Firstly my apologies for not updating my progress sooner . My last update went up to Saturday March 7th and I have actually managed to spend some time on the plot since then despite a two week holiday to France and Belgium where I found seed prices to be dearer than in Blighty and time out looking for an apartment in London for my eldest whilst she’s on work placement .
So with all that out of the way and some horrible (and nice) weather to continue it is surprising I’ve managed to do much. In my last update I mentioned that we could only burn green waste if we had a wood burning stove installed in our sheds well I am pleased to say that that the stove I purchased way back in the spring of 2012 is finally installed in my shed – better late than never I guess!
Back in March I dug bean trenches and filled them with cardboard , shredded paper and organic matter ready for planting beans out in six weeks time. The large mature apple tree that was on the site of my plot long before the allotments were there was pruned and I had a go at grafting some other varieties on to it as an experiment . I also got my first harvest of Rhubarb and up until today I have so far harvest 1 kilo of Rhubarb this year.
Whilst on holiday we picked up some Kiwi Berries and yellow Tomatoes which I’ve managed to save seeds from and am currently in the process of trying to grow . The tomato seeds have already germinated so its just a case of potting them on in the coming weeks .
Directly I have sown carrots , parsnip and beetroot . My first early potatoes (Winston ) are in the ground only this year I am attempting to grow them under black plastic . I’ve sown most of my herbs and flowers but yet I feel I need to sow more as there are still a large number of seed packets I haven’t opened yet and also I am trying to keep some ground clear to grow the competition veg this year of which my leek and onion seedlings are doing quite well at the moment .
Elsewhere on the plot I have nearly finished restoring the fruit cage ready for the summer making it as bird proof as possible . The polytunnel needs a few tweaks such as a proper hinged door as opposed to the flimsy zip arrangement it came with and a touch more tidying out.. I’ve a lean-to greenhouse to build on to the side of my shed . My paths need the edges restoring and the mini fence continued all around . I would like to empty all my compost bins and start a fresh with the composting . Thankfully their contents are more or less completely rotted down now and suitable for improving the beds. If after all that I have the time I would like to raise the height of my coldframes but we shall just have to see how I progress with all those tasks.
Until next week I thank you for reading/returning , Paul .
