Scrapheap Challenge

[Ms-T]

Sorry to hear about the break in...glad the chooks was ok...loved the photo of them.

[Nicos]

Glad there wasn't too much damage Snadge - and nothing was stolen.
And most important of all that the chooks are fine.

[Snadger]

Shifted the rest of my pantiles that were in the way of my chicken run extension. Depending on weather conditions I may get to crack on with extension on Sunday.

I have been tracing large footprints through my plot and come to the conclusion that whoever had been in the plot and summerhouse, kicked there way out of the gate to get out, rather than entered from it as I had first thought.

Hopefully they have realised there is nothing of value there and will not return.

Elephant garlic have shown above ground (in large pots in summerhouse.) but are very slow to put on any growth?

[Penellype]

Sorry to hear about the intruder Snadger, but good to hear no real damage was done. Makes you think about keeping stuff at the allotment, but its such a pain to have to carry everything down each time.

[Snadger]

Sorry to hear about the intruder Snadger, but good to hear no real damage was done. Makes you think about keeping stuff at the allotment, but its such a pain to have to carry everything down each time.

I keep all my old bedraggled tools there.

So much so that one fine day someone will hopefully break in and take pity on me by leaving me a few decent tools!

[Snadger]

Sunny at the scrapheap today so decided to make a start on my chook run extension. Managed to manhandle an RSJ into position to stop any foxes digging down. I will probably pave the front when I am finished.
Dug a hole to up the corner upright in to tie in to the length of mesh I had. Bashed in some rocks to give the post stability then put a strut to the fence at the back. Cut a length of old timber i had to stiffen the top edge of the mesh.

This is how far I got today before heading home to watch the Toon beat Man United!


As you can see, the chooks will really benefit from this sunny aspect when I get the run extension finished.]!

[Snadger]

Too dismal for work on the chicken run today.

I have my tatties out chitting in the summewrhouse but they aren't doing anything yet. Not so with my TPS that I grew last year. The five tiny spuds not much bigger than a pea have tiny shoots on them so its deffo time I got them potted up.
The leek seedling and shallot seedling are romping away in my grow box I've set up on the window sill of the spare bedroom. The silver foil is working a treat and the seedlings aren't bending towards the light.
The Stevia, tibetan blue poppies and cape gooseberries are all starting to germinate in the propagator in the garage. I had given up on them when the leeks and shallots germinated so fast.............oh ye of little faith!

Today I applied for another allotment, 22 miles away close to my retirement cottage. I hope to take early retirement on 1st August if I can jiggle the figures around satisfactorily. I am led to believe there is a half plot availabe which I could fill with tatties this year as I plan to keep my present allotment going for a year or two.

[Snadger]

Nice bright day at the Scrapheap today so decided to try and finish my chook run extension.Before that though I went to the Garden Centre and got my Centurion onion sets. Centurion have always performed well for me so I've stuck with them for the last couple of years.
They were sold loose at �2.75 a Kilo so I filled a large brown paper bag and it cost me only �1.87 much cheaper than the pre-packed sets at �2.99 for 50.
I had to utilise the mesh off the outsise of the old run to use on the roof of the new run extension. That was really a joy as I was trying to take the side offf the run whilst keeping the chooks inside the run. Once the side was off I had to make sure I finished the new extension and made it secure.....................so I was there to the bitter end.

To cut a long story short, extension was completed and chooks couldn't wait to get into it.
Here's a piccie:-



Chooks seem to like it and if the sun ever reappears they will have a nice sunbathing area!

[Snadger]

Nice dry day and nice surprise when turning over a small bed!

I dug up these two beauties



Along with some small sweet carrots for lunch

!

Locked myself in the summerhouse then and fired up the woodburner. When I was toastie and warm proceeded to plant my five small TSP potatoes that I kept from last yeard sown TSP.

I also sowed three lots of leeks, so that will be four different leek varities I am growing.

As I have lost the key for the allotment notice board cover, I then nailed a board to the fence by the gate so I can pin notices to it. Northumbria water have decided to charge �84.00 per month instead of �32.00 per month for water A notice warning plot holders to conserve water was the first notice to go up. Its either that or raise plot rents. Next will be AGM notice.

[Chris Hulme]

No new updates?

[Snadger]

Was at Scrapheap this evening after work. I had two broody hens which I am trying to deter as I may have to get rid of chooks when I move house in June! One has given up but I am still having to oust the other from nestbox each evening.
Chooks are now laying eight eggs a day!

I took some leek and shallot seedling to the summerhouse to harden offf. They were started in propagator and progressed to window sill and are now under glass without heat.

I did intend sowing some Wonderberries, some Ailsa Craig tomatoes and some chilli peppers but I ran out of time.

Earlier today I had printed off some AGM notices and a notice letting punters know we were getting a skip at the weekend. All were laminated and left in the Chairmans greenhouse for him to pin up with his stapler.
We have no Treasurer at present but I have learned that the Water Board are wanting to raise our monthly standing order from �35.00 to �85.00 which is ridiculous and would mean a major hike in the plot rents unless i can do some negotiating.
With that sort of payment I would rather just shut down the metered water supply completely.

[Snadger]

At the allotment site early this morning as i new a skip was being delivered. Hung around until 8.30am then had to go to my retirement house and crack on with it for the June 1st deadline.

After paying for my new boiler and samplng the first bit of heat in the house for six years it started to get blizzard conditions outside so thought I had better head for home. Called in at Poundland and picked up a Deotzia and a Philadelphus along with a bag of compost I headed back to scrapheap.
By this time the skip had been delivered so I cleared a bit of junk from the outside of my plot and also someone else's junk that had been dumped by the gate, and put it in the skip.

I then sorted the chooks and proceeded to do a bit of seed sowing.

I sowed Ailsa Craig tomatoes, Wonderberries and Cumin seeds. I brought the Ailsa Craig and Wonderberries home to stick in the propagator and left the cumin on the greenhouse bench to see if they will germinate their.

[Snadger]

Surprised the skip at the allotment site hasn't been filled by now. Decided to have a tidy up outside of my plot and dumped all manner of carp in the skip.
Dug a bit of land where my parsnips were planted last year. Land very 'claggy' but still harvested some nice large parsnips.
Pulled some old cabbages for the chooks who relished them. Watered stuff in summerhouse and realised that one of my true potato seed mini tubers from last year had showed its head above ground. Put a clear perspex cover over plantlet as frost can still get into the summerhouse. I was wondering if, because they were originally from Russian TPS they may be a bit more cold tolerant...............we shall see!

[Aberdeenplotter]

Did you ever regret starting to read a thread? Well this is the one!! why? Easy answer. It is just so good and inspiring. I wasn't visiting the vine on a regular basis for a while and I missed all of this when it was happening. I've only got to the end of page 4 but I'll be visiting every day from now on until I catch up.

Massive project Snadge but aren't you doing well so far

[Jonny.D]

Did you ever regret starting to read a thread? Well this is the one!! why? Easy answer. It is just so good and inspiring. I wasn't visiting the vine on a regular basis for a while and I missed all of this when it was happening. I've only got to the end of page 4 but I'll be visiting every day from now on until I catch up.

Massive project Snadge but aren't you doing well so far

I get tired just reading about the amount of work Snadger accomplishes in a day.