Growing, Sowing, Lifting and Shifting

Some time ago I decided that my tired old front lawn and driveway needed renewing, so what better time to start than in the middle of the busy sowing and planting season on the allotments. A week ago yesterday I lifted the first of the concrete paving slabs which formed a footpath, alongside the tarmac driveway, stacking it and the remainder of the slabs on the tarmac just clear of the garage door. Then it was time to remove the lawn, which was chopped into easy to lift pieces of turf. (funny that transition). The turf was then loaded (sometimes overloaded) into the back of my car and transported to my allotment where it is now stacked on one of my compost heaps, until it has broken down sufficiently to be added to my plots. Two and a half days later the lawn and most of the topsoil had been transported to my plots. By Wednesday of last week the remaining topsoil and subsoil was being barrowed to my back garden and deposited around the flower beds, with the better quality topsoil being spread on the back lawn to level out a few dips in it. A couple of areas to the front of the house were marked out for new flower beds and the work of removing subsoil and mountains of old builders rubble, sand and other debris, from underneath the lawn and paved areas continued until Friday.

A change is as good as a rest, usually, so on Saturday I visited my plots and spent a fine sunny day sowing various seeds into pots which are currently awaiting germination in my poly tunnel. Although the daytime temperatures have been around 13 or 14 degrees C, the evening and night time temperatures have been much lower, only a few degrees above freezing. Most of the seeds I sowed previously into my roots bed on N1 Plot have germinated. Six rows of Peas are now growing well and even the Potatoes are showing through on N2 Plot. With numerous plants growing well in my poly tunnel in pots and trays and even the Carrots in my barrels germinating things are looking good at the moment. Yesterday was again spent working on my front garden removing more subsoil, rubble and debris.
 

Lawn Being Turfed Out

Tea Break

Lawn Gone

Clear skies and sunshine was the order of the day again today although the annoying cool westerly breeze was back. I arrived at my plots by 9-30 a.m. and began preparing my Brassica bed on N1 Plot. The well composted (last Autumn) bed, only needed lightly forking over with the removal of a few weeds. By the time I had completed half of the bed I decided that some more seed sowing, into pots was called for. I potted up the remainder of my Sweetcorn seeds, using a mixture of sieved soil from my front garden and potting compost. Using the sieved soil to part fill the pots, then topping them up with seed sowing compost saved on over using pricey general purpose/seed sowing compost. I potted up more Alpine Strawberries, Gooseberries that had self seeded on the allotment, along with more Runner beans and a couple of Lemon balm were split and re-potted. By the time I had placed the pots into trays and deposited them into the Poly tunnel and chopped the heads off the Dandelions in my grass paths it was time to toddle off home.