Wednesday 4 March 2009

Exhausted but happy, a good day on the plot.

I have been to the lottie today, hurrah !! and spent four and half hours happily digging, planting my broad beans, weeding the two cabbage patches. Weeding and hoeing the curly Kale, and covering it up as the pigeons have been having a picnic at my expense. and tidying the leek bed.

I am exhausted but really pleased that I went as it was such a fabulous day. I met friends up there, so had lots of breaks for a chat, it's lovely to see some activity on the allotment at last.
I am so envious of a new plot holder ( not met him yet) as he has built a super duper hen house and it is all enclosed in a very well built compound complete with a sturdy gate. I can't wait to see the chickens when he moves them in. We would love to have some chickens ourselves but it is such a huge daily commitment, and we like going away to friends and family for days here and there.



The photo's above are as follows :

top one is just a reminder to myself of how the shed will look again in the summer it looked so pretty last year, I can't wait to get some flowers up there again.
Second photo is the broad beans in place that I planted today, now covered with a plastic tunnel, I hope I don't lose these. I kept some back in case I do.
Third photo is of the broad beans covered and the green tunnel is my cabbages, with garlic along the side.
Fourth photo Leek bed all weeded, and the beds beyond are the ones I have dug over today.
and I haven't taken one of the kale bed and other cabbage bed. All in all a good days work. My allotment assistant (hubbie) didn't come today so I was on my own, but he's cooking a pasta tonight, so I'm not complaining, it's rare for me to be cooked for. I'M STARVING after all that work I did, I was so busy I forgot to stop for my banana & biscuit.

10 comments:

Tessa said...

Don't you just love getting your hands dirty again? Looks like you got a lot done- good job! How's your back ;). Nice little greenhouse I see there. Happy Gardening

Maureen said...

Hi Tessa, My back is fine, it's my knees that suffered. If I was sensible I would pace myself, but I just get carried away and keep going. I got that little 6'x 6' greenhouse secondhand last year.We had to travel a bit for it but it's great. :)

Carrie said...

Fabulous work - roll on the warmer days whn the shed looks so pretty again and you can reap all the rewards of your hard work. Chickens - cool, we're not allowed livestock :( But yeah, too much looking after anyway.

EB said...

Was it against birds that you covered the beans, too? Or some sort of insects? The shed did look good - fun to plan what to plant for it this year!

Maureen said...

Hi CARRIE & EB, yes I did cover the beans so they wouldn't get eaten by the birds especially the pigeons, we have a lot on our allotment and they are a real nuisance.

Anna said...

It sounds as if you have a most productive day Maureen. The beds look in good shape - how many have you got ? I would love hens too but like you we like getting away too. One of my lottie neighbours has some and it's most soothing to hear them clucking away :)

Maureen said...

Hi Anna, I have 4 raised beds and about 9 other beds. It will probably be more this year as I need to make some of the larger unraised( is that a word ??)beds into smaller ones, so they will be easier to manage. Its a large plot but boomerang shaped and on a slope, probably the oddest shaped one on the whole allotment, but great soil.

Corner Gardener Sue said...

That looks like a fun place to be! Have you said how you made your green hoop? I have something called Grass-Fast, Protective Grass Seed Cover, that can also be used on other plants. It lets the rain through, and it may be what you have in your garden. What did you use to drape it over?

Like I've said, we aren't handy. Oh, I have also put things together if they were in a kit and had instructions and all the pieces there. Oh, with something like this, maybe I can find easy instructions on the internet, too.

I hope you get great crops!

Maureen said...

Hi Sue, I didn't make the green tunnel covering my cabbages, I bought it and it's really handy as it just concertinas out and has metal pegs that push into the ground all along the tunnel. If you want to make a cheaper version of a tunnel, I also use cut lengths of plastic hosepipe, with a bamboo cane pushed into each end of the hose (far enough in to make it sturdy) and then pushed into the ground, forming a hoop. You need at least 3 preferably 4, and then cover with fleece of netting and secure the chosen cover into the ground all along and each end with metal/plastic pegs, works very well.

Corner Gardener Sue said...

Thanks! If we get it accomplished, I'll post about it and give you credit.