Author Topic: busy day today  (Read 2120 times)

ACE

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busy day today
« on: January 23, 2019, 17:28:06 »
Not at the allotment though, too cold  to venture far outside, but I did give the spare room a going over and it is all nice and tidy now...….. All ready for the spuds to start chitting when I get them next week.

BarriedaleNick

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Re: busy day today
« Reply #1 on: January 24, 2019, 12:14:08 »
Hopefully tomorrow will be nice enough so I can visit the plot - gorra day off and want to make the best use of time to clear up and get ready for the season.
looks OK at the moment with a sultry 11c predicted for the afternoon.
Moved to Portugal - ain't going back!

Beersmith

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Re: busy day today
« Reply #2 on: January 24, 2019, 20:58:21 »
Hopefully tomorrow will be nice enough so I can visit the plot - gorra day off and want to make the best use of time to clear up and get ready for the season.
looks OK at the moment with a sultry 11c predicted for the afternoon.

Each year, once the Christmas festivities are over, I aim to adopt a little and often approach to prepare for the new growing season. But for several years and for various reasons these plans have been disrupted. One year it was flu - laid up for two weeks and very groggy for another month, one year a bereavement, one year an elderly relative had a serious fall and needed a period of daily support, one year I took on a new and very neglected plot that absorbed a lot of time and effort so other things became a bit neglected.

But this year- all clear so far!  Numerous short visits, doing a bit of pruning, sometimes mulching, spreading horse manure, a bit of digging, sometimes just forking over where the ground is already reasonably clear, clearing a few weeds from the fruit cage, modified a water butt so it has a tap at the bottom rather than having to dip fill watering cans from the top , tidying the strawberry beds. Still even a little bit to harvest parsnips, leeks, carrots, etc.

So far so good. For late January, things are looking better than for a good few years. If the weather stays reasonable, I'm confident of getting off to a flying start this season. It's great being retired, as you don't need to bother if the weather prevents you getting there for a few days.

Good luck tomorrow!!

Not mad, just out to mulch!

BarriedaleNick

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Re: busy day today
« Reply #3 on: January 25, 2019, 09:04:28 »
Cheers - looks wet out there but drying up as I type.
Totally agree about the little and often approach. But his year I decided to redo one of the beds - our plots are on a steepish slope so I was trying to level it off a bit.  However I have completely under-estimated the amount of soil\manure it will take to fill it.  I am getting there gradually but moving wet clay around gets a bit tiring after a while - still it will be worth it when done.
I am not retired but have gone to half time working which has been a revelation.  So much more time to do the things that need to be done - both on the plot and at home. Plus I was usually so tired\stressed from work that I ended up not enjoying the plot so much as I should.  Now I have time to take it a bit slower and enjoy what I am doing.
So today is mine!  Got some beer to bottle off, going to get a few miles in on the bike, down to the stables we get a load of poo and then down to the plot.
Moved to Portugal - ain't going back!

Beersmith

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Re: busy day today
« Reply #4 on: January 25, 2019, 17:53:38 »

I am not retired but have gone to half time working which has been a revelation.  So much more time to do the things that need to be done - both on the plot and at home. Now I have time to take it a bit slower and enjoy what I am doing.

So today is mine!  Got some beer to bottle off, going to get a few miles in on the bike, down to the stables we get a load of poo and then down to the plot.

Good for you. Cannot think of a better way to spend a day.
Not mad, just out to mulch!

pumkinlover

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Re: busy day today
« Reply #5 on: January 27, 2019, 08:16:51 »
Glad that you have been able to do this Nick, I am sure that you will enjoy this change of lifestyle!

ACE

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Re: busy day today
« Reply #6 on: January 28, 2019, 13:32:59 »
Lovely ain't it. Just doing stuff in your own time with no real deadlines to reach. Had a mosey down to the plot today passing a building site that has had a load of land drainage pipe oddments 'free to a good home'. It has been nagging me all winter what they could be used for then PING! it came to me. I now have a lovely strawberry fountain. Cut  to different sizes and stuck in the ground in a pyramid shape, it certainly looks the business.

Tee Gee

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Re: busy day today
« Reply #7 on: January 28, 2019, 14:36:26 »
Many many years ago I got the chance to get some drainage ware offcuts and this is what I use mine for;




ACE

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Re: busy day today
« Reply #8 on: January 28, 2019, 16:39:34 »
Mine are a smaller size than your 'barrels'  It just irked me they were going free and I could not find a use for them. There is a lot more and I am wondering what else I can use them for, but not at the expense of looking like Steptoe's yard.

Tee Gee

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Re: busy day today
« Reply #9 on: January 28, 2019, 17:13:41 »
Are they plastic or stoneware?

If they are plastic you could cut them length ways to form two channel pipes.

Now I will give you two uses for the channels;

1) stick a bit of duct tape to the end of each piece then fill the channel with compost and sow some early peas in them. This is an idea from those people who use plastic guttering but I find guttering is too long so it is forever getting in the way,whereas these short ones could be sat on the greenhouse bench until the seedlings are ready for planting out.

 Form a shallow channel (equivalent to the diameter of the channel) where you are planting your peas. Remove the tape from one end of the channel and slide the contents ( peas + compost) into the channel and you are off to an early start!

2) once you are finished sowing your peas tape two of the channels together to effectively reform the pipe. Sink one end of the tube into a convenient bed and fill the pipe with riddled compost and sow a pinch of carrot or parsnip seeds in the top of each one. Once the carrots/ parsnips are ready for harvesting split the pipe in two again and you will have easy access to the carrot / parsnip.

3) wash the channels on completion and stack them away to use again the following season!

How does that sound?


 

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