Toon Crescent Allotments

This is a message to all the folk who have plots on the Lotty.

When I was there it occurred to me that it might be useful if we all swapped names and some way of contacting each other in case one of us is there and spots something not right with someone's plot.  For example I noticed there is a plot where a few of the seed potatoes are on the surface of the soil.  I don't know if they weren't planted deeply enough  and have just got exposed by rain or they have been dug up by some critter.  Basically I just want to let the person know in case they weren't planning to go to the lotty for a while.

There is no need to give out a load of information, just a name (even a nickname would do), the number(s) of your plot and a way you could be contacted.  If all seven of us exchange them we can help each other out in this way.  If you want to you could send the information to me by email and I will pass the list on to everyone so you don't have to post your email address publicly here. 

I don't mind doing that as I am already 'public' so you can contact me at mormson@gmail.com and my name is Marilyn and I have the three concrete plots in the middle that don't seem to have numbers.

I would love you to use this blog as a place to 'chat' to each other and swap ideas - please do if you'd like to.

PS - spuds should be planted 3 - 5 inches deep depending on variety and then be earthed up a couple of times to protect from frost, so they end up at least 8 inches down.  I am trying an alternative (lazier) way this year - plant 8 inches deep and they take longer to come up (but are starting to develop) and they don't get frosted - well that's the theory - if I lose them all I shall cuss!

Fulton's Strawberry Surprise and pansies

Yesterday (Saturday) we had breakfast and, looking through the window, we solemnly swore we would not be going to the lotty for a while.  Easy promise to make as the weather has turned really cold and is actually managing to sleet occasionally never mind the April showers and impending frost. Then the postie turned up and the last part of my Thompson and Morgan order arrived - my rhubarb.  It looked so bonny it seemed a shame to just park it outside to wait for a better day.  So..... we filled the two water containers - remember we are filling the water butt in episodes each time we go - gathered up all the other necessary stuff and got in the car.  Then the French farce began.  We backed off the drive pointed forward and down came the rain.  Having spent more time in the shed than on the lotty on our previous visit we decided to go round the block and back home. That was fun.  Off with all the gear and, yes you guessed it, the sun came out.  Back in the car and a quick dash to check the bird netting - all OK and plant Fulton's Strawberry Surprise.  I have visions of it and the strawberries lushly filling this bed by high summer...... well maybe next summer.

Photo Album: Garden - The Lotty - 2013

On Friday I snared another B & Q bargain with the benefit of the B & Q Club membership.  They had various spring flowering shrubs and all their hanging baskets on offer for half price with the card.  This is cheap and cheerful at a few pennies over six pounds and will do until the summer one can take its place.

Photo Album: Garden - 2013

Anti-birds?

We went to the lotty today to put up some netting to protect the all-purpose bed from the birds. 
 When we went a couple of days ago all the carrots and some of the beans I had planted were pulled up and the solar butterfly (I was using as a bird scarer!) was in three pieces.  The plastic had been snapped.  A couple of the green pegs had been pulled out of the strawberry bed.   Initially we thought it was vandals but then, on consideration, it seemed very unlikely as they didn't do a very impressive job.  All my pea sticks were still in place and the water butt still standing.  I am pretty convinced it was pigeons or squirrels - both are extremely destructive.  if you want to see what remains of my forty-odd carrots have a look in the Garden - The Lotty 2013 album

So I bought 4 metres of 4 metre wide bird netting (£1 a metre) from Stephen H. Smiths garden centre yesterday and picked up the cane connecting balls from Summerseat today (cheese pie day!).  We nipped over to the lotty after lunch and slung up a 'cage'.  I'll just have to see how this goes.  It might come in handy again later in the summer if the birds attack the strawberries.

We are also expecting a ground frost tonight so this might add a little protection?

It isn't a super beautiful construction as it was freezing cold and within a few minutes of arriving it was belting with sleet and rain.  We sheltered for a while in the shed but then just came out and got on with it, so it is a bit of a rush job.  If it works and keeps the birds off i can mess about improving it another time.

This is the lovely cheap compost bin from Primrose that Ken put together for me and lugged round a couple of days ago.  I was a bit worried that the wood was wet and a bit green inside its packaging - fingers crossed it lasts a while.  As I said if it does OK I will get another one further down the line.  I am trying not to spend too much too soon as I need to see if (a) my enthusiasm lasts and (b) if stuff gets wrecked.....  not pessimism on my part just trying to be realistic.  So far I just love it and I can't wait to see all my stuff coming up.  There are signs of the lettuce and the radishes already so this cold weather isn't holding them back.  Actually today I noticed the soil in the beds was very warm but that might have been because my hands were freezing!

This final picture is just a shot of my little area - all beds planted and the butt and bin in place.  The runner beans and other fruit and vegetables will be arriving through the summer as the weather warms up but that is pretty much it for now until about mid May.

My next task when there is nice weather is to start working on clearing up round the beds and making it tidy.  I will probably have wood chip paths.  Whatever I do won't be cheap.  The membrane to go under the wood chips costs an arm and a leg.

All spruced up

before and after

One of the jobs that has to be done fairly soon after we get home is cleaning the patio so we can get the furniture out of the summerhouse/shed.  I am ambivalent about it as I always thought the slabs were a bit to too yellow and very patchy so I quite like them all smothered in dirt and mossy, mouldy bits.  Ken thinks this is yet another sign of insanity and has been noted on the list of reasons why she should be locked up.  So, he wins and out came the pressure thingy.  I was reminded that every year I say the same thing and every year it is followed by - "Crikey, that looks better!"

Meanwhile I cracked on with deadheading and clearing the rest of the borders and trimming and tying in the roses.  Also a case of, "Crikey, that looks better". 

Here's some flowers that were strutting their stuff today.

The lovely primulas I bought at a show in Edinburgh years ago

One of my favourites - anemones - the wind flower.  They look so dainty and are as tough as old boots - bit like me really.....

More photos as usual in Garden - 2013

Photos as promised

Sun shining and over to the lotty again today.  I bought three veg strips yesterday in B & Q, they were not what we were in there for, but at 3 strips for the price of two and 20% off that thanks to my B & Q club card - how can I not?  So, I had to pootle over and get them planted.

Chantenay

Two strips of carrots with sixteen plants per strip.  In fact I got a total of 46 plants from the two boxes rather than the thirty-two that were promised.  I think I like doing it this way because I am useless at sowing seed thinly which then means I am equally useless at thinning stuff out, so I may as well cut to the chase.

Dreadnought

I also bought a strip of broad beans.  These have all gone in the all-purpose bed.  They are encroaching on the runner bean and pea space but I am hoping they will have done their thing by the time the beans and peas need it.  If not I will just have to think again.  I am already considering putting the beans in large pots.  The problem I had with that when I did it once before was the constant watering and worse than that they kept blowing over.  I'll see when it comes to it.

better than nothing

This is the water butt doing its thing.  I hope my plants appreciated pure bottled water!  I bought two of the big bottles of water from Tesco yesterday so I would have something to carry water over to the lotty in.  I reckoned at £1.10 each it was probably cheaper than buying any other sort of container.  It would have taken us until Christmas to use the water so I decided the plants might as well have it.  Ken topped up the butt and then I pretty much used up the same amount watering the newly planted veg!  We are promised rain tomorrow and we are 'working on' a rain-catcher idea.

pegs

This is a purchase from Summerseat which (I suppose) wasn't too expensive.  Ten fabric pegs.  I am hoping ten will do it and will hold the fabric down so the wind doesn't get under it and lift it.  Time will tell.  At least for now they look a lot better than the lumps of debris we had been using for the job.

Meanwhile back at the ranch .... in the greenhouse I planted some seeds.  A dozen runner beans (Scarlet Empire), six courgettes, a couple of dozen tomatoes (Maskotka) and a tray of peas for pea shoots.  Someone suggested it in their blog and I thought it was a great idea.  I have a ton of pea seeds left over every year so why not; I like pea shoots.  Apologies for not crediting him with the idea - I am rubbish with names.  If he reads this, let me know and I'll point folk to your blog.

I left a couple of chairs and a bag of stuff in the shed.  It has a lot of broken glass on the floor which someone has covered with builders bags, probably as protection.  Do I clear it up or not?

There are photos of the the greenhouse pots - but basically that's it - pots with dirt in!  If you do look at the Garden - The Lotty - 2013 album I do know they need watering and yes, I did do it after taking the shot.

Decision, what decision?

449 litres

I am the best at making rock solid five minute decisions...  forget the compost bin idea, I have just bought this one from Primrose.  for £26.95.  It is cheaper than buying the timber and a whole lot less trouble.  I also like the fact you can remove the bottom slats if you get any good compost to use at the bottom.  I hope they still have them next year as I would like two but the budget won't run to that right now.

storage and seat

I've also ordered a storage bin which doubles up as a seat - useful for cup of tea time!.  I needed a decent size box to leave basic stuff in the shed so that fits the bill nicely and I can haul it over to my veggie beds easily and then park myself on it if I want to.

I have also ordered 8 foot canes for my beans.  They are always a pain to transport and there is a single delivery charge however much you order so they may as well be sent along with the other things.  I think £5.95 for ten (1.8m) is a good price as well???

I stole these photos from the Primrose site which I hope they won't mind as it is a bit of advertising for them. 

Ken and I went to the lotty again today to check that everything was as it should be as we have had some real gales yesterday, overnight and into today.  It was all fine.  

It was also an opportunity to take the water butt over.  Good old Ken took it with a load of water in it - half way there it broke the small garden dolly he had it balanced on, so the rest of the journey was a bit of a nightmare but those that know him, know he won't quit.  It is in place on its bricks and I know it will come in really handy on two levels.  Firstly, even though there will be water butts on the site - they aren't there as yet and I have stuff planted.  Most of it will be fine but the salad crops can't be left to dry out even for a short while.  Secondly even when we have the butts in place, if we get some serious sun they will be used up pretty quickly if everyone is keenly growing so I am hoping mine will help as it will be one less person drawing off the shared water.  The plan is to take water in a couple of one gallon containers every time I go  and so keep the butt topped up for when it is needed.  Hopefully there will be enough trips in between needing to use it to keep it full. 

When you realise that just 1" of rain on a 2' x 1' area is a gallon of water, just think what we are wasting down the drains with the rain coming off our roofs. Unfortunately I don't have a roof available to me on the lotty.  There is a great kit called a rain bowl for when you don't have gutters available to you; take a look at http://www.guttermate.co.uk/shop/rainbowl/rainbowl     

I am racking my brains as to how to construct something similar to do the job - some sort of upturned umbrella system.  Right now I am thinking on the lines of a tarp or better still butyl pond liner (except I don't have any of that) hammered to a rectangular frame on legs with a bit of slack in it and the centre over the open butt, weighted down with gravel (also that will keep out any rubbish) and small holes punched in it to let the water through??????  We'll see.

It was also worth the trip because I was comforted in that the strawberry bed didn't have any water on it, so the membrane did let last night's rain through without a problem.  We also topped up the fruit tree planting with some more compost.

I was curious as to the soil temperature and remembered to take the thermometer - it is 10 degrees so is OK (ish) for planting.  This is another plus for raised beds, the soil warms up more quickly.  The covered bed (strawberries) is already a couple of degrees higher in just in 24 hours of a cool day.  Now I worry it will get too warm for the rhubarb.  Actually even strawberries quite like the cool I think.  Aaaaarrrggh! trust me to overthink gardening!

Incidentally I took my camera with me as I intend to record this year inch by inch... it does help if you also put the memory card back in it before you go.  Hey ho.

All lotty photos I have actually taken are at Garden - Allotment 2013 in my web albums and the 'arrival of the butt' one will make it to there after my next trip.

Composting

This is the compost bin I  want to get soon.... hope you are reading this Ken.  If you are interested in how to make it - dead, dead simple - go and have a look here:  http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/factsheets/gg24.php

It is the best of designs because it isn't fixed anywhere and could be moved to another position easily.  Each section is light enough to lift on and off.  You build the height of the bin section by section as you fill it so no having to lob stuff over the side of a tall bin until you need to, even better the reverse is true - as you take out the compost to use you can take off a section of wood so, again, you are not having to shovel stuff up from the bottom of a three foot deep bin.  You can make it the height to suit yourself.  You can run two bins (which is the ideal) and by sharing the pieces it is unlikely you will need to build enough sections for two complete bins.  It is likely while the contents of one are being used up, the other is being made.  If you can get hold of some old floorboards or an old pallet cheaply it shouldn't cost much.

You don't have to have a bin to compost but it is easier and there are a zillion ways to make one.  Also just mounding stuff on the ground doesn't create the same amount of heat for a lot of the stuff as it will if squished into a confined space.  Four hefty posts hammered into the ground and wrapped round with chicken wire is perhaps the simplest.

If you don't know about composting there is a ton of stuff on the web.  You could start here:
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/organicgardening/compost_pf.php

I really recommend you consider it other wise you will have a ton of rubbish to cart of somewhere at the end of the growing season and that is such a shame because it is pure gold for growing your own and costs nothing once the bin is made.  I am a control freak and would like my own bin so I know what's in it as I am only growing stuff to eat and I don't use any chemical controls.  Also a domestic small compost bin won't kill some perrrenial weeds or weed seeds so I'd rather avoid compost with those in it.  It matters less if you are growing flowers of course and you don't mind a bit of weeding.  I found our shredded office paper made good brown waste.  I have left a little pile of soil and weeds on some cardboard at the lotty until I can get a bin to put it in, so don't worry about it being the beginning of an eyesore, it will end up in a bin soon(ish).