Sunday 4th May 2014
Got down to the lotty for the first time in a couple of weeks - overgrown with weeds. So much weeding the order of the day. Missus came down in the motor and gave me a hand. Getting there. Dug some more raspberries out of the general area - think I'm going to have to hem the raspberries with some concrete slabs. Went home lunchtime but came back after tea and mowed up. Also felt it was time to deploy the owl to hopefully keep the pigeons and rabbits off the plot. Think a fence will be better though!
Although doesn't seem to be a lot of activity at the lotty there is a lot going on at home. No end of stuff going through the propogator and into pots. Runner beans coming on, sweetcorn doing well, lettuces, tomatos, cauliflowers (autumn and summer) peas in toilet roll tubes ready to be planted. Took a load of purple broccoli out of the propogator and potted em up last night. Put in some french beans to propogate. At the weekend I need to get down and get a fence put up round it all.
Saturday 17th May 2014
Decided against putting a fence up this year. Have got all the bits for when the lad returns from Texas but it needs his practical skills really. Anyway, got down lotty for a couple of hours in morning and got some weeding done and then it was off to watch Lucy play footie at Elvaston Park. After FA cup in afternoon i was back down at the lotty doing even more weeding.
Nice to see that the Gooseberries, previous keeper Brian told me to dig up are coming through this year:
Sunday 18th May 2014
More work down the lotty on a blistering day. The missus came with me so we got a ton of weeding done and got a row of peas in. Not sure, why I've done peas - they're cheap as chips anyway - must be the freshness I'm thinking of?
 |
| Row of peas, netted up and watered. |
We were over at me mum and dad's in the afternoon so in the evening me and Lucy cycled down and I got Lucy watering while I cleared the big raised bed/composty type thing ready for the arrival of the pumpkins.
 |
| The highly(!) raised bed that will have 3 or 4 pumpkins in it shortly (although am going to take some of the soil out first |
 |
| This was the plot as we left - starting to look something like! |
Tuesday 19th May 2014
After potting up a dozen sweet corn plants and ten or so green broccoli I went down the lotty for about an hour or so. Did some more weeding, earthed up the second row of spuds, watered everything (kind of glad I did as I've made some space for the rain that's coming (hopefully there's some rain coming, it's been forecasted).
 |
| Looking clearer - still some buttercup and stuff to come out, that raspberry bottom right will be put in it's place too! |
 |
| Garlic and onions looking happier for having a drink or two. |
 |
| Peas seem to be settling in nicely! |
 |
| Took some more soil out of the raised bed and it's ready to become a pumpkin patch now! |
 |
| Crops down the bottom end all watered, second row of spuds earthed up too |
Wednesday 21st May 2014
I mentioned earlier that there was an awful lot of stuff going on off-allotment, so to speak. A quick pic of what's cooking back at the ranch:
In the picture are cabbages, cauliflowers, green broccoli, purple broccoli, runner beans, pumpkins and leeks not to mention a solitary tomato plant experiment to see if they're hardy enough to come out third week in May.
Wednesday 21st May 2014
We're going away soon and our neighbour can't do the watering so we're looking for canny solutions. One of them is to get stuff out of pots and planted into the allotment especially with all the rain that's forecast / always happens when I go on my hols! So about 8.15 in the evening we went down to the lotty and got runner and french beans in. I also planted some sweet peas at home as well so there's less and less to water!!
 |
| Runner Beans and French Beans in the background - rubbish picture - it was dark and missus wanted to get off home! |
23rd May 2014
Although not done owt on the lotty popped down and dropped off a load of plants that were surplus - two pumpkins and about half a dozen tomato plants - they weren't there when got back from holidays so I presume they're tickety boo!
Off on Hols!
