The 'What I Did Today' Archive - 2007

[Snadger]

Went to collect an early Christmas present to myself......A long wheelbase Series Three Land Rover Pickup.
Drove it back home, about 140 miles, which I was quite chuffed with considering it had not moved for over a year!
Going to be a handy toy for collecting manure for allotment, logs for stove and any other excuse I can think of for driving it!

[Winged one]

Had a quick dash to the plot at lunchtime (en route back to office after minding the builders all mornign!!). Put plastic and weed suppressant membrane back in place and weighed down with more heavy rocks. Put a rock on the bag of leaves (which miraculously hadn't blown away) that i am attempting leaf mold with and found and replaced the lid of the compost dalek. replaced a couple of onion sets back in the soil (pesky pigeons) and pulled a few weeds around them.

And harvested a good couple of fistfuls of fresh peas!! Will be having those for tea tonight!!! Who'd have thought fresh peas in the last week of November, with no protection!!

[ChrisB]

Nearly poisoned myself

Was offered another half allotment at the weekend (who said one wasn't enough? ) which naturally I accepted.

On said allotment were a lot of squash which the slugs would have had if I didn't. Collected about 50 all told

Some were butternut squash, the others I haven't a clue about. Small melon sized, cream in colour, warts on skin. Anybody any ideas

Thought I'd make a bean soup so soaked the beans overnight, did the necessary boiling, chucked it all in the pressure cooker and thought 'what can I add to it, I know let's put some squash in'

Wrong move !!!

I have just tasted it, if is sooooo bitter. Twenty minutes later I still have the taste on my lips, even the homemade treacle toffee isn't helping

I now have a large pot of bean soup that will have to be disposed of

I was really looking forward to that soup

[Newbie]

i posted my first query on this website (rhubarb virgin - please help) thought myself very brave. Also took delivery of my rhubarb duo pack from Marshalls & a 5 variery pack of Echinacea from the Daily Express courtesy of my good old dad. Just need to sort out where to put them now!

[rustylady]

Back to work today. Yesterday managed to get to the allotment and cleared the runner bean haulms and burnt some bramble tops and perennial weed roots. Gets light too late and dark too early at this time of the year to do much when you work full time (and why is the weather always lousy on your days off?)

[seasprout]

Sorted out Dahlia Tubers, cleaned off excess dried soil, trimmed stalks down more. LABELED each clump. Left in a frost free place in a big tray.

Made more bread in bread maker.

[Flummery]

Did a bit of tidying up in the ornamental garden (ooooh, posh! We only have swans on the smallest lake!) and planted 2 variegated ivies at the back of the new cutting plot. Had a tidy up in the greenhouse and found last Christmas's Amaryllis which had dried out under the staging. I knocked it out and it was looking pretty robust - firm bulb, plenty of strong white roots, so I re-potted it and brought it indoors.
The 'stoke' lettuces have come through and the winter density I transplanted a few weeks ago have put on growth. Goody-good.
Still picking greens, a few kohl rabi and parsnips. The stored pumpkins and squashes are looking decent too. Must eat one tonight.

[Vegetarian Fox]

Over the weekend I laid a whole lot of ground cover sheeting around my 5 raised beds. Was a bit tricky in the wind but managed not to sail away. Will cover with wood chip or bark next weekend.

Also dug up the last of my carrots (red and yellow) - small but tasty

The grass took off so much around the beds last year that I am hoping this will make it easier to keep under control

[Vegetarian Fox]

Some were butternut squash, the others I haven't a clue about. Small melon sized, cream in colour, warts on skin. Anybody any ideas

Might be Galeuse d'Eysines - I grew these last year and they are creamy/yellow and with warts. The flesh is bright orange. However I found them delicious and have made lovely soup, so perhaps not!

[shirlthegirl43]

Today I picked 4 Glen Moy raspberries, there is another one forming on the plant! Is it still summer or is Glen Moy an autumn variety?

[Alison]

Thought that they were an early summer variety Shirl, are you sure they're Glen Moy? Mind you, everything else has been cropping at odd times this year so why not!

Weather apalling today so can't go out and clear some of the beds so today's plan is to properly catalogue my seeds, sad and dull but hopefully worth while. Not so much what I've done today, more what I intend to do. May be able to put out a swap thread later at this rate!

[Rockhag]

On Thursday I went and hoed around my leeks, put down some weed repressing material on part of the plot to help me out when I come weed and it dig it over, and planted my garlic cloves. I was going to go today but it's raining and I have no shed to hide in so I'm going to tidy up my back garden a bit, stick some stuff in the compost bin and sow some of the Jalapeno seeds I received off Ulla the other day.

[Barbara'nTom]

After the very windy weekend went to the beach in the rain and collected 16 bags of seaweed. Back to the plot to cover 4 beds then cover with carpet and leave the worms to do their best.

[pigletwillie]

Today I have made 2 big compost bins on the new half plot, one is full of leaves and tother is ready for use. On the poly tunnel plot the dahlias were covered in 4" of allotment compost, 3 bags of daffs were planted and one side of one tunnel had a raised bed installed ready to be filled.

On the raised bed plot, carrots and beet were harvested and the last of the bean haulms composted.

[Hazel at the Hill]

Despite the rain, I went to the Hill today

• reinstalled revamping Belinda Scarecrow
• picked pak choi, leeks, kale, parsnip, manky carrots
• topped up compost bin with strawy horse manure

Cooking 'chicken with leek sauce' in a while (& will have with comfort food parsnip and potato mash) and a batch of biscuits