My task today was to clear the Brassica tunnel so I could move it and have the ground clear for my sweet corn which is growing well in pots in the greenhouse at home. I had removed the brassicas a few days ago but there remained knee high grass and other weeds. The soil has dried out so I had to dig out the grass. I eventually found sliding the fork under the grass roots and levering them up was the best option rather than actually digging it out - as can be seen in the bottom of the photo. Then, while the soil surface was smooth, I got out my new large pruning saw and sawed through the large posts at ground level ready to move it to the new Brassica patch; hard work but easier than I thought it would be. Having bare earth I wanted to break up the soil which had not been dug since the autumn of 2014 as I left it nice and compact for planting Brassicas last year. However, now it is nearly June and the soil is drying out, I didn't want to expose the damp soil below the surface and allow it to dry out. I therefore used the fork and just pushed it down into the soil and levered it back to ease the spit up only slightly. Hopefully, if it rains tomorrow, the water will fall down the cracks and moisten the deeper soil. I will then just cultivate the surface to sow and plant my crops. The advice from local experts is that normal digging is counter productive from June through the summer as it exposes the moist soil underneath and allows it to dry out even more. Having heaped the grass and weeds onto my compost bin, as June 21st is nearing when the Asparagus season ends I harvested a good few spears and went home Sunday morning's efforts were all wrapped up in trying to reduce the weeds on my plot. Everything has grown so fast over the last few weeks (except my plants!) that I have to concentrate on removing the unsightly and space wasting weeds and old plants from my plot.
I started by removing the overgrown Brussel Sprout plants that had reached 6ft high despite producing only one meal's worth of sprouts last November. They took some digging out so it was not because they had not grown well but 4 of the 5 plants just produced clusters of leaves or 'blown' sprouts. They went on to produce masses of top growth that went into the compost bin leaving just the stalks to take to the tip. Then I dug out the great clumps of grass and weeds that almost blocked the path onto my plot. That made the plot look much tidier, though there is still alot of weed growth at the far end. I then began clearing the various piles of weeds I had collected over the last few visits and dumping them into the compost bin, which became almost full - though it will sink down as everything compacts down. I finished by scraping and sweeping all the muck off the path just so I could look at the overall effect and feel I had achieved something. On Thursday I decided to delay going to the plot until the afternoon but then got delayed so arrived after 3pm. On the way I had collected grass cuttings and garden refuse in huge bags from a couple of neighbours. Some of the grass cuttings were deposited next to the potatoes ready to mulch them when the earthing up is complete but the bulk went into the compost bin so I need to add some horse litter or, better still, some part composted leaves to balance the green/brown materials. I then spent the rest of the time sorting out the weeds in the roots bed at the far end of my plot. Hoeing off the young weeds on the part waiting to be sown with new crops was easy but my onion patch had been neglected and the weeds had taken hold. Onions don't cope well with competition from weeds so it is important to keep them clear. As can be seen in the photo the last row of onion sets I planted were still reasonably clear of weeds but they were well established between the other rows. The shallots on the left were not too bad as I had run the hoe between the rows a few weeks back but the rows on the right were thick with weeds. I had to hoe between the rows and rake out the debris with a three pronged cultivator before I could go over the rows a second time clearing the weeds from between the onions themselves. It was really hard work and reminded me I should have used my hoe more often. They say hoeing should be done before the weeds appear and I have just shown why! Hoeing also creates a dust layer which helps keep the moisture in the soil. I went home very late, without any crops, but feeling pleased that things have improved and look tidy and the onions can grow on without competition. Having emptied the compost bin yesterday I could bring down a trailer full of the bags of garden waste from two of my neighbours. Both had collected several bags, much more than my single tub of weeds. I also managed to fit in the gate which my plot desperately needs so now all the materials are on site; I just need the time to set it up! I started by sorting out my peas. The net tunnel came off the my first half row of early peas I set off in gutters and moved onto the second batch I had sown and are a few inches high - vulnerable to pigeons and other pests. The next batch didn't germinate well so I used the few plants I got to fill in a gap where the mice had done their worst. They were supported by a few twigs from the birch prunings from home but needed more. However, I first needed to finish off the row by sowing a third batch of peas. I used a trial pack I got cheap from Suttons of the 'Terrain' variety, supposedly resistant to mildew. Having no room to dig out a seed drill, I cultivated a friable layer and scattered the seed on the surface before pressing them down with my finger. I then brought out the rat traps and poison inside trimmed milk bottles to keep them safe from other animals. Normally I just sprinkle paraffin along the row to put off the mice but I have run out. Of course I also scattered a few pellets of slug bait along the row. Having completed the sowing I then carefully unrolled the length of chainlink fencing I use to support peas. I was especially careful not to set off the traps. I added a set of canes with mini-bottles impaled on their tops and a string stretched along above the chainlink all to hold up the netting I covered over everything to keep off butterflies and pigeons. Following that task I harvested all the leaves from the spinach beet I could from the over-wintered row and dug up the roots before immediately planting the last of my potatoes, Charlotte, well spaced out as I had only a few tubers left. I then turned my attention to my compost bin. To start the compost off I put a layer of old horse litter off one of my beds and added the contents of six or so bags of garden waste followed by another layer old horse litter and the rest of the garden waste, including the kitchen waste from my house. I plan to continue adding horse litter in layers to help leaven the mixture. I'm not sure I can keep up with the weeds. Those growing in the beds between the rows are easily dealt with by hoeing but the large clumps of lush green grass at the gate and at the far end of the plot by the shed will need digging out. Heavy! Finally I harvested several asparagus spears and a large handful of rhubarb sticks to take home with the spinach. Having been so busy with Association work I determined to do something on my plot this Sunday morning. However, when I got down there I found John Lack and Neil Power busy constructing the front fence and gate for the communal set of quarter plots near the Trading Hut. They needed some materials so I was despatched to Wickes to obtain them. Having done that and brought them a barrow load of roadstone for gatepost foundations, I retired to my plot to do some work on it.
The weeds have grown very rapidly. Between the crops they are still quite small so can be hoed off during the week. However, the gateway and far end have grown thick clumps of grass knee high and will take some work! Wanting to get some sense of achievement I decided to finish transferring compost from the side bin into the middle one. It was hard work that I should have done in the cooler weather earlier in the year but I managed to finish. I have several bags of garden waste from my neighbours waiting to be put in a bin but I didn't have an empty bin to put it all in. I have found that the woven landscape fabric I use to line the bins is perfect except that the cut edges fray out into thin strands of plastic that tangle with everything. Having emptied the bin I took the opportunity to fold the fraying edges back and staple them out of the way. Hopefully that will cure the problem, it certainly looks tidier. The part matured compost was very wet and stodgy so I plan to add layers of the horse litter to the bin as I fill it to introduce more brown matter to balance the green waste. I also think I will replace the carpet covers with plastic sheeting to throw the rain off, keeping the carpet for insulation during the winter. This week has been very busy, more with work for the Association than on my plot. The Working Party last Sunday, apart from getting some grass cut at the front, had cleared out a dump at the end of Track 1.
On Tuesday I had hoped to work with a tractor driver from the farm at Burton resurfacing the tracks and tidying the Horse Litter bins. Unfortunately he called to say he was otherwise occupied barricading his fields from Travellers who had arrived in the area. I quickly printed out a warning notice for the gate in case the Travellers decided to visit the site and put it up on the gate. While down at the site I harvested the last cauliflower. So instead I collected rubbish from home and my plot in my trailer and took it down to the tip. I then did a second trip with the rubbish left from the dump clearance by the Working Party. He did the same on Wednesday as they were moving on and he wanted to be ready to deal with any trespassing. Thursday I got the call and I spent the afternoon directing the tractor driver who did a magnificent job smoothing out the tracks particularly at the entrance and on the corner just beyond Trading Hut. I do hope everyone drives slowly so the chippings bed in rather than getting pushed up into ridges and more potholes. When he had gone I had a little time to earth up my potatoes before staggering home worn out from watching the tractor working! Friday came and I had a couple of notices to pin up, one saying 'Slow - Loose Chippings' and collected some compost from the Trading Hut and a couple more tomato plants, Black Cherry (Hopefully as sweet as they say it is) and a favourite of mine 'Marmande'. Then home to plant up all my tomatoes in the greenhouse! Last Monday, after a weekend away I came back to find my climbing French Beans had grown apace in my greenhouse at home. I had delayed planting them out on the plot because the forecast was for very cold nights while I was away but they had had to deal with 41 degrees over the weekend, fortunately with no apparent ill effects. So today I felt I had to plant them out despite not hardening them off. Hopefully the next week or so will be warm enough for them to cope.
I had thinned them out by removing the smallest where there were two seedlings in a module so I had 32 strong plants and 15 somewhat weaker plants which were the transplanted seedlings. I planted out the stronger plants and almost filled the row. Afterwards I unrolled the 1 foot high mesh I keep just to protect young beans from the Red-legged Partridges which in the past have nipped out and eaten the growing points of my young bean plants. I also scattered a few slug pellets along the row, a couple of dozen is all that was needed. I took the weaker plants home and will keep them going to fill in the end of the row and any failures. They will do better in the greenhouse now I have sprayed it with shading compound to keep it cool in the sun - a very messy job which I shall try to avoid by using shade netting next year. (Anyone want 3/4 bottle of shade mixture?) I had taken some '60 day' Calabrese plants that were starting to produce flower heads but there was no time to plant them so I shall probably have to re-sow a second batch in larger modules. I then tackled some of the weeds growing around my Blueberries and into my onions. Most came up with the hoe but there were some big clumps of grass and a few deep-rooted plants of the green manure grass. Yesterday I came down to the plot in the afternoon and dodged the rain showers. At one point I spent half an hour listening to the radio in the car while it gently but constantly rained outside. However I did manage to earth up my first early potatoes and then mulch them with grass cuttings, which I am told is good for them.
I also set in place, against the fixed wooden support, the canes for my climbing French Beans which are growing apace in the greenhouse at home. Having kept the canes under cover all winter they look good but, just to be sure, I alternated the newest canes with the older ones. It will be the third year for some of the older canes so they may not take the strain. However it does mean I have enough for the supports for both Runner and climbing French Beans. I still have to tie them in (I use cable ties for convenience though they do cost a bit more) and I still need to put in the cross bracing canes. I also cut back the rest of my Spinach Beet as I need to dig it out to plant my last row of potatoes. I also cut a lovely cauliflower (just a couple left) and pulled some rhubarb. Finally I picked up a couple of tomato plants from the Trading Hut frames, a Sungold and a Black Russian. Tasty! Today, against the forecast, it stopped raining in the afternoon so I nipped down to pick the overblown Purple Sprouting that I forgot yesterday. On the way I popped into Stewarts to buy a packet of parsnip seed. (I will probably now find the seed I ordered over winter.) There is no sign of the old seed I sowed last month so I raked over the row and re-sowed, this time with Radish markers! While sowing I realised that the grass clumps alongside were growing over so I started pulling them up only to realise that the onions next door were even more overgrown. It took me a little while to dig out a mixture of green manure, grass and groundsel and hoe round the onions carefully. While doing this I noticed the cauliflower I thought I could leave a day or so was just about to go overblown with the nice warm weather we have been having - so I picked it. Seeing the size of the weeds in the net tunnel I spent a few minutes hoeing them down - having left them to get far too big! It took a second to cut the only two asparagus spears showing (I hope there are more to come) but an age to pick all the Purple Sprouting, filling my trug completely. The sprouts may not be as compact as usual but they were lovely and tender so I look forward to eating them over the next few days. Spring seems to have arrived, finally.
While it was a bit warm it was forecast to get even warmer so I decided to do some rotovating for a new tenant this afternoon. The breeze was quite fresh so it was not too bad wrestling the machine round as it broke up the soil. They had killed off all the grass and weeds so it was able to do quite a good job. However it took a long time to clean up the machine afterwards as there was a large amount of baling twine wrapped round the rotor. Having done that I went to my plot. I decided to give up on the old seed I sowed a couple of weeks ago. While there are spinach seedlings and half the carrots have germinated, there is no sign of the beetroots, turnips or half my carrots. I used my three pronged cultivator to break up the soil in the groove and made a new drill, 1/2 inch deep for the carrots and an inch deep for the beetroot. I then sowed the second half of the row of Spinach as it is over a fortnight since the last sowing. There is no sign of my parsnips either so I had better sow some more quickly or there will be no parsnips next winter as they need a long growing season. While I was finishing off the tenants for whom I had done the rotovating arrived to thank me. It made me feel it is all worthwhile! I have been very busy at home sorting out my woodpiles and my visit last Sunday was completely taken up with the dusty task of cutting slabs to fit the greenhouse on the Special Needs plot with a hired disc cutter. Once again Travis Perkins have been very helpful and gave us a very good rate. It was mid-afternoon before I got down to the site. There were quite a few of mutt neighbours putting in plants and watering and that reminded me to check my seeds. The last lot I sowed, spinach, is showing already and some of my carrots have germinated. However there is no sign off anything else so it appears I wasted my time sowing old seed. Not surprising. I turned my attention to my Broad Beans. The strip I dug on my last visit was a bit lumpy so I used my manual cultivator to get a good tilth and then tamped down the soil with the back of the rake before cutting enough holes with my bulb planter. There were a couple of problems because the Rootrainer I had used had fewer cells in than I thought and being brand new each side of the strip of cells was still connected at the bottom. This normally makes it easier to set them up but the sides of my older Rootrainers have separated and, as the plants had grown rather large, with large roots poking out the bottom, with the new cells I had to cut each cell in half to release the plants. However the plants went in easily with the extra holes filled in as I went. I then watered them in taking the opportunity to water my seeds as well. It was while carrying the water down the plot that I noticed that something, probably pigeons, had taken most of the leaves off my new strawberry plants. Now I don't often net my strawberries even when they are in fruit but I soon had a few hoops set up and netting covering the whole bed. A check of my brassica cage showed a large crop of purple sprouting broccoli was absolutely ready and could not be left, so I spent a while harvesting a whole trug full before going home. |
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May 2023
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