Two little reasons I haven't blogged for a week.

And here they are, the grand-children. Bertie and Florence.
I took these photo's on Thursday and it was very difficult getting Bertie to sit with his sister.

We are back now and worked on the plot this afternoon. I weeded the onion , sweetcorn and the cabbage/kale beds. We raised the netting on the cabbages as the pigeons are getting clever at sitting on the netting and stretching it so it dips and then they can peck away at my goodies.

We came home from the lottie with a bag of dark green Italian Kale, short curly Kale, a few broad beans ( I couldn't wait any longer!) and a big parsnip. They were all delicious I steamed the Kale & beans and roasted the parsnip and we had it with roast chicken and roast potatoes, Mmmmm ! plus a lovely bunch of sweet-peas and sweet willliam, they smelt and looked beautiful.

A quick snap before Bertie demanded to be let loose.

Florence was a real poser today.

Happy to pose on his own.

A post at last !

I know I haven't posted for almost a week, but I have been very active on the plot since getting back from the babysitting. I once again took some seedlings with me to my son's. I think he is getting used to my eccentric ways now and just humours me. The basil, Lemongrass and Emilia (Irish Poet) common name("Tassel flower") had all just began to shoot up through the compost, so I couldn't leave them to dry out and die, so they came with me to Surrey.

Little Bertie ( 18 months) was keen to have a look at them with me each morning so fingers crossed we have a little gardener in the making. I already have a little gardening tool kit for him, all in it's own wee bag which I got in the sale last year at Asda.

Today I potted on my sunflowers, coriander, and kale. I have another plastic mini greenhouse now in the garden, which is full up, but at least we have our windowsills back. The greenhouse on the allotment is full of my dahlias, I must take a photo tomorrow as they have really come on. I lost about 5 when we had a severe frost, but I now cover them with layers of fleece.

I planted out the sweet peas today that I had grown last autumn, they have been in an unheated greenhouse all through the severe winter, so hopefully they will be ok. Just to be sure I wrapped some fleece around them as well. They are planted at the bottom of my "goal post". Last year they climbed the 6ft and more, and I was picking them every day all summer. I still have sweet williams growing at the foot of the post, it's amazing that they came through the winter and are now growing like crazy.

I have also put in the remaining parsnip seeds that were chitting. I planted them in-between two rows of garlic, I hope that wasn't a mistake and that they have enough room. If they outgrow the space I will just have to pick them as baby parsnips. I almost forgot ! I also planted some Mizuna and some spinach beet. Tomorrow I will take some photo's as the plot is looking good.

I am off to London on Thursday to meet up with a friend who is over from Spain. I haven't seen her for about 30 years, so I expect we will be talking nonstop ! I can't wait to see her, we lost contact years ago when I moved to Hampshire from London and she and her family moved away.

Busy Busy Busy, I need a holiday !!!

I have spent many hours on the lottie since Saturday, generally doing jobs like turning the compost bins, weeding, raking beds and putting horse manure on the rhubarb and raspberry plants. A very kind allotment neighbour cut our grass borders with his petrol mower ( we have a manual push one) so Austin trimmed the edges for me, so it's all looking really tidy.

Yesterday I dug my runner and french bean trench. I dug it fairly deep and lined it with wads of newspaper and then put in a lot of horse manure that I had rotting from last year, then covered it all in with the soil again. I was so tired that I went to bed early- 11pm and really for me that is early! only trouble is I was awake again by 5am, so had a cup of tea and went back to bed again. I also put in my potatoes. - Nicola, Swift and Desiree.

Today I went up again and planted my parsnips that I had chitted ( yes chitted !) I am doing my own parsnip trial. The parsnips are Gladiator F1

Trial No 1 is 5 x pot sown and grown seedlings which I transplanted into the bed. Apparently parsnips don't like this ! but we shall see.

Trial No 2 is the chitted parsnip seeds. I dug some trenches filled them with multi purpose compost, carefully put in the chitted parsnip seeds, covered them with more M/P/compost and a scattering of earth.

Trial No 3 was parsnip seeds sown straight into the ground with a little mix of compost added to the planting area. I will update you as to which does the best.

I also sowed 5 short rows of Carrot's - Early Nantes 5. I then harvested some of my purple sprouting broccoli for dinner. I have waited nearly a year for this, I also dug up a couple of large leeks.

I TOLD YOU I WAS BUSY DIDN'T I ????
I've also been sowing more white onions as the first lot don't seem to be doing so well. I think I sowed them too early as this second sowing look so strong in comparison (see photo below) and the lemongrass that I sowed a couple of weeks ago is coming on now.

We are going to help look after the grandchildren on Friday and Saturday so wont return until Sunday, we are so looking forward to it, but I have to get someone to look in on my seedlings, it's a wrench to leave them in the hands of someone else at this crucial stage, I'm sure you all know what I mean !!

Photo's below are - from the top Chilli seedlings ready to pot on. next one is the Lemongrass, then it's my second onion attempt, much better seedling this time ! then it's the chitted parsnips, they look like little tadpoles !

Kale - Tosca De Nero on the right and short green curly on the left

Successful Sowing

I Spent a few hours at the allotment on Saturday afternoon harvesting the remaining brussel sprouts. We took the sprouts off and chopped the stems up to rot down for the compost bin . The stems are so thick it would take ages to rot in the bin, so we will break them down and add them later on, it would be lovely to have a shredder. The brussel bed has now been dug over roughly ready to weed and rake, and prepare for the next crop in, which I haven't decided on yet.

My latest seed sowings have been very successful as you can see below. The top picture is of the German cabbages "Filderkraut" which I mentioned in a previous post ( Withdrawal symptoms). The next picture down is two types of Kale, on the left of the seed tray is Dwarf Curly Kale, and on the right of the tray is Nero Di Toscana (Italian). Next is the Italian Red Onions which have at last started to grow sturdier. I have been putting them outside each day if it's not raining, but they go out if it's windy as I have learnt that the wind helps strengthen them, and it's really worked. At the bottom is the Cerinthe plants which I sowed in the Autumn, they have been hardening off during the day and hopefully going out into the beds in April.

Filderkraut cabbage

Kale

Italian red onions

Cerinthe

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.