Our Allotments

2011

2011-05-08T06:25:00.000-07:00

Well, haven't written for a while but it's all change down the allotments. We no longer have plot 61 and have taken on plot 58 so we now have 2 plots together and it is making things a lot easier.

Last week we put Thomas' pond in and added a small water lily to it, the water seems really cloudy but hopefully next year there will be some tap poles.

On Tuesday night there was a frost with the temperature getting down to 1.5 degrees, the runner beans were covered with fleece so they were fine but the potatoes and kiwi took a bit of a hit, the main crop seem to have been hit worse than the earlies, which is good, they will soon recover.

Removed the fleece from the runner beans today, half white lady and half scarlet emperor, all from seed saved last year.

Planted out 45 sweetcorn plants today, ovation.

Hot, hot, hot!

2010-06-24T04:21:00.000-07:00

It has been far too hot this week to do much, i have been over each morning to water the squashes and pick strawberries, i picked 8 lb this morning, i had only taken 2 punnets with me so i ended up having to put them in a bucket! So far we have picked 16lb 6oz of strawberries since the 15th of June, they are charging £1.70 a lb at hill farm so thats about £27 worth.

everything seems to be growing well, we dug the first lot of potatoes on the 18th of June.

2010-06-01T03:45:00.000-07:00

Picked the first tomato of the year yesterday, it is a garden pearl which id a tumbling variety.

Cold start to May

2010-05-15T08:57:00.000-07:00

The first 2 weeks of may have been quite cold and this week we had some quite bad frosts which has taken it toll on the potatoes.

I have been told that they will recover, it just slows them down a bit and doesn't look very nice.

It doesn't seem to have affected the strawberries or any of the fruit trees though which is good, luckily I hadn't planted any beans or sweetcorn out yet.

2010-05-05T05:22:00.000-07:00

Apple tree blossom

potatoes

first tomato

Not much happening at the moment, just trying to get the digging finished so things can be planted out soon. I did put some autumn spear brocolli and all year round cauliflowers into the covered raised bed this morning and some lettuce plants. I have been having trouble getting the butternut squashes to germinate but i put them in the heated propergator and they have finally started to come up. Sowed another tray of white lady runner beans as the last lot just rotted.

2010-04-22T05:39:00.000-07:00

Plot 59 from the front

This is the Kiwi fruit that Becka bought me for mothers day last year,it is just sprouting back into life.

Asparagus

The victoria plum tree in blossom

canes and wigwam

2010-04-22T05:35:00.000-07:00

This week i have put up the canes and wigwam (made using a big wooden pole with a nail in the top, some string and some tent pegs) the runner beans will go up the wigwam and the canes will be used for the alderman peas (they get 5 to 6 foot high). I have sowed 2 packet of parsnips, last year i sowed 1 pack and only 1 seed germinated, hopefully they will do better this year! The radishes I sowed last week are coming up today. I also made a wigwam in the flower bed and have planted the sweet peas around it.

13th April 2010

2010-04-17T23:42:00.000-07:00

Decided today that I couldn't wait any longer so I picked the first of the asparagus, it was very nice! I grew some of the crowns from seed in 2008 and planted them out on the plot in March 2009, so this year they are 2 year old crowns so we can pick a few but not too many.

2010-04-10T08:59:00.000-07:00

It was a very nice day today weather wise so we managed to get some digging done. The top picture is the broad beans just starting to show through, the middle picture is the peach tree that Mum and Derek have bought me for my birthday and the final picture is the carrot bed covered with enviromesh.

Rainbow

2010-04-06T06:25:00.000-07:00

So here it is, the rainbow I promised Thomas he could paint on the shed! It's a bit messy but I think he did quite a good job.

Easter

2010-04-05T22:38:00.000-07:00

So Easter has been and gone, haven't got much done over the last week or so, the ground has been too wet. Did manage to get the first lot of main crop potates in on easter sunday (05/04), Desiree, 94 tubers in all, 5 rows of 7, 1 row of 5 and 9 rows of 6.

Also sowed the rest of the carrots into the carrot bed and covered it with enviromesh. I have 3 different sorts of carrots in there, Early Nantes, Autumn king 2 and one unknown (it was just a white packet that said carrot), so it could only be 2 sorts because it could have been one of the other two!

Weather is looking good for this week but I have a couple of appointments (typical) so I dont know how much I will get done, might take Thomas over later to ger started on his rainbow.

26th March 2010

2010-03-27T01:27:00.000-07:00

Didn't get much done today because the ground was too sticky to dig, but did manage to capture these two rainbows!

first lot of potatoes in

2010-03-23T10:15:00.000-07:00

Planted the 1st early (rocket) and second early (charlotte) potatoes today. The ones in the pictures are rocket.

Also finished preparing the carrot bed, the frame will be covered with fleece in an attempt to keep the carrot fly out. Sowed 4 rows of early nantes.

2010

2010-03-20T04:43:00.000-07:00

Haven't posted for a while so it's a new year and a new season. After the worst winter for many years the ground is drying out nicely and the gardening has begun!

The potatoes are chitting well and they will be going in the ground this week as we are off work. We have Rocket, 1st earlies, Charlottes, 2nd earlies, and Main crop we have Desiree, Cara and a few Pink fir apples.

I have started off some tomatoes in the heated propagator, Garden pearl, which are a cherry and 100 and 1000's which can be grown in baskets.

Sowed 2 double rows of broad beans on plot 59, Bunyard exhibition. Also planted the onion sets and shallots.

14/01/2009

2009-01-18T09:09:00.000-08:00

Went to finish making the compost bins out of pallets and tie wraps, forgot to take a picture though. there was quite a hard frost last night.

looked under the fleece to find the broad beans that i planted in october finally coming through.

the Rhubarb is also poking through, although it has a good covering of leaves around it, mum asked if i was going to cover it to force it but as i only have one plant at the moment i dont want to.

2008-12-23T05:28:00.000-08:00

plot 61 (at the top) and plot 59

our allotments

2008-12-23T05:11:00.000-08:00

We have 2 plots on the bifield allotments in

orton goldhay, peterborough. we got plot 61 in may of 2005 and then took on plot 59 in the summer of 2006, neither plots are quite where i want them to be at the moment but i am determined to get them how i want them in the coming season. despite that we have had lots of great crops from both plots.

The butternut squach was probably the best crop of 2008, and i hope to repeat it next year. we have one left and i will miss them when they have gone, and i refuse to pay supermarket prices! They don't taste as good anyway.