I had a day at the allotment yesterday...it was meant to be sunny but wasn't, booo. But it wasn't rainy either, so that was alright. I was glad I had an extra body warmer in the shed though as it was a tad chilly (especially as I was expecting sun).
When I took on the plot there were several rose bushes, all in the way, so I've been digging them up over the years and moving them into the bramble boundary hedge. They're mainly lovely fragrant varieties, so I didn't want to get rid of them completely. The last one was next to my shed and was always rubbing against it in the wind, plus I want to grow a grape up the side of the shed, so it had to be moved. I pruned it quite low and set to work with a fork and spade to get as much root out undamaged as possible. It came out easier than expected though I did have to chop a couple of roots off a bit. It'll take a couple of years to settle back in as no doubt I'll forget to water it this year. The last couple I've moved are still hanging in there!
I then got sidetracked pruning brambles, cutting out the old dead ones and trimming those growing out over the path. I basically wanted to make it as easy as possible to pick the delicious fruits later in the year, the old dead stems would get in the way when I reach through, and those thorns are vicious. I also pulled some of this year's stems closer to the path for easier picking.
I continued to weed around the base of my fruit bushes too and discovered a lovely little froggy when digging out the compost heap. It settled down into a corner and seemed happy enough, protected.
My two robin friends came to say hello in the afternoon, such a beautiful song. I think I might try and train them to eat out of my hand :) a blackbird came to say hello too, pecking around as soon as I moved a little bit away from the area I was working. This is good news as they'll be eating up grubs from under the fruit bushes, like the gooseberry sawfly larvae.
So what's my secret weapon? Well, not quite as exciting as it sounds but in the lean-to I have the tubs that I grew tomatoes in last summer. In late summer I sowed some oriental greens into one of these and they've been coming up over winter - I gave them a bit of extra protection with bubble wrap over the top of the tub too. Because it's dark in the evenings when I get back from work I've kind of ignored them for a while but decided to pick some the other day to add to a noodle soup. I wish I'd done a couple more tubs of these.
We've had the last tub of strawberries from the freezer this week :(
But spring must be on its way because I've just sown my toms and peppers etc
I have them under bubble wrap on the top of the drawers by the window. Grow little seeds, grow!
Linking in with Harvest Monday over at Daphne's Dandelions.
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Ooh lovely to have fresh greens at this time! I've only been growing from seed a few years now and I still follow the advice of putting 3 seeds in each module. But I almost always have all 3 grow and have to rip out two. I think I'll do only 2 seeds per this year, seems such a waste ...
ReplyDeleteYeh I know what you mean about pulling out the other seedlings Susie, it seems wrong. I guess as most seed packs have loads in it doesn't matter too much to lose a few. It's weighing that up against maybe wasting compost if individual seeds don't germinate. And losing time if you have to sow again.
DeleteI'll be sowing my peppers soon - for me, they seem to need a big head start compared to the tomatoes which I don't start until April. And just like Susie - sooo jealous of those lovely greens!
ReplyDeleteMy peppers always seem to need longer to produce fruits than toms as well but I guess I just sow at the same time out of convenience, having all the bits needed for sowing together at the same time. If I recall correctly the pepper take longer to germinate for me but maybe I sow them too early after all.
DeleteI'm panicking now, yours is the second blog I've read where people have mentioned sowing things. Must dig out the box of seeds. I was up at my plot the other day and my little robin was just three feet away, eating things that were coming out of the soil as I was weeding.
ReplyDeleteNah, I reckon you've got loads of time CJ. I'm probably a bit early but tend to do it this time most years. But last year I had problems with pepper germination, not sure if was through sowing too early or possibly over watering. this year I'm going to use two trays and water them in one, then move across to a dry tray, so excess water can drain off better.
DeleteOh, and I meant to say, glad you've got a robin friend too CJ :) right, I think it's bedtime, too full of pancakes zzzzz.
DeleteWe won't be sowing tomatoes or peppers for quite a while yet we prefer to err on the side of caution. Well done on the oriental greens we'll have to sow some next year.
ReplyDeleteive hopefully sown enough so even if there's uneven germination I won't have to re-sow Sue. I think because I started doing them this time one year I've just carried on the same each year. Actually I've even sown in January before! But that's def too early for me.
DeleteThanks, the greens are good, still a few to pick and the ones already picked will hopefully grow a bit more again too, though the compost is quite drained of nutrients from last year's toms. Really I should give them a liquid feed. I usually only water in the morning so they're not sat in cold water overnight.
Is that mizuna you grew there Lou? What a great idea - winter salad is expensive to buy and this is so good to have during the cold months. So, I should be sowing all those tomato seeds I seem to have accumulated via various gardening magazines... I thought I had another few weeks but it looks like I should get them going? I am feeling just like CJ up there.... the year is catching up with me....
ReplyDeleteYes it's mizuna Lynne, but from mixed pack. There's a few other types of leaves growing but the mizuna has been the best grower.
DeleteI think with toms and pepper sowing it depends on where you're sowing them, for a start. It's too early to sow here in a cold greenhouse or unheated room. Mine are probably a bit early, but usually do ok. I have them on a surface by the window, nearish a radiator (but not too close). The. Bubble wrap gives a bit of extra insulation, so once they've warmed up they stay warm. I brought a tray of compost inside for one night so that it warmed up too rather than sowing into cold compost. The water was room temperature rather than straight from the tap. A heated propagater would give more consistent results but I don't particularly want one at the moment ( I prefer to go lo-fi, without needing to use extra electricity and buy equipment that needs storing).
Come March and April I start getting panicky with all the seeds needing to be sown! But I do try to do as many as I can sown directly outside, to save on faffage of potting on etc.
How sad to be eating the last tub of strawberries. I hope I get so many strawberries next year to be able to freeze a lot for the winter. Right now I have to buy them for my smoothies which is pretty pricey.
ReplyDeleteYep , the strawbs are all gone now Daphne. I've demolished my original strawb bed this winter so hope the two new ones I started last year do well. I'll be planting out some of the babies sometime soon too if I get my act together, under my plum tree and around some of the other fruit bushes to make the most of space.
DeleteSpring must be around the corner, what with all the tomato and pepper seeds being sown!
ReplyDeleteIt feels like it today Michelle, it's been lovely and sunny and warm....probably lulling us into a false sense of security!
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