First of all sorry for not updating as much, its been a busy few weeks, with getting a new puppy 'Pixel' and getting her to the vets each week. It almost seemed like it has been raining everyday! Going to the allotment was being sacrificed. I finally had time to go to the allotment on Saturday and what a day, the sun was out and no rain! So I went down for about five hours.
My main objective was sowing my 'over-winter onions' white and red, my peas and broad beans. I had a patch covered with carpet and plastic which my very nice neighbours lent me a few months ago. The first thing I had to do was to return them, a heavy and messy job. There was some big puddles on that plastic sheeting! I was covered with mud at the end of it, I didn't mind really.
Then I went to pulling up my runner beans and canes, I was tempted to dry out the pods so I would have free seeds for next years but I wasn't to sure whether you can save F1 beans or not??
So after pulling carpet and plastic sheeting around the allotments, I was finally able to sit down in the sun and have a very nice sandwich and Chelsea bun :)
While in the middle of sowing my onion sets I discovered a lot of ants, there is a nest somewhere. It must of been a brilliant home for the little insects under plastic sheeting. Are they dangerous to the onion sets and veggie in general?
Well I sowed 160 onions, two rows of broad beans (they say broad beans support themselves, is this true?) and two rows of peas, I constructed a support for the peas that will hopefully climb on, I used whatever I could find on the plot, I found 3 sturdy posts, and a length of plastic green fence thingy that was very popular in gardens when I was a kid. Anything I can use which is free is brilliant.
I couldn't believe how early it is getting dark already, by 7 o'clock it was dark, so I guess my visits to the allotment will get fewer and fewer with the on coming months. What do allotmenters do in these coming months? Many things can't be started in pots till after xmas, so what is there to do? Prepare the ground before the frosts come, buy new canes etc or just sit in the warm till March!
So on my next visit to the plot I shall be de-weeding all the ground, and digging over the soil for the winter, I'm trying to get my hands on some well rotted muck, if I can't get hold of some I will just have to use chicken pellets when ever I sow something!
This Friday night there is an awards evening for the allotments, So i'm looking forward to that, it is my wife's and my first allotment gathering. So it be good to see and speak to other plot holders other than my neighbours.
Well I hope I haven't just waffled on about nothing and I hope to see you all again!
Happy allotmenting
My main objective was sowing my 'over-winter onions' white and red, my peas and broad beans. I had a patch covered with carpet and plastic which my very nice neighbours lent me a few months ago. The first thing I had to do was to return them, a heavy and messy job. There was some big puddles on that plastic sheeting! I was covered with mud at the end of it, I didn't mind really.
Then I went to pulling up my runner beans and canes, I was tempted to dry out the pods so I would have free seeds for next years but I wasn't to sure whether you can save F1 beans or not??
So after pulling carpet and plastic sheeting around the allotments, I was finally able to sit down in the sun and have a very nice sandwich and Chelsea bun :)
While in the middle of sowing my onion sets I discovered a lot of ants, there is a nest somewhere. It must of been a brilliant home for the little insects under plastic sheeting. Are they dangerous to the onion sets and veggie in general?
Well I sowed 160 onions, two rows of broad beans (they say broad beans support themselves, is this true?) and two rows of peas, I constructed a support for the peas that will hopefully climb on, I used whatever I could find on the plot, I found 3 sturdy posts, and a length of plastic green fence thingy that was very popular in gardens when I was a kid. Anything I can use which is free is brilliant.
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| My red onion sets, hopefully with correct spacings! |
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| My pea support made with recycled materials! Popular fencing from the 90s |
I couldn't believe how early it is getting dark already, by 7 o'clock it was dark, so I guess my visits to the allotment will get fewer and fewer with the on coming months. What do allotmenters do in these coming months? Many things can't be started in pots till after xmas, so what is there to do? Prepare the ground before the frosts come, buy new canes etc or just sit in the warm till March!
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| Tidy rows? |
This Friday night there is an awards evening for the allotments, So i'm looking forward to that, it is my wife's and my first allotment gathering. So it be good to see and speak to other plot holders other than my neighbours.
Well I hope I haven't just waffled on about nothing and I hope to see you all again!
Happy allotmenting
Most Broad Beans will need some support, but a simple bamboo cane is all thats needed & tie the Broad Bean gently to the cane as it grows, you dont want wind damaged Beans they won't fruit very well.
ReplyDeleteNice adventures! You can save runner bean seed as none are F1 so far, and they are great to eat as well.
ReplyDeleteThe ants will probably diminish in winter rain, they prefer dry and warm.
If you can find some manure or compost, spread on top of your mulched area after removing any last weeds, then it does not need digging, with worms making air holes under the compost.
Good luck.
Thanks Charles, next year I shall be saving my runner beans and any other seeds I can save
ReplyDelete