March update!

Thursday 1st March 2007.

I had the day off work today so popped into town to spend the £20 Nan had given me. I went to Lidl first and bought two 5mx1m polytunnels for £2.99 each, and two rolls of black seed bed protection for £2.99 each also. Then I went to Wilko’s and bought a sprayer bottle for my seedlings in the mini greenhouse, a bag of 10 seed spuds (Kestrel) and a metal arch which I will grow sweet peas up at the “entrance” to the plot! That came to £7 so the twenty quid was spent well, I think! I popped down to the plot in the afternoon as it had brightened up and the wind had dropped quite a bit. I managed to put up the arch, which fitted perfectly in the space between the compost heap and the front area. In this area I finally managed to plant the strawberries that Ken gave to me, well most of them. A few that are left I am going to pot up and give to friends. I managed to fit about eight plants in so I think that will do me okay! As I was putting these in, Eamon and Paddy wandered over to say hello and see how I was getting on. I ended up chatting with Eamon and he offered me some autumn raspberry canes (Autumn Bliss) that he had dug up and were surplus to his needs. I gratefully accepted and he showed me how to heel them in until I had space to plant them properly. Whilst he was over at my plot he was looking at the weeds and saying how much work there was to do and that it could do with a blitz of weedkiller when he mentioned that there was a gentleman further down the site that was “in charge of weedkilling”. We took a walk down and I met Arthur who was at the time planting a peach tree in his humungous greenhouse! We all walked back down for him to have a look at my plot and he agreed that it could definitely do with a dose of Roundup and also diagnosed couch grass and hogweed, along with the bindweed – boohoo! They said that the Roundup would sort most of that out and would give me a huge helping hand and get me off to a flying start. They told me that I should pull back the sheeting that I had down and clear the bricks and bits of rubbish and they would come and spray it as soon as an appropriate day came along. So off I went and did as they said, pulling back the sheets. I was surprised to see that the grass was starting to go yellow and die off after only four weeks of being covered over. After that it was an early finish for me as I was going to cook tea for Nan.

Oh yeah, that daffodils are starting to open!



Friday 2nd March 2007.

I just happened to pop down to the plot today, with Kelly and Rebecca just to show them the plot in real life really. Eamon was there again and he told me that Arthur had sprayed the plot this morning! How wonderful! It’s so lovely that everyone is so nice and willing to offer help and advice. I asked how much I owed and he said they’d done it as a favour so didn’t need to pay anything! I couldn’t believe it! I will, of course offer something by means of saying thank you because I can’t imagine that it was cheap. I will pop down to Arthur’s plot tomorrow and say thank you, or leave a note for him. So now I have to wait a week and let the weedkiller do its thing and then I can dig it all in and make headway with getting my beds ready! I think I’m going to be busy!

I watched the Gardeners World allotment special with Monty and there were quite a few beginners on there with plots weedier than mine! It had some quite good tips and plenty of inspiration – it made me want to go back out and dig! It also said that there is going to be an allotment film later this year – yey! Think that might be one I go to on my own though!

Saturday 3rd March 2007.

What a gorgeous day it has been. I had to go into town in the morning to pick up a few bits and pieces but got down to the plot for about 1pm ish. I took my new polytunnels to see if I could build them up to put over the two beds that I have prepared. It was a bit windy and there was a distinct lack of instructions in the pack, but I managed to get them both up and I sowed some seeds under there too! I must say I was quite pleased with my successful constructions! There is a row of parsnips under one and a row each of Parmex and Early Nantes under the other. I have worked out a successional sowing plan to hopefully avoid a glut of carrots and get a good supply over the season. I will be sowing one row of each carrot and parsnip every two weeks. I know that parsnips can be left in the ground to store and so a glut of those wouldn’t be so bad, but I’d like to harvest some young parsnips every couple of weeks to roast in the oven – yum! I have until the end of the month now to get other beds ready to start sowing other seeds, so full steam ahead once the weedkiller has done it’s job.



I didn’t see Arthur so will have to look out for him in the week, but I did see Eamon and told him that I’d ordered the book he had recommended and I offered to lend him my Allotment Handbook as he said he’d like to read it.

The weather for tomorrow has forecast rain so I think it will be an indoor day. Also I am off to a wedding party so maybe the hangover wouldn’t allow a trip down to the plot!


Saturday 10th March.
Been down today hoping to dig the dead grass and weeds in but it didn't really look dead enough and Eamon wasn't there for me to check with so decided to leave it and just weed over the patch that I have rough dug - WELL! It took me ages! I definately won't do it like that again. I had left all the bind weed roots and everything in the soil and had rough dug it over just to get the earth turned really, but it was quite disheartening to be going over it again and for it to take so long!

I checked on the carrot and parsnip seeds but no signs of germination yet. Perhaps it was a bit early?

Sunday 11th March.
Another day down the plot! I decided that I would dig the weedy patch anyway, even though some bits are still a bit green. Managed to get a bed-sized area dug and pretty well weeded, and also raked up some of the dry dead yellow weedy stuff. Looks like it will be much easier to dig.