The carrots are finally doing something.
Went down the allotment for about three hours today mainly to secure the fruit cage by stapling all around the base, but did a few odd jobs as well. The carrots are finally doing something. Trimmed back the asparagus. Cleared some of the comfrey. From this....... ......to this. Sweetcorn's looking good. Put a fleece around a second carrot bed. Wild flower garden's looking nice...... As well as a load more soft fruit, including the first blackberries, we picked about 5lbs of potatoes.
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Just popped down for an hour or so to water and pick some fruit. We also picked a couple of pound of potatoes to have with pork chop and ratatouille for tea.
![]() Spent a couple of hours attending to the water-butts. We'd poured pond cleaner in them because during the mild winter a green algae had appeared in them all. It looked as though they would all need a thorough cleaning out but luckily they weren't too bad. We took the opportunity to move the water-butt that was down by the wall as that one tended to attract a lot of snails and slugs. ![]() We moved it up to between the large fruit cage and the rhubarb and then proceeded to fill all the butts while watering at the same time. We'll have to come down again in three days if the weather stays like this. ![]() We picked a few raspberries for good measure. They seem to have satrted ripening early this year but we have had some decent weather recently. ![]() A week ago it was lovely and warm; now it's struggling to hit double figures and it's rained for more than half of the last 72 hours. Just took the compost bins down today, but had a look around. There's a few carrots coming, but only about half of them. ![]() Beans look OK. ![]() Radishes as well look OK. ![]() Both beds of potatoes are coming on well. ![]() Asparagus looks a bit spindly but should be ok. ![]() Winter onions are also doing well........... ![]() ........as are the ordinary onions. ![]() Plenty of flowers on the blackberries. ![]() Finally, just to emphasise the amount of rain we've had over the last three days: we haven't seen lying water like this in a while. ![]() First full day spent down the allotment. You can always tell when it's going to be a decent length of time spent down the allotment by the fact we take TWO flasks. Anyway, loads to do......... the compost bins need a good tidy and sort out. ![]() All four "bays" are overflowing, but the first bay actually has some very decent two-year old composting material I spread around several beds. See the next three photos....... ![]() Strangely, the only thing that hasn't composted down over the last two years in Bin 1 is the mosslike "bio-degradable" hanging basket container??? ![]() Bay 1also provided a means of safely disposing of hundreds of official documents. ![]() Securely buried beneath a mountain of rotting compost. ![]() Bay 1 is now topped up from the overflowing other three bays...... ![]() .......... and it's all neat and tidy now. ![]() Quite a few people down here for a Wednesday in February. ![]() We spread plenty of Potash in the large fruit cage. ![]() We also put a load of potash around the strawberries. ![]() We threw the celeriac away as it hadn't done at all well. Don't really know why as bed was one of the free-draining ones at the bottom by the wall. ![]() However, we did pull up a remarkable number of excellent parsnips. ![]() There'd been a recent delivery of fresh chippings so we tried to make the most of it, in between doing all the other little jobs.......... ![]() ........like pruning the Goji Berry. ![]() Nearly the end of February and after the wettest winter on record we actually have a nice day in store. ![]() Removed the top layer from the blueberry containers (bath and two pots) and added an ericaceous feed and compost. ![]() Dug a couple of bean trenches and added a bag of manure. ![]() This is our seventh full year and the soil in the beds now is looking in excellent condition. ![]() Tidied up the lower fruit cage; which is leaning precariously. We've ordered some new netting for it for this year but when that goes tatty the whole cage will need rebuilding. ![]() Pruned the grapevine before any buds appear. It was threatening to completely engulf the shed. ![]() Cut virtually every stem back to two buds. ![]() Compost bins are also going to need looking at before next autumn. ![]() It's not altogether too clear from these two photo's but a large branch has broken off during the bad storms and if we have any more severe weather it may well fall to the ground. ![]() The branch in question is right above the back of the compost area, backing on to Lance's plot; could land either side if it does go! ![]() Weeded and dug the top couple of beds. ![]() Weeded, dug and covered the old strawberry bed. ![]() Removed the netting from the large fruit cage to let the birds in during winter. ![]() We think we might have a touch of blight so picked all the decent tomatoes and I took everything else from the tomato bed down the tip. ![]() Picked the last of the soft-fruit along with the tomatoes................... ![]() ............ and the first row of celery. Doesn't seem to have made any difference not surrounding them with black felt. ![]() Excellent crop of celery this year. ![]() Goji Berry has settled in well. ![]() As we spent the whole day down here (Janice was bitten five times - a record!) we had a subway lunch; well we were going to the fish and chip restaurant for tea. ![]() Started picking the celery in earnest today. Also a few more red potatoes, though they didn't seem of very good quality and had a few worms in them. ![]() Very near the end of the soft fruit now. Picked what tomatoes were left as it looks as though blight has finally taken a hold. Will have to come down the weekend and get rid of what's left. ![]() Went down yesterday after visiting the Book Fair at Baddesley Clinton and also went down this morning, Weather is now more unsettled - got soaked at Baddesley. Just picked some more soft fruit, beans, courgettes and emptied the potato bed by the cemetery wall. ![]() Grapes are looking very impressive. if the weather can stay warmish until into September then we may get a good crop. |
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