Hobbit Allotment!

[Sanjo]

Well I live in "sunny Essex" and on Wednesday, having retrieved the OH's good winter jacket from storage in the loft, and having washed it immediately instead of doing it overnight on cheap rate, OH hung it on the line. It disappeared in no time!!!! So somewhere, down this road, a household has a tree adorned with a nice thick blue and black coat. I am so pleased that I wasn't the one to hang it out!!!
I have put a notice on the front fence and flyers through about 10 of the nearest houses but tis gone for good I fear.

Our next door neighbours were curious about the bit of blue showing behind their patio heater and dragged out the other half's jacket. Needs another wash but at least it's home!!

[horticultural_hobbit]

Current state of play

http://m.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?f...user=746500312

What the half plot looks like currently in the cold light of day. And it is very cold...

[horticultural_hobbit]

Well, I shall check again tomorrow on the wendy house, having heard all these tales!

[snohare]

flyers through about 10 of the nearest houses

Wot, more flyers !

Seriously though, you should get onto the local paper and suggest a "Who lost what in the gale/spot the flyaway..." article. It's a good local interest thing which will have loads of people able to spot it on your behalf.

[Sanjo]

Well I live in "sunny Essex" and on Wednesday, having retrieved the OH's good winter jacket from storage in the loft, and having washed it immediately instead of doing it overnight on cheap rate, OH hung it on the line. It disappeared in no time!!!! So somewhere, down this road, a household has a tree adorned with a nice thick blue and black coat. I am so pleased that I wasn't the one to hang it out!!!
I have put a notice on the front fence and flyers through about 10 of the nearest houses but tis gone for good I fear.

[snohare]

I should take solace, that I am not in Scotland!

True, very true. I discovered a new definition of optimism today - I put out some washing on the whirly to dry. Several increasingly wet and stormy hours later, I could have sworn I saw a navy blue boilersuit doing a Mary Poppins into the twilight, waving a forlorn sleeve at me as it went...!
I know they talk about "There is no bad weather, only bad clothing", and that's how I operate - but when there are gusts of 165mph (thirty miles from here), there is no jacket good enough for that !
I'm panicking about the state my root bed netting is going to be in. It really needs a lot more weighing down for a gale like this.

[horticultural_hobbit]

Finally got the cordon trees today, and put them in pots on the 'lotment. Have put them in JI no3 with which I got caked, and made sure that they were staked. It remains to be seen now as to whether they take off. The wendy house is for the moment, still there! There was some concern today, as the wind was was blowing a hanging gale. I should take solace, that I am not in Scotland!

I did take a pic, but it is too dark. The sun had well and truly retired for the night when I was done. Will try and get an updated image soon ^_^

[horticultural_hobbit]

It's not too clear on the pic. But every joint is duct taped for some reinforcement. There are also broom handles sunk into hard clay deep enough, to which the frame is tired with that blue nylon Wilkos rope. This rope is also fastened to tent pegs to sort off guy rope the thing. And the trays are also tied down with this stuff. If I could I fastened everything down. I need to get some broom handles to
Further reinforce it. So I did have a half baked idea, and I'm still working on it!

[snohare]

Oh young Shireling, you tempt the Dark Riders of winter's blasts by standing it so exposed !
The plastic joints on these things are not tremendously strong. Too much flexing, (particularly when they are a bit older and have aged a bit, which leaches out plasticiser) and the cuffs into which the poles insert will split, which then destroys the structural integrity and normally causes tears to the canopy. (I'm an expert at these failures, as the landfill site I work at gets a lot of them thrown out, and the pattern of damage is easily apparent.)
Simple words: if the winds pushes more on one corner or side than another too much, it may fall apart irreparably. The first rule of greenhouse building: have a strong heavy base upon which it can be securely anchored. Gales are the nemesis of all greenhouses, from the best in the land to the cheapest; Mary Poppins has nothing on an insecure greenhouse !
Suggestion: Run strong cord (the green nylon sort you can buy in Poundland or a camping store) through the shelving from top to bottom, tension it up so that there is no sway at all to the framework - it must be totally rigid - and then tie down the cord to BIG heavy weights at the bottom of the wendy house. Something like old fashioned breezeblocks or kerbstones, will do fine. Alternatively, fill a couple of rubble sacks with sand and tie the cord ends round them.
Sorry if this is raining on your parade, but the usual newbie mistake is to devote more time and attention to building than to anchoring !
On the plus side, if all that ground is your plot, it really is coming along nicely, isn't it...good spade, bad back, eh !

[horticultural_hobbit]

I probably won't use it at all over winter, two_sheds. Has put it up so I don't have to run around like a headless chook come spring. Of course, I have to cross my fingers that it will make it through the winter.

[Two_Sheds]

^ that's going to be of most use to you in early spring, when you're bringing on new plants, and for hardening stuff off

I don't know that you need it at all over winter?

[horticultural_hobbit]

Wendy house

https://twitter.com/horticulturalh/s...99816316846080

[horticultural_hobbit]

Am still here

Just haven't got around to playing much
Allotment - Horticulturalhobbit Wiki

Made the most of today, digging over what will be the potato patch and adding poo. So three beds that will be waiting till next year have been poo'd as it were.

Found a kiwi and a raspberry in Wilkos and too pity on them, Was in fact an 'ooh' and then an 'why not moment'. So they are sat on the lotment in pots. There is nothing in the rules to say that I can't plant them, but I don't want to get told off yet again. Still waiting for the apple, pear and plum cordon trees. They too will go into pots that are anticipating their arrival, into JI No3.

Am waiting to poo the curcurbit patch; at the moment it is semi blanketed with mustard seedlings. So I'm not too sure when and how to do that. Mustard was grown to see if it would grow spinach like. Ma could then cook it.

Broadies at home, are romping ahead. Lovely and green. Not so much on the lotment. Garlic and onions are sprouting, yay! Shallots seem to be taking their time.

I also planted some spring bulbs. A few of which are coming up on what will be the root veg bed. There was some changes to the plan, yes, I hear you in the back! The patch that was going to be root veg is lumpy and hard. The patch where the brassicas and cabbages were to go, is lovely and friable. So a straight swap will be done there.

And I have pondered and submit to the idea of having a blowaway walk in greenhouse (allotment sec quote 'what's one of them and it won't be any good if it blows away'). Looks a lot like a Wendy house, and is cheap and cheerful. I had to make sure that it was suitably sized. The trick will be to holding it down some how, and hoping that it makes it through the winter.

As it stands, there is a lots of stuff I want to grow. I may just run out of space...

[snohare]

If only to stop and stare at it. That in itself makes me feel all is well with the world

Yes, that's exactly how I feel.
"What is this life, if full of care
We have no time to stand and stare..."
It maybe doesn't have to be an hour...but then again it rarely has so little to capture my attention ! I have a little foldaway picnic chair hidden there, I sit in it and make notes of everything I do on each visit (use a pencil, keep the paper free of dirt - but I'm sure you with your notebook know that by now ), sometimes I will do a little video memo of how things are going, but most of all, I take photos. That forces me to really look at how things are growing compared to last time, how big things are, how they crowd each other and hog the light, how well the nets are sitting...thinking of how to describe things opens my eyes too, a trick I picked up in my teenage years and never lost.
Sometimes compared to all that, and eating lunch and reading a newspaper in the sunshine, or (whisper it) even snoozing on a tarp, gardening and harvesting are almost secondary. If only the dog was not so disgruntled to be there...! (But a dogchew cures that. )

[horticultural_hobbit]

Am a little spoiled, Snohare. The allotment is eighty yards away to the gate, and then another 100 to my actual plot.

Took a punt, and then got by chastised my Ma and sister, on a kiwi Jenny plant and a raspberry polka. Had an 'ooh, really?' moment for the kiwi. And it was less than a fiver.

I'm going to try and get to the plot for an hour a day. If only to stop and stare at it. That in itself makes me feel all is well with the world