Hedging Your bets

Marshalls seeds currently have several offers taking place for plants and shrubs.

 Just thought I would post a link to 1 of their pages advertising the offers.

Link = Click Here

Seasons Greetings.

Seasons Greetings To Everyone

"We go, in winter's biting wind,
On many a short-lived winter day,
With aching back but willing mind
To dig and double dig the clay."
  Ruth Pitter, (The Diehards) 

Plugs & Carbs All Jammed Up

With both my plots ready for next season its been a leisurely few weeks for me, pottering about in my back garden for several days. The borders have been weeded, shrubs trees and plants pruned or cut back and the Autumn leaves from neighbouring trees have been raked up and added to my compost heaps on N1 Plot. The lawn has been raked, aerated and a mix of soil and sand has been applied to fill in a few dips in its surface. Just the greenhouse to tidy with some cleaning and disinfecting to do on it, before it again sees the addition of some early sown vegetable seeds in their pots and trays. Oh! and some fence painting to finish off.

He Changed Colours to Match the Autumn Leaves in My Garden (18/November/13)

With the M.O.T. Test being due last month on my trusty 20 years old Vauxhall Astra I was wondering if it would pass its test this time. Deciding not to wait for the test I bought another car, deciding to keep the Astra as a "spare". A few days after the purchase, the Astra, for the first time ever, refused to start. Several hours of tinkering with plugs, leads and various other engine components saw the fault rectified and things are running smoothly again. Having got one engine back into working order I thought I would test my luck further by sprucing up and repairing my old Landmaster rotorvator, which I was having carburetor problems with. At present I'm half way through the repairs, with the carburetor dismantled and the fuel tank, pipes and filters cleaned out.

My Friendly Back Garden Robin (18/November/13)

Since my last main post on the 14th of November the weather has been typically autumnal, apart from the continual heavy full cloud cover, except for 5 days with some sunshine, when the clouds decided to disperse.
I spent 4 of the 5 days doing various tasks down the plots, mainly clearing fallen leaves. The final few meters of ground on the lower part of the L-shape of N1 plot has finally been dug over. The last of the sandier/gritty soil from my back garden project earlier this year, about 1 ton of it, was dug into the damp heavier clay at the same time. This part of the plot will be used to grow Pumpkins and Squashes next year as they seem to appreciate the dappled shade there.

Compost Bins Already Full With Autumn Foliage (8/December/13)

This afternoon was spent removing a few annual weeds which still have the audacity to be growing in some of my previously prepared beds. A few herbs were potted up for future use and although it is fairly seasonably damp in my poly tunnel at the moment the new Strawberry plants, in pots, taken from runners in the early Autumn, needed watering. Although there have been quite a few heavy overnight frosts lately, many plants are still growing, budding and retaining their flowers. The Daffodils and Bluebells along the top of the drainage ditch bank (N1 Plot) are already showing through, as the milder daytime temperature continue to prevail.

Daffodils Appearing (8/December/13)

Bluebells Appearing (8/December/13)

With frozen vegetables from my freezer being used on a regular basis it was time to check the freezer contents to see what produce was still left. There were plenty of Cabbage, Carrots, French beans, Leeks, Garden peas and various types of fruit still left, although the Runner beans were starting to run out (pun intended). Doing an inventory now and again gives me an idea as to the quantities I will need to sow in the following season. Due to the bumper fruit harvest this year and the fact that my last batch of jam has been used up, it was time for some more jam making, using some of the frozen fruit from the freezer. Red currant, Strawberry and Raspberry jam were soon back on the menu.

Savoy Cabbages N1 Plot (8/December/13)

  

More Jam (8/December/13)

There's always tomorrow!!

Rooko's Decembers Top 10 Tryouts & Tips

1.  If you have done the final cut of the year to your lawn, clean off the lawnmower and remember if you are using unleaded petrol it does not "keep" so drain off any fuel left in the mower before storing the mower until next year.

2. Red & white currants, Gooseberries, Autumn raspberries & outdoor grapevines can be pruned this month but not if heavy frosts are expected. Seal any pruning wounds.

3. Most summer bulbs are not Winter hardy so dig them up, remove excess soil and store them in a cool dry place indoors, ready for re-planting next year.

4. If your outdoor plant containers are too large or heavy to move to a frost free place, make sure they are insulated for the Winter. Fleece, bubble wrap or (polythene sheeting over cardboard sheets) can be used.

5. Hardwood cuttings from Currants & Gooseberries can be taken this month.

6. Order your fruit and veg catalogues now.

7. If the soil on your allotment is still reasonably dry, digging/rotavating compost or manure into it, can still be carried out this month.

8.  Think about growing "woody" plants permanently for next year and beyond, these will help extract carbon dioxide from our atmosphere.

9. Keep clearing dead and decaying vegetation from gardens, lawns and allotments adding it to the compost heap.

10. Unless you are behind with your work “down the plot” enjoy your Christmas shopping and have a Merry Christmas!!!

A Lazy Week Or So

With plenty of heavy rain, rain showers and misty drizzles of rain over the last 7 days or so, my plots have been too damp and wet to achieve anything positive on, without getting covered in mud or becoming soaking wet. As I was awaiting delivery of a parcel, which I expected to arrive by the end of last week but didn't, plus the weather was cold anyway, I opted to spend a lazy week indoors not achieving much. I did manage to catch up with my blog reading, commenting, updating and correcting errors on my blog and finally clearing a full email inbox.

A Variation in Autumn Colours (13/Nov/13)

Many other allotment posts I have read this week, have rightly centered on the Autumn clean up and the preparation of next years planting areas of all different shapes and sizes, in gardens as well as allotments. Having, myself, spent the past 2 to 3 years digging over, clearing, preparing and re-designing new and old plots, I am now finding I have little to do as far as "ground work" is concerned and the various clean up and preparation tasks lately seem to be finished in the blink of an eye with tasks down the plots, being few and far between, so lack of visits there lately is not much of a loss to me.

Autumn Raspberries Still Producing Fruit (13/Nov/13)

 The 2014 year planner that I attached to the potting table in my shed, is, at the moment, being used as a calendar. The notes written on it will serve as a reminder, when next Autumns tasks come around again. On Friday the 1st of November, I spent an hour or so weeding and tidying the flower border, which runs alongside my front driveway. This single border is now low maintenance, planted with 9 box, running centrally along the border with a miniature variegated shrub at each end. I ventured down to my plots that afternoon and began weeding the overgrown bed on the drainage ditch bank of N1 Plot, underneath my fruit trees. I was back down the plots on Saturday the 2nd and by mid afternoon the bed was weed free, with several containers of weeds, fallen leaves and decaying fruit added to the compost heap. Further rain on the 4th & 5th of November stopped play. With the ground and soil too wet to work, I spent a few hours in the shelter of N2's shed, as the strong breeze blew more leaves down from the nearby trees, I cleaned and disinfected about 50% of the garden canes I had used as supports for my French beans. From the 6th to the 9th of November rain again stopped play. Last Sunday afternoon, a break in the wet weather allowed me to remove my Runner beans and their supports. Several dozen more pods were salvaged and their beans will be used as next years seeds, after being dried and stored.

Full of Beans (10/Nov/13)

 With more rain yesterday, it wasn't worth toddling off to the plots once again. Tuesday was fine and sunny for a change, with some tangible warmth emitting from the suns rays during the morning. With frost forecast here for Tuesday  night, it was an ideal time to plant the last 22 of my Winter Onion sets, which was the first task of the afternoon. It was then time to clear up more fallen leaves and other foliage, which had been strewn around by the wind, consigning it to the compost heap, which is now bulking up well. The final raised bed, which I constructed some time ago, had the remainder of the polythene liner tacked to the inside of it, to aid soil retention. By late afternoon the temperature was dropping somewhat, so I spent 40 minutes or so, in my shed, shelling the last of my Runner beans for next season. A satisfactory afternoon down the plot I would say.

Runner Beans Removed & Roots Left In Place To Replenish Some Nitrogen (10/Nov/13)

  Yesterday was dry, sunny for a while and cold, after the first hard overnight frost of this Autumn. The afternoons task was to fill the the final raised bed with soil. Using the remainder of the soil taken from the main bed of N2 Plot during the Dandelion wars which started in October 2012, this was the soil that had been spread along the top of the drainage ditch bank, alongside my shed on N2 Plot. After filling my wheelbarrow with each load of soil any perennial weed roots were removed and after a dozen or so loads, the raised bed was almost full and the bank leveled and clear of loose soil. Four hours of work, job done. A couple of bags of multipurpose compost will be added on top of the soil later, after which, polythene covers will be placed over the top of each bed. The beds will then be used for next years seed sowing areas, easier than sowing seed at ground level and hopefully less back-ache!!

Final Raised Bed Topped Up With Soil (13/Nov/13)

    
There's Always Tomorrow!!

Allotment Book Review

Having received my first allotment gardening book for review, in the post last week, I thought it was time to post my thoughts & opinions about it.

 The Allotment Planner (more than 200 ways to enjoy your plot month by month) is a neat hard backed book measuring 6 inches (15cm) by just over 8 inches (21cm). An ideal size for keeping/carrying around the plot.

 The author Matthew Appleby has covered over 200 aspects of allotment gardening in a way that makes the book easy and quick to read. Many different methods of gardening and designing allotments are written about, some being established concepts, also many that would make you think, "I must try that one on my plot". Containing lined pages for each month of the year where notes can be written, the book can also be used as a diary/planner by the gardener. The text of individual topics is enhanced with a multitude of photographic pictures. There are also many internet addresses, to be found throughout the book, for various blogs & websites, which pertain to the individual topic being written about.

Summing up, from the amusing introduction by Alys Fowler to its end, the book is not only a good gardening read but it could also be useful as a notebook, a fresh ideas book, a reference to other gardening & related topics book. If you are taking on a new allotment want ideas for re-designing your plot or excellent gardening advice, this book is definitely worth reading.

The Reviewed Book

To order The Allotment Planner at the discounted price of £12.00 including p&p* (RRP: £14.99), telephone 01903 828503 or email mailorders@lbsltd.co.uk and quote the offer code APG34. 

Alternatively, send a cheque made payable to: 

Littlehampton Book Services Mail Order Department, 

Littlehampton Book Services, 

PO Box 4264, 

Worthing, West Sussex 

BN13 3RB. 

Please quote the offer code APG34 and include your name and address details. 

*UK ONLY - Please add £2.50 if ordering from overseas. 

       

November Video N1 & N2 Plots

Here is my latest video showing the plots prepared for next year.