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New Allotment Diary... Easter '05!

 
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cab



Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

PostPosted: Mon Mar 28, 05 12:47 pm    Post subject: New Allotment Diary... Easter '05! Reply with quote
    

It's not the same plot as it was when I moved in!

Haven't seen Mr Frog this weekend. I do hope his visit to the pond wasn't a flying visit.

I'd say that about half iw now planted and four fifths are 'cultivated', if that makes sense. So that's first early spuds, carrots, sweet cicely, peas, French beans, broad beans (some planted at home first, some straight in the ground), peas (now showing!), parsnips, Jerusalem artichokes, onions, shallots, spring onions, radishes, turnips, summer cabbages (mine at home turned their noses up, so I bought ten plantlets for the bargain price of 85p on the market) and some summer sprouting broccoli. Oh, that's not to mention the raspberries an the rescued gooseberries and currants (they were by the shed, now they're by the pond; they were once great big bushes, the surviving bits are kind of weedy but ought to do well) that were already there, and the assorted flower corms put in by the pond.

That's been a lot of work, clearing it all, digging over, digging again to get the weeds out a fortnight later. I ache, but that's as much because the weathers on the turn so the rest of my free time has been spend bombing about on the bike (perfect cycling weather).

Still to go in is, well, so much! I'm doing little half rows of things like peas at a time to get a succession, I've picked a four foot length where I'm putting in three four foot rows of carrots at a time for the same reason.

My only concern is that my muck only arrived this week. So I'm going to have to fathom some kind of rapid composting to have some ready this season; it's clearly not that fresh, but it ain't ready for spreading. I gather that putting it on a plastic sheet and covering in more plastic should do that.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator


Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism
PostPosted: Mon Mar 28, 05 2:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Yes, keeping the heat in should spead up the muck rotting down. You can also make a plant feed out of it and it may be worth trying a little over the top of some spuds or in the trenches if you earth them up. That way they will get some of the food but not get burned by it. If you only try a few plants and it goes 'orribly wrong you wont loose much. Black currents can take some fresh manure, we used to spread rabbit droppings direct from the cages round our plants. (A good reason never to pick up a dropped fruit. )

cab



Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

PostPosted: Mon Mar 28, 05 8:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

A little fresh stuff around the currents... Useful to know, thanks. I'll bury some in a trench for the courgettes, of course, and see what I can do to accelerate the composting of more of it. It's a magnificent, steaming pile at the moment. Almost a shame to use it.

nettie



Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 5888
Location: Suffolk
PostPosted: Mon Mar 28, 05 8:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I've had a busy one too, 3 beds to start from scratch (apart from some rhubarb and garlic), and the weeding on the perennial/fruit bed.

Luckily, very little digging, and no manuring required, as the previous occupant had just done it (sorry Cab!!)

The onions, peas and spring onions are in the middle bed, the right bed has spuds, carrots, parsnips, scorzonera, and chicory, the left bed has cabbages, caulis, sprouts, and broccoli. All the seeds are under my bargain 5m mini polytunnel cloches from Lidl which I hope won't blow away in the next high wind

A very lovely bonus was the discovery of a dozen mature asparagus crowns with new spears poking through

I'm running out of room already and the next move is to clear some space in the fruit bed for the sweetcorn, squashes and courgettes, plus get the frameworks up ready for the fruit netting. I have left a few gaps for succession sowing and a few other bits and bobs that aren't ready to go in yet.

I love it!

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