Allotments 4 All

Walked down to the plot and collected a big Tesco bag full of seed packets, ready to plant toms, corn and squashes in pots, and go through to see what I haven't got in time to make a last-minute order.

rain snow sleet everywhere, ground too wet???

Just dug 10 parsnips up and leeks, ground is SO dry!

At 7am, I was on the plot and hoeing round the onions, garlic and shallots, soil was just right...shame the wind was a bit cold otherwise perfect! Greenhouse is busy, broadbeans and peas waiting to go out, leaks awaiting pricking on have to be next week after I have finished nights :D

Still digging and weeding.  I'm taking between 4-6 big buckets of weed roots out of each 8x4 bed.  So right now my back REALLY aches.

Have planted two cheapo apples trees, a Cox's and Jonagold.

In the plastic greenhouse I have beetroots - thinned them out this morning, also greyhound cabbages, 2 types of brussells, early purple sprouting broccoli, calabrese (hydra) broad beans, peas ( hope to put both of those in the ground next weekend) spinach, calendula and little leo sunflowers.

Just had 5 hours of wall to wall sunshine while working at the lottie.  It certainly makes a difference.  Finished off the bean trench.  Dug over a narrow strip beside the compost bins for my cukes or a squash maybe. General muck flinging and tidying up.  Cleaned out the shed too.  Perfect day and I'm ready for a long hot soak. Aaah! :)

Perfect day here too weatherwise - but have visitors so couldn't go to lottie. AAAARRGGHHHH!

Lovley afternoon here, sunny, warm and not much wind - actually felt like spring for a change. Managed to get another row of shallots in and a row of parsnips. Cut the grass aswell. The row of broad beans i put in 4 weeks ago have still not appeared though :-\

A rare bit of sunshine today. So ignoring the wise old adage "one swallow does not a summer make" I planted out my first earlies. They're well chitted and I bunged plenty of manure in the trenches so hopefully they'll get a decent start. I must remember to get down there with the frost fleece before they pop their heads up.

The soil is worryingly dry. Down at a full spade's depth there's hardly any moisture at all.  The taps are all dry at the moment and I'm worried that with the hosepipe ban coming in on April 3rd they won't switch the supply back on again.

I'm a newbie to veggie gardening, been very busy today as the weather has been "spring" like. Made a start on my fruit garden, planted raspberry canes, rhubarb, gooseberry & blackcurrant.
We've had to fence off our veggie area to stop our chooks from scoffing all the new shoots. They had the top off one of the rhubarb (just hope it survives!!)
Lots of seeds already planted in jiffy pots etc all round the house, conservatory & greenhouse. ;D ;D

Welcome Carolinep.. Hope you enjoy the site. Plenty of advice if you need it (I hasten to add not from me :)) The natives are really friendly and welcome all new comers. Enjoy.

Lovely warm day here too. I have planted up two blueberry bushes into pots that I bought yesterday from Woolies. No Idea if they will belany good but two for a fiver its got to be worth a try. They were Bluecap variety, not sure if thats good or bad.
I have also sown 4 varieties of sweetcorn today into roottrainer pots and put them on the windowsill...hopefully not too early to do that?
I have been to the Lottie and given my 5 inherited, very overgrown gooseberry bushes a prune and a feed. I will have to just see how they do over the summer. Am now trying to remove two tiny thorns from my thumb....boy do they hurt!!
Helen

Brillant weather so be down allotment and planted some early potatoes, carrots and Parnips and I feel really chuffed. Only thing had a look in book when I got back and  I planted parnips like I did carrotts so I hope I can thin them if they come up.

I had a good weekend with plenty of digging and weeding.  The soil was perfect for getting out the nettle roots.  I had two barrow loads full.  I have to rest quite a bit because of my health problems but I enjoyed being out in the sun and feel really satisfied with what I have achieved.

I'd have planted the rest of my onions if I'd been feeling better, but I've struggled this weekend, I've been up to my eyebrows in church stuff. As it is, I've got the toms in, under the hot water tank, and other things will follow shortly. I've got a final seed order off, and included sweet peppers and aubergines. I'll see how I go with them; last years toms worked, at least uintil the blight struck, and chillies didn't.

Making seed tapes! ;D ;D ;D

Oh thanks supersprout, that's just reminded me that I was going to try making seed tapes this year.

Wow! Those seed tapes look like a great idea for one such as me (who can't judge an inch from a mile)

How do you make them? And what seeds can you use them for?

cheers

hello sally, there's a great thread on this at http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joomla/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,57/topic,5605.0
The spacing is very much trial and error, but better than shaky hands and damp seed packets
:D

Well I'm sitting in an office in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (a**e end of Russia), waiting to find out if my plane will be flying today, the airport has been closed for 2 days due to the two feet of snow that fell on Saturday and Sunday (this makes about 4 feet of snow in places).

The temperature here is currently -3c (10.20am here now), but at night it's been getting down as low as -18c. So no tomatoes here!

I sincerely hope I can get back in the next day or two, cos there's bugger all to do here  :(

Hey Robin, I am growing black Ukranian tomatoes this year, they are supposed to be able to stand the temperatures there but they probly start them in July ;)