More produce

 

Bucket o Spuds

 

Beans

 

Red currants

  

New Pics

Some recent pics of the produce growing.

 

 

 

Super Saturday

Had some great weather today so took the oppertunity to do a fair bit on the allotment. Started to de root the next potato bed, this is still ongoing as it is prob the biggest job on the site, will hopefully finish tommorrow.

 

 

 

 

Turned over the area for the corn field and planted out the corn, also had space to put in a row of Estima potatoes.

 

 

 

Anna was also able to harvest the first of the purple sprouting broccoli. Only took a little as we just needed to take the centre floret so there will be more sprouting from the sides in future. (tasted good in a prawn stir fry)

Runners, Potatoes and Fence

Me and Anna did a spate of hard digging and rooting on Sat morning and finished off our first potato bed. We got bucket loads of marestail roots out and have planted a row of Jeruselam Artichokes. We also planted out the runner beans that we have been growing in the green house next to the netting that I erected during the week, the mange tout seem to have been scoffed by the birds despite my efforts to protect them with twigs. We have planted up some in pots which we will put out when they are a bit bigger and stronger.

We paid a visit to our potato adviser (cheers Andy) on Sun and came a way with three bags of seed potatoes which I’d like to get in the ground as soon as pos. Accord, Peer and Estima. Just hoping for a bit of dry weather so We can finish digging our potato beds and get them in.

 

 

 

Anna was delighted to see the first florets of Broccoli have started to sprout, will get some pictures soon.

And finally the council have started to construct the new fence around the site, I saw it on my way home tonight and had a little look. Should be good when finished.

Equisetum arvense

The evil Horsetail/Pipeweed/Marestail, whatever you may call it had been rearing its ugly head in the potato bed. We pulled back the black plastic last week to find a field of it poking its little heads through the soil. Its a case of digging as much out as we can before planting in the bed and we’ve also been told that they don’t like competition so hopefully the potato foliage will keep them down a bit.

It was a great night for digging tonight after work, very stress relieving in the warm sun. Dug over the potato plot again and pulled out more roots. Must persevere without getting too demoralised.

Good luck to MIriam who has just got herself a boggy plot in Levenshulme!

 

BEWARE THE EVIL WEED!

 

Shed and raised bed

Wasnt sure we’d get to the allotment this weekend as the weather started out so bad on Sat, but the sun was shining on Sun morning and we were ready to go.

We had put the felt on the roof of the new shed the other week and it was still standing so that was a big bonus. Paul has demolished his garage so we used the roof beams to create a raised bed to go near the new ‘patio’ that we had put down near the shed, looks a bit crooked from a distance but it will do the job.

We also pulled back some of the black plastic that has been covering a large part of the plot for some time, we were greeted by a carpet of mares tail that has started to sprout up. Got some advise from the allotmenteers next door which was that we were going to have to dig it all up bit by bit. A bit demorilising but good to know that the others had been through the same and with a bit of hard work we’d at least knock it back enough to get planting on the plot. We had a good bash at it and managed to clear a couple of sq metres between us, it will be a case of a little at a time I think.

everything that we have planted is coming on well, garlic especially. No sign of any leeks, carrots or parsnips poking through yet but I think it’s still early. The corn and runer beans I’ve got going in the greenhouse are coming on great.

Anna has also put a small pond in to attract some friendly frogs to the plot with some nice water plants in to keep it clean.

Demolition Job

Yesterday saw the demolition of the old shed that was on the site when we took over. It was in a very sorry state to say the least and had on at least one occasion been home or drinking den to a local tramp. Not suprisingly it came down very easily with only a few choice blows from our hammers and we now have a nice space cleared for the new shed which will be rented from the Swinton Association at a very reasonable rate. The next task is to pour a concrete base or lay some slabs to stop the new structure sinking and rotting like the old one did. We will do this as soon as we get a good spell of weather.

Vegetable wise, we are now well planned for the coming months and know what will be going where. Once more weather permitting we will get digging and start to plant.

Oriental Crop

Not been down to the alloment for over a week as we’ve been on holiday. Managed to get down there today and were pleased to find a good crop of oriental veg ready for picking.

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Just had a mixture with seabass for tea, great to strt eating our iwn proper veg.

The cabbage, broccoli and colli are coming on well but the radish seem to have slowed down in the cold weather, although the mixed radish we sowed under cloches are coming along fine.

Black plastic

Many thanks to Andy who laid his hands on a big roll of silage plastic and kindly donated some to the cause. Went down today and cut a very large piece to cover the plots that we wont be using untill spring. Hopefully most of the grass and weeds will be killed off.

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Onions and Garlic

Onions , Shallots and Garlic went in tonight. Me and Paul just had enough time to get them in before darkness loomed.