Monday 30th April
I arrived on site at midday as I had been asked to supervise the delivery of the Council's order of roadstone. The wind was rather fresh so I was waiting in the car by the gate wondering when he would arrive when a plotholder came to say he had heard noises from inside the Trading Hut containers and was worried someone could be trapped. Needless to say I went and unlocked to find stored furniture had fallen over. Tidying up required taking the new mower out so I decided to do some mowing while I waited. Sod's Law came into effect as the truck turned up as I was about to start the engine. After some manoeuvring to avoid a low branch beyond the Trading Hut he was able to leave a pile of roadstone by the cabin and one at the far corner of the site. Once he had gone I spent a little time using the new lawnmower to tidy the front area of the site before locking up and finally going onto the plot. First I took my cordless drill to unscrewing the the securing stakes holding the brassica tunnels down ready for then to be moved. I removed the last of the leeks to clear space for sowing some new crops after I dig the cleared patch over. I went on to dig out a few more parsnips, one large one and a couple of normal size. I then pulled up a load of immature brassica plants I had set out too late last autumn - lots of spring greens! Lots of digging to do before sowing and planting new crops. Sunday 29th April The wind was bitter this morning but I started helping committee members clear some rubble ready for a delivery of roadstone. The council has realised the potholes are a serious problem and finally decided they cannot wait for a free delivery from Dorset Highways and have ordered some real roadstone. We also took some broken glass down to the tip collected from the rubbish at the end of the first track. That done I visited the cabin for coffee and cake and some crack before going to the plot. I was very surprised it was already midday so didn't have much time but couldn't but admire the display on my crab apple tree. However, there was much to do. I earthed up my 3 rows of potatoes but not before scattering slug bait which hopefully when buried will kill the black keel slugs that live underground and burrow into the potatoes. I also scattered some 10:10:10 potato fertilizer along the ridges to give them a boost. I then decided I really had to return my neighbour's builder's bags which contained the leaves he gathered for me from his garden. It took some effort to lift and upturn each one into the wire netting bin and pack it in level. I then set about digging out the rooted off-shoots from one of my blackberry plants. I put the plantlets out on the leafmould bin at the front of the plot for anyone to help themselves but forgot to publicise it or put a notice out. Then checking out the other blackberry I realised the newly planted summer raspberries needed weeding and collected quite a pile of weeds to add to the compost bin. Finally I cleared 7 leeks to leaves as they showed signs of going to seed and then saw that the forced rhubarb had lifted the cover up so removed it and pulled a large amount of rather twisted stems and then left the cover off to let the crown rest. I will pick from the other rhubarb plant for the rest of the season. Thursday 26th April
After a weekend away I got back to the plot to find there was alot of crops ready to pick. I needed space to plant new crops so I started by digging up 5 parsnips. I gave away a couple and took the rest home to give neighbours. I had to pick a massive amount of purple sprouting as most of it was already overblown before pulling the plants up to clear the space for planting potatoes. A couple of plants went to neighbours with chickens as they love to peck at the greenery. The greenery from the rest went into the compost and the stalks will go to the tip. I also pulled three immature spring cabbages that do not look as though they are going to heart up, probably because I was too late planting them last autumn. I need the space for potatoes anyway and they will make good spring greens. Before I had chance to pack everything away I was summoned to a water leak further down the track. A pipe had just disconnected by the tap and water was gushing everywhere, including all over the poor chap who was struggling to repair it. Two of us went to the gate to try and locate the main stopcock. Once we had managed to prise open the cover I had to lay full length on the ground inn order to reach down so I could just reach to turn the tap. Returning to the problem pipe I found Mark Merritt had the repair well in hand so it wasn't long before I returned to the stopcock to turn the water back on. Going back to the plot I noticed the asparagus shoots poking through and cut some very short but very fat spears before packing everything away and going home. Wednesday 18th April
My normal Wednesday morning ramble didn't happen today so I came down to the site to do some work installing a gas locker for the new Association cabin. That task done I went onto the plot for a short session. The soil had dried out enough to make it worthwhile hoeing the shallot bed again to remove the weeds that had survived the previous work with the hoe because it had been so wet. I then moved on to the asparagus bed and cleared that of weeds before the asparagus shoots appear. Getting my cultivator out I produced a fine tilth next to the shallots and sowed half a row of beetroot and wedged a pair of boards into a tent over the row to shade it from the sun so it stays moist. After that I saw that the purple sprouting was ready so I picked several lovely quite large heads before going home. Monday 16th April I arrived on site with a couple of Association tasks to do at the new cabin and Trading Hut. Having had to bring the rotavator out to access other equipment I decided I might as well take the chance to use it on my plot. Having completed my RHAA work I got to the plot and started by emptying the two large bags of grass cuttings from a neighbour into the compost bin. I was then pleased at how the rotavator started so quickly after the repair work done by Don Hilton. His work meant that using the machine was much easier. Despite the difficulty of using the machine in small spaces I managed to go over all the beds that had been dug over and reduced the lumps to a fine tilth. I was also able to go over the beds mulched with compost and leafmould. After returning the machine to the store I used my hand cultivator to break down the lumps on the strip I dug yesterday inside the brassica tunnel because the machine doesn't fit through the doorway! I then put down a line and planted my 'Kestrel' seed potatoes. I was one seed potato short for the row so I cut one in half that had several shoots emerging. A dressing of slug bait in the hole with each potato may reduce the underground population of slugs so there might be fewer holes in my crop. As the soil was reasonably dry on the surface I spent 10 minutes or so treading the soil down on this year's brassica patch as brassicas like firm soil and I want to repeat this year's success with growing Brussel Sprouts!. I then ran the hand cultivator over it to give it a thin mulch of crumbly soil to help keep the moisture in. I then finished up by using my hand cultivator to even out the ridges left by the rotavator. It was evident that the mulched beds were in much better condition than those with plain soil. However there was rather too much leafmould mulch on the bed for peas and beans. I obviously should have spread it over two beds. Hopefully the peas and beans will still grow well in the rich mixture. Sunday 15th April
I arrived rather later than usual after spending some time in the garden setting out beer traps to catch a few slugs decimating my narcissi. I also stopped off at the Trading Hut to buy some 10:10:10 potato fertilizer and some lettuce and broccoli plants. On the plot I started weeding the asparagus bed but I was too cold to be comfortable doing such a light job. I decided therefore to dig over more of the potato bed. Currently it is still in the brassica tunnel as I haven't moved it yet. Inside the tunnel there isn't room to use Backsaver spade so I used my standard spade. I removed the last Brussel Sprout plant and pulled several small cauliflower plants for 'spring greens'. After three rows of digging I had to give up - too heavy for my back! I went on to unscrew the pegs loading the tunnel base ready for moving it and pulled the posts for tying up the raspberries next door, leaving a clear path to the tunnel's next position. By then the few drops of rain had developed into steady rain and I was getting soaked. I thought about going home but remembered I needed to lay the laminate flooring in my shed, where I could keep out of the rain. Having the cordless drill, after I cleared the stored plastic bottles, I unscrewed the bottom shelf supports and swept the space clean. After clearing the space the amount of rot and rat damage to the lowest plank in the wall became apparent. I need to replace it and protect that side of the shed, either with paint or a roofed shed extension for storage - if I can find the time! However, I managed to clear enough space to lay the first lengths of laminate but came to the conclusion that I needed to clear the shed completely to continue - and that required dry weather. Having done much preparation I can now do the job reasonably quickly when the weather improves. Between the spells of rain I harvested some more purple sprouting broccoli that I had missed last time before cleaning some rather muddy tools and going home rather damp, and somewhat disconsolate, to watch the China Formula 1 race! Monday 9th April A wet forecast for the afternoon gave me the chance to work inside my shed laying the second hand laminated flooring I had stored there. However, as I went to check my first task I realised I had left my cordless drill behind and the first job was to unscrew the shelving standing on the floor. Cursing I looked around the plot in search of alternative jobs. First I got out my pricey cultivator and ran it over the newly dug brassica patch to break down the lumps. Soon I had reduced it to a fine tilth on the surface but I will have to tread it over to consolidate it. That will have to wait until it is a bit drier. Then I turned to dealing with the flowering Groundsel widely spread over the plot. Using a hand fork to ease the weeds out of the ground I worked around the plot trying to remove every last mature Groundsel plant. As I've said before, I cannot compost it as it continues to set seed despite being out of the ground so I left it in heaps of the path ready to take to the tip, something I cannot delay too long if the seeds are not to fly all over the place. I then started on hoeing between the recently weeded onion and shallots rows. The soil had packed down under the boards I had used to work from so running the cultivator between the plants produced a fine guilty as before - until I tried to use it on the rows I had not yet weeded! Before long the spiked wheels at the front had clogged up and I was just rollering the surface! I had to finish the job with a standard hoe but that only cut under the weeds leaving each still attached to its own clod of earth - ready to continue growing so I had to lift each weed clear onto the vacant patch beside the shallots.
Having done that I thought it might be good to dig over that vacant patch ready for sowing other root vegetables. I dug out the initial trench along the fence loading the wheelbarrow with the soil. I was pleased that there was only a small 'nest' of bindweed roots especially as my neighbour has worked hard to clear all the weeds from his side of the fence. However, once I started digging I realised that it was far too wet and I was just squeezing the earth into wet clods. I therefore turned to weeding my strawberry patch next to the vacant patch. It should have been done last autumn but 'better late than never!' The strawberries had sent out hundreds of runners so I was not unhappy when alot of the small plantlets came up with the debris. One large weed, though dead, had left a deep and tough root that needed a spade to dig it out! Finally I cut the stalks of the two remaining Brussel Sprout plants, with the last of the sprouts attached, to take home (as they will store longer still attached) and pulled up the stumps which showed a nice healthy root system underground, no club root, thank goodness. I picked a handful of tiny sprouts from the end, malformed, plant to take home to test if they are worth keeping. I then dug up a couple of leeks. Just as I finished trimming the leeks it started drizzling hard so I got wet cleaning the copious mud off the tools before I could climb in the car to go home! On the way out I got angry at the comment scribbled in permanent felt pen of the notice about shutting the gate. I vented my spleen on the homepage of the website and will replace the notice. Friday 6th April I arrived at the plot with a trailer full of garden waste. A few of the bags were mine but most were from my neighbour across the road. Some was suitable for the compost bin but some were destined for the tip. I decided it was better to start with the heaviest job, digging over the rest of the brassica bed. I had just finished digging the initial trench, loading the soil into the barrow and picking out the few bindweed roots, when I realised that I had left my support belt at home. I just hoped to dig as much as I could before my back showed the strain. However I was using my Backsaver spade and set about digging. It was noticeable where the rows of pea plants had been growing as the soil was softer and more crumbly whereas the strips in between were considerably more solid and compacted. Surprisingly I soon found myself digging the last spit next to the path having had to strip off to my shirtsleeves. It took just a moment to empty the barrow into the remaining trench next to the path but I had to remove a length of bindweed root as I did it. One of the hazards of moving soil round the plot. I will cultivate the bed to remove the large lumps and tread it back down ready for the brassicas which, fortunately, are only tiny seedlings in the greenhouse at the moment so I have some time to do it. In returning the barrow to storage I noticed that the groundsel was just about to seed - and there was quite a bit of it - and there were a few dandelion flowers as well! The dandelion is obvious! The groundsel in the foreground is just in flower but the at the top of the picture there is the first groundsel seedhead! Elsewhere the groundsel was thick with flower. It took me some time to hoe the bulk of the weeds growing in various patches along the path and by the gate and I dare not leave the dying plants as they continue to seed even after being uprooted. It isn't even safe to compost groundsel when it gets to the flowering stage so the heap I had gathered was dumped in a bag headed for the tip! I emptied several bags and trugs full of garden waste into the compost bin and sorted the rubbish headed for the tip before harvesting a large amount of purple sprouting broccoli that I daren't leave to go over. I also cut the top off a Brussel Sprout plant with a large number of sprouts still attached to take home on the stalk. With the recent rain the top sprouts are beginning to blow so they need to be eaten! They will last longer stored on the stalk, I hope! On the way out I collected more bags of rubbish from by the new cabin left over from the work being done to it, filling my trailer for the journey to the tip. |
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May 2023
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