What I did today - 2016

[Scoot]

Well, pricked out and potted up my Razzmatazz pepper and my sweet bell pepper. Sowed a few more razzmatazz as it seems only one has germinated. I even had a little look through the compost to see if there was anything happening beneath the surface and there was nothing. So sowed another 3.

Hoyed some kitchen waste on the compost heap and turned it over and that is basically it for today.

[Small pumpkin]

Done a bit more work on my new raised bed, and a bit of pruning today. Everything always takes longer than you think it's going to.

[rary]

Have sowed some sweet peppers today, as I dont have a great deal of success with them, I think sowing them in March/April whe I usualy sow them makes the season too short for them here, the hot peppers fruit no problem.

[Bigmallly]

You know you are getting old when you can't remember what you did today.................

[Gillykat]

I was stuck at work all afternoon so inbetween customers (I work in a newsagents) I doodled rough diagrams on A4 paper of the outline of the plot to work out where to put various beds and what to grow in them

[Scoot]

That's my plan tomorrow. A 4 year plan of where everything goes in the garden each year. Starting from where everything was last year. The year before that I can't remember lol. My crop rotation used to revolve around "well that didn't go there last year so it can this year". I think a four year plan may help.

[ancee]

It was sunny in some parts of the garden today, mostly the parts I wasn't in! The chickens had a good sun bathe though. I've tidied, weeded, cleared and moved stuff today. Mainly self seeded foxgloves. If they all survive and thrive they're going to be all over the garden - lovely planted my pound shop bargains in the empty cold frame, filled the bird feeders and just pottered about. It was just lovely to be able to get out there without the fear of something falling off me from frostbite!!

[Bigmallly]

I remember...........................I moved a few barrow loads of logs into store ready for splitting then had a play on the scroll saw.

[bario1]

Moved my newly germinated chillies into my newly acquired 'grow light garden'. Exciting!

[Root66]

Mon - Wed this week spent constructing a wooden cage (20'x10') for my fruit tree. Around 8 vertical post about 5' in height high and supported by metal poles driven into the ground. Then the horizontal pieces laid across to complete the rectangle which will support the netting for the sides and across the top. I may have to add a couple more supporting beams in the middle where the nets could sag, just depends on how heavy duty the nets are that i choose I suppose. With the drier weather i'll add some wood stain to try and preserve the frame for a little longer, but although i used reclaimed wood, it all seems pretty sturdy so far.
The other time consuming job this week was to barrow lots of wood chippings from the pile to my plot. Guys have been in to reduce the size of the hedges surrounding the allotment site and shredded the branches into a huge pile. I am using it only around my compost bins and sitting area as opposed to on the growing areas. There should be plenty to also bag up in case i decide to use it as a mulch or i suppose after a year or so could add a little to compost or into the soil as a conditioner.

[maverick451]

Got my grow light down the loft and set that up.

First chillis have germinated so moved them out of the propogator and into the light!

[1Bee]

Realised that in spite of finally recognising that I'm a seasonal gardener, and my green light gets somehow switched off in November, the plot will soon be dry enough to get on again. And that makes me feel good. :-)

And there's a lot of leeks on there that need rescuing....

Don't know if anyone noticed, but Cumbria had, you know, a little bit of rain in Nov/Dec....

Anyway. Nice to be back.

[Bex2012]

Well Ive been for a wander round the garden centre & come home to find my SFG book has arrived from eBay. This afternoon we are going to collect a load of FREE patio slabs and take them over the allotment. Oh and I put some buckets out in the garden to collect some rainwater for potting up my blueberries.

[Lisasbolt]

Bought some new shelves for the PT, only cheap but looked ideal, the shelves are planter type things the shelves and great for ease to carry in and out. Bought 2 but if they are good i will buy a couple more.

[Gillykat]

Had a very productive afternoon at work....inbetween serving customers with newspapers and scratch cards I doodled a few ideas for the layout of the allotment I've worked out quite a few beds for veggies but also flower areas and a wildlife pond with a meadow area in front which I'll hopefully manage to grow a few native flowers in . Also putting in a log pile for the wee beasties

Rough sketch below