First committee meeting tonight!

We have had pur first committee meeting tonight of Stapleton allotment association I am seed scheme co-ordinator which I am looking forward to doing. I find it great what can be achieved with lots of good ideas and great minds, I will keep my blog seperate from those things but will add a link for anyone who is interested http://www.stapletonallotments.org.uk/

The last few days have been very busy but did manage to get a few things done, all the plants that were taking over our small flat have now been moved to polytunnel. I have already planted several tomatoe plants in to there final posistion in grow bags within tunnel. We have been mainly pottering around tidying up the plot and hoeing. Really do need to do some research on celeriac not sure if I should be re-potting before planting out?

Still no sign of jeruselem artichokes so being inpatient I dug them up today, they seemed to have swelled and have some roots so replanted them and marked where they are in bed with sticks. Spuds in bags are coming on really well as are ones in ground also seeds I sowed at top are all showing Turnip, Beetroot and Pak choi also broad beans are looking good. I promise to add more photos this week, take them while the sun is still shining.

First commitee

Edit missed a bit!!!!

Sorry forgot to add yesterday I planted out my Atlas cabbage in bed and netted with debris netting looks good more photo's to follow this week!

Bring me sunshine.

Today has been the warmest day of the year and Anna and Myself have had a lovely day at plot!
Anna planted out lots of giant sunflowers she has been growing in greenhouse all down the sides of my beds I will be using for summer and winter squash. I managed to prepare another bed and continued to remove couch grass, also planted out parsnips I have been growing in loo rolls in polytunnel.

Things are starting to grow now and one of my rhubarb growns has sprouted and is showing good signs of life sadly still no sign of my jeruselem artichokes I planted some time ago not giving up hope though. Spuds are all growing nicely and I removed fleece today as no frost forecast for at least the next few nights. We also sowed direct carrots which we got free from BBC dig in and also 3 different varietys of radish Albena and the other 2 I can't remember off the top of my head??????

Also had some spare imperial long pod plants in tunnel that were getting pot bound so dotted them around the plot in random places. I have sown far too many mange tout golden sweet and have loads of plants in tunnel to find space for or give away to family and friends. I admit to sometimes getting overwhelmed with it all at times and worry I am doing something wrong but I guess that is why I enjoy doing what I do as I am learning all the time.

These are some photo's I took yesterday in back garden, on the plot and in polytunnel!

As you can see my spuds in sacks are now starting to show, the two empty beds were filled over the winter with fresh chicken manure, leaf mould and carboard. I have just finished dressing the top layer with multi purpose compost and they are now ready to be used as squash beds. I sowed yesterday in heated propagator Zuchinni F1, Orelia F1, Sunburst, Turks turban, Jack O'lantern, Cobnut F1 and Rolet.


I have also added picture of garlic bed in my back garden the garlic I am growing in there is from the really garlicky garlic company. Also in the picture is bare soil also in my back garden which has been prepared with kitchen waste underneath and mounded up ready for the mamouth pumpkin contest the Wife and Myself are having against eachother.

Toms and various other things taking over my living room!

Here I some pictures I have taken today of various plants which are taking over our house. I have added pictures of overwintered chilli plant the only one that survived, tomatoes, pumpkin mamouth, basil sweet genoveve, sweetcorn and french marigolds. I have not been down plot for few days due to work but hope to get down soon to check on progress of seedlings and spuds and hope to add photos very soon!

My little bit of decking

The little bit of decking that I started yesterday is almost complete just need one more length from B&Q only £2.59 at moment so no complaints there!

We did not stay long at plot today only half an hour to check plants in tunnel and take some pictures. The pictures are the flowers Anna has grown from seed for the plot they are French marigolds, sweet peas, sunflowers and narsissum's (sp). I have also added a picture of celeriac which has started at last to grow in cell trays, I will have to get my books out to check where I go from here with it as it is my first time growing it. The weather has been cloudy and cold today and with a keen easterly we headed home to work on our back garden which is also starting to take shape.

Let the competition begin

The Wife and Myself started our pumpkin mamouth seeds off last night as we are competing with eachother to see who can grow the biggest one in our back garden just for fun. I hope it's me or I will never hear the end of it.

I have also started sowing my climbing beans today, they are runner bean St George and French climber cobra. They are in fibre pots and loo rolls in polytunnel, also oreila courgettes and more mange tout! Still no sign of rhubarb or artichokes not sure how long they take to raise there heads from the soil still plenty of time so not giving up hope just yet. I noticed broad beans which I sowed direct are starting to appear and red onions are starting to sprout. Where I cleared bramble around plum tree I managed to get two pallets led down on ground and have started nailing old decking board to it to make an area for small table and a couple of chairs. I will post some more pictures before the end of the week when decked area is complete to show you my handy work. Who would have thought cack handed little me would ever build anything but since getting my plot I have turned in to a proper little salvage it and nail it together man.

Busy as bee!

Just finished watching the masters golf so thought I'd better write my blog, a very busy weekend down at the plot!

This weekend started by planting out onion set stutgarter, I got them from wilkos and there were a good 100-120 onions in net. Sowed direct turnip golden ball and turnip model white, I grew golden balls last year and they are delicous really sweet. Also sowed direct beetroot detroit 2 and beetroot cylindria, the latter I got for free off a grape on the grape vine if you are wondering what that is follow this link. http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/grapevine/ Also sowed direct pak choi and planted out broad bean imperial longpod 12 plants as you can see in picture. Sowed in pots within polytunnel 3 of each squash f1 cobnut and zuchinni f1 courgette also 2 pumpkin mamouth.

Sowed in large pot in tunnel parsley gigante d'italia plain leaved parsley.

As you can see in pictures I have planted out in trough pots against shed 12 mange tout golden sweet plants against shed, I have netted shed with pea netting so the peas can grow up the front.

My sweetcorn, melon and cucumbers which I sewed on 7th April have all started sprouting I can not get over how quick that is??????

I have also added a photo of my first strawberry flowers, today I have cut down a load of bramble that was strangling an old plum tree behind my shed as it is in blossom as you can see from pictures. The plums are victoria and they are delicous as this was my first crop last year when I took on the plot. I have also started to move my tomatoe plants to polytunnel to free up some space at home so I am hoping it does not get too cold on the night. Really nice to see so many smiling allotment holders this weekend with the sun shining and here's to a good summer and good yields for all us grow your owners.

Pea nets and planting.

Another glorious day today and after a quick visit to Wilkinsons this morning I have had a good day on plot. Manged to buy some pea netting and after lots of untangling I finally got it up, I used the old polytunell tubes to make frame as you can see in pictures. Sowed direct golden sweet mange tout, have heard they are very tasty and good cropper so here is hoping.

One of the guys who has plot opposite has been clearing shed of old plot holder who passed away a few months back and said I could help myself to anything I wanted so was not greedy but got some debris netting which was a perfect fit for my cabbage and sprout bed so good result there. I know it is probally early but I have put it up as you can see in pictures.

Also sowed in pots in herb area garlic chives, corriander, rocket va va voom and wild rocket. We will use these as cut and come again, you do have to keep on top as the rocket and corriander can go to seed really quick. Also managed to get some more elephant garlic from wilkos which I have put aroud the fruit bed.

I have put fleece over two of the spud beds as they have started to shoot and a frost caught them the other night and the forecast is for more frosts over the next few nights so better safe than sorry. In the pictures you can see a polytunnel clear palstic alas it's not mine but my neighbours I thought it was good so wanted people who are reading this to see it.
The guy who has the tunnel is growing willows as the council has never let it as it floods they have let it for the purpose of him growing willows which will be nice as they will hopefully stop my plot from flooding in heavy rain an also make for nice surroundings.

Looking forward to another good day tomorrow before I start my run of dreaded night shifts.

Sunshine and planting

Spring seems to have arrived in Bristol at last, Anna and Myself had a lovely day at plot yesterday. I planted a fourth bed of spuds Dobies rocket earlies also planted out Durham early cabbages and evesham sprouts. Anna has moved what flowers she is using in gartden at home to her new plastic walk in greenhouse which she purchased at Wilkinsons for a bargain £32.00. We have kept what flowers I will be using on plot in polytunnel they are french marigolds, sunflowers (about 50 of them), sweetpeas and narsisiums (sp). When we got home last night I then started sweetcorn F1 sweetie pie in heated propagator, melon sweetheart F1 heated propagator, cucumber telegraph and crystal apple unheated propagator. I will not be down plot now until tommorow as off to Clevedon for a nice walk today but when I do go back down I hope to start off in pots in my herb bed garlic chives, corriander, rocket va va voom and wild rocket. Time permitting I would alos hope to get some root veg and lettuce started this week, so here is to more sunshine and happy days. Almost forgot to add my first lot of spuds I planted have started to say hello I will definetley post some pics tommorow. The photos I have added today are all my tomatoes inca, tumbling, fantasio and ailsa craig which are now thriving and taking up far too much space on my living room windowsill.

Work and rain!

Well it seems if I'm not working it's raining and vice versa, I feel sorry for allotmenter's who hold down a 9-5 job as the easter weekend marks the start of the growing season and the allotments should be buzzing with people on a four day weekend. I suppose it is only early April in good old blighty so rain and wind is to be expected (snow further north).

I did manage to get down lottie in a dry spell after work on Wednesday 31st march and plant a bed of Dobbies Aaron pilot spuds so not too bad. I have looked through my seed collection and hope to start off melons and sweetcorn this week also get down plot and continue preparing beds. All being well weather and personal wise I hope to have a more productive week and be able to post some more pictures.