Greenhouse Climbing Frame

 

Today I continued clearing behind the Potting Shed and attacking the bindweed and other weeds that have taken over the Greenhouse Climbing Frame. The bind weed has been really virulent this year and covered the Rhubarb, Raspberries and the paths in the corner of Plot 1.

Path between plot 1 & 2 trimmed back today. 

I need somewhere to move the Blueberries & Goji Berry plants too in order to paint the potting shed and their final destination is behind the Greenhouse Climbing Frame (GCF) which is why I started clearing the path too and inside it.

I stripped the last of the Lazy Housewife French Climbing Beans from the GCF that I will be using for next years plants.    

The potting shed is looking so sun-bleached and sad, it was was dip-treated, all of Forest Garden sheds are now pressure treated and have a 25 year anti-rot guarantee, and will not get as sun-bleached so quickly. 

Hematologist Oncologist Appointment

 

I had a 4pm appointment with the Hematologist Oncologist today at St Georges Hospital, due to doctor shortages they were running a hour late when I arrived and by time I got seen my appointment was an hour and forty five minutes late. It did give me chance to flick through the Kings Seed catalogue for 2025 which had arrived in the morning.

The photo is of the computer screen when we were looking at the PET Scan and the Rheumatism I now have in all my joints, which is why they are showing white. 

The white in my head is showing as I have an active brain function I was told my the consultant, which surprised me as I was laying tied up in the scanner for half an hour whilst they scanned me, and trying to relax as much as I could.   

The good news is that "George" the tumour is dormant and stable, as they are no longer using the terms  partial and full remission as a description for your cancer state of play. 

No additional medication and another PET Scan in December at the Royal Marsden and then another appointment with the Hematologist Oncologist at St Georges in January 2025. 

Clearing Behind The Potting Shed.

 

Cutting back and cutting up the Hawthorne behind the Potting Shed has taken some time, Basically I'm left with the stump to the plant now to either continue to cut back with the Bamsa mini chainsaw, of the larger Ryobi chainsaw, I bought a couple of years ago.

Time was limited this morning as I have a hospital appointment this afternoon with the hematologist oncologist to officially get the results of my recent PET Scan and see what the way forward is with the George the tumour going forward. 

The apple tree to the rear of the potting shed also needs removing as now in the shade its really not doing well at all.

I have tried to source some pallets to make a fence between the rear corner of the potting shed and the wall, but my source for such things does not have any at the moment.       

Kent & Stowe Brand New Website

 

Introducing our Brand New   Kent & Stowe Website     We've been working on a top secret project at Kent & Stowe! We are so excited because today is the day that we can share our brand new website with you.   We have created a site that is a cut above the rest! Whether you are a more experienced gardener, looking to add to your wide tool collection, or perhaps a new gardener who needs some general garden advice, kentandstowe.com has it all.    This website has been designed with YOU, the gardener, in mind.    Take a look at the Kent & Stowe Website   Key Features       Expert Gardening Advice   We have created a variety of articles, written by expert gardeners, answering your biggest gardening questions.     Quick & Easy Filters   We have created a variety of easy filters to help you find the tools that you are looking for.       Product Pages   Every product page has detailed descriptions and highlights, along with beautiful imagery to help find the perfect tool for you.       Copyright © Westland Horticulture 2023   14 Granville Industrial Estate, Granville Road, Dungannon, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, BT70 1NJ

Odd Jobs On The Plot

 

I pulled out the trays from beside the potting shed and started cutting into the Hawthorne that has regrown since February last year when I erected the potting shed.  I've placed The trays upside down over the mound of soil in the front bed which is busy developing weed seedlings. 

With the rain we had last week I want the soil to dry up some and not get wet again until I have time to dig out the topsoil inside the bottom raised bed into square flower buckets and replace with timber and woodchip in the hole and up to the top of the first raised bed frame as I did with the raised bed in the background of the photo.  

There were a couple of buckets of potatoes in buckets beside the potting shed so I emptied one and harvested the potatoes. Emma loves small first and second early potatoes, so they are earmarked for her. Wally had a glut of tomatoes and offered some, and as I didn't grow any at all on the allotment this year I took some for myself and my daughter because after I took some for me he said you can take a lot more than that. 

The main crop potatoes in buckets had flumped over the main path and were getting a pain to get around, so I cut them back and up and added the foliage to the hot bin. 

Now I'm not using the walking frame on the allotment and I'm more stable on my feet and I picked up the shower chair from Freecycle that is high enough for me to get in and out off when I rest for a little while. I don't need the four wheeled walker with seat down the allotment so that's come home with me and as a result I now have floor area in the plot 1 shed again and a tidy up of the plot 1 shed also took place today.

Future visit I will clear around the camping stove so I can once again make coffee and tea on the plot.  

Asbestos Removal Didn't Happen

 

I didn't go to the allotment on Friday because we were informed that the asbestos removers were coming to remove the Asbestos from the old sheds along the width of the plot on plot 7. We had no idea if they would bag and carry the debris to the car park or would risk backing their lorry down the main path.

I had removed all the ivy from around the metal inner gates so the gates could be fully opened and had also trimmed back the Hawthorn from the gates to my potting shed to make getting vehicles into the allotment easier.   

I popped down to the allotment early evening to take a look and the standard 3" corrugated sheet are still on the shed and nothing has been removed. The first time the asbestos removers came to remove the sheets they declined because the shed looked like the photo below. 

The council officer had visited the site and had seen the state of play and how and why he didn't think the growth might need to be removed for the asbestos removers to actually work and do their job is beyond me.  He is also the numpty that informed idverde that the asbestos removal would take place Friday, which is why idverde had their guy down on the allotment cutting everything back he could safely get at on Thursday. 

Mini Chain Saw / Pruning Saw

I picked up this mini Bamsa chainsaw when it was on offer on Amazon for £39.99. a little time ago

It's Lightweight and manoeuvrable, with a cutting chain as good as any full-size chainsaw. Quick and easy to set up and use. It is supplied in a case which keeps all of the bits together, the kit includes all of the adjustment tools necessary, a comprehensive instruction manual and even a small tube of chainsaw oil.

I've used it quite often now and I love it. Its awesome. I'm looking forward to attacking the rest of the plum tree with it over the Winter months.

Then I receive an email about a New Ryobi Pruning Saw. 

Now I'm a bit of a Ryobi man and have a lot of their tools but what would anyone buy this when it does not come with the case, twin batteries, extra chain oil and tools to adjust. Plus you only get free delivery on orders of £100 or over.

It's about time Ryobi UK got their act together and started to sell and prices comparable with the rest of the world.  

V33 Woodstain For The Potting Shed

In February last year I was made aware of V33 UK based in New Romney TN28 8XU, I was going to paint the potting shed last year and then when I found that I had cancer, the urgency to get my potting shed better protected fell off my priority list. 

Now my cancer is under control and I'm gradually getting my mobility back and the potting shed is really sun bleached and it's time to take action before Winter sets in.  

The company V33 was created in 1957 in Domblans, a village in the heart of France surrounded by forests, lakes and vines. The family firm invented the first floor varnish guaranteeing 33% of the hardness of glass and the brand name was born. 

The high-performance formulation of V33’s Extreme Protection Woodstain, incorporating patented ‘Aquaresist’ technology

New and unique, V33 Extreme Woodstain is guaranteed for an unrivalled 12 years, meaning that you can save time and money on protecting your outdoor cladding, window frames, doors, gates and fences.  

Great news for anyone wanting to make sure woodwork is shielded from the worst weather for as long as possible whilst also being attractively enhanced. 

That's was what drew my attention to the product because I have been painting my other sheds with the standard water based stains bi-yearly since I got my first timber shed some 40 years ago. 

It's vital that external woodwork is waterproofed. In addition, the timber should be shielded from the effects of repeated exposure to sunlight, which can damage it. 

Applying a decent woodstain is the effective way of creating a barrier, which protects the wood from water and the sun. If you also have a certain colour tone in mind for your external woodwork, then woodstain can help you achieve it, and the most popular stains are in the range, I've opted for Teak for the potting shed as its not too light or dark and is more in keeping in how it was supplied. 

The high-performance formulation of V33’s Extreme Woodstain, incorporating patented ‘Aquaresist’ technology, ensures its waterproofing effect and its resistance to bad weather conditions. 

A high concentration of UV filters and a reinforced resin formula mean that two layers of V33 Extreme Woodstain correspond to three layers of other, standard equivalents. 

It also has high resistance to temperature variations of between  -40^OC and +60^OC. V33 Extreme Woodstain is suitable for most types of European and exotic woods, new or old, and can be applied on top of most old woodstains.

With its natural, translucent finish, V33 Extreme Woodstain enhances the look of exterior woodwork to a professional finish, but is easy enough for the novice DIYer to use. It is available from B&Q in a choice of colours including Clear, Light Oak, Dark Oak, Mahogany and Teak. The RRP around £24 for 0.75L and £46 for 2.5L tins. Currently B&Q have the 2.5L tins on offer for £32.20 but do google and shop around as I have found cheaper.  

The larger size affords approximately 15 sq.m of coverage in two coats.

Further information can be found at www.v33.co.uk and V33 can also be found on Facebook/Instagram.

I will be blogging about painting the potting shed and will have before and after photographs so to see how I get on use the V33 Label to see all the V33’s Extreme Protection Woodstain posts in a thread. 

Clearing Around Sheds !

 

With the weather changing and a forecast for some dry sunny weather next week, I wanted to clear around the potting shed so I can paint it as the V33 wood stain has arrived. I didn't take a before photo but the Hawthorne and brambles had grown back and was touching the side of the potting shed and was also touching the roof.  

I also pushed back the Hawthorne and brambles back so that if I do bring the car in again I can get in and out of the car easily and and have plenty of room to miss the logs around Michelle's plot and still have ample room for other plot holders to get past the car easily. 

The reason the ground is bear is because the Graham from idverde was working on removing all the growth from the Asbestos shed on plot 7, told me to stack all the cuttings on the ground and that he would run the industrial grass cutter over them and then blow the mulch made by the process back under the remaining Hawthorn bushes, as it was really too spikey to handle and we still can't have fires just yet.  

The water butt was placed to protect the windows from flying debris as I have already lost the lower left window on the front, but I have a replacement to go in once I have painted the potting shed. 

The brambles in front and foliage over the Asbestos roofed and clad sheds on plot 7 before Graham from Idverde attacked it so the Asbestos removers could come to remove the asbestos from the shed. 

And what he exposed after a hard days graft, viewed from the path between plots 7 & 8 

And what he exposed after a hard days graft. 

Which One Of Us Is Compo ?

A coffee and chin wag in Wally's Shed, with Wally and John. It's like the tree of us have become cast member of the Last of The Summer Wine. I'm still trying to work out which one of us is Compo.

Today a massive clean up in inside the potting shed, the heat through the window had melted the Lidl's trays and modules and distorted them it had been so hot recently. More potatoes in buckets harvested today.

The contents of the first bucket of Pentland Javelin tipped out into the plastic tray I had placed on the newly constructed raised bed. The trays were being thrown away as they had arrived damaged on the corner so I gave them a home and intend to make a table out of one of them.

Slightly closer look at the first bucket load, which were harvested and placed in the plastic colander

The harvest from two square flower buckets in the plastic colander

Butternut squash and sweet corn donated to me from Wally bless him, I love it when we have gluts and can share with other plot holders. 

Weeding and Harvesting Grapes

Small but tasty, but so many had dropped of the vine I missed the sweet harvest spot by about a week I think. Next year more control of trimming the vine and reducing the amount of grapes so they get larger and I can harvest earlier. 

Dobies are 130 years old

Celebratory Customer Offer To celebrate this milestone birthday, Dobies is offering all customers the opportunity to save 50% on Tulip 'Ronaldo' with any purchase during September 2024 - that's 16 bulbs for just £4.99!

 

 

Offer ends midnight 30th September 2024 and while stocks last. Terms and conditions apply - see the Dobies website for details.

Rain Stops Play

 

Storm and rain warnings continue ...

Maxi-Facial Appointment

Maxi-Facial Appointment at St Georges today, I was able to find a disabled bay near to the building they occupy on the perimeter road.  

Thankfully there have been no additional bone needles that have grown through my gum and poking into my tongue and my consultant informed me that my last Pet Scan shows that my jaws stable. Apparently they are no longer using partial and full remission as a description for your cancer state of play. 

I still can't chew any hard things and need to be careful as the jaw being previously cracked is weak but for the moment no surgery or reconstruction needed, they will be keeping an eye on me and will see me again in March 2025     

Harvesting Potatoes In Buckets

Morning visit to the allotment to harvest Arran Pilot & Charlotte potatoes in buckets until rain stopped play. The first bucket of Charlotte second earlies was a little disappointing bearing in mind four seed potatoes went in.

I used one of the trays Kelly had picked up for me to empty the buckets into and then routed around and extracted the potatoes. Once the potatoes had been removed the soil was deposited on the raised bed.

Many more potatoes from the second bucket of Charlottes 

Third bucket of Charlottes extracted, and again a reasonable amount of spuds. 

Again a better yield but so many mini and micro potatoes.

First bucket of Arran Pilot first earlies. The soil from the three buckets of Charlottes was deposited on the raised bed and filled it to the top. This last tray load of soil was put back in the bucket ready to add to the next raised bed.

First bucket of Arran Pilot first earlies, much better yield than the Charlottes 2nd earlies

Rain stopped play and I put everything away and brought the spuds home. The Arran Pilot are in the foil tray. The album I listened too on the memory stick whilst working was Paloma Faith The Glorification of Sadness.