Beachcombing
Took my scavenging a stage further today. Whilst out running in the rain today I happened to spot some washed up timber lying on the sand on Hoylake beach. By the time I got back home, soaking wet I’d already decided to go straight back out to get the timber.
So pushing my (t)rusty wheelbarrow whilst wearing my trainers, lycra shorts and running jacket - all soaking wet - I must have a looked a right sight walking back down to the beach. Worth it anyway ‘cos I rescued an old scaffolding plank in okay condition (for raised bed use) and another couple of lengths of timber that’ll be useful maybe to fix the fence at the back of the plot.
Sarah has spotted a skip down the road that might have some good timber in it so I’ll check that out next.
Raining on and off all day today with the same forecast for tomorrow.
Onions v Weeds
Shock. Horror!
It’s been raining (a bit). Must be the first time in ages. According to neighbours Lesley & George it hasn’t rained since the big storms back in January. Not sure myself, but it has been really ages. Anyway, as I was very keen to actually do something so I put my wellies and waterproof on and walked down to the plot.
I took some newly acquired old timber with me. I intend to make raise beds on the plot ‘cos they look neater and make crop rotation (yeah, like I know what I’m talking about!) far easier. The newly acquired timber has been acquired from a few sources. Like skips for instance - I’ve become obsessed with nosing in skips to see what there is …nabbed a good pallet last week from a skip on the main road. I’ve also started to use the Wirral group of freecycle.org - a great site where everything is free. Stuff like tellies, PC’s, furniture is being offered! I emailed this bloke from Rock Ferry who was offering some old glass and double glazing sealed units that he didn’t want. I’ve taken them for making cold frames with. It’ll be ace if someone offers a shed! I need me shed on plot 69.
Anyway - the onions and the weeds…. had a good go at the weeds in and amongst the onions. Think I really need to go over the rows again and get even more weed up. I now read that ‘cos onions don’t produce much in the way of leaves the weeds have more chance to grow ‘cos there isn’t much to cramp their style. Whilst reading up on how to grow onions I come across this page from the rhs that has a good onion growing video (fw the boring bits). Now why doesn’t my soil look like that??
Actually that video has given me an idea. I could record a video or two of some plot action and host it youtube and then embed it here at growing my own. A bit of an experiment if nothing else.
An hour or so soon passed. On the walk back I stopped to chat to Lesley & George. Bloody hell their plots (3) are completely weed free and immaculate. Good tip from Lesley …as carrots are so tricky to grow on our site ‘cos of the dreaded carrot fly, just grow them in the greenhouse from January and pull up when you’re ready for your tomatoes. Georges’ onion tops look bigger than mine, but then size isn’t everything is it?
Looking forward to getting some beetroot, parsnip and other seed in this week. Need to get my main potatoes ordered too. Maris Pipers. That’s what we have for our roasts and jolly tasty they are too.
Attack Of The Weeds
What with one thing and another I just haven’t had chance to get down to plot 69 since last Wednesday. As the photo shows the (presumed) chickweed has enjoyed the recently, unseasonally warm and sunny weather. The onions appear to be growing but the 6 broadbean plants that Dave gave me don’t seem to fairing so well (sorry Dave!).
Rose (the person) paid me a by-chance visit this afternoon and also thought that the weed is chickweed and she suggested that I simply hoe the weed out - so that’s an important job for over the weekend. Need to get some seeds in too! Sometimes I fret that I’m not ready and veg isn’t yet planted - but when I visit the plot and spy on my neighbours I feel (slightly) re-assured. It doesn’t help that my left-hand neighbours, Frank and Dave, manage their triple plot with army like precision - well, that’s how it seems through my novice eyes.
Over in the fruit cage the red currant bush and the raspberry canes appear to be doing well. If they and other bushes give fruit then we’ll be picking lots of it.
Looking forward to the weekends weeding and planting session already. Also looking forward to taking a few more snaps of more veg (seeds) being planted - it’ll be an education in pictures for our 2 young girls as the seeds turn into veg that they can eat. Actually, I’m toying with idea of setting up another flickr account, along the lines of this one that I’ve just setup for my to-be developed site about Hoylake. I’ll see how the time goes.
What Weed Is This?
Lovely day down on the plot yesterday - really warm.
Where my onions are growing I’ve got a decent covering of weed but I’m not sure what it is. Chickweed maybe? Think it is but I’m not sure. Bloomin’ pain anyway. Hey-ho !
Had a chat with Eddie, my neighbour over the back. He was saying that I missed out on a shed that was going free. Now that would have been really handy - I need my own shed but I’m hoping to get one on the cheap.
Bought a few packets of seeds the other day in Tescos - will post about them in the next day or so. Need to get them planted!
Spuds Are In!
Spent an enjoyable couple of hours down on the plot this sunny afternoon planting my first attempt at potatoes. Second earlies I think they are - so they’ll be ready in the summer.
I just about managed to fill the section behind the fruit cage - a portion of which has been taken over by the rampant raspberry bush. Need to do something with this at the end of the growing season.
I made some wooden spaces yesterday (with the help of my 6 year old daughter) and I used the 12 inch and 6 inch today. Potatoes went in 6 inches deep, 12 inches apart. Each row 18 inches apart. I’d been chitting the potatoes at home in the garage, though they’d only sprouted a little. Please grow!
The idea for the spacers came from watching a recent telly programme where a blind allotmenteer used wooden spacers. He hung them up on the back of shed door. Like a good scout I’ve prepared… I’ve drilled holes in the spacers even though I haven’t yet got a shed door to hand them on.
Onions are coming on - slowly. A few more have sprouted. And a few more have been pulled up by the birds. Just stuck ‘em back in.
I’ve developed a bad habit …eyeing up the contents of skips. Happened to spot a decent wooden pallet this week, so I rescued it and barrowed it down to the plot. Need to crack on with my compost bins.
Met another neighbour today. Eddie manages the plot behind mine for about 5 years.
Also met Rose and Fil and managed to get a freebie plastic tray with lid that should make a useful propogator. And just as I was leaving Simon from next door turned up.
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Seed Shopping
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