Propogate Update

Propagate Update February 8

 

 

Hello allotmenteers ! This is a bit of a general introduction to our plot and the start of the gardening year. If you have seen my pictures on twitter it looks very tidy . This is mainly a deception based on how I take the pictures. This blog has some worryingly candid pictures of untidy and weedy bits of garden.

You have been warned!

Meanwhile back at the house the heated propagating set up for the chillies is going well – as in I have onions and AUBERGINES !!! sprouting but no sign of  any chillies yet –still plenty of time eh? Here are the aubergines.

 

I have also got my seed potatoes chitting in the spare room – in the past I have saved egg boxes for this- but I don’t think it makes any difference- so this year they are just in the blue crates. I have got Winston, a first early, Kestrel a second early, and Desiree main crop. The first two are varieties that my allotment mate Ken* swears by so I am trying them out. Desiree always do well for us. We have all the slugs in the world on our site so you have to grow slug resistant types.  

*Ken has been gardening on our site for 50 years –he is lovely and has the next plot to us – this year he invented this bird scarer that has kept the pigeons off his cabbage all winter- it is made from pedal bin liners.

 

 This area under the carpet was raspberries and overrun with couch grass so I covered it last spring as we are also going to grow peas again this year I need an extra 2 beds so it needs sorting.

 

The next job is to dig this over – remove the raspberry runners (knackering) and put a path down the side of the greenhouse. I will put the main crop potatoes in here this year and then use it as another bed in our rotation system.

The strange lump is the last of the manure heap - referred to as black gold- there is enough left  for this year.It cost me £7.50 for half a trailer load 3 years ago and it has rotted down really well. I will get some more this year but store it on another part of the site now I need this space.

The thing with the big rubber mats on it is a home made cold frame I got from "union " Ian ( to distinguish him from "god" Ian).

This is it - I have put these rubber things on it to stop it blowing away before it is in place. If anyone has any idea what they may be I would be very interested!

 

As well as the new seeds we have some stuff that has been growing all winter. This is winter salad in a cold frame in the greenhouse.

 

This is how it stays warm- clever eh?

 

We took loads of rosemary cuttings that seem to have taken well- and we keep some parsley inside over winter as well.

 

The rest of the plot is looking ok I have moved the compost bins down by the shed out of the way - here is a long view from the greenhouse end.

 





For those of you who are still awake and a bit geeky here is our planting plan for this year - this is our 5th year in this layout and we rotate beds and the greenhouse crops.

zzzzzz- oh sorry!

  2013 Planting plan

Potatoes	New cold frame			Plum/Gooseberry Blackcurrant Rhubarb raspberries
	Greenhouse Tomatoes and aubergines
Beans and garlic			Greenhouse Basil, chillies and cucumbers
parsnips			Potatoes
Chard/beetroot			potatoes
onions			peas
cabbage			onions/Leeks
cauliflower			courgettes
Sweetcorn			strawberries
Herbs			Pumpkin/courgette
Shed			Compost area Wildflower garden

This bit is the fruit area - obviously.

So that is the start of our gardening year - I will update progress with the new spud bed and any other interesting things that happen.



Well I think it is interesting anyway....can you see this garlic I planted last october ? No me neither !

See you later ....