Nice to be back...

Seems like absolutely ages, oh wait....it has been...sorry.



Hopefully this is me back on the blog-wagon as life got majorly difficult and even though I kept up momentarily with the video's on YouTube I really lost all sense of what I wanted to do and not to dwell on it a few personal issue's that stopped me in my tracks from which I just couldn't get back from. Depression set in and where the plot would have been a good way to work through it I just couldn't.  

What I will say the plot has changed and if you would like to catch up there are a few video's on YouTube (I'll put a link on once I work out how to) The new plot is lovely, it's so much bigger - well in fact it's even bigger than that as my daughter and son-in-law have recently acquired the adjoining one which makes for a lovely growing space, all enclosed within it's own boundary fence so we can, if we want bring the dog down.. Sam has her's and I have mine and they do get on admirably but maybe when young plants are in the ground not such a good idea until they get used to the regime...

Here's the link...

So this is hopefully the first of many posts and I will also get back to the filming soon. Not a lot going on at present with frost and fog but may just do a short one to give you an idea on what we now have. We are extremely lucky to have such a lovely piece of land close to the river but not on the flood plain with access to running water during the growing season and parking close by for when we need to although we all only live minutes from the plot so can walk or cycle. The grandchildren love it and all have their own mini plots within the area made using pallet collars, so perfect for getting them involved without making it a chore and if they do get distracted they only take a minute to freshen up myself...

Well that's me for now, lest to say have been down today and started to clear up by having a bonfire of bits and pieces that needed cleared but the actual fire pile now needs cleared away and put on one of the beds to freshen it up (I've been told the ash is good for many plants) so will have to check which before we sow anything...

Happy New Year 
Julie Xxx

Love Love Love Free Cycle...

Might seem a bit extreme but when gardening on a budget you have to make use of all resources available and to me Free Cycle is the No.1 go to...

When we first heard we'd got our own plot we tried to think of everything we might possibly need and I mean everything...so out to the old rickety garden shed and make an inventory of what is already there and what Sam and Mark have at there house to find we are in need of soooooo much.

Sam was already a convert to said website and said I should join as it was possible to get just about anything. So we managed to get pot's, tools, seeds and even more pots, then came the biggie (or so we thought) a compost bin and fruit cage. Well how exciting that was, promptly collected and sited down on the plot next to the now re-sited rickety garden shed from home as dearest Bill treated home to a new secondhand one. So as you can imagine we are ecstatic with all our new-to-us items that are going to make this the bestest plot on the site when the creme de la creme comes up....

yes folks...

A GREEN HOUSE!!!!!

Can you believe it, someone was giving away a fabby 8 x 6 greenhouse complete with staging, heater, hedge trimmer and loads of spare glass... No!! well believe you can and better than that it was only 100 yds from home. Thanks to both Sam and Mark and my long suffering Bill it was promptly removed from there to here and I LOVE IT!!! Thanks to EVERYONE who donates on Free Cycle it's amazing...

So just a quick piccie of it being erected and will show more when it's finished as that's going to be epic...

 So excited....

Julie x

Some spuds have made it...

16/3/14

Yes, some of our ridiculous amount of seed potatoes have made it into the ground. Bless him, Mark with his 'gogo-gadget' arms planted most from the path but Sam and I did our share of digging and chopping up the clumps to hopefully make the ground right for them.

...also the garlic that the kids started in the little peat pots in Jan. got planted out on the 8th March ( told ya it was gonna be a bit hit and miss 'til I caught up ) and they are looking happy and healthy...

 

Alex (No1 grandson) was really busy in Feb. Sowed copious amounts of seeds which he took charge of complete with labeling and finding room on window ledges and shelves. Here he's fishing out soaked sweet pea seeds as the first lot we forgot to soak and they didn't germinate, well that and the fact they were old seed might have had a bit more to do with it...

So that's it for now, going to do a seedling update next I think and we should be on track for current goings on...

well you can hope cant you...x

Julie...X

Here's the Scoop!!!

Just a quickie but had to show you my new scoop.
Needed something to get into the bag of compost to transfer it to the potting tray so I came up with this...
It was a bit floppy so have now made one from a pint
size bottle and it's perfect....

 Going to start thinking of other things to alter now as this recycling thing is addictive..

If you have any idea's let me know and I'll give it a go...
Happy planting...

Julie x

First Thing In Ground...

On the 23rd of Feb 2014 we had the ceremonial planting of our very first thing, a blackcurrant bush that seems to have some very healthy growth on it so well see. Alongside it we planted another 7 asst soft fruit bushes...

Three of my little army of helpers watching and asking how soon it will be before they can pick berries and make jam...

The soil is a bit rough and ready but I'll rake it and weed it as necessary, try to give them the best start with my very limited knowledge. The good thing is that the kid's are keen as are their parents so we will all learn as we go...








 So that's another bit of a catch up on what's happening on the plot, will hopefully keep going and maybe even get up to date soon...
Today here we've had horrendous storms, hail, wind and rain so not been down there today but checked all the seedings and took delivery of the new to us Free-Cycle greenhouse - but more on that later...

Take care and happy hoeing...

Julie

Have bed - Will travel...

 

 So Mark makes a fabby raised bed frame from some recycled decking boards and then comes the task of getting them actually round to the allotment...

 

Not a problem, he just picks it up and carries it...

... down the close, round the corner, through the garage...

and hey presto 1 perfectly formed raised bed assembled with the help of Alex and Harry. Now to fill it and that is going to be courtesy of the piece of ground we have allocated for the shed. It needs to be leveled so the top soil can go in it and a couple of bag's of compost...

 

 

Going to try and catch up with the ramblings from our plot over the next few days so please bear with me...

Julie

Hope on the horizon...

...well the hope is on the windowsill actually...

What a horrible couple of weeks weather wise. So flippin' wet and as a newbie I so desperately want to get on and do things on the allotment. It's not like I've got last years beds to tidy or shed to clean out, tools to clean etc. Everything is new to me so on that note we sewed seed...

Garlic sitting out in our really cold porch so hopefully be ok...

Being told by all my allotment neighbours to keep the garlic cold after planting in the fibre pots I put the tray into our really cold porch where the door is rarely close, so if it's cold it wants cold it jolly well gets...

Broad beans in toilet roll tubes

With the recycled toilet roll tubes I was on a mission to see what else I could use so when himself bought us a Danish pastry from the supermarket I spotted it's container as being a perfect mini propagator complete with snap close lid.

First onions....oop's...

 Now these were my first onions and not sure what to do with them now, think I may have got this one wrong. They seem so gangly but will leave them alone for a bit and see if they get a bit thicker so as I can pot them on...

Strawberries in a recycled pastry tray...

Tried strawberries a couple of years ago when I found a tray kit on a market and nothing grew, nadda, zilch but never being one to give up bought some seed and gave it another go ...et voila!!!

So not all sitting on me bum twiddling me thumbs.....

Happy planting

Julie-Ann x