Rain this morning so I did more cutting of the 1.22m wide weed membrane to bed lengths of 2.4m from the 50m roll, and then at midday I went to the allotment via the bakers. It was sunny and warm and it was nice to just sit and listen to the bird song, for a while and eat a Cornish pasty. I have a few robins in the nearby trees that were very active and vocal today.
Saturday, 25 March 2023
Pebble Pool Plus
Friday, 24 March 2023
Measuring Out Plots
Thursday, 23 March 2023
The Wildlife Trusts - Peat Update
Peat bog © Mark Hamblin
UK Government confirms ban on all peat-based gardening products will not be implemented until 2030
Today 23rd march 2023, Defra (Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs) has confirmed that while some peat-containing products will be banned from shelves in 2027, others will be exempt from a ban until 2030. This means that for some professional growers, peat use will still be permitted for the next 7 years.
Ailis Watt, peat policy officer atThe Wildlife Trusts says:
“Today’s announcement is bitterly disappointing. Last year we welcomed the news that the UK Government would ban the sale of bagged peat compost in England by the end of 2024. The Wildlife Trusts hoped that a ban on all peat products would follow shortly after this date.
“The destruction of irreplaceable peatlands for gardening should have been outlawed long ago. These precious habitats are vital for nature and for our climate because they store vast amounts of carbon and are home to some of the UK’s most special wildlife. We need to see far greater levels of ambition if the UK is to relinquish its status as one of the most nature-depleted countries on Earth or come close to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Peatlands must be better protected as a matter of urgency.”
Today’s announcement will allow a large proportion of professional growers to continue to use peat to grow plants and mushrooms. According to data from the Growing Media Monitor, plug plants and mushroom production alone made up 42% of all peat used by professional growers in 2021.
For decades the UK Government set ineffective voluntary targets to tackle the horticulture industry’s use of peat and its corresponding habitat destruction. The Wildlife Trusts have repeatedly urged the Government to enforce bans for the last 30 years.
The Wildlife Trusts are calling upon the UK Government to:
·
Ban the extraction and commercial trade of peat immediately
·
Ban all horticultural uses of peat as soon as parliamentary timeframes allow, or by 2024 at the latest
·
Restore all bogs damaged by the removal of peat by 2030
Ailis Watt continues:
“The decision to allow the sale of peat-containing products to continue until 2030 does not reflect the value of peatlands - here and abroad - and is at odds with this Government's manifesto commitment to ‘deliver the most ambitious environmental programme of any country on earth’.
“It contradicts the notion that gardening is an activity which is beneficial to nature and places a burden of responsibility on the consumer to ensure they are not inadvertently buying environmentally destructive peat-based products.”
The Wildlife Trusts estimate that policy failure to stop peat extraction has caused up to 31 million tonnes of CO2 to be released since 1990.
Asparagus Bed & Shed/Plot 1 Patio
This morning I got to the allotment early as rain was due between 9 and 10, as it happened there was a little light shower and then the sun came out and I managed about four hours on the plot.
I had started clearing the Asparagus bed on a previous visit when I had some help "Thing" who needed some assistance and I didn't get around to completing the task.
I had cleared quite a lot of the weeds but had not dealt with the long rooted dandelions. I sourced the FISKARS weed puller that Kelly had found me for free on Facebook marketplace and set to work extracting them.
I have to say I love this tool, as long as you get it over the centre of the dandelions it pulls them out so quickly and cleanly. I said to the guy I picked it up from that I was going to use it on the allotment, and he looked bemused, thinking that dandelions are only a problem on lawns and not allotments.
Here is the view after the weeding was complete.
I have a 30 litre sack of Dalefoot's Lakeland Gold which is an ideal spring mulch that encourages worms and enriches the soil. A sack is supposed to cover 1 square meter, however my beds are 2.4m x 1.2m. I'm working on the premise that if used as directed that sack feeds for 2 years.
I'm assuming that applying at around 50% the depth that it should be, that what I've done will feed the Asparagus for 1 year instead of two. I do still have some Equigrow Mulch and will put a layer of that on top at a future visit as well.
Here is the bed after applying the Dalefoot's Lakeland Gold, I did sprinkle a greater depth above where the crowns were laid out and thinner between the two trenches that were dug and along side of the trenches.
With time cracking on and the forecast for rain between 10 and 11 am I covered the bed back up with the debris netting to protect it from the foxes.
Patio slabs in front of the Plot 1 shed weeded and realigned. The path to the potting shed needs some weeding and work at a future visit.
Before leaving the plot for the day, I thought I would check out the state of bed 1 and was quite surprised as it had been walked all over by the foxes but they had not dug like mad as I thought they might. They had however dug a hole in one of the Rhubarb beds which I need to fill in on a future visit.
Wednesday, 22 March 2023
Weeding & Feeding Beds
This afternoon on the plot, Bed 14 netting taken off, membrane removed and weeded, I should have taken photos of it before I touched the bed, but I had done it before I realised I hadn't taken any photos.
So photos from left to right
1) Applying Blood Fish and Bone
2) Adding a layer of coffee grounds sprinkled on the bed
3) After raking into the soil.
4) Finally covered back up with the debris netting to keep the foxes off.
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Monday, 20 March 2023
New Delivery Date for Potting Shed
I received a Text message today that the potting shed will now be delivered mid next week.
Looks like rain for most of the week, I have arranged with Jane from idverde to meet on the site on Friday which looks to be the best day to measure up plots 11 & 11A and hopefully try and get Sutton Council to honour the agreement they made to fund the skip so we can clear the plots and get them back into serviceable order.
The plot holders have already cleared most of the metal and had a scrap metal man take as much metal away as possible from the two overgrown and fly tipped plots.
The head of parks, has replied to my email and side stepped most of the questions I had asked and now idverde are going to inform and remind him that one of his staff Adam Brind agreed 3 times with them to fund the skips, so removal of all the dross they had allowed the previous plot holder to accumulate could be removed.
The council needs to support the site reps and idverde when plot holders do not work within the guideline document, and not take the "We will accept the plot holders unique way of working the plot" when in fact one could not even get into the plot because it had been made into something like a fort that kids use to build in the 50s, 60's & 70's in overgrown land along streams and railway lines.
I'm hoping they will have good news for me on Friday or perhaps may even manage get the Head of Parks Mark Dalzell and Adam Brind down to talk to me and come up with a solution, and honour their agreement. I'm not holding my breath, but if it happens I and the plot holders of Mill Green would be overjoyed especially as we have 40 people on the waiting list for a plot.
It now 3 weeks since I notified the council and idverde about the dangerous gas and oxygen cylinders found in the fly tipped plots that the head of parks described as "a haven for wild life rather" than its true description of looking like the aftermath of a travellers invasion, are still there and have not been removed!
How Mark can say there has not been any miss management of allotments is beyond my and all of the plot holders on Mill Greens imagination.
Sunday, 19 March 2023
Hydrate Coir whilst the Sun Shines
This weekend a year ago I was making the square foot gardening beds and two years ago I was cutting the slabs to go into the Plot 1 Greenhouse and getting the Quadgrows installed, March this year is looking to be quite cold and wet.
Thursday, 16 March 2023
Greenhouse Loft Extension II
Having completed the assembly of the Greenhouse Loft Extension Assembly on the 8th March, and fitting the louvers over the fans openings I had been waiting for the weather to break and the sun to shine so I could test the solar panel and the twin fans before fixing them into the Dormer structure.
The clouds parted and sunlight shone and I ran out into the garden with the solar panel and fans, and joy of joys they started spinning really fast. So I dashed back indoors and set about fixing them to the inside of the dormer front.
The leads on these fans are a lot shorter than the first ones I purchased that had their own solar panel each, so I positioned them such that the leads faced each other and the middle of the dormer so that I could take the wire through the roof.
I melted a hole in the roof, just back from the front panel just large enough to get the connection plug through one at a time and then filled the hole with silicone from the underside, As I want to prevent water getting in and down the wire and into the fans and also not allowing water into the twin wall polycarbonate.
I used the Ryobi glue gun and sealed the hole also making sure it was raised so as to push water away from the hole anyway.
When I glued the legs onto the mounting plate, I used my Unwins Seed Box to hold the legs up and and tack glued the outside first and let it dry, then removed the box and glued the inside. Finally I applied silicone to the gaps in between.
Added a Twin wall polycarbonate offcut to hold the wires up off the flat roof deck and keep the joint under the panel support hopefully out of the rain, and glued it in place, then using the peg to hold the wire, I tack welded the wires onto the cross member.
Bracket glued in place , the wires were much shorter on this one and I needed to come out via the roof and the solar panel has to face the sun.
Wednesday, 15 March 2023
Where Is The Potting Shed?
Gerald the Gnome was ready and waiting on the base of the potting shed to see the unloading of the potting shed.
The 4 hour slot was shortened to a 2 hour slot via an email and his plot holder was ready to come down and be around to let the the driver in.
However a telephone call was received to say the lorry was overloaded and the delivery would need to be rescheduled!
Looks like all the rain we have been having is making timber products a lot heavier than anticipated!
Monday, 13 March 2023
Dalefoot Compost Arrives
A big thank you to Dalefoot Composts for supplying the compost for the 2023 Tomato Grow Off and some additional bags for me to trial and review. Information and links to the Dalefoots' web site for each of the compost I received can be found below:-
Super-strength compost containing all the must-have nutrients needed to
grow organic, succulent, aromatic tomatoes throughout the year without
additional tomato feed. Now with added Comfrey! – the organic gardeners
best friend – a ‘dynamic accumulator’ packed with nutrients is added into the
Wool Compost range. Comfrey's ‘Bocking 14’ variety has high levels of
potassium, phosphorous & nitrogen for healthy plant growth, larger flowers
& bigger crops.
·
Use as a grow bag or in pots
·
Reduced watering
·
No need to feed - feeds tomatoes throughout the season without
additional feed!
·
Peat-free
· Soil Association approved
· Wool Compost for Tomatoes 30 litre
This general purpose compost is ideal for growing in pots, tubs and hanging baskets where water retention is key. No need to add extra feed or water retaining gels. Now with added Comfrey! – the organic gardeners best friend – a ‘dynamic accumulator’ packed with nutrients is added into the Wool Compost range. Comfrey's ‘Bocking 14’ variety has high levels of potassium, phosphorous & nitrogen for healthy plant growth, larger flowers & bigger crops.
·
Use in containers, hanging baskets and raised beds
·
Reduced watering
·
No need to feed
·
Peat-free
· Soil Association approved
Traditional Claybuster and 'Gold-standard' Spring/Autumn Mulch.
Encourages worms and enriches your soil.
·
Mulch into your beds in Spring & Autumn for improved nutrition and
soil structure
·
Top dress plants such as potatoes, fruit trees, asparagus and flowering
shrubs such as roses (1 bag per m2)
·
Ideal for 'No-Dig' gardening
·
Feeds for 2 years
·
Peat-free
·
Vegan friendly
· Soil Association approved
Wool Compost for Vegetables and Salads
Perfect for "grow your own" organic vegetables, salad and fruit in an allotment, raised beds, containers or windowsill. Now with added Comfrey! – the organic gardeners best friend – a ‘dynamic accumulator’ packed with nutrients is added into the Wool Compost range. Comfrey's ‘Bocking 14’ variety has high levels of potassium, phosphorous & nitrogen for healthy plant growth, larger flowers & bigger crops.
·
Reducedwatering
·
Feeds throughout the growing season
·
Peat-free
· Soil Association approved
Dalefoot Compost Bag Volumes
·
Lakeland Gold 30 litre
·
Bulb Compost 20 litre
·
Wool Compost 30 litre
·
Double Strength Wool Compost 30 litre
·
Ericaceous Mix Potting Compost 30 litre
·
Wool Compost for Seeds 12 litre
·
Wool Compost for Vegetables and Salads 30 litre
· Wool Compost for Tomatoes 30 litre