Monday, March 17, 2008

Getting Ready for Planting

view of allotmentsWe haven't been down to the allotment so far in 2008. Either the weather has been dreadful (you can't really garden in a gale) or we've been very busy doing other things, or we've been ill. So last weekend we took the opportunity to get stuck in.

I planted some raspberry canes and weeded a bed full of some kind of alliums - they're either onions or shallots, or possibly funny-looking garlic. I simply can't remember what I planted there, and if I put a label on then it must have blown away. Anyway, whatever they are they're looking well. I do remember where I planted the garlic which came from the garlic fairy. That's looking great, too, and I'll get round to weeding it soon.

Ed dug some ground elder out of a bed ready for us to plant something there. There's a lot of things need planting soon and we haven't yet decided what is going to go there. The broad beans I planted in October have grown slowly all winter and are now ready to leap into action as the days start getting longer. I hope we'll get a crop off those fairly soon, although I've planted far too many and always intended that some of them would just be dug back into the ground as green manure.

I also planted as green manure a proprietory mixture from the garden centre. It contains rye and tares and other things I can't remember or identify. It has come up nicely and has smothered out any weeds in the patch where I sowed it. It now needs mowing and digging in, then leaving to rot for a little while before I plant out the nicely enriched bed. It's basically the same thing as the fallow part of old crop rotation methods, putting nutrition back into the soil. So I'll plant something hungry there that will appreciate the extra nutrients.

I could go on - there are a couple of clumps of daffodils that always make me smile when I visit the allotment in Spring. Next time I go I'll probably cut a few unopened ones to bring back to the house. My rhubarb is starting to come up, but the variety on my plot is a late starter and I'm always jealous of my neighbours with early rubarb varieties. Maybe I can barter some early rhubarb for eggs or something. I've still got brussels sprouts growing on the plot, and late-season spuds in storage, although I'm pretty sick of them by now. I'm clamming for fresh home-grown salad, radishes, tomatoes, peas, mmm-mmm. I want it to be summer already but it's not even the equinox yet.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

HI THERE MEL I NO WHAT YOU MEAN ABOUT THE WEATHER I HAVE JUST BE DOWN TO MY ALLOTMENT TO DAY JUST TO GET MY SPUDS IN HAS THE WEATHER FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS IS NOT LOOKING SO GOOD I HAVE PUT IN TO 6 ROWS OFF SPUDS AT 20 FEET IN LENGHT THAT IS 120 FEET OF SPUDS I AM GLAD THEY ARE ALL IN NOW I HOPE YOU CAN GET ON WITH YOUR PLOT SHORTLY GOOD LUCK RAY

Anonymous said...

I'm really glad to hear you are back at work on the allotment. I'm also glad to hear you know where your garlic is. I'm hoping it will be ready for use in time for my next visit as I'm looking forward to trying different varieties. Thanks for a lovely visit. I really enjoyed the concert and was very impressed with the venue. And, of course, my grandchildren! Well, you know I love the bones of them. Looking forward to seeing you all again soon.

Anonymous said...

Its looking good.

Sandra said...

Great to read about your Spring gardening excitement Mel. Nice time of the year for cross-hemisphere garden talk as it is full of promise and beginnings in the UK but still warm enough here to be planting seedlings out.

Nicky said...

Hi Mel

Glad you've had time to get along to your allotment - it's therapeutic, isn't it? Hope your new raspberries take. I had a look at my new ones yesterday and some are definitely showing shoots but others still look like sticks. They're an Autumn variety and I'm not sure when they should start growing for the year but I won't dig any up until I'm sure they're dead

Best wishes
Nicky

Yellow said...

My redcurrents, blackcurrents and gooseberries are in bud, but the blueberries I planted last year just look like sticks. Like Nicky, I'll leave them in for the moment though.

Unknown said...

I'm so glad I just read this. I'd forgotten to cover up the runner beans and there's a frost tonight!

Can anyone remember the name of the trailing tomato that grows in hanging baskets?

Heather @ Wiggly Wigglers said...

I am hoping the weather will be OK over the bank holiday w/e so that we can get out there and do some work.

Hi skipweasel, is is the Tumbling Tom Red you are thinking of?

eda said...

101煙火,真愛密碼,煙火批發,煙火工廠,製造浪漫煙火小舖,煙火小舖,衣蝶,情趣用品,情趣商品,情趣,情趣,煙火批發,情趣內衣,情趣禮品,成人用品,小泉彩,性感丁字褲,自慰器,按摩棒,情趣內衣,情趣精品,情趣商品,情趣用品,情趣,真愛密碼,貓裝,自慰器,性感內褲,飛機杯,充氣娃娃,情趣用品,角色扮演,丁字褲,性感丁字褲,衣蝶,跳蛋,情趣,跳蛋,AV,丁字褲,煙火,跳蛋,情趣用品