you may be able to make out the odd one still attached to the branch from last year. It is so good I might even try transplanting it back into a new position in my garden! Once that was done turned to digging over the rest of the patch I need to plant my potatoes. With no rain of significance for some time the soil is very dry and I had to use a fork so I could break up the clods of earth. Happily there were only a couple of bits of bindweed. I then planted a row of Maris Piper and a row of Sarpo Mira scattering some slug pellets as I buried them. To plant the Sarpo Mira I had to clear the Purple Sprouting next door. That is the last picking until next season so I will savour it. Having completed the potato planting and picked the sprouts I cut a couple of very fat asparagus spears. While there I hoed the scattering of weed seedlings, unfortunately cutting of the top of one promising spear just emerging from the soil. Realising that the dry weather was ideal for hoeing, I moved on the the weeds between the cabbages and soon had them cleared. I then spent some time trying to adjust the net tunnel, without success. Next time I must make sure that the patch is level before moving the tunnel onto it. I left fixing them down with stakes at the corners until next time I come down. Before finishing by watering the seedlings I hammered six Dahlia stakes in around the emerging peas and, topping them off with the bottoms of plastic bottles, I stretched some butterfly netting over them. It was dusk as I left but there were several plotters still at work as I shut the gate, leaving the padlock open but with the number scrambled so they could lock up - even in the dark. Tuesday 18th April Before I did anything else I stripped the soft growth from the brassica plants I had pulled up last time and add it to the compost bin. As they had gone limp my usual way of bashing them on the edge of the bin did not work so I was reduced to cutting the soft material off with my penknife. I then picked up a roll of wire grid and straightened it out on the track before staking it along the row of emerging peas. A scattering of birch twigs along each side of the gridwork will keep the pigeons, I hope, before I cover it all with netting. Digging over the old brassica patch was needed so I could plant the last of my seed potatoes. My new neighbour is busy clearing his side of the fence so I needed to clear my side. The first trench was riddled with bindweed and took a long time to dig out into the wheelbarrow. This meant as I loaded the soil into the barrow I could go through the soil very carefully separating the bindweed roots from the general weeds. I needed to lay a plank along the fence to stop the soil dropping through the fence into my neighbour's plot. The second and third spits had less bindweed and soon I was digging clean soil even though there was still a bit of weed on the surface. The effort of picking out the roots meant I only managed a few more spits before I had to stop as I needed to earth up the early potatoes to protect them from any of the frost that has been forecast. I used the cultivator to loosen the soil between the rows before the raking the soil over the emerging shoots. I had to go over it twice to cover all the leaves. In clearing the ground I came across another blackberry plant which I offered to a nearby plotholder with a warning about its vigour. Then I hoed between the onion sets before harvesting a few leeks and pulling up a kale plant to take home.
Sunday 16th April My main aim this Sunday morning was to move my two brassica tunnels onto their new patches. However, the first task was to clear the space so they could be moved. First I had to remove the small net tunnel protecting the brassicas already growing on the new patch and shifting everything that stick up in the way. I had already unscrewed the first tunnel from its securing stakes but the second tunnel was still full of overgrown Brussels and cabbages all still attached to their stakes. The stakes themselves came out relatively easily after I had snipped through the cable ties. The plants were a different matter. Some I could just pull up but most had such well developed roots I had to use a fork to ease them from the ground. My efforts using lime obviously promote excellent roots and there was no sign of clubroot. The sprouts on three cabbages were worth saving to eat but the Brussels had gone to far and had started flowering. Having cleared the interior apart, from the purple sprouting which is still cropping, I unscrewed the securing stakes and tidied everything up so there was less chance of tripping up while moving the frame. I then screwed the bar that weighs down the door netting across the bottom of the doorway to strengthen the framework. Having done all the preparatory work I went for a coffee at the cafe, hoping to rustle up enough helpers for the actual move. After a lovely piece of cake, a coffee and some chat I persuaded a group of old friends to return with me to the plot and, in a very short time, both tunnels were sat in their new locations with just a few necessary adjustments that I could do myself. The only damage, a broken spar, was easily repaired once I had dealt with the cause which was the uneven ground on the new patch. Having unscrewed the doorway and nudged each frame into exactly the right position, I decided to leave staking it down to a later time as there are no strong winds forecast and much else to do. I did have to net the purple sprouting left behind to protect it from the pigeons. Having bought a mini-sprayer of Roundup at a bargain price just for this sort of occasion, I sprayed each emerging thistle in the legume patch. Then, since the wind was so light, I went along the fence giving the bindweed shoots, which seem early this year, a treatment where they were isolated from my crops. Now my new neighbour is clearing the next door plot it is worthwhile spending time trying to deal with these problems. In an effort to do something really constructive, I decided to sow my first row of carrots. I had a packet of 'Karnavit' seed from Lidl that I wanted to try and which the instructions said could be sown early. In an effort to get good looking straight roots I followed a suggestion I came across some time ago. Using a spade I cut a deep slot along the row which I filled with multipurpose compost. Sowing the seed along the drill I left a groove as normal to focus the water where it is needed. Before the seedlings emerge I must cover them with eco-mesh to stop carrot fly. Before going home for lunch I picked some curly kale sprouts to go with the cabbage sprouts. I also cut the last small cauliflower. Friday 14th April After yesterday's fiasco I returned to the plot this morning with broad bean plants and seed potatoes! Before I started I noticed the blossom on my crab apple tree and took a photo to sow the wife. Only the night before at home we had decided it was the right sort of tree for a spot in my garden. This specimen has already been moved twice so I may have to buy a fresh one from McPenny's. After cultivating the strip for the broad beans I started making holes for the plants in their paper pots. Using the bulb planter - again - I made a hole at each end of the row then another in the middle. I then made holes in the middle of each space until I had 17 holes along the row. (Do the maths - you get 3,5,9,17!) The holes are just the right size for the paper pots and, apart from one or two that were so rooted together that the pot tore, they just dropped in. Then I cut a second row 8 inches away from the first, positioning each new hole in line with the gap in the first row, getting 16 holes. That gave me exactly the right number of holes for the 33 plants I had. (Two trays of 18 with 3 pots not germinating.) A shallow groove scraped between the rows of plants so water would stay close, a few slug pellets and a good soaking and they should grow away nicely. I then finished off digging the potato patch and planted a row of King Edward and a row of Sarpo Mira, spacing them 45 cm apart and 75 cm between the rows as they are both maincrop potatoes. I had hoped to enclose the King Edwards between 2 rows of Sarpo Mira but there wasn't room so the little space left should be good for an intercrop of lettuce or something similar. However I really need to get the net tunnel moved over to the brassica patch. Before harvesting and going home I decided to sow a row of spinach next to the parsnips. Thinking it over, they could have been sown between the potatoes.
Thursday 13th April Setting out late from home and in a rush I forgot the most important items. Both my seed potatoes, well chitted, and my last sowing of broad beans, hardened off in their paper pots, were at home instead of in my car! Without the materials for my main tasks I was at a bit of a loss at first until I realised there was quite a bit of preparation I could do for when I did remember everything. I realised that the groundsel had grown everywhere I hadn't weeded and was starting to flower. Once groundsel flowers it will continue to the seed-head stage even when pulled up, so I went round uprooting every mature plant I could find. This collection of flowers was just one plant! Then I got on with the main tasks. First I removed the twigs that used to support the over-wintering peas that have gradually disappeared since the New Year and the turned over the strip after scattering some chicken manure fertiliser along the row. Everything ready for the broad beans. Then I dug a large part of the patch where I will plant my potatoes. I will have to get some help to move the brassica cage over very soon. The soil was rock hard after a whole season left untouched for the brassicas especially where I had walked between the plants. However the horse litter mulch seems to have worked as there are lots of worms in the soil. I was looking at the cluster of three asparagus shoots wondering when to harvest them and when the other plants were going to emerge, when I realised I could use the edge of the raised bed as a seed bed where I could sow the late harvesting leek seeds (Unwin's Winter Giant 2 {vernal }) I had just bought in Stewart's. The home made compost mulch I had used on the bed made a very crumbly rich soil to produce a seedbed. Most of my leeks will be from the plants I buy from the Trading Hut (Musselburgh). This reliable variety gives a crop over a long season but the late season ones will continue through April and into May. I then turned my attention to the thistles growing in amongst my strawberries. I know from experience that the roots go way down and usually this is one time I use systemic weedkiller. However, it is almost impossible to do this amongst the plants. Instead I pushed my fork as deep as I could alongside the thistles and between the strawberry plants. Levering gently I was able to uproot the thistles. Even though I pulled 15" roots from the ground, the ends were still deeper. The good news is that, now my new neighbour is clearing the weeds from his side of the fence, there is a good chance that between us we will be able to defeat the infestation. Finally I watered all the seeds before going home rather late as I had spent much time talking with my neighbour returning after a year of medical issues but raring to go. Fortunately his other neighbour, with a little help from me and others, has kept his plot almost completely free of weeds so he will be able to catch up. Of course we all benefit from his plot being kept clean as well! Sunday 9th April
Following a rather disappointing turnout at the Working Party but with much achieved, I popped onto the plot afterwards. Having collected the thumper from the Trading Hut I thumped in 3 posts into the trench for my runner beans. I also put in a couple of fence posts. Before the Working Party I had emptied two dustbin loads of grass cuttings from a neighbour so I collected the empty bins and before going home for lunch I filled a watering can and watered all my rows of seeds. Later, after tea, I returned with my trailer full of more bags of garden waste and added their contents to the compost bin layering it with leaves to stop it getting too wet and smelly. While on the plot I collected the sprouting heads of my tiny curly kale plants which we had with our evening meal. Sometimes the best surprises come from impending disasters. In fact I have all sorts of brassicas coming into flower and, if I pick them at the right time they are as good as Purple Sprouting and other broccoli, if slightly different. I am looking forward to sprouting Brussel Sprouts of which I have plenty! Friday 7th April I missed my normal Thursday morning visit to the plot as we had work being done at home so I made a special effort to get down on Friday morning. Nevertheless it was nearly 11 o'clock when I arrived on site and it was already quite warm, not good when there was heavy work to do. I needed to empty the compost bin completely and, as the secondary bin was already heaped up and totally full, the only place I could think of was the future runner bean trench. After digging out the selection of mature weeds, grass, nettles and dandelions, I dug a wide trench, one spit deep. Then I barrowed the remaining compost into it; nearly four loads. I forked over the bottom of the trench mixing the soil with the compost. That was hot and hard work, making me take a few breaks along the way! I then dragged round the large builder's bag of garden waste I had collected over the last couple of weeks, and emptied it into the bin, screwing the front panel back into place once I had extracted the bag. After that everything had to be shovelled, lifted and otherwise delivered over the top edge into the bin. I started with a good layer of dry leaves from my collection, a couple of full barrow loads. Then I added my kitchen waste and some grass cuttings from neighbours at home followed by another layer of leaves. On top of this I added a layer of spent malted barley from a bag I had collected from Drop the Anchor Brewery which is starting up in Christchurch. (Once they get going this should be freely available in quite large quantities. Further info once we know more details.) The malted barley is quite smelly and may attract vermin so I covered it with a couple of barrowloads of leaves topped off with the grass and nettles I had dug up earlier. Tuesday 4th April Having dug all the grass (green manure) out of a strip of the 'Roots' bed, I set about sowing a row of 'Tender and True' parsnips. This is the hybrid that a neighbour had grown and had harvested so many perfect roots that he was happy to give me one of them. I hardly ever get nicely tapered roots so I am trying this hybrid. I am also trying seed tapes. A set of tapes is the same price as a packet and, with 6 metres of tape, there is enough for a double row on my plot. Fortunately there was no wind as I think laying out a tape would be difficult in a breeze. However I found it easy to stretch the tape down the drill, fixing the end by digging it in with the tip of a trowel. I spaced the rows at the minimum of 10 inches. The tape already spaces the seeds 2 inches apart of course. When I had covered the seed tapes with soil and tamped it down with the back of the rake, there was just a small groove that concentrated the water, slug bait and fertiliser to finish.
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