Saturday, 26 September 2009

And it's finished!!!

Well I popped up the allotment this morning and spent a couple of hours finishing off the weeding and cleaning up the debris between the brussels and purple sprouting broccoli plants. That's it now....totally caught up with everything!! Obviously I haven't rough dug it for the winter yet but I am going to wait a while to do that as it's a long time since we've had any rain so this is my prayer for the future....a little rain to soften up the ground to make turning over easier. When I rough dig the ground over I will be turning in some fertilizer at the same time to re-nourish the ground for next season. I have bought Fish blood and bone fertilizer as it's totally organic and was very cheap from the allotment shop!!

I got asked if my name was Tanya when I was up the plot today.....now I'm always caught a little off balance at times like this as I never know whether it's going to be a good or bad thing to own up....anyway I decided to go with honesty and it paid off as apparently I was quite a focus at the last committee meeting and everyone is very impressed with the work I have put in on my allotment and how much I have achieved in a very short time...Yay Me!!!! (don't worry I just about fit my head through the door on returning home!!!

O.K. to finish off a pic of my delightful blackcurrant bushes which I bought and planted yesterday....I love a bargain...still no luck on the horseradish front as yet but I'm sure we'll find something!!!!!


blackcurrant bushes...my bargain of the week!!
Posted by Tanya Walton

at 12:54

7 comments:

  1. I can't remember the last time we had rain. My allotment is extremely dry and it's making digging hard work. I think you've got the right idea by waiting.
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  2. Hi Tanya, have you thought of planting some green manure to cover the ground over winter? This is my only second year of my allotment, but I am preparing my newly empty beds for hungarian rye, winter tares, field beans and clover. You dig the green manure in a few weeks before you want to start planting (or before they flower) and they rot down quickly.

    I find that beds that have been totally left empty are so much harder to dig over than beds with anything growing. It took me a while to get the ground ready at the beginning of this year, but hopefully next spring it will be much easier!
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  3. hi pixielation...no I can't say that it's something I've considered...I take it you put these things in and then when they've grown you just dig it in??? Not sure I like this idea as I would assume they would grow back again when |plant my crops next year...HHHMMM?!?!?! I guess it's something to consider although what I usually do is just sprinkle on fertilizer and then turn the soil leaving it in quite big clods...this gives chance for the frosts to get deep in over the winter and break up the soil making it easier to dig next spring...let me know how you get on with your green manure...maybe I could give it a try,,next year!!
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  4. The mention of the fish blood reminds me of learning in history, when I was a kid, of how they used to put a couple of dead fish in with the plants for fertilizer. It was interesting then and it still is now. I didn't know it was still done that way, but it makes plenty of sense.
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  5. I'll definitely let you know how well they do! They are supposed to improve the soil nutrients, suppress weeds and - if bean related - improve nitrogen. They are supposed to rot down quickly, and you shouldn't let them flower, otherwise they will reseed. But it's all a learning curve for me.
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  6. luckily Ratty...the fish blood and bone has already been ground up...it smells bad enough that way...not entirely sure I'd want to pick my veg around rotting fish..eeeewwww!!!!
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  7. Pixielation....yes definitely let me knows how it goes!!!
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keep it clean...keep it relevant...I look forward to reading your comments!!

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