Sunday 28 February 2010

Exciting!

We've been offered a second hand greenhouse!!!!!! Aluminium with a few panes of glass missing. Whoop!
This has come out of the blue so have not planned at all.... Space not cleared on the plot so will have to stash until we're ready. Hopefully might pick it up next weekend. Yip! Also, am not sure whether we'll need to sort out a base for the frame to sit on...An allotment neighbour has got a greenhouse so will investigate what they've done. I'm hoping to get away with not having a base as that'll be extra work on top of all the other stuff that needs sorting.

On another note, it has been absolutely miserable here today so have been confined indoors. Sowed a few more seeds - celeriac, sweet pepper, Brussels, leeks. Last year the leeks I sowed in Feb didn't germinate so will be pleased if they work this year.

The toms sown a couple of weeks back have started germinating though. Have got these indoors on table top nearish a radiator for a bit of extra heat. Fingers crossed for the rest of my little seeds.

Monday 15 February 2010

Seed-sowing-started

Another month has gone by...huh! Takes you by surprise.
Anyhoo, still the same here in Norwich..snow...frost....occasional sunny day (which never coincides with a free day of course). However, I've managed to get a bit of work done... we've got really light soil so can be worked quite soon after wet times. I've been getting on with making raised beds out of pallets, making a 'U' shape, with each bit of the 'U' being the width of a pallet, so the middle of the bed can be reached easily without being tempted to tread on the soil. I'll take some pictures soon.

Am quite pleased with how they're turning out...there's a bit of work involved with breaking the pallets apart and lugging them down to the plot (using the framework of a grannies-style shopping trolley to transport them!).

I also took the opportunity this weekend to start sowing seeds indoors - tomatoes, peppers and aubergine. And tonight have sown broad beans in toilet roll tubes (so they can be planted straight out). I also planted out some of my main crop onion sets into cut down toilet roll tubes. I wasn't going to bother with this but some of them have already started sprouting so I don't want to waste them. These will sit in our unheated lean-to but the toms etc are indoors.

I was quite sneaky and took a spur of the moment half days leave this afternoon to make the most of a dry day. I wanted to get on with making the raised beds (these need to be completed asap cause I need to sow parsnip seeds soon and more garlics). Then lo and behold, tonight it's snowing! Looks like it was a good decision...hope everyone else out there is faring well and hope for better weather this weekend!