Planting seeds

As this is mainly meant to be a reminder for what I have done this year so that I don't continue to make the same mistakes, here is a list of seeds I have planted so far at home to plant out later (28/3/11)

• 12 x Broad Bean (with 12 more to go in later as well)
• 12 x courgette (more still to go)
• 12 x Red Cabbage
• 6 x butternut squash

Not really interesting, but hey.  Hoping to get down tomorrow night for spud planting!

First seeds in the ground!

Well, at the end of this weekend this is the stage I am up to:

• Onions all planted (160 or so)
• First carrots in the ground along with some early spring onions
• Strawberries weeded and new plants added (see below) - although some plants look dead I am hoping some tlc will keep them alive.
• New soft fruit bed dug and raspberries, gooseberries planted with a blackcurrant waiting to go in - still need to think of a way of netting, will prob use old tent poles
• Middle bed all dug over and  waiting for rotavating

Was a lovely day today, and the first T-Shirt day I have had down there for a while.  Still got a fair bit of tidying etc to do but we are getting there.  The best bit is that No 1 son (5 years old) loves it and spent around 3 hours with me today just digging and playing.  It also makes him eat more fruit and veg as when he grows and picks it he wants to eat it a well.  No 2 son also enjoys it (3) and No 3 (1 and a bit) doesn't have much option!

Now the evenings are lighter I will hopefully get down at least once each week.  Looking forward to the first rhubarb of the season - prob going to be the first crop this year.  

The big dig...

Well, almost 8 hours at the allotment today and got a lot done!!  Have almost fully dug over the middle large bed - ouch!  Now ready for rotavating / tilling next weekend.  Planted around 130 onions and some shallots.  Still have another 80 to go in tomorrow.  Anne spent some time weeding and sorting out the strawberry bed and we had our first picnic lunch with the 3 boys - a little chilly though.

I then went to B and Q to get a few more onions and some brackets for a raised bed.  When I came back the bloke next to us gave me 12 raspberry canes, 2 gooseberry bushes and a blackcurrant bush along with around 12 strawberry plants.  Soft fruit here we come!  So i dug over part of another bed and planted the raspberry canes today - with some compost to get them going.

Jobs still to do

• Plant some seeds!  Tonights job is to sort out what to plant. 
• Still need to tidy the chest shed
• Rotavate the beds (Will prob do next weekend)
• Tidy the roses bed - weed and mulch / put down some wood chip.
• Get some seeds (Radish, spring onion, Spinach and Early Carrot) out in the plot

1st evening of the year

Well today I managed, for the 1st time this year, to get down to the allotment in the evening after work.  I have forgotten how nice it is to spend an hour or so outside doing something after a stressful day at school.

I got a few jobs done, including having the bonfire - it has been a lovely few days and it was nice and dry.  While that was nicely burning I started to dig over the middle bed and got about a 6th of it done.  I also cut up some small diameter drain / waste pipe into 6 inch lengths.  We have had trouble growing carrots so I am going to try something different.  Put the pipe in the ground, fill the pipe with compost and then plant a few seeds.  Will let you know the results!

We have also purchased all our seeds so tomorrow nights job will be getting the first lot planted.  I have got one of those pot makers from newspaper thingy ma jigs so I am hoping to make most of my own pots and then plant them direct in the ground this year - again, will let you know the outcome...   Am hoping to get down to continue the big dig on Thursday evening, have a union meeting after work so it will be nice for the stress relief!

Another Sunday, another few hours at the allotment

 A productive day at the allotment, and some updated pictures to show the development.

Today I dug over all of the raised beds except the Strawberry bed - which still needs weeding - in preparation for planting out the potato's.  As you can see from this picture, there are now 6 beds - the 2 nearest the camera are the 2 I have recently added - they both need some compost / top soil and manure to finish them off.   So today as well as that I did a little tidying as well and will hopefully start planting some seeds this week - It is already middle of march and am a little late on that.

These are the 2 new seed beds I have created - 2/3 inches deep and filled with lovely compost / soil and soil improver they will hopefully produce good seedlings to plant on else where.  I am going to put some cloches over them to warm the soil and hopefully start a little early planting out. You can also see the new rhubarb which will hopefully do well!

This is the start of a new path - I got the slabs from a church and am now beginning to start laying them and having better paths.  This will hopefully stop weeds from being as much as a problem and also make it less muddy when it rains.  Should also start it looking better as well - One day I will win prizes!

And lastly today, we, or Anne, started to plant out the onions.  We got 3 small rows done before the little boy started yelling and it was time to go home.
Jobs to do:

1. Complete planting out of onions
2. dig over and rotavate middle bed - it is a mess
3. Buy and plant seeds for the coming year
4. Tidy the chest shed.
5. New gravel for the 'greenhouse base' to make it sit-able on and bring down chairs and move the sand pit for the boys

A good weekend digging

As the title says really!  This weekend we have dug the beds where the onions will go and added some soil improver - the soil is ok but a little clay and claggy.   Looking good for next Sunday when I hope to get the onions in.  Have also completed another raised bed and have a few more to do this year so hopefully should have at least 3 more done soon.

The seed beds have also been made and filled with compost, soil and soil improver.  Ready for the seeds to go in when the weather gets slightly warmer.  Next main job is to work out exactly what we will plant and where and get the seeds started off!  Looking forward to a bumper year this year...

Will try and get some photos up soon of the progress this year.