Showing posts with label Before and After. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Before and After. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 8, 2021

Straw, Slugs, Allotment, Slugs, Cauliflowers, Slugs, Potatoes, more slugs, oh and bind weed.

You may have noticed a theme to the header, the bane of every allotment holders life. Slugs! I did actually google to see what are slugs good for? (Absolutely nothing!) You may well have the song War! in your mind now. But it seems that slugs are a big part of the eco system, they make great composters, it is just a shame the stuff they want to eat is young tender leaves and not weeds. If only a slug could be encouraged to eat weeds, we would be devoted disciples of the slugs, erect monuments in their honour. They don't though so our lass sets out beer traps and the feeling is we might as well be putting party invitations out for the slugs with a header of FREE BEER!.


One thing which seems to have worked a bit is the grit around our courgette and pumpkin although one mound as you can see top right seems to have mysteriously moved all by itself. Also the leaves at the bottom are yellowing and hopefully we start getting new leaves before we lose the old ones.


Our lass has put out the barley straw, worry as always is will this just be a comfortable hiding place for the slugs. We have since netted over as well, to stop air attack from the birds, here is hoping we actually get some strawberries for ourselves.


Our lass put out a few cauliflowers yesterday and whilst doing so removed five slugs from the ground, they now have hopefully become lunch for the frog as we put them in the pond. But please give us a chance, go for the beer please leave our veg alone.


Yesterday we took our first crop of potatoes out of the ground, we had had some from a bucket, but these were our first from the soil. This whole area when we got the allotment though had bin weed, not only is it a lot tidier now we are still doing our best to get every little bit out. As you can not even leave the smallest bit of root in. Plan of action, is to cut the main leaves of the potatoes and compost them, fork out under the potatoes and put them on the sieve. Pick through and sort, potatoes, then potato roots and weeds in a bag to go for rubbish. I know they say you can compost everything, but for us weeds just have seeds and you are spreading it around the allotment and potatoes seem to like to grow anywhere from even the smallest node.


How the allotment looked on day one and the bind weed on the right.



Yesterdays new potatoes and very nice they were as well, the smell of the cooked potatoes took me right back in time, might sound like some old fart. But the potatoes we have today just don't even smell the same as they used to and was very enjoyable to eat yesterday.


and finally Carrots and Onions, no need to thin the carrots as only a few have come through from the ones which were sown a couple of months ago. Last month we sowed another row in the middle and they are just showing the first signs of germination and yesterday to the right sowed the final row of carrots in the hopes that over the coming months we will get a progression of carrots to pick, carrot fly is supposed to have gone by June, but still trying do as little as possible to disturb just in case. As for knowing your onions, well I didn't and thought they had all died in the winter but thought would just leave them to see what would happen. Which it seems was a good idea as they are starting to look a lot like onions. Now just need to know when is the right time to pick them? Answers not on a postcard but in the comment section if you know.

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Day 59 - Gone in a badgers twinkle

 Day 59, is actually 6 days after our last full day of day 58. We do go up in between watering and tinkering but we only write about the full days we spend down our allotment.

This day, was dahlia day, our lass potted up all the Dahlias which had been sourced. Now, if confirmation was needed that I mishear our lass it came when our lass talked about the names given to the Dahlias. I would have staked good money that there was Dahlia called "Beavers twinkle" it turns out that it was a Badgers twinkle, maybe it is the forever small boy which occupies a blokes mind, but I sniggered.

This was also the first exposure for the garden hose, it had been put away for the winter to save the frosts freezing the pipes also you don't get to do much more watering than a watering can during the cooler month, but it is another sign that spring has sprung.

We also sorted out the wooden fencing which we had been given, you will see from the before and after photographs below, we have managed to bring some definition to the area, even though there was fencing at the back of the wildlife garden part, it left us feeling exposed this is hopefully remedied now.

One thing we are fighting with now, is our own minds, the allotment still looks bare, what is in the greenhouse seems to always be on the edge of existence. One wrong look and it will whither whilst weeds are popping up all over the place, no matter how much you chop and hoe. Having an allotment is very much a religious experience you have to have faith.

Just a few of our lasses Dahlias which have been potted up.
Wood, lots of wood.
Before
After
After, and looking just right for a break time.
looking good in our lasses greenhouse
Busy both sides of our lasses greenhouse









Tuesday, March 9, 2021

Day 50 - Half way there

 Day 50, and I am sure I have clarified this before, but days are the days we have worked and pottered not simply days of having the allotment.

Another thing I have written as advice is that you need to take lots of photographs, it helps for when you are in the middle of it all, simply awaiting for your work to be fruitful so that you can actually see where you have come from compared to where you currently are. One great example of this is our lasses greenhouse, today a hive of activity for new seedlings but as you will see from the photographs below it has had a big change from where it was originally when we took it over.

We have a wheelbarrow with a new wheel which is always useful.

The potato beds for the first earlies, has been done early. I must concede that yet again our lass is, as always right and the rest of the potato bed is simply not ready (too wet), although I am as ever impatiently wanting it to be.

Our lass forever the busy little bear, has been busy with some log roll which we had, to make an edging which means flowers can be planted along side the vegetables and it also keeps the soil in.

And finally, our neighbour offered us a fennel plant, can't say it is something we would have chosen ourselves, but I like the sound of the aniseed and it reportedly has great flowers which I thought our lass would enjoy, we will keep you posted.

Our lasses green house which we took over
The hive of activity it is today
We had no choice with the colour but it is a very cheery one.
two beds are ready for the first earlies, but will the weather allow this tomorrow is another question.
Our lass reused some log roll, with wooden pole supports, makes a defined edge for some flowers.
fennel from our neighbour, I like aniseed our lass likes flowers could be good.





Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Day 43 - We must be barking

 I think I have mentioned this before but there has been many times when we go to the allotment with one job or jobs in mind and we end up doing another, today has been no different. Once on our site our walk to the plot means we pass the wood chip or manure pile. Today there had been a new delivery of wood chip so where I was going to sort the compost pile, we decided to get some woodchip as you will see in the photographs below.

Our lass also got to complete a job which had been bugging her for a while, which was replacing a multi cracked paving slab as we enter our plot.

Our lass did a grand job of sorting the paving out.
Before we brought the wood chip up the hill.
Step now blended in with the woodchip, really starting to look good.
Really starting to come together, much better than all the carpet and broken paving slabs we inherited

A much tidier corner

Our lasses greenhouse when we first took it over

Fresh wood chip down on the floor, but a lot tidier greenhouse for our lass.



Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Day 40 Dig, Dog, Do.

I know a lot of the time is where I write Our allotment, but today I truly felt like it was our lasses allotment. Our lass did a lot of work today and all I did was barrow some wood chippings up the hill. Now I ain't fishing for credit, just in awe of our lass. 

The dog rose is all in place, and for an added touch our lass noticed some tree trunk/thick branch sections from a well established tree. So I brought them up with the wood chippings and our lass edged the area as you can see in the photographs below. The trench from yesterday was lined with blood fish and bone, the dog roses were then bedded in with compost mixed with grit. We also got a bonus as it seems someone from where got them from couldn't count to ten as we got eleven. Must have been a one more for luck.

Then when our lass had finished planting the dog rose, the potato bed was her next target and with the flash of a spade the lazy worms had the straw part of the manure turned over bringing it closer to them, so this will help more rot down for next month. 

I did also do a drain pipe of peas, in between the trips up and down the hill with the barrow and swept. but the star for today was our lass.

How this area used to look

And how it looks today

Our lass will be happy when the dog roses have grown up to cover the fence and block out the blue.

Can our lass dig it, yes she can.

Before


Thursday, December 10, 2020

Day 34 - Last of the raspberries arrive and just one more thing before we go.

 Today was slightly different, normally we get to the allotment and what we planned to do is superseded by another job because we see manure, leaf mould or wood chip on the way to our allotment. This then means that job takes priority and we then get on with what we originally went to do. This was the reverse today, our lass finally got to plant some raspberry canes which have took a second time of asking for them to arrive. I collected the wildlife camera (disappointed as the damp weather has foggied the lense) and our lass put some feed out for the birds. It was a cold day, so it was back off to the warm. 

Just as we were leaving a car which had been parked had left, which revealed a pile of fresh bark chippings. Which meant from impromptu return to the allotment. I grabbed the spade and barrow and our lass her trusty rake. We now have a fresh layer on the pathway, which makes it look neater and helps level out the bumps and hollows in the path.

Out next big job is the our lasses green house roof, first of all we need to find a way to fix it, also needs a calm and clear day, guess we can count them using two fingers between now and next spring.

Last of the canes in, gritted for drainage, lets hope they fruit in the future.

Before

After


A little bark chipping between the compost and the blueberries/logan berries

Looking sharper, it was starting to get muddy especially with sorting the compost bins out.

Our lass said I had earned my Kit Kat

Noticed the fungi on the bottom of an old tree stump we have

Next job, answers on a postcard, on how to fix?



Sunday, November 29, 2020

Day 32 - How many sides does a box have? and sorting out the compost bins.

Our lass continues to put forward the very relevant idea, that we are spending quite a bit of time at the allotment whilst we still have a fair few jobs to do in our own back garden. My response was about enjoying the expanse of where we are, unlike the six foot fences which surrounds most of us which we have at our home to protect our land from neighbours, at the allotment you have at most a 3ft fence, mostly wire fencing, with views to the horizon. But our lass does have a point so our garden at home will get the required attention.

But first, How many sides does a box have? This question is raised thanks to the concern our lass had when the packaging was opened to the new crate container which had been sourced for the allotment. "We have too many sides" Our lass said,  unfortunately I don't have photographic evidence of the sight which greeted us, but when all the sides were laid out on the ground, you could be mistaken for thinking you may have to many. Also on reading the assembly instructions, a this way up sign would have been really useful.

The compost seems not to be doing the composting thing it should be doing, and where as I mess around on here, our lass is much more constructive and had been looking around the internet forums, and read that we really could do with a lining on the bins. This was the perfect time, to do some moving around and then line the empty bins one by one. So manure is in a bin by itself, and the garden waste, scraps and cardboard is in one where it can be moved and turned month to month. Our lass did a grand job of lining, I did the moving, and our lass chopped the bits up which I thought the garden fairies would sort. (Well they did, our lass sorted it)

A new box of many sides

A freshly lined compost bin,

Mid way through sorting

All nice and tidy, and lined ready for when it gets turned between the two bins, hopefully it will help with the composting effect.



Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Day 31 - Fixing things, tidying things & experimenting with things

Ever since we have taken on the new allotment I have been wanting to sort the gate, due to it having a plank of wood which had been attached across the bottom which would forever stick as you opened it, and our lass wanted us to have a number, as we looked unknown. Today we sorted that, our lass dug up grass, placed old compost bags and put down some slate to help hopefully to keep the grass back, and I took the gate off its hinges and sorted the wood at the bottom so it no longer sticks mid open and attached our plot number so we can proudly say which plot we are.

As for experiments, the tomato seeds which i tried to dry out which ended up germinating have now started to become seedlings, there chances of survival through the winter are slim, but trying to give them a fighting chance. We will see what happens.

Annoyed but this is the only before photograph from the outside before we stepped on to the plot and it then being ours

Our tidied frontage, still a bit more to do, but we are now a number.

These sprouted through

Lets see if they sprout some more