Leeks - where did I go wrong?

[veggiechicken]

Going back to the narrow gateway problem, 2 wheelbarrows can help.
Fill trugs with manure at front of house. Put trugs in wheelbarrow and push to narrow point.
Carry trugs through narrow point to 2nd wheelbarrow. Place in barrow and trundle to dumping place.

Although I don't have the Narrow gap problem, I have a lumpy path problem! I often use 2 barrows and a load of trugs.
Fill barrow to level and put 2 filled trugs on top.
Trundle carefully until I reach the bumpy bits where the trugs can fall off. Remove trugs into 2nd barrow
Two barrows also helps if you can find a willing volunteer to fill one whilst you trundle - or vice versa.
Every home needs 2 barrows.

[nickdub]

I agree VC, but who on earth would try to garden with fewer 2 barrows ? I have 3, though one is used as temporary water butt at the moment:-)

[veggiechicken]

I have 3 also, although one is a bit of a wimp's barrow, with a wobbly wheel, and only suitable for short wobbles.

[lottie dolly]

make a norrow platform on wheels or crawlers if you can get one,put a handle on,and away you go with containers in the top,an all terain help,MR did sumat similare several years ago,great for moving heavy things like window frames for greenhouse building,girders,then you end up with yet sumat else in the store area,just in case.

[Nicos]

That leads to 2 more questions....
How do I convert tonnes to pickup loads?
How many bucketfuls in a tonne? (So I can work out if 9 hours is long enough to shift it off front lawn before OH gets home and notices what I have done....).

!

As a guideline one ton of sand or stones is about a metre cubed . Muck would come up about the same size depending on how wet it is.

[Vince G]

We're also a three barrow family: one at the lottie and one at home, but the third wooden one has had it now, so is enjoying a well-earned retirement with some herby friends!

[Chestnut]

Average bucket capacity =15L
Tonne=1000L
Required bucket loads=67 (may needed to be modified depending on size of buckets)
Hands=2 , Buckets = 2
Journeys required=34
Let me know the distance to be travelled and your latest shuttle run test results and we'll figure the time needed

It’s about 40m, but I fear my latest shuttle run results may be misleading (it was over 20 years ago!).
I will go with 3.5mph walking pace to avoid clobbering myself on a sharp bend.
So, that’s 34 x 80m, which is less than an hour. Add in loading time and teabreak, and I ‘should’ be done by lunchtime ;-)
£6.50 saved on not going to the gym, free vitamin D and fresh air. About 250kcal, enough for a pint, or a chocolate biscuit, but not both!

[Bluenowhere]

Bit late to this thread but I now feel so much better about myself on two counts. 1 that my three wheelbarrows are in no way excessive and 2 that I’m not actually inadequate because I can’t get my leeks pencil thick before planting out.

[Chestnut]

Well, with one flexitub and 60+ return journeys, I am nearly half way.
Definitely good value for £15 of manure!

[veggiechicken]

Has your OH noticed yet?

[SarrissUK]

My sister got me a book about self-sufficiency by a Swedish family, and as it happens, they advise to trimming the leeks while they're in the ground, several times if needs be, to encourage them to fatten up. Have any of you wise ones heard of that before?

[nickdub]

Used to be fairly common practice to trim the tops before planting out - the idea being to balance up the tops with the roots during the disturbance I suppose - never bothered myself, but then I wouldn't say I was much good at growing leeks :-)

[annie8]

Have given up leeks, spring onion and chives from seed. Always end up with poor germination. Or straggly bits of grass. I bought leeks as plugs from a local garden show last year and they grew well so planning to do that again this year. Not beating myself up about buying plugs I grow loads of other things from seed.

[Jay-ell]

Remember no one plants out their leeks when they are the thickness of a pencil
https://vimeo.com/64984221

[Chestnut]

Has your OH noticed yet?

OH did notice, but seemed strangely unconcerned. Apparently shifting muck prevents me getting up to greater mischief around the house......