Break-in At The Shed
Some idiot(s) decided to break-in to mine and other plot holders sheds sometime yesterday evening. In my case they burst the hasp and staple - the latch bit that the padlock goes on - so I’ve now got a small repair job to do.
About 10 sheds were done in total and other people lost some useful bits and bobs I gather. As I don’t store anything of value (to anyone else) in my shed nothing was taken this time. I’ll have a search for a bit of wood for the repair and maybe find a stronger way of fixing the lock.
Bit a bit of weeding done this afternoon where my spuds are going in - soon!
New Shed
Finally got myself a shed down on the plot!
I’ve been after a shed for over 12 months and in true allotmenting spirit I didn’t want to spend any/much cash on one. So a big thanks to my good mate Simon for brokering a freebie deal for me - one of his garden maintenance customers wanted rid of the shed and I was only too willing to take it. Next job is to attach a gutter - I managed to acquire a suitable piece this morning out of a local skip. Then another water butt needs to be found. I’ve got one on the plot that needs repairing - it’s got a crack that leaks right at the bottom …attempted to fix it last year but it still leaked!
New Water Butt
Managed to win a water butt on ebay from a chap in Wallasey for £3.28. One of the must-do jobs for this season is to somehow fix a gutter to my side of the gutterless greenhouse. Whilst I’m currently capturing some rain water in the old tin bath there’s alot of precious rainwater going begging (there is no mains water on tap on the site).
Yes, I know there are a lot of weeds around!
Finally Planted Something
After several weeks were each visit has simply been a weeding session I finally got around to planting something on Saturday (yesterday). I’d spoken to Dave at Friday nights AGM and he told me that he had a 1lb of onion sets left to sell and also a few kg of seed potatoes.
So on Saturday afternoon I met Dave and his wife Sally down at the site and bought myself the Sturon onions (for 80p) and about 6kg of seed potatoes for a fiver. Dave also kindly gave me 6 broadbean plants.
So I weeded again the back section of the plot and planted the broadbeans and all the onions. Should be alright for onions for a while if they grow well ! I planted them at about every 6 inches - I understand that planting them further apart gives rise to bigger onions.
Here are the broadbeans; obviously need to stick some canes in at some point.
Here are the Sturon onions, spaced at about 6 inch intervals. I’ve got quite a few rows, 5 I think. I pushed them into the soil with the tops just peeking out. I think that they should be ready to harvest around August.
I’m hoping to plant out the potatoes toward the end of the month, though I gather the traditional day is St Patricks day. Today, Sunday, I placed all of these seed potatoes in plastic trays so that they’ll start to sprout - chitting as it’s called. I’ve just put them in my garage where they’ll get light but not direct sunlight.
Also today I popped down to the plot to pick up the spuds that I’d forgotten to bring home yesterday. I did a bit of pruning on the big raspberry bush in the left of the fruit cage. Not quite sure what to prune really so I sort of tidied it up a bit and removed any branches that were heading off along the ground. Need some advice next season on how to prune it and train it properly.
Bagged Up Some Weeds
Bagged up some previously pulled weeds and did some tidying up in the fruit cage. Only had an hour to spend so didn’t get a great deal done.
A little bit of icy snow around:
The apparently resident pheasant took flight as soon as I arrived. And the apparently resident robin was around too.
Visit Report
After what has reportedly been the strongest winds for 17 years it’s not surprising that the plots took a bit of a hammering. The main greenhouse has lost a few panes here and there. Unfortunately for my neighbours Simon and Sibena their front fence has gone and so has the gate (which may be a blessing in disguise).
Did an hours wedding, getting up the couch grass and a few spuds too.
Visit Report
Popped down for an hour or so this lunchtime and did some weeding on a section in front of the fruit cage.
Weather: Very windy.
Visit Report
Yesterday, Sunday, we had a family trip down to the plot for the first time and the girls seem to like their new “garden”. Didn’t actually do anything.
Today, Monday, I popped down for an hour or so. Simon & Sabina were already there attacking the privet hedge between their plot and number 67. It’s now a lot lower and it’s made a big difference as it’s opened up their plot a lot. Buster, their dog, seems a friendly chap too.
So, I did a bit of weeding on the section behind the fruit cage. I haven’t quite decided yet but I think I’ll have to dig up the fruit bush that has sneaked out from under the cage and grown a fair bit into this section. I’ve no idea what kind of fruit bush it is.
Also pulled out the tomato vine from the greenhouse and that has made it look a lot tidier.
Weather: Dry. Windy. 11c
Some photos
So this is what the plot looks like in early Jan, 07.
And We’re Off
Well, I’m now the current owner of plot 69 down at the Hoylake Allotment Association site over the railway line at the bottom of Sandringham Avenue, Hoylake.
I paid my annual subs when I took ownership last Sunday. The price? The princely sum of £12 - a very good deal at £1/month !
As plots 68 & 69 were doubled up by the previous owner he’d strategically built a brick base greenhouse stradling both plots 68 and 69. So me and my neighbours (Simon & Sabina at 68) have sensibly agreed to simply share the greenhouse.
Now plot 69 is somewhat overgrown right now so some serious digging is needed to get the plot into some sort of shape.
There’s a fruit cage (a biggish one) with a couple of redcurrant plants, a gooseberry plant, a logan berry, a tayberry and some other stuff that I’m not sure about just now.
There’s a man-made well with a trusty galvanised mop bucket on a long piece of rope to get the water up. There’s another small greenhouse with most of its glass missing. A few water butts. A couple of plastic chairs and a table and a wooden bench for good measure. No shed though - so that’s a project too.
Met the chaps on the other side of the fence in plot 70 this morning. Frank and Dave. They own a 3 plotter.
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Seed Shopping
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