Scrapheap Challenge

[veggiechicken]

No worries, Snadge.
I know its not like me but I'll start a thread about ATCs and hope that Jay-ell spots it
Watch this space............http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...age_95234.html

[Snadger]

Did a bit of onion sorting in the polytunnel. Topped and tailed some to take home, discarded any that were soft and put the rest into two bread trays.
I need to sort out a place to store them in the summerhouse but stuff is still growing, both indoors and outdoors.
Florence fennel is still growing and doesn't seem to have been affected by the heavy frost we had yesterday. Today it is quite balmy compared to yesterday!

[Snadger]

My own opinions often given, is that you should learn by your mistakes and allow your plot to evolve over the years.
I now realise that having a polytunnel on the South side of a greenhouse restricts the light getting to the greenhouse.
I had decided to move the polytunnel further back up the plot for next year so this wouldn't be a problem.
Today was 'windless' and 'rainless' which isn't a common occurrence round here, so i decided to strip the cover off the polytunnel. The problem was that I had laid paving flags all around it to keep it down so these had to be lifted first.

Anyway, job was completed without too much fuss and I will leave the polytunnel tubework to be moved on another day.

[Snadger]

Back at the scrap heap today. As usual i appeared to be the only plotholder on site. These fair weather allotmenteerrs have a lot to answer for!

I had a cunning plan for moving my polytunnel frame work!

Rather than dis-assemble the whole shebang I made sure that each leg was free of the ground. I then cleared the new position I was siting it by chopping nettles and raking soil.
Now for the sneaky bit, as I had no one to help me shift it,I put an eight foot length of scrap wood across the framework in the middle under the central supports. It was then a case of lifting the whole thing on the centre of gravity and walking for ward with it. Worked a treat and now jobs a guddon!
It wasn't so easy getting the cover back over it but with a struggle that was accomplished also.
It now means that I can prepare the soil inside, in the dry!

[Snadger]

Hmm........is it really that long since I've posted on this thread considering I'm there most days!
Putting the polytunnel cover baclk on was a waste of time as it blew off onto next doors plot. Its now lying in a heap with some bricks holding it down until the spring.

Did i mention I planted my elephant garlic in large pots indoors......if not I have now.

Today I was a man on a mission to clear a space and get my overwintering red onion serts planted. First I had to get rid of my remaining beetroot which turned out to be half a carrier bag of decent baby beet which i wasn't expecting.

I have a confession to make, even though I usually practice a no-dig policy, I actaually quite enjoy digging in small doses. I dug the area over removing tree roots,glass ,nails stones, bit of plastic, carpet and old broken canes. Raked the area added some chicken poo pellets (I was given two large tubs when a plotholder left the site) and added a bit of slow release fertiliser for good measure. The area in question was just the right size to take all my red onion sets from the packet. I'm leaving the carrots in front of them and using them as I need them.



On the way home I had a look in Homebase for nothing in particular. Eventually I intend building a smart summerhouse at my retirement project home (The one on my plot iis the prototype!) , but need to get the lawnmower and chainsaw out of the living room first.

I spotted this metal jobbie for a decent price and thought this would be ideal until I got my summerhouse built? I pesume that means 5 foot wide by 2 foot 7inches?


What do ya think?

[veggiechicken]

The tin shed would be ideal for what??? It doesn't look remotely like a summerhouse.

https://www.homebase.co.uk/absco-gar...-small_p375183

[Snadger]

The tin shed would be ideal for what??? It doesn't look remotely like a summerhouse.

https://www.homebase.co.uk/absco-gar...-small_p375183

Mainly for petrol lawnmower, petrol chainsaw and garden tools housed in the empty house at present. The summerhouse will be similar to the one below with a built in shed...........once I get it built, and the tin shed will make its way to the allotment, having served its purpose in the short term!

[Jungle Jane]

The tin shed looks like its 5 ft tall & 2 ft 7 inches wide,VCs shed link would be bigger for a lawn mower at 6'2" x 4'11" wide,do you think prices will come down in the January sales?

[Snadger]

The tin shed looks like its 5 ft tall & 2 ft 7 inches wide,VCs shed link would be bigger for a lawn mower at 6'2" x 4'11" wide,do you think prices will come down in the January sales?

Its the same shed JJ ,roughly 6 foot high, 5 foot wide and 2 foot 7 inches deep. I don't think the price of £119 for a metal shed is too bad actually? There doen't appear to be a floor with it so it would have to be fastened to a concrete pad or paving stones.

[Snadger]

More scrapheap encounters.

Warm day today so even stripped down to a tee shirt i was sweating. Cleared away bean tepee that I made with tree branches I'd cut down. Branches seem fine so will re-utilise them next year
.
Dug tree roots and old carpet out of bed and readied the area for planting my garlic.

Cleaned off the pathways and gathered two heaped barrow loads of leaves. These were dumped and spread where my tattie patch will be next year.
Cleaned out the chooks coop and recovered two barrow loads of good strawy manure. This also went on to my proposed tattie bed (Where polytunnel had been previously situated)

Pleased with the way the scrapheap is looking and performing just now. Brought home some nice carrots to go with my mince and tatties tonight!

[Snadger]

At the scrapheap today mainly to sort chooks and break ice on ther water. With the excesses of Christmas piling the extra weight on (17 stone now, but unfortunately not built like Anthony Josua!) I decided to do a bit of exercise.
The bed where I had spread leaves and the muck from the chicken coop was frozen, but just about workable.

After digging a bit then peeling a layer of clothes off, then digging a bit and peeling another layer off , I managed to get 3/4 of the bed dug and mucked.

Little and often is the way to go, both mith my BMI and my plot!

[Snadger]

As the scrapheap was snowbound and looked as good as any other plot on the site, I decided to try and have a clean up and declutter of my summerhouse.

This was what it was like when I arrived.



This is what it was like after three hours trying to tidy it up.



I can't see as much difference as I would have liked.

I collapsed two of the tables I had with stuff on them. One of the tables has a good framework for its legs the other has a good plastic top. I might put the good top on the good legs and make one decent table. Ideally, rather than a table and purely because of the height of the front of the summerhouse, I would like to have three wide shelves fitted to the front uprights.

I have still just bunged all my pots and trays on the shelving unit on the left. Does anyone have a good neat way to store pots and trays? I thought about threading plastic pots on to a rope and hanging them up?

[veggiechicken]

Could you stuff the pots into the legs of tights? That would make an entertaining photo

[Snadger]

Could you stuff the pots into the legs of tights? That would make an entertaining photo

..........It would ruin my fishnets though!

[veggiechicken]

Just thought they'd be perfect with your pantiles