Flighty's plot

and I’m now almost twiddling my fingers waiting for this time next month to hopefully start planting and sowing.   I don’t think that the plot has ever looked so good at this time of year as it does at present.

Plot neighbour Fran has very kindly given me a couple of rhubarb plants, one of which is shown here. I’ll be planting them in the area towards the bottom left of the picture below so I can still get to the ready to use compost which is partly under the blackberry on the right. Foxy, nestling in the ivy under the rose Pretty Lady, will be keeping an eye out as usual. The two big pots contain the spare raspberry plants I mentioned in my last post.

Have a good week, and take care!

I’ve spent the past two days sorting out the raspberry patch, which has needed doing for some time.  I dug up all the plants then forked over the area and added plenty of compost before replanting fourteen in a double row.  There are already signs of new growth on some of them which is good to see, and I’ve also kept some spares in a large container just in case any don’t grow.

I hope doing this will rejuvenate them and I’ll get a decent crop of raspberries this year, like these back in June 2017.

If I don’t then I’ll replace them in the autumn.

It rained last night, and it’s damp and dull this morning so I won’t going to the plot for the first time in nearly two weeks.

Have a good weekend, and take care!

every day since last Monday as it’s been mostly calm and dry with reasonable temperatures by lunchtime.  I rough cut the grass paths all round and across the plot which really needed doing, and then checked and weeded the path edges.

As usual the collomia grandiflora self-seeded and new plants have now  appeared.  Once they get a bit bigger I’ll replant some of them as I generally have to do.

I cleared away the dead crocosmia foliage and cut the aster stems back to ground level now that there’s new growth on both.  I cut out the dead stems on the blackberry bush and made a start pruning the rose Pretty Lady.  

The white crocuses Snow Bunting have lasted surprisingly well,

and been joined by the all yellow Romance,which have silvery backs to the petals making them sparkle when it’s sunny.

This coming week I hope to tackle the raspberry patch.  I’ll be lifting the plants, digging the patch over before adding plenty of compost then checking and replanting them, some which I’ll split beforehand.

Have a good week, and take care!

that my vegetable growing season starts when I get the onion sets and seed potatoes, which I did this morning when I went to the horticultural society trading shed.

I bought onion sets Sturon, which is the variety I usually get, and generally do well with them although last year wasn’t a good year as most were smaller than usual.  Buying them loose meant I could get the quantity I wanted, and I also checked them for quality and size. Weather and ground conditions permitting I’ll be planting these out early to mid March. The picture above, taken at the end of January 2013, shows some sets and three stored ones.

The seed potatoes are also sold loose so I did the same with those.  I got first earlies Pentland Javelin which I’ve grown the past two years and been most impressed,  second earlies Charlotte which are my favourite variety and they have always done well and main crop Picasso which I grew for the first time last year and really liked them.  In a week or two I’ll be putting them in plastic trays on the windowsill in the spare room to chit before planting out at the end of March into mid April.  The picture above, taken at the end of June 2014, shows four second earlies Charlotte.

Have a good week, and take care!

on Monday and Tuesday I spent a couple of hours on the plot as both days were dry and sunny.  I’ve now cleared, weeded and hoed all round the flower patches ready to start sowing various annual seeds.

I tidied round the strawberry patch removing dead leaves and dug over the area longside it where I’ll be growing the tomatoes this year, which will be my favourites, the red Gardener’s Delight and yellow Golden Sunrise.  I also dug over where I’ll be growing the climbing French beans Algarve and runner beans (unknown variety),  and the part of the potato patch where I’ll be planting the first early potatoes Pentland Javelin.

Whilst working on the plot both days it was good to see bees on the white crocuses Snow Bunting which are now looking past their best.  Here they are looking much better back in February 2019.

For one reason and another I’ve not been to the plot yesterday or today but I should be there tomorrow when I’ll start pruning the rose Pretty Lady.

Have a good weekend, and take care!

The raspberries didn’t do to well last year which I think was mostly due to the weather. I have a mix of unknown varieties, both summer and autumn fruiting. Weather permitting I want to dig them up during February to check and sort, then replant.  I’ve been intending to do this for a while now and hopefully once I have they’ll fare better.  (This picture was taken in June 2017).

It was the same with the rhubarb, which came and went quicker than usual.  I’m not that fussed about eating this so I’ll leave it alone this year and maybe dig it up then replant in the autumn.  At the moment it’s at the top end of the plot, by the roadway, but I’ll leave  a space for it at the bottom end of the raspberry patch.  (This picture was taken back in May 2012).

The last overnight frost was on Monday, since when daytime tempertures have gradually started to rise so hopefully I’ll now be able to do some plotting again rather than just pottering.

Have a good weekend and take care !

It’s still cold and and frosty so I’ve been doing lots of reading, including browsing through various gardening books including these.

Allotment Gardening by Susan Berger, published in 2005, was given to me by someone I worked with when I took the plot on in 2007.

At the time I know very little about growing vegetables so it proved both interesting and useful, and I still refer to it occasionally.

 

 

Allotment & Gardening Guide by Twiggs Way, published in 2009, is a monthly guide to better wartime gardening.

As the cover blurb says that to read the guides now is to experience both the urgency of work in the wartime garden and the timelessness of the seasonal processes of gardening.

 

Have a good week, and take care!

that I’ve had a touch of the January blues recently mainly due to the weather.  Since the weekend it’s been very cold again with heavy frosts and daytime temperatures hoovering around 0 C/32 F at best, but it has been mostly dry and sunny.

I cheered up yesterday morning when the post arrived as it included a letter containing several packets of flower seeds I’d  been very kindly sent by long-time Twitter friend Shamini.  As well as the daisies I mentioned in Sunday’s post there were sunflowers Evening Sun (see picture) and Lemon Queen and Phacelia campanularia California Bluebell.  

She also sent me a really lovely flowery card with this message…Dear Mike,  Thank you so much for all your Twitter kndness over the years and the joy you give from your blog. I hope that you enjoy growing these seeds.  Best wishes, Shamini.

Have a good weekend, and take care, Mike  xx