Allotments 4 All

That's a sign of a day well spent - my back is killing me today!

I had yesterday off work. My parents popped over and, as Mr Aqui and I don't have a car, took me to get some manure. I was so excited at the prospect of lots of well rotted horse poo, that I completely forgot they were also bringing over my birthday present! Now there's a sign of an obsessed gardener!

So I packed as much poo into dad's boot as I could (ok, in bags, in his boot protector thing. But it's a good job he's so relaxed being as he's selling the car next week.)

And then we went to B&Q. Got a bag of charlottes (So I now have a total of 38 seed potatoes... hmm. I think I might start a couple of charlottes next weekend, being as they have huge chits on them anyway). And mum said they hadn't bought me all of my birthday present, so I could spend some of their money. And Gran wanted me to get some Hellebores from her. And my sister wanted me to get something for the garden from her...

I had enormous fun walking round putting things in the trolley as if there was no tomorrow! I got a garden thermometer, PH/moisture meter, another pair of gloves and one pale cream Hellebore Niger (I want a dark red/black one too, but they didn't have any). They didn't have any cloches or coldframes, which is what I was planning to buy from my sister.

Is it bad that I'm already using the thermometer, even though it's not my birthday until next week?

And now my back aches, despite stretching the muscles out in my yoga class in the evening. Digging through the muck heap to find the lovely rotted stuff underneath was really hard work! But well worth it.

sounds like a lovely day! i'm imagining wandering around with money (other people's at that!) burning a hole in my pocket (fat chance!) looking at lovely gardening goodies and deciding what to buy...........sigh......

ooooooo! a perfect day!
all that lovely stuff to use!
have a great weekend but take it easy!
Jemma x

Sounds like  a hot, bubbly bath for you tonight my girl!
CLx

What a fantastic day  :)

Brilliant family to take you shopping at the Garden Centre  :)

And hurrah for the manure, that's something I have to get around to doing!

Sounds like you had a lovely day Aqui. I also spent today lugging horse manure in the boot of my car. Must clean out the boot tomorrow before OH notices that I've had bags of horse muck in the boot! Where are you going to put 38 seed potatoes? I rekon you definitely need that allotment you've been thinking about!  :)

Hi
I am writing a feature for HORSE magazine on muck (what a glamorous life), and am looking for someone to contribute to the article who knows a bit about horse-muck!
I want to know why it makes such good fertilizer for allotments and gardens -
Why do you choose it? What nutrients does it give your plants / land?
What type is best?
How old should it be?
Do you have any comments about purchasing or obtaining horse muck?
I would be grateful if you could reply and let me know if yourself or anyone else would be willing to contribute to the feature. Please reply via email - see below.
Thanks so much,
Kathy Carter
email kathy_carter@ipcmedia.com

It's not just my back aching today, everything seems to hurt. I took advantage of the weather to get out there and do some badly-needed digging on Sunday morning. Apart from sowing a few bits and bobs I started clearing the last uncultivated section of my plot. Only got about 1/6 of the area dug, but this took over an hour and produced a large (40 litre) tub-trug full of bramble and bindweed roots.  I gave up after I'd filled the trug, as I didn't want to end up in hospital!

Good exercise though, and great to be outside listening to the birds tweeting and the faint cries of the kids playing footie in the park over the wall (being just far enough away that you can't hear what they're shouting...).  ;D