getting frustrated now.

[ACE]

The ground is far too wet to get on and start preparing the planting beds. We get a few dry days when you think I'll be on the plot soon then along comes another named storm and back to square one. Henry, Gertrude and all the rest of the gang have gone out of their way to compete against each other, but Storm Ace is on the horizon, bringing gentle breezes, sunshine and a rise in temperature, and being a romantic type of storm it will be coming along on the 14th feb.  So get yourselves fit and ready.

[ACE]

[johhnyco15]

here on the sunshine coast :sunny:with our light soil i have managed to winter dig both plots and get down to the site everyday and potter the grass paths look a little worse for wear but im sure they will bounce back in spring dont mean to torment you but when its raining and your looking out the window just smile and think of me pottering around the plot and say that lucky so and so or other words that spring to mind lol

[sunloving]

It's been tough it being so wet and windy, I was out in the gales trying to get a giant sheet of polythene down ready for my new polytunnel , it's 7 x 16 m and was basically just a giant sail and took a lot of wrestling. But at least when the clouds clear it's mild enough to get your spade in the ground. Sunloving

[taurus]

No how you feel Ace. Re named my plots "Soggy Bottoms". :B  18 years worth of compost and well rotted horse/cow manure by the trailer loads doesn't seem to have made much improvement down the years.  Still waiting for it to be dry enough to dig. Missed the boat last autumn to dig, due to an op on shoulder, because of someone elses lousy driving.  This year will be make or brake year as recovery has not been good. Lets hope this is all the extremes we get this year. Will be looking for Storm Ace on the 14 of Feb with much anticipation 
                                                                                                        regards Taurus

[Froglegs]

Storm Ace will it have enough puff to get to Nottinghamshire???

[ACE]

Storm Ace will it have enough puff to get to Nottinghamshire???

Nice to see you out and about Froglegs, I will never be able  to reach Nottingham, too many windbags lined up at the Watford Gap to blow the good weather back where it belongs.

I did manage some work this morning, I went to get a few leeks for dinner and found the ground on the top bed was reasonable digging so I have a few square metres of ground to think about planting something in.

[Digeroo]

Just been to the plot for the first time this year. 

Soil here ok for digging though have not done any.  Have put on some manure.  There is a large pile available and its all nicely rotted.  Intend to get the broadbeans in on a no dig basis and then cover with bottles and manure.

Covered some of the rhubarb.    Got a sprout tree,

Storm Ace sounds good to me.  The Perfect Storm perhaps.  A perfectly lovely one.

Hopefully it will come up the Bristol channel and then be channelled towards me.

What I would like is the perfect summer lots of sunshine with showers every four night.  ACE please could you arrange it?

[Hector]

We are sodden here....so no digging. It's literally been weather for ducks for months.

[Duke Ellington]

jOhnnyco ....what do you use the window boxes for?

Duke

[squeezyjohn]

I'm the same - I can weed the beds OK - but not dig anything ... good job I'm almost no dig apart from the odd dock I find I missed last year.

The plus side today was finding somebody had cut a load of hazel trees down on the roadside near my lottie and put them through wood chippers and left the chippings in piles for me to bag up and make some very nice paths to walk on in wet conditions.  Beautiful timing!

[Redalder]

No chance of digging here in Cornwall been raining steadily for months, ground sodden, can't even walk on the grass it is so long and the ground it just soggy underneath it. Did a bit of clearing but gave up because I was just turning the ground into a quagmire.  Autumn planted peas and runner beans have rotted in the ground. Decided not to start too much in the greenhouse until some prospect of getting stuff out. Bored bored bored!
The frozen north was a picnic by comparison - cold killed the bugs and the ground was freeze dried when it thawed.

Never mind one day the sun WILL come out and all will be forgiven.

[johhnyco15]

jOhnnyco ....what do you use the window boxes for?

Duke

i use them to water my beans i drill holes into the side and bottom then trench either side with grass cuttings cardboard kitchen waste then in spring cover the trenches with compost so it brings it up level with the edge of the planter plant my beans then when i water i fill the window boxes full of water this waters the roots not the ground so the water gets where its needed and not in the first couple of centimeters of earth it works really well i liquid feed the same way hope i explained it ok hope it helps

[Digeroo]

I have been doing something similar with flower pots.  I fill them with recycled compost and then water into the pots.  The water goes down to the roots, picks up some bio matter on the way. But the biomatter also hold extra water.   Beans and courgettes etc seem to like it.

[Tee Gee]

On the same theme for moisture conservation I use my compost heap for my pumpkins & courgettes.

I sink bottomless rings/ pots into the compost heap fill is with potting compost and leave Mother Nature to do the rest.

This is how I protect them at planting out time from potential late frosts.




And this is them later in the season:

[galina]

This is how I protect them at planting out time from potential late frosts.

Where do the water cooler cloches come from?   Would love to know how to get my hands on a few of them