Weather watch Wednesday...week 52 2010...and tropical heat!!!!!

Ok...so I lie, it isn't actually tropical heat in my area but it did get up to 6degrees today which is amazing as this is the first time in a while that we have got above freezing. The snow has all melted and left the streets damp and dirty looking.

We have been engulfed in a ground mist all day which magically disappeared when you left the country behind and reached the town which unfortunately I had to do today after hibernating for the past week.

But that is me now until all these silly bank holidays are over and the world gets back to rights after the Christmas festivities...then it will be back to work and hopefully a little warmer as the days grow lighter.

Still haven't been up the plot but this is scheduled for tomorrow after I have repaired my wellies that have a hole in the top....note to self...when using the cultivator ensure you move your foot before you ram it into what should be the ground...saves having to repair wellingtons and stops you suffering with 'holey' toes!!

Hope the weather is warming up a little for the rest of you too!!

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Prezzies for the plotter!!!

Well I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas. Mine was very nice....after the initial hectic run up to the 'Big Day' I finally managed to get sat down and relax Christmas eve about about 8pm...which is definitely a record in my book!!!

We had dinner at home and then tea with the family at my parents house and it was all nice and laid back....I like to spend Christmas with just family as you never feel like you are entertaining anyone so you have a much more laid back time.

Anyway lets talk presents!!! I had lots of wonderful gifts as always and a few which were to do with the allotment too!!

I got a great t-shirt which states 'I'd rather be down the allotment'...which I have to say I did refrain from wearing Christmas day for two reasons, a) It was -5degrees and b) everyone may have told me to 'bugger off then'....and I really wanted my mince pies..lol

My presents!

I also got 4 books to be used with my allotment, all very different aspects which was amazing as no-one knew that I would get 4!! One was a garden notes, one an allotment journal, one a handbook and then a grow your own eat your own...all of them very much loved!!

Obviously I got lots of bits for Christmas but I also got a 6th generation nano ipod and a kindle, neither of which are directly related to the allotment but both of which will be used immensely. I love to listen to music whilst I work and the kindle is going to be great as I can take a good book to mull over for a while whilst I have a spot of lunch and also I can download some gardening books to it so I will have stuff on hand that isn't too bulky!!

I finally got the time to sit down yesterday and catch up with all the blogs I love to follow, not only did I have some great reads but I also found I was a winner on Dykes Edge Allotment Diary and I have to admit that I feel just a little guilty for not knowing until a week later so I hereby officially thank you Craig and I look forward to receiving my prize...kind of like a late Christmas present... :-) If any of my readers haven't seen Craig's log then go over and check it out!

Well we didn't get an official white Christmas, as we got no fresh snowfall, but the snow stayed lingering form the last sprinkling and we glittered with ice and frost all day so it was quite a pretty day.

Well that's all I have for now, I have another week of vacation left and I think during that time I might see if I can get down to the plot and maybe try and prize that shed open to check on those potatoes...I have to admit to buying them in for the last couple of weeks as entry to the shed has been impossible so I will have to re-think storage for next year...oh well, live and learn I guess!!

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Wishing you all a Merry Christmas

Well it's been totally hectic around here trying to get everything done on time...but now it's Christmas eve and the presents are all wrapped and distributed, gifts are under the tree ready for the morning and the ironing and cleaning is all done...now I can finally relax.

I haven't had chance in a while to keep up with my favourite blogs and I give my apologies for this but I hope you all understand and I will hopefully be catching up with you all over the next few days.

I also missed my weather watch for the week...this week would be week 51 and there really has been no change in the weather....not much snow to speak of but still the freezing temperatures and I was greeted by a shed full of ice last Tuesday morning after a bottle of pop exploded...last thing I wanted to be doing at -8 degrees was spring cleaning the shed....it does look nice though but I must remember not to leave bottles of during out there in the future if the weather gets really cold.

Well Christmas morning will soon be with us and I wish all my readers a very Merry Christmas...I hope you all have a wonderful relaxing time and I will be posting again before then on the weather and catching up with you all too.

Thank you to all of you who visit me and I look forward to hearing from you all in 20011!!

MMmmmm....I wonder if we will wake to a white Christmas this year as we did last year?? Hope not...last hing I want to be doing tomorrow morning is shoveling the snow whilst trying to watch the Turkey!!

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Weather watch Wednesday..week 50 2010.

Well the weather has warmed up a little and the snow is all but gone though it is mostly windy and wet or foggy now so it doesn't feel any warmer at all. Temperatures are averaging at 3 degrees, although that doesn't take into account the windchill or 'damp' factor.

Everything seems to be rush, rush, rush this last week with presents to wrap and cards to write and presents to finish making so this is a really quick post.....Hope to get it all done by the weekend and then I can relax and catch up with all my favourite bloggers and write a more interesting post for you all, until then please accept me apologies!!!

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Weather watch Wednesday week 49...and the potato problem!!

Well not much to say on the weather front really...it's still very cold and yesterday we had a record low for our area of -12 degrees...I know some places have been colder so i won't complain about it loudly....just mumble and grumble quietly to myself!!

We haven't really had snow since Friday but the snow is still there in the form of huge blocks of ice and the streets which haven't been cleared are treacherous. Today we actually have a high of freezing point so things are looking up though!!

Now for the potato problem...... firstly see the picture below.......

Yucky potatoes!

OK...do you see the problem?? Well quite a few of them are like this when I peel them....certainly not the majority but enough to be really getting on my nerves and I was wondering whether it is something I have done in the way I have stored them, whether this type of potato is prone to this...or maybe it's something else entirely. The potatoes are 'Desiree' and not only is it the first time I have grown them but also the first time I have grown and therefore stored main crop potatoes. Just so you know these were collected from the plot before the seriously cold weather and stored indoors in a black-out potato bag but I guess they could have got frosted a bit. I have been storing them in my wooden shed in a hessian sack.

Any information would be greatly appreciated!

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Weather Watch Wednesday..week 48 2010...in pictures!!

Well it's cold and white...that's about all there is to say really. Temperatures as low as -10 degrees have been recorded...and we have been lucky if we reached 1 degree in the last week.

Over 400 hundred schools in the area have been closed and my town was announced as being 'cut off' this morning...and that's really saying something as we have two major roads criss-crossing us (A1 and A52).

Enjoy the pictures!!



The fowl don't seem to mind the weather.






Can you see that?? That there in the sky..it's called a sun...I think?!?!?



A few signs of activity...but how long ago no-one really knows.



The heavy snow weighing down the netting of a chicken coop.

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We got the white stuff!!!

Yep...we got some of the white stuff...only a couple of inches but it made everything look pretty for the morning. I popped up the allotment purely to get some potatoes, beetroot, leeks, onions, a cauliflower and a lettuce so I thought I would take a couple of photos. Needless to sat there was no-one around. We haven't had any more fall today and I won't be sorry if we don't get any more either but right now it's freezing outside and the pavements and roads are treacherous!!


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Recycled Cherry and winter growth!!

I popped up the allotment this morning just to take a few pics for you all and found a few surprises when I got there which made me very happy!!

Firstly above and below are the stumps from the felled cherry tree. Some I am using for little stools, the one above right is just nicely decorative and the two below will be for mushrooms spoors...I have another one for mushrooms too.

I was very surprised to see some strawberries and flowers till on the plants...I don't know with this recent cold spell whether they will ripen but I have to say i was impressed! Also the cabbages are slowly forming crowns so it won't be long before I can pick one.

Remember the cute fluffy ducklings from a few September? Well this is them now in all their splendour..very healthy and very sociable!!

And lastly we have the new shoots poking through the ground, garlic above left, onions above right and broad beans below...I am very pleased that so many have already sprouted...it bodes well for next year!

Well that's it really...I was going to take some beautiful frosty photos too but my hands got very cold very quick and so I decided that this was enough for one day. No snow here yet...fingers crossed it stays away!!

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Weather watch Wednesday week 47 2010...and the spot the difference answer!!

Well first of all for the spot the difference. I suppose in hindsight there could have been quite a few differences as it's a few weeks between shots but the main one I was after which i think you all noticed was the tree.

That's right...I went out on Monday morning and when I arrived home the tree fellers were about. First of all i thought they were just pruning the tree but it soon became obvious that the whole thing was going...I am quite upset about this...yes it will give more light to my garden and yes I won't have the leaves in the autumn but it was such a lovely healthy tree which housed so much wildlife it was heartbreaking to see it go.

The reason it went (apparently) was because the neighbours behind thought it might cause damage to the foundations of the property they rent and it made there property quite dark...they have only lived there about 18 months which kind of saddened me as it was there before them and the previous neighbour who passed away loved that tree.

Anyway it's gone and as there was nothing I could do about it I did manage to stop the whole lot going through the chipper and took some lovely pieces away which I will be taking down the plot for mushroom growing and natural decorative purposes...more on that once they are in place!!

As for the weather...Foggy, wet, miserable and cold...though although very cold today was bright which lifted my spirits a little.

Snow is forecast but that remains to be seen.
Temperatures for the last couple of weeks have been between 7 and -3 degrees Celsius ...needless to say we have had the heating on!!

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Spot the difference!

Firstly I want to apologise to you all for having been absent on my blog for a while. It's not that I don't have anything to write it's just that even with one of my gardening jobs finished for the season and the allotment being pretty much sorted for the winter I still seem to be so busy...I'm hoping it will calm down a little now though and all the posts i have buzzing around in my head will soon be posted on the blog.

Also apologies to all those bloggers who I so avidly follow and please know that I am making today my ca6tch up day and I am truly enjoying your posts even if I don't comment on every one of your posts.

And now for a little game...it's simple really...just spot the difference...I will wait till there are quite a few comments before I publish them so that you all have to really look at the photo rather than just reading what other people thought. I think it's pretty obvious but lets see what all of you think!!

Simply spot the difference between the two photographs!!

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Allotments tasks in photos!!

Well I figured I really should write a post but to be honest I'm kind of whacked and my brain doesn't seem to want to find so many words so I hope you enjoy the photos of the few tasks I have left and a couple of autumn delights!!

Raspberry canes waiting to be cut back for the winter.

Runner beans waiting to be pulled up...winter dug under the fence and then the canes erecting for improvement of growth next year.

This is the new plot I was given this year...all dug over ready to let the frost give it a helping hand throughout the winter!

A cauliflower...well I guess that was kind of obvious...however this is my first ever successfully grown cauliflower... :-)

The winter lettuces growing nicely in the greenhouse!

So as you can see there are a few bits to be done but I have time yet and I think I have got on pretty well this year!

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Weather watch wednesday...week 45 2010...and some sock help if you can!!

Looks lovely doesn't it?? That beautiful sky and the sun setting behind the houses???

Well don't be fooled by it. This is the first time we've seen the sun for a few days...or anything even close. It's been a miserable week with cold temperatures between 5 and 7 degrees during the day and frosts at night. Needless to say my heating went on this week...but I guess it is November so we can't really complain.

So...Thursday rain...ALL DAY!
Friday...dry day but miserable and grey with evening rain.
Saturday...lovely day and evening but the temperatures plummeted and stayed that way.
Sunday...cloudy but with some sunny spells.
Monday and Tuesday...RAIN<>

My Socks!! :-)

Aren't they ace?!?!?! I absolutely love my socks...I have lots like this...all different colours, some stripey, some plain...it's the toes that I love...and they are such fun too. So I guess you're wondering why I'm showing you a picture of my socks?? After all it's not like I grew them on my allotment or anything..though they do keep me nice and toasty whilst I'm busy on the plot in the miserable weather but the real reason they are here is because they are all quite old and are going a little Sunday special (i.e. 'Holy'..lol) and these are quite hard to get hold of and when you do find some also quite expensive so what I am really after is a knitting pattern so that I can make my own I have been hunting for a while now with no luck and I was wondering if anyone out there has found a knitting pattern for 'Toe Socks'

If you have one it would be great if you could let me have it...or if you know where I could find one I would be forever in your debt...so here's hoping you can be of some help to me...Thanks!!

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Weather watch wednesday week 44 2010..and thats about all!!

Well the weather has been pretty settled this last week with dry days and warm for the time of year. A few blustery days but nothing to complain about really. We had a little rain last night and then it started again this afternoon so it may be here to stay for a while but I will just have to wait and see.

Nothing going on down the allotment at all. I went down for an hour or so just to sort out the shed and greenhouse all in preparation for the new year.

UK clocks moved last Saturday night so the days are dark by 5pm and now I long for Christmas...not just because it's Christmas but also because the winter solstice is just before and I know that at this point slowly but surely the days will start to get longer.

I am feeling quite optimistic about the allotment for 2011!!

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The garden project completed...and a little extra on the allotment!

Well it's kind of late but I wanted to get this post up today. Having said that I am also very tired so if it turns out a little rambly please forgive me!!

OK...where to start?? I guess at the beginning is as good a place as any. My garden has always been child friendly and designed for the kids benefit so is quite low maintenance and grass and slabbed. A few years ago my Son decided he wanted a basketball hoop and saved up his pocket money and birthday money to buy one. Because of this I decided to take some of the grass up and lay slabs. It worked well even though I am no slab layer and they were all crooked and mismatched so didn't really do much for the whole outlook on the garden it made my son incredibly happy.

Well the basketball hoop has sat untouched for the last year and started to go rusty as the slabs sank even more. My hubby declared it was time to sort the garden out and I totally agreed but said I wanted to go back to having a nice lawn so that was the decision made. We also have a shed which ended up with quite a bit so ball damage so the wood was split in places and it was very well weathered...our shed is something like 12ft by 8ft which is an awful lot of shed and also has electrics in it so we looked into it and decided re-cladding was the way to go as it was a lot cheaper than replacing the shed.

Well work started on Wednesday when we lifted the slabs...there were about 80 in all and as we had spent the money out on them and didn't want to throw that money away I utilised most of them at the allotment giving me a couple of lovely stepping stone paths and also a walkway between my runner bean and grape fences. A few slabs left over were donated to my parents and a neighbour.

The kids helped me lift the slabs and we got it done in a couple of hours.

My two stepping stone paths to the shed and the greenhouse.

Work to re-clad the shed started on Thursday...we hired Dave to do this as it's his trade and he would also lay the new lawn as although I am quite handy I wanted a good, quick and efficient job done. As Dave finished one bit I went along with the creosote brush and also got the garden bench done at the same time. I didn't have the lawn laid right up to the fence as I decided another flower border would be nice next year.

Dave starting work on the shed.

It took two days for Dave to complete the work and then I spent today tidying up, mowing the front lawns, and turning the soil for the new flower bed that has been under slabs for the last few years. I have to say I am very happy with how it has all turned out and can't wait to be able to sit out next summer and admire the garden...what do you think??

The garden complete..and a lovely sunny day to show it off!!

So that is now finished and I have one extra job that I want to do on the allotment before it gets too cold but I will tell you more about that once I get on with it!!

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YAY...I'm a winner!!!!!

A while ago on one of the blogs i follow there was a seed giveaway competition...it was very straight forward which suited me down to the ground as usually once I manage to prize the kids away from the computer it's quite late so I can only cope with simple things.

Anyway the rules were...if you're interested then leave a comment. Yep that was it...so simple and i was definitely interested so I left a comment!!

Well surprisingly (because luck doesn't tend to find me too much) I win the giveaway and received my seeds in the post today.

I first of all have to thank 'Zuckie' for picking me as the winner and then I have to thank Craig for the great seeds I have received in the post today.

The seeds I got in the post today!!

Craig is quite a new blogger and quite new to the allotment world so go and check out his blog at 'dykes edge allotment' and see what amazing things he has been up to and what his future plans are...you can also meet 'Zuckie'...but please remember to come back and visit me too..I may not be as inventive as him but I still love that you all come and check out my blog!!

The Garden project is coming along nicely...hopefully it will be completed and revealed tomorrow!!
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Weather watch wednesday week 43 2010....and a busy week.

Well first off I just want to apologise to all the blogs I usually follow as it's been a busy week as the kids have been off school so with dental appointments, sleepovers and lots of baking this is the first time I have managed to sit down at the computer and I have to catch up on all the blogs I follow which isn't going to happen until tomorrow.

I also have a garden project going on which the kids have been helping me with as it's required lifting slabs ready for a new lawn which were then utilized down the allotment and now I am waiting for the lawn to be laid and the shed clad which will start tomorrow.

As for the weather, well it's been a bit up and down from heavy showers and icy winds, to clear still days. The temperatures dropped and we had a few frosts although today they have picked up a little and it's been pleasant to be outside in the warmth of the sun.

Will post again tomorrow with some pictures so you can see what we've been up to.

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Winter dig is finished!!!!!

Well I went up the plot somewhat reluctantly this afternoon. The weather was stop and start rain continually and when the rain started boy did it pour.

I didn't have much enthusiasm when I first went to the allotment but once I got started and found a rhythm I got on quite well.

I was left of a bit of a dilemma as to which way to go with my bit of ground that hadn't yet been dug for the winter. You see not only had it not been dug but it also never got planted on this year and so therefore never got weeded or dug previously wither. With the sudden turn in weather I was left with three choices. Weed the ground properly and not have the benefits of the winter dig as the soil would be finely broken, Clear off the top of the ground and then winter dig it and let the weather kill most of the roots off and break the soil up or Just winter dig it.

I went with option two as this seemed a good medium and I certainly didn't want to be starting next season with hard packed flat soil which hadn't had the benefits of the winter elements.

This said I managed to complete it today (and managed to get VERY wet in the process!) and although you see a lot of twitch roots about I am happy with what I have achieved and the decision I have made as i know that much of this will die off through the winter as the ground is not going to insulate the roots this year.

I also picked up my broad beans and garlic this week and I have put them in the ground ready to start germinating. I have planted about 60 garlic and about 200 broad beans....the broad beans are sown quite thickly in two rows so if any don't germinate there won't be large gaps about!!

Oh I have also put in the ground a few over wintering onions which were given to me so I will see how these go.

As a celebration of completing my winter dig I have brought all of my gardening gloves home and coats and scarves to go through the washing machine. I still have my gardening jobs to do but it will be nice to do them next week in gloves that I don't have to make pliable again by bashing them on the wall...lol.

Don't worry though...you can't get rid of me that easily...the winter dig maybe complete but I still have plans to carry out and musings to write about from the growing season so I will still be posting and hope you will all still be reading!!

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Weather watch wednesday week 42...and introducing 'The Mumpkin'.

The weather has been pretty stable over the last week. A little rain but usually in the late afternoon and evenings so it hasn't effected us too much although mostly the days have been overcast and dreary...adding to that the fact that the days are becoming short very quick make it quite oppressive.

Today however bloomed clear, bright and sunny...and with that our first frost. It wasn't a heavy frost and was more above the ground than on it but there was definitely a bite to the air with the morning temperature being only three degrees!!

Pumpkin soup and roasted pumpkin seeds...this came from just one pumpkin..oh and there were twice the amount of seeds before the kids got their hands on them!

I spent the day staying toasty inside by doing some cooking, it's on those cold days when I love to cook and the house fills with warmth and lovely aromas...on the menu today was pumpkin soup and roasted pumpkin seeds. I have never grown or eaten pumpkins before but I have to say I am happy with the results and will be growing them again next year!!

And now for the 'Mumpkin'...no people...I did not miss-spell the title of the post...check out the photo be;low and see what you think!

This started out it's life as an ordinary marrow but grew up to be rather orange. I haven't cut it open yet but when I do I will let you know what colour the flesh is. My nephew decided we should call it a 'Mumpkin'.

So there you have it...the 'mumpkin' has been brought to life. I am thinking about saving some of the seeds to see if they will grow like this again. Anyone else had some weirs happenings on their allotment??

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Quick raised bed tip.

This is just a quick tip for any of you putting raised beds onto your plot.

Make sure you thoroughly dig and weed the ground before putting your bed into place and filling it.

I know this sounds like something very simple but I didn't do this before I put mine in and now I am battling getting the twitch out that is very deep and didn't raise it's ugly head for about three months to show itself...I guess you learn by your mistakes. Here's hoping some of you can learn by mine and save yourselves some time and work!!

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Another day of digging!!!!

A very tiring day involving lots of digging so I just thought I'd tell it in pictures...at least it will be better than reading a really boring post...that's right folks...you can look at one instead...LOL

So this is what I started with at 8:30 am.

This is what was left after I cleared the weeds...now ot dig the spuds!!

The Desiree potatoes. Quite a good crop, not as many as the King Edwards but overall the potatoes are larger and will be good for baking.

A carrier bag full of Charlotte's..this came from the last 4 plants left in the ground.

This is what we have now!!!

So all in all a pretty productive day....Not much ground left to weed and dig now as you can see and I really feel like I have made excellent progress this year!!

I even taught Kate how to winter dig and the benefits of it...I guess there is hope for us all!!!


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Weather watch Wednesday...week 41..

Well not much to report on the weather this week really.

It has been surprisingly mild for October....no frosts in my area yet and temperatures still getting into the teens during the day.

We haven't had a single drop of rain this week though have only seen the sun a couple of times...but I can handle that if the temperature stays put and the rain stays away.

Light breezes only which has made it a pleasure to work outdoors.

I daren't look at the predictions for next week in case our luck is about to change...I really hope it at least lasts through the weekend so that I can get my Desiree potatoes out of the ground!

Hope the weather is being as kind to you.

Allotment Achievement

Well I got down the allotment for a couple of hours yesterday and then again today for another few hours.

Yesterdays weather was pretty overcast again but today the sky was clear and the sun was warm and I got finished everything that I had on my 'to do' list for this weekend.

I have to say I am very proud of my achievements.

One half of the plot has had its total winter dig and there are just the winter brassicas and leeks in there now.

Winter dig complete...very neat and tidy now.

I got the leeks I was given planted up in the greenhouse and the brassica bed and the new side all nicely weeded...It was a lot of work but very satisfying to complete.

The Brassica bed I showed you in my last post...now nicely weeded!!

Now the next task will be to dig up the potatoes but with a busy week ahead that will have to wait until the weekend!!

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My 200th post..and an epic day at the allotment!!

Well as I said in yesterdays post no matter what the weather brought today I was going to get some work done!! The day dawned misty and grey and although the mist lifted it stayed grey but the air was warm and it was dry so turned into a perfect day to get some serious work done on the allotment.

When I first got there dread hit me at the enormity of all the tasks that had to be done but I took it a little bit at a time and soon got into the swing of things.

I started off in the greenhouse by picking all the peppers and chillis and then emptying out the tubs followed by emptying out the melons. I got 2 melons in total of the three plants which wasn't a fantastic return but they were very tasty and I will give them another go next year. My bell peppers didn't do so great only producing 5 fruit off the 3 plants but 3 of those did go red this year so that was an extra achievement....I don't know why bell peppers don't like to grow for me?!?!?! My chilli peppers did great and produced lots for me and I have plenty to string and dry for over the winter..I even had a few that turned red!

The tubs from the chillis and peppers now have potatoes in them...hopefully in time for Christmas.

I then got stuck in planting my winter lettuce in the ground in the greenhouse...I actually bought these several weeks ago and felt very bad about neglecting them for so long! I just got all this finished when I had a visit from an allotment neighbour 'Dave' (not the fence guy Dave...this is another one) who brought me a present over. It was some seed heads from leeks and he told me about...erm I think he may have called them bullets...or pellets...well maybe some of you will know...anyway the bits that grow in them that are leeks growing on and not the seeds and apparently if I take these off and put them in the soil in the greenhouse I will have leek plants ready for next spring...I was excited to hear about this and happy to learn something new so I will definitely be giving it a go...Dave said they always grow better than those from seed.

My lettuces planted in the greenhouse

I haven't planted these yet but it is a job for tomorrow morning.

Then it was the great tidy up. The squash plants all came up as did the sweetcorn..I have two semi orange pumpkins and a few courgettes which I picked and were ok, I also got two more good corn cobs but that was all...After all these were up and sorted in the composter I then had a good look at the celeriac which was also gifted to me from Dave who gave me the leeks. These were a huge disappointment...although the tops looked great under the ground there was nothing so I decide to pull all these too and add them to the compost bin. That done I was able to survey my land a bit more..and also see all the weeds...so much work still to be done.

My slightly orange and slightly round pumpkins.

At this point I got a phone call which meant I would have more time on the plot than I first anticipated as I wasn't needed for work so I was very happy!!

I popped home for a cuppa and the toilet..(I'm sure you really wanted to know that...lol) and then headed back down and picked a huge bag of runner beans before tackling the weeding......I got quite a bit done before I went home and cooked up a curry for tea...Ok I cheated a little with the curry as the sauce came out of a jar but it tasted good and was very warming!!

After tea back to the plot to do a bit more weeding and then when I got to a certain point I thought it would be a good idea to rough dig the newly weeded land for winter...I borrowed Kate's fork as it was at the end of my plot and was handy.

I haven't mentioned Kate at all this year...She has done really well and for the first time since we got the allotment has manged to plant her whole plot out...she also had some beautiful cauliflowers which I was very envious of...she even stayed on top of the weeding a bit more this year. Kate is trying green manure this year and has chosen 'rye grass'. I wish her luck with this but I haven't used and as I am way to cautious about it and have heard as many bad reports on the stuff as good which has kind of put me off!!

So that was today's work...I came home in the dark..very tired but also very satisfied with my accomplishments...I think in total I spent about 6 hours on the allotment. I plan to go again tomorrow to finish the bit of weeding where the peas were and also to weed round my caulis and cabbages which I know are there somewhere and I am quite excited about as I can see a couple of lovely heads forming on them.

I know there are brassicas in there somewhere!!!!

I still haven't got my Desiree potatoes dug up and they may not get done tomorrow either but I know they will be Ok in the ground!!

I read somewhere once that you know you are a real gardener when you have to wash your hair to get your nails clean...well I washed my hair twice tonight and then conditioned it and still had to get the brush out to scrub my hands and nails clean so I guess I really am an epic gardener. :-)

So now I am off to lay on the sofa and watch movies or knit and relax before it all starts again tomorrow!!

Oh and on a totally random note...how do you spell 'Chilli'?? No matter what I seem to type the dictionary tells me I'm wrong but if I bring up variations then 'Chilli' isn't there!!

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