I’m so relieved to finally get the potatoes in the ground! It was a really nice day to do it and even though we had quite a sharp frost last night the ground was soft enough to dig. More cold nights are forecasted so I’ll need to get hold of some garden fleece in the week to protect the potato bed from frost damage. Continue reading “They’re In!”
Chitting the Gladiators
It’s a bit of an experiment but I started to chit my parsnip seeds last week since they take a long time to germinate. It’s been almost a week now and they’re no signs of them showing any signs of life yet!
I have two large half drums from a water butt to use for growing my carrot and parsnips this year so we’ll see how that goes! I had limited success with them last year as I started too late and didn’t prepare the soil well enough. By growing in big containers I plan to sieve all the compost and add a load of sand to give it the right conditions it needs to hopefully give me some Gladiator parsnips!
Feelin’ Foxy!
I treated myself to some new wellies yesterday..just look at them – they’re so gorgeous. I was on my lunch break and on my way into Loughborough town centre and I just spotted all the little foxes and could not resist! They were on sale too – PERFECT!
I’m a big lover of foxes, and they passed through my allotment from time to time last year. One memory will always stay with me and will probably become the closest encounter with a wild fox I’ll ever have. Continue reading “Feelin’ Foxy!”
Busy Bee
Weekend Jobs Completed
- Tidied the shed.
- Burnt some of the excess wood.
- Made pea canes and edging from excess wood.
- Planted autumn fruiting raspberry canes (Joan J variety).
- Erected additional shelving inside the greenhouse.
- Broke up the ground around the many plum suckers for the rain to help loosen.
- Broke up the ground to extend the main bed an additional 1-2 feet.
- Made a make-shift cloche to warm the soil.
- Fertilised the potato bed.
Undercover
Last Friday – Good Friday in fact was such a gorgeous day to be on the allotment. The first day of the year to be comfortably wearing shorts (YES i know!) and the perfect day to put up my mini greenhouse..or so I thought. Over the Easter weekend rather windy storm – ‘Katie’ they called it paid a visit to the UK… Continue reading “Undercover”
Pond Update | New Residents
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DP8Co8_A6I
It’s been very quiet in the wildlife pond over winter but I had a surprise waiting for me on Good Friday, followed by an even more rewarding surprise last night! It’s only a small pond, one that I upcycled from a Belfast sink last summer. As you open the garden gate the pond sits next to the main path just passed the brick, herb bed so it’s always the first and last thing I check. Continue reading “Pond Update | New Residents”
Potato Plans
Preparation
The potatoes are chitting away nicely and while they develop knobbly, vivid shoots I’m frantically clearing and digging what will be their enormous bed to grow in. The bed is about 6m x 3.5m which is at least four times the size of what I grew my spuds in last year. The lack of space was probably the reason my Maris Pipers weren’t very big, but the Charlottes were brilliant and so delicious that I’m definitely growing these again.
Continue reading “Potato Plans”
🌹 Rose Cuttings
You know how familiar you become to your local surroundings that when something new appears, it suddenly leaps out at you? Well there’s a beautiful house just down the road from me that I’ve always admired and appreciated. It’s a gorgeous Victorian red-brick, three story build that sits on the corner of a narrow dead end lane with a grand turret on the side. Everyday I pass that house and in the peak of summer I was struck the the gorgeous deep, velvety roses that gradually bloomed along the old brick wall.
I hadn’t noticed the roses in that garden before and I had never seen roses so big and so rich as those! It bloomed for weeks on end and I appreciated it everyday. Of course the flowers didn’t last though autumn and the crimson petals were soon replaced with rose hips.
Continue reading “🌹 Rose Cuttings”
My First Barrow
I don’t often splash a lot of cash into tools and materials for the allotment if I can go without. For over a year and a half I’ve had my plot but no proper wheelbarrow. I was left an old rusty one when I took on the plot. It had a hole in the bottom and was missing the tyre, so it was very cumbersome to move about. Instead I used a slim wheelie bin, also left by the previous tenant. But with the very rough terrain even this was difficult to move, but I made do.
Longer Days Are Coming
We’ll soon be rolling the clocks forward to British Summer Time which means longer days, warmer evenings and lots more lovely sunshine! Ok, so we loose an hour of sleep in bed but at least the clocks change over the Easter Bank holiday this year so I won’t be at work on the Monday -yipee! You can guess where I’ll be! Probably planting some potatoes no doubt.
After such a dull, grey winter I never been so excited for the evening to be brighter. I don’t know about you, but being trapped indoors for too long makes me feel so grumpy and achey – I itch to be outside with the sun beaming down on my face. The longer days means I’ll be able to pop to the allotment after work, take evening strolls to the sound of the bird chorus, have BBQ’s as soon as it gets warmer, make the most of the glorious sunshine and enjoy the sweet smells that come with Spring and summer.
I really can’t wait.
Homegrown Garden 