Hobbit Allotment!

[snohare]

Ah yes - spring has arrived, the treacherous season when things start growing and everything is warming up nicely - until it all gets thrown into furious reverse gear.
Today here the sun is beating in my window, I am even thinking of taking my fleece cardigan off - a bit blustery, but gorgeous sunshine, white clouds scudding past in the distance. The forecast for this evening - heavy snow and high winds (ie blizzards) !
Just keep an eagle eye on the minimum temperatures, if they drop low for long enough even spuds in a garage can get damaged if it is unheated. Blackening on the shoot extremities is the sign, hobbit. (I'll bet you knew that already, but no harm in reminding. )
Pennards, eh...

[SarrissUK]

I ordered some asparagus crowns from Pennard plants, 1 year old, but when they arrived and they had to ring me to charge my account, they said their actually two years old. I have never seen asparagus crowns before, but a fellow allotmenteer said they're the best he's ever seen. Not too pricey either. I'd say go for it. The years go by so quickly that a year or two of waiting for the spears, is well worth it
I saw a few bunches of five or six spears in a supermarket yesterday and they're a quid each minimum!

[horticultural_hobbit]

Was pleasantly surprised, and needn't have worried so much. There are quite a few bulbs sprouting. The only thing that hasn't, are anemones and hyacinths. Can't remember what I planted where, I clearly wasn't feeling pedantic that day. Am looking forward to it blooming. Now i'm just wondering where all the marigolds are going to go, i have enough seeds to sink a ship. Haven't sown any yet, and the packets all suggest they go in a heated prop; when all I want to do is to sown in modules and leave in the wendy house or 4TB. I have other things I want to be keeping warm in the magic seed grower. At this rate, there's gonna be a lot of fleurs, and not a lot of veggies.

Ma did however, take great pleasure in dragging me to the chitting potatos in the garage, and indicating the sprouts. That was after, she had opened a T&M catalogue, and said "''Sparagus, P-". "Takes two years to grow, mum," said I. There were faces pulled. Off went I to, to find the magazine, having been reminded by a fellow grape tweet....

[snohare]

Bulbs in clay...I seem to mind seeing a TV programme once that showed planting bulbs on a little bed of leaves/leafmould with a bit of sand mixed in to improve the drainage. Mark you, I cannot remember which bulbs they were - probably daffies - but it is worth thinking about. If they have sand rather than clay next to them then I would expect that they would be that much safer from rotting, to judge by my memories of dibbing in many hundreds of bulbs at various castles and stately homes.
As for being impatient...well, one of the best bits of advice I was ever given was "plant according to the conditions". Find out the germination temperature/optimum growing temperatures for the different seeds and plants, and go by that, not the calendar. I know, easier said than done !
Ars longa,
vita brevis,
occasio praeceps,
experimentum periculosum,
iudicium difficile.

I hope when I die, I get to meet Hippocrates in Heaven. He was smart...

[horticultural_hobbit]

Don't forget, mulch = status quo. Stick poo on top of soil that is still cold, it will stay cold under the insulating layer. It will also stay wet, but cold is the last thing you want, so you need to wait until it is actually warm anyway.

I hear you, Sno. Thank you its just that the bags keep looking at me....Will wait a while then, till we have more milder weather. According to Ma- who pays
Very careful attention to the midlands today weather forecast since I gained a plot-the weekend brings more wintry weather.

Ventured into p*^undland today, and came out with poly tunnel cloches, spring and summer flowering bulbs. Some of the bulbs on the plot are coming through, and I feel optimistic. But many many of the bulbs planted in November, I fear have been eaten by the clay. And I found a W^lkos bulb planter to help put spuds in. Have to shoe
Horn lotment playtime as school returns next week.

[Two_Sheds]

still haven't got the manure on the plot yet either!

Me neither ~ I've been allotmenting for 16 years, and still haven't used FYM

[snohare]

And the curcurbit patch still hasn't been poo'd.

Don't forget, mulch = status quo. Stick poo on top of soil that is still cold, it will stay cold under the insulating layer. It will also stay wet, but cold is the last thing you want, so you need to wait until it is actually warm anyway.
If you know of anyone who has a spruce tree growing on their garden or other land, I can recommend the bare lower branches, particularly sitka spruce, for pea stakes. But what I have now is a simple piece of planed wood about 5mm by 1cm, screwed at either end onto uprights of the same, a piece of netting suspended from it. Works like a charm, easily stored/moved/disassembled and most importantly of all, cheap.
We obviously have it a lot warmer up here, I have been able to dig (in theory, haven't had the oomph) for weeks. I have been building a proper compost heap with pallets, a real proper job it looks, I am so proud ! (And the compost I was making in my builders bag has rotted well in a matter of months, so come spring out it goes.)

[ladylottie]

Haven't even been to mine since just before the snow Hobbit. The snow has only just melted, and now we have rain so it will be too wet and cold to do anything productive.

Same here although I did pop up one afternoon last week and harvested the last of the leeks. Ground too cold and wet to do anything else. Certainly wouldn't risk my onion sets yet. And still haven't got the manure on the plot yet either!
Don't panic - we will all catch up soon.

[rustylady]

Haven't even been to mine since just before the snow Hobbit. The snow has only just melted, and now we have rain so it will be too wet and cold to do anything productive.

[horticultural_hobbit]

Having been to the lotment, with the best of intentions. Armed with a dibber, more red and white onion sets, more garlic. The lotment is in the processing of thawing out. Squelchy in places, rock hard in places. Also need to get pea support sorted. Did have some fiddly pea netting, but not the patience to attach it to canes. Might create a cane trelli and try again when my brain is a little less crammed. And the curcurbit patch still hasn't been poo'd.

[snohare]

who told me that that nothing over wintered on the site as it was so cold.

Ah, but do not be deceived by the musings of yesteryear, Hobbit. Things change; each year the amount of heat retained by Earth's atmosphere, and transmitted to the soil, grows. Once upon a time, a hard winter was one where the soil was as hard as iron with cold from reradiation to space, for weeks or months on end; now we think it bad if we have snow in any quantity. The blocking highs that gave the hard frosts are what make the difference, and although there have been more this year, there are still ways around the chilling. (Fresh horse manure straight from the horse's end, dug into a pit, with a "cold" frame above.)
All my planting plans are set back, so you are not alone. All my hopes for this year look to have "bean destroyed" as well; but still, take the chance when it comes and do not second guess desperation's opinion. Despair grinds worse than bruxis, but it's counsel though loud is often foolish. (I don't know if hypnotism works with despair, it works with bruxis.)
Wormest wishes,
Sno (without the "w")

[snohare]

There's lot more to be done. I'm just not there yet

It's very unfortunate if life is not a work in progress, young Hobbit...

[horticultural_hobbit]

Sowing inside in march April, yes and won't be sending them out to the lotment til end of may!

[Two_Sheds]

Am itching to sow curcurbits but will most definitely wait til March.

April. You meant April

[horticultural_hobbit]

Surviving the Siberian beast from the East



Well, it is nearly half term, and I've not really had much opportunity to go play. There have been a couple of hours here and there, when I have been along and shuffled around. Last weekend, I did go and dig over what will be the pumpkin patch after having gone to the Ryton 'tato day-where I bumped into the lovely VVG and Zazen. I naively ignored the advice to stretch before I started to dig, and boy did I feel it later. This had been on my mind for some time, and I still have to add the FYM that is sat next to the water butt. Job for Half term that. There is long list of things I want to do.

I have also cannibalised the struts from the wendy house that fell down last year, and they will be forming the basis of the supports for the legumes in addition to bamboo canes. I plan to string pea net across them. The plan was to sow legumes this week, alas the cold snap has persuaded me otherwise. Will wait for a bit.

As it stands-and it does, for the moment-the wendy house is still there. I did worry this morning, that post snow, it may have fallen over. Looked a lot warmer than the rest of the plot. Was all right, didn't need to sweep snow off the top That would have been interesting, on tip toes in pink wellies. I assure you, grandad Mike was supervising.

The broadbeans-claudia aquadulce-are as VVG said, are now has beans. I forgot to cloche and cover them as I was having a fight with a tooth ache(grinding your teeth in your sleep does that to you, apparently). Ventured over on Friday after school, to find them keeled over as ex-beans. Beans that have ceased to exist.

The pics are of the plot this morning and of yesterday. The over wintering onion and garlic patch was altogether depressing, looked like everything had keeled over. I was not in the least bit buoyed when I bumped into the 'lotment secretary busy chopping down dead branches; who told me that that nothing over wintered on the site as it was so cold. "oh, right, thanks" said I, wandering off to my plot with fleece under my arm, muttering under my breath.

I dare not to even open up the wiggly woo's. Just made sure on Friday, that they were covered up. Haven't opened up since before Christmas when they were stuffed with paper, fed and covered up. If I have ex-worms as well, I will not be a happy hobbit.

Chillies have been sown inside, with a fair few causalities. Early Jalape�os, don't quite like it this early. Killed a few early tomato sowings, but second ones are coming along. The aubergine analogue study has also started. Once the heated propagator is empty, they will be moved there. Currently on a warm window sill.

I like my bog basic heated 'lectric propogator. Makes me feel that bit more confident!

Am itching to sow curcurbits but will most definitely wait til March. March will also be the time for carrots and parsnips. For the carrots at least, the generous advice garnered means digging in some sand. March will also see Maris Pipers and King Ed's spuds going into the ground. I don't fancy digging a huge trench, so I'm taking Zazen's advice about bulb planters. Just need one industrial strength to do the job.

There's lot more to be done. I'm just not there yet