Allotments 4 All
Allotment Stuff => The Basics => Topic started by: gwynleg on October 26, 2013, 14:42:06
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I love it! My allotment has become very jungle like recently and clearing bits of it is so rewarding. Cleared all the squash stuff today and my compost bin is full. Just made me think that although I love spring for the promise of what is to come, this time of year reminds me of planning for next and drooling over seeds (which I don't need).
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It is satisfying, but I never seem to get it finished!
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I love it....I love getting it all tidy and ready for the winter. We have quite a few repair jobs to do this winter so I hope the mild weather continues. I really love the break from the allotment in the winter. I like to wash all my plant trays and pots ready for the spring and give my greenhouse a quick clean before winter. After all this I sort out my seeds and plan the next season.
Duke
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Mixed feelings. Love the results and satisfaction of the job done but don't always enjoy the process. It is still so mild here that weeds proliferate the minute I turn my back on a bit of bare soil which means doing some jobs two or three or four times. frustrating.
Today is the big greenhouse clearance and repair and insulating for winter day. I need 3 new corner panes after the recent winds and new spring clips. Last of the chillies harvested and the fig tree has been fan trained to make room for all the pots I need to stash in there for the winter.
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We really could do with a frost to kill off the rest so we can get it cleared!
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Yeah, I do, It sort of draws a line under fruit and vegetables. A few of my allotment neighbours work hard to extend the veggie season, but I am a bit bored with that so the clear up gets me back up to speed as I have been a bit slack this last month.......and then gardening is much more indulgent -sowing and pruning and messing about in my own time instead of stressy rushing about.
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Been working away this 6 of the past 8 weeks so yet so start this year........ gonna be more of an effort this year
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It has done nothing but rain for weeks, would love the chance to start the autumn clean up!
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Putting the plot to bed is how I look at it. To clean up the ground and fill the compost bin leaving a neat tidy plot and then over the next few weeks to browse through the seed catalogues and think of the lovely things to grow :coffee2:for next year Its a time to reflect and a time to plan ahead :coffee2:
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It can be satisfying but I haven't progressed much so far - got rid of the runner beans and tomatoes and squash, but some of the bits I dug over are already covered in chickweed... need to get some cardboard going to cover the plot...
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Frost last night so now just need some dry weather next weekend for clearing!
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Today is the first day in weeks that I am actually able to go down to the plot. I was starting to think that mother nature had it in for me as every time I had a day off it was chuck it down, and then when I went to work it was a lovely, dry day where I could have done something down there.
It's our first year on the plot and I'm a bit worried that the association might think I'm giving it up because I've not been down..
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We are still in the process of clearing our new allotment ready for next spring.
Got 2 beds planted with strawberries and one with 200 onion sets.
still got 11 beds to turn over and manure before winter sets in
Paul :wave:
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I am going no dig so a rather different time this autumn. Been sourcing lots of bio matter, and the green manure is growing nicely. Though someone seems to be walking on it, and it does not like it at all. I have piles of leaves and I hope the worms are busy too.
Last few days weather has been drier and warmer, and the urge to dig is getting very strong.
I still have so much growing. Cabbage, PSB, strawberry plants, Sprouts, parsnips, onions, parsley, soft fruit. I am not sure where next years crops are going to go.
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Cleared the last of the tomato plants out of the greenhouse yesterday, still a few greenies left to make chutney. Filled two 1 ton dumpy bags with fallen leaves, still plenty to collect. Put the pots of Dhalias under cover to dry out. In the process of mulching bare ground for next season. The only thing I'm short of is.. TIME! :toothy10:
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I have just come in from weeding out the hairy bittercress from in between my leeks aaargh ! I kept going until my hands were too cold ..still got to do between the onions . Tme to put the kettle on ! brrrrr .... ! :coffee2:
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We didn't make it down to the allotment this weekend, the first time since getting the allotment 7 weeks ago. It felt really weird not going down. I did pop in the other night after I collected 6 bags of leaves for my leaf mould cage :toothy10:
Paul
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A friend who used to do landscape gardening helped me for a couple of hours on Saturday and she showed me how to prepare a good strawberry bed (we dug in several spadefuls of manure, then funnily enough she added sand to the top layer of the bed!), and we moved all my strawberry plants to a new bed, giving them a nice tidy up, I guess there must be 20 odd plants! We also pulled up all the dahlia bulbs (LOADS of them!!!) to store for the spring (I usually leave them in but she said it was better to take them out), dug over the top bit of the plot, and dug in part of the big manure pile I have. It looked very smart and I was very pleased.
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I cleared my plot up three weeks ago and the weeds have continued growing as it is warm and damp. I spent hours today, have an aching hand and will have to spend at least another two sessions hopefully in the next few days. I don`t enjoy it at this time of the year, the clay soil is horrible and weed removal is hard work as I am doing it by hand. I should be hibernating. Next year I intend to change whatever veggies I grow so that I can get various beds covered in autumn.
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I am going no dig. So things are rather different this autumn. As crops come out the weeds removed and the beds have been covered in green manure or with piles of leaves. My plots are now a lovely green colour. I am hoping the roots and the worms are doing the digging.
But it is a rather weird feeling and the dig reflex is getting quite strong.
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Antipodes, did you ask your friend why she covered the strawberry bed with sand?
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I've still got about half my plot to dig to turn it into the vision of loveliness laid out in my head. And at the minute it's a soggy bog of clay, so I foresee some panicky racing to catch up around April time when it dries out enough to play with. Joy! :blob7: