There Are Plenty Of These
I’ve got lots of these under the soil surface:
Some have been there before I took on the plot at the start of 2007, and others have returned since I dug a lot out last year. Novice mistake last year …don’t let weeds grow back !
Ground looks better without the grass like weed though:
Raspberries To You
Well, it’s looking like there’ll be lots of raspberries in the weeks ahead. In need of rather good trims, the raspberry bushes inside (and sometimes outside too) the fruit cage look like they are doing fine. Red currants seem to be in abundance too.
On the veg side of things I’m not too optimistic for my rows of dwarf peas. I planted the seeds about 2 weeks ago now and I can’t tell if they are sprouting. Maybe I put them in too deep? Yet another mistake perhaps.
I planted some more beetroot and that is starting to appear by the looks. The row of swede seeds are coming through too and I think I’ll use the remainder of the seeds (soon). You can never have enough swede - well okay we don’t (currently) eat it that often, but if it grows well it’ll boost my novice confidence.
I love the colour of this aubergine plant in the greenhouse. Just have to wait and see how it grows.
No flowering yet on the tomato plants. One of the little fellas isn’t looking very well compared to his taller brothers and sisters.
Plot wise, I am trying to get a grip on the weeds that seem to thrive with ease. I’ve got some way to go yet as it’s a big job unfortunately. I’ve taken some old pieces of carpet down and I’m using them for ground cover.
A couple of plotters have been burning weeds this week - think I’ll do the same too.
Pressing job is to get a gutter on my side of the main greenhouse. There’s loads of rainwater dripping off the roof and currently going to waste and I need to be saving it. I’ll be completely stuffed in the well dries-up. Not sure how I’m going to fix a gutter - need to buy my mate Si a pint and hope that he can dream up some fixing method.
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!
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Seed Shopping
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