Tuesday 22 April 2014

A manic week.....

Well the last week has been absolutely manic with not much time to blog or read the blogs I love but it has been a very successful week and I have achieved plenty and spent lots of time doing things that I love.

Hubby had a week off for Easter and the kids were off to so we had plenty of family rime and went out a few times taking Trojan out to Rutland Water, Jubilee Woods and for plenty of walks across the fields playing hide and seek which he loved and was very good at once he got the hang of it!!!

So although the week has been manic it has been so in a very good way and now as I sit and type this I am content in all that I have accomplished over the last week. Even down to the dragonfly that I made for one of the teachers at school...and carrying out my first solo hive inspection. I'll show you photos of all that later...right now I will share the progress on the allotment though after all it IS an allotment blog and after such a long absence I think it is the best place to start!!

Lovely ground ready for planting brassicas.

So you all saw where I got to last time with my weeding , right??? Well since then I have accomplished so much more and feel like I am really on top of things now. The last little bit of weeding was done in this area and then all the land was prepared ready for the brasscias to be planted once they are big enough.


Peas, mange tout and sugar snaps are in.


 I got the peas put in as well as the sugar snaps and the mange tout. These have been direct sowed after being soaked for 24 hours and sticks were put in place straight away. I will be stringing the sticks this weekend ready for them to climb as they grow!!
The last of the P.S.B.
After the peas were in I had to concentrate on the other side of the plot where my brassicas were last year and where my potatoes were to be planted this year. Some will say it's too late to plant potatoes but I have come to realise that even if you are a little late you will still get a crop so I'm not worried. And besides this time last year the year was only just starting as we had snow in March!!!
Perfectly formed cauliflower

First thing was to get the little sprouting broccoli that was left up and also the cauliflowers which gave me a really nice surprise as I uncurled all the greens and found some beautifully formed and perfectly white (albeit a little small) head which I harvested with glee!!!! This is my first success with cauliflower!!
Messy brassica left overs!!

So this is about half the tangle I had to get rid of...which incidentally filled two green wheelie bins. I didn't want to out them in the composter as they have such tough stems which take a long time to compost and I will have plenty to fill them with soon enough (Now that's optimism for you!!)



So the it was on to removing weeds of the worst kind and as you can see it was really bad so Saturday was my first full day of the year spent down the allotment but it was well worth it. Not only did I get these weeds out but.....I managed to get it dug and all my potatoes planted too!!

Potato and brassica beds

 So upon leaving the allotment on Saturday it was with a total sense of satisfaction on what I had achieved...and total exhaustion too!!

It's looking pretty good...even if I do say so myself...of course you are all free to tell me how good it looks too!!!
 
I did notice whilst digging how hard the ground was and although there was some moisture beneath it wasn't much...not to worry though as some rain came on Sunday and then again in a big way today so the gardens have had a nice watering now...oh goody...time for the weeds to come back!!!
 
Oh well, I guess without the weeds I might have chance to sit and relax for a while and that would be just plain scandalous!!
 

16 comments:

  1. Your allotment looks very tidy and all ready to be planted up. I do hope it isn't too late to plant potatoes as I've got all my second early and maincrop to plant out yet.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was second earlies and main crop that I have just planted Jo...definitely plenty of time to get them in the ground yet!!

      Delete
  2. Dear Tanya, Tammy and I have been trying to get the garden ready too.
    We are hoping for better results this year. Last year was awful! I suppose the soil was not in very good shape after the storm and we lost our ambition.
    Though this year we really are looking forward and trying.
    The seeds were planted a bit late, though like you we we much further behind last year.
    You land looks so nice and ready. I am sure you will have wonderful results. I am going to try to put the sticks in the ground for the sugar snap peas too. The sugar snap peas are already coming up. They are actually doing the best of all.
    I must say though, the tired feeling after working in the garden is a good one.
    Have a beautiful week.
    Blessings, Catherine xo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't think it matters if you're a little late planting, you just get your crop a little later!! It is a wonderful tiredness you feel when you have worked outside in the fresh air. I hope all your crops do well!!

      Delete
  3. Well done on the cauliflower they look great & the plot looks fantastic.So neat & tidy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am very pleased with my cauliflower...they are quite small but taste wonderful!!
      I'm not sure how long it will stay looking like this, no doubt the weeds will start to grow again before the crops do!

      Delete
  4. It's looking really good, Tanya. No way is it too late to plant potatoes - we still haven't planted all ours' Last year the ones we planted in May produced the best crop! Fortun.ately no blight which helped.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Sue...after looking at your allotment photos that means a lot!!

      I didn't really think it was too late to plant the spuds but some people put theirs in weeks ago. Maybe if theirs are ready before mine they will let me have a few.. :-)

      Delete
  5. Everything is looking good after all your hard work. We've had to give up the allotment we share with our local daughter as she's moving away from the area and it's not practical to work the plot. We won't have room this year to grow potatoes in our back garden vegetable patch. We're concentrating on peas and beans and tomatoes in the covered yard.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Shame you had to give up your allotment. could you not have planted fruit in one half?? At least you have room at home to grow some things though!!

      Delete
  6. Your plot is looking great, all ready for the growing season. Worth all the hard work for that feeling of satisfaction. You're definitely not too late for spuds, they will soon get going.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Annie...it really does give you a sense of accomplishment when you get a huge task like this completed!!

      Delete
  7. Hi Tanya! :D

    I am so excited about the garden this year. I have a really good feeling about it too...especially a rather unfortunate and unsuccessful garden last year.

    So, every year I try growing sugar snaps but to no avail they die the minute I put them into the ground. I'm going to try something different though. I'm going to border my garden with them. I've got them started in little pots. I have to transfer this weekend to the ground because they are growing fast! Faster than anything else I've started. I'll put the sticks up and string them...kind of like a vineyard, right? Our temps have been fluctuating from low 50s to high 60s. Should I hold off on putting them into the ground? Will those temps kill them off? I'm determined to get those sugar snaps this year!

    Thank you for all the help!

    If you want, you can email me at BakingGypsy[at]AOL[dot]com :)

    Toodles,
    Tammy<3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sounds good Tammy. It's not too cold to put them in the ground in the temperatures you have but you do need to make sure you have hardened them off first. You need to do this by first putting them outside during the day for 4-6 days and then leaving theem out in a sheltered spot day and night for a few days. After you have done this they will have gottem used to the different temperatures and then will be able to planted out.

      Personally peas aren't something i start off in pots, i alawys direct sow them after having soaked them in water for 24-48 hours first and then dig a shallow trench and sprinkle them in thickly.

      Fingers crossed your grow well for you this year. Even now if you wanted to start a few direct in the ground trying my mehtod too it's not too late.

      Good luck!!

      Delete
  8. Something about this post keeps me coming back to admire your photos again and again. Maybe I'm just gardening vicariously through you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you like this one...wish m garden still looked like that!!

      Delete

keep it clean...keep it relevant...I look forward to reading your comments!!