I Have Not Passed Away

I've just been very, very sick and ended up in hospital 

This was the state of play of the Back Garden Allotment on the 11th May 2026 after I went to Halfords to get cardboard to line the bottom of two more raised beds. 

Due to my Autoimmune disease, and stepping down my steroids month on month, I caught one thing after another and ultimately my left leg increased in circumference by 2 and a half inches, and I was admitted to St Helier Hospital and they found I have Thromboses. 

I was discharged on the 1st June 2026 and today on the 3rd June the photo below is the state of play of the back garden.  

The brambles and weeds in front of the shed have gone mad with all the sun and rain and the grass between the beds is in desperate need of cutting. Currently I can hardly walk and there is no possibility of me getting out there to do it. 

I've also not been down to my allotment during this time, for obvious reasons, and I really hate to think how the bindweed would have taken over everything. 

I did ask a plot neighbour to get my potatoes into a number of the raised beds I had prepped down there and he has, so at least I will hopefully get a harvest.    

Just a little thought for the day.....

 

Gardener Brain

 

You Know You Are A Gardener When ......

 

Back Garden Plot Raised Bed Construction

I laid the last 3 tiles I had yesterday, so I need to go and collect another 44 tiles to complete renewing the decking. A trip to Halfords to get some large lumps of cardboard for the 3 beds I had yet to start filling.

A trip to St Georges Hospital to see my haematologist and Oncologist, good news the cancer is still stable, and my wacky blood tests are down to the rheumatology medication being tweaked.

Early evening alternate layers of woodchips and old timber decking tiles to fill the bottom half of the raised bed no 3 with Woodchip. I have more woodchips being dropped off at the allotment tomorrow morning

A big box from Halfords with enough cardboard to line beds 4 & 5 next row

Beds 4 & 5 lined with cardboard ready for desking tiles and woodchips once I have brought them home.

Carboard from Halfords lining bed3

Alternate layers of old decking tiles and woodchip up to the top of the first scaffold boards

Woodchips watered in and Worm Tower and netting hoops added

Replacing Decking

 

Today I screwed together four frames and laid the rest of the new timber decking panels. I will need to visit the B&Q's around here and pick up the rest to replace the old decking tiles and finish the job. 

I really need to bring netting back from the allotment to stop the foxes and cats crapping and digging in the beds. 

Cold Weather

 

The UK is set to be hammered by bitterly cold Weather in a matter of hours, with temperatures in some parts of the country forecast to plunge below zero. As many as 17 cities are set to see the mercury plummet to freezing levels.

Weather maps from WXCharts have turned icy blue, indicating that a sweeping cold snap is on its way. At 6am on Wednesday (May 5), Scotland is expected to take the worst of the bitter conditions, with Perth and Kinross forecast to experience the lowest temperatures in the country at -3C. Aberdeen will be just a degree warmer and the Scottish Highlands will see the mercury hover between 0C and -2C. Edinburgh and Glasgow will see temperatures plunge to brutally cold lows -1C, the maps show. England will also see glimpses of the brutally cold weather, with Carlisle expected to drop to -1C.

Newcastle upon Tyne and Middlesbrough will see temperature lows hover between 0C and 2C.

Further south in England, temperature lows are forecast to only be slightly warmer, and could struggle to get above freezing.

The maps suggest the mercury will hover between 1C and 6C, meaning millions of Britons could wake up to extremely cold conditions on Wednesday morning.

May The 4th Be With You

 

Twin Worm Towers

 

Following on from bring home more cut scaffold boards and two 12"  300mm lengths of drainage pipe from the allotment I grabbed a drainage pipe and marked 90 degree points marked on the end of the pipe, then 45 degree mid points marked and transferred around the edge

Using the square I marked 1" locations along the pipe 2" down from what will be the top of the tower 

After marking out the 1/4 points I went back and marked out the 1/8 points with holes staggered by 1/2" I then drilled the first line of holes. 

Sandwiching the pipe between two scaffold boards keeps the 4" dia. drainage pipe from moving as I drill, and I'm quite happy with just how straight I managed to keep the holes. 

Sid next door shared a bag of jam donuts with me, so I stopped for a jam donut and coffee break.... 

Before too long I had the first Worm Tower fabricated

Repeating the process on the second length of drainage pipe I finally had the two Worm Towers required for the first row of three raised beds that I'm building in my back garden. 

#wormtower

Boards & Drainage Pipes

A trip to the allotment this morning but it was way to hot and sunny to stay very long, I harvested another batch of scaffold boards and cut two foot lengths of 4" (100mm) Drainage pipes to be turned into worm towers. 

I had intended to get more square buckets of woodchips for the third bed at home, but the heat and exhaustion from humping the scaffold boards meant I will leave it until my next allotment visit. 

My 5 x 70mm T20 countersunk headed screws had finally come into Toolstation so I went to collect them so that I could get the other 3ft (900mm) scaffold boards cut square, drilled and screwed ready for assembly into raise bed frames.  

First Home Raised Bed Completed

 
A layer of compost from half sacks I had over from last year bult up around the worm tower base to bed it was standing in and watered in. 

3 more sacks of compost added, then four sacks of topsoil to cap it off. 

View inside the worm tower, not too much compost worked has worked it's way into the tower and is now at base of the tower internally. As the compost in the worm tower is processed the level inside the tube will go up and down and there are ample holes for the worms to coma and go at multiple levels. Red Wigglers at the top of the compost material and earth worms lower down.  

Plant pot placed over the top of the worm tower tube until I can pick up some saucers, which will look a whole lot neater.

#wormtower

Planning and Reviewing May in Previous Years

Reviewing the diary over the last Thirteen years for May

2013 - Spring was the coldest for 50 years, I had the first six beds and the comfrey bed in place.Beds 5 & 6 were Sprouts and Cabbages, as expected lots of sowing and potting on happened.

2014 - Frost warnings and seedlings grown in the grow house inside the green house on Mill Green.Potato Halums were a little frost damaged, Slabs at home laid for the Space Saver Greenhouse, Erected the Space Saver Greenhouse at home and the Double grow House at Mill Green.

2015 - Potatoes in Buckets, transplanting Tomato plants, High Winds and damage on the plots, Cherry Trees have Cherries on them, Planting out Spring Onions, Harvesting Over wintered spring onions, Planting Cabbages and Cauliflowers and the Crimson Crush plants arrive, three more bed frames made.

2016 - Spencer Road - Second sowing of sweetcorn due to slow germination then the first sowing germinated after the first !, Beds 1-3 completed, Potatoes in bed 3. Comfrey bed 2 completed

2016 - Mill Green - overwintered onions in greenhouse planted to replace those that were nobbled by slugs in the beds, Sowing frenzy of beetroots, Spring Onions, Cucumber, Celery, second sowing or brassica's as first sowing died. Frost second week of May. Bean frame maintenance.

2017 - Spencer Road Allotment - Working on infrastructure and the watering system for the plot, spuds and onions growing well, Walking Onion infrastructure created. Comfrey Pipe erected.

2017 - Mill Green Allotment - Mosquito Nets to Protect fruit on the trees, Brassicas planted, SoilFixer Potatoes in Buckets experiment, Push Lawn mower obtained off Freecycle.

Having two plots on different sites really did have an effect on the overall progress last year, but the additional beds provided more opportunity for sowing and planting a greater range of varieties of vegetables to try  in 2017.

This year the decommissioning of Spencer Road and the Infrastructure works at Mill Green Plot 1 to accept the Shed and Greenhouse has not gone as quickly as I would have liked primarily due to the bad weather we have had in the way of snow and rain, combined with getting Mill Green Plot 1A back into shape as before the drop off and pick up area was created it was difficult to gain access to Mill Green and keep it up to scratch, plus the intention was to move to Spencer Road so the focus was off Mill Green, Its now firmly back on it.

 

2018 - Moving tomatoes from vending machine cups into larger pots, Sown Sweetcorn, Hardening off Tomatoes in the cold frame, Transporting items from Spencer Road to Mill Green Tomatoes transplanted into flower Buckets, Cucumbers & Courgettes planted. Runner Beans & Beetroots started off at home planted. Two Crimson Crush and a Repunzel grown out in the open on the plot, they were left to go wild and become so prolific .Bought an Apex Rotary Sieve from Germany for less that the version from Wales. Radish in cut down flower bucket. Rain & Thunder storms  

2019 - May as always means the Spacesaver Greenhouse heaving with seedlings and everything getting started off so that it can finally be transplanted at the allotment during the end of the month. The framework for the greenhouse was finally assembled with Andy's assistance and Emma & Andy as I was having problems getting down on my knees due to my leg injury. Andy & I planted spuds, Brassica excess supplied by Pauline, Hazelnut tree arrives and is taken to plot and potted up. Cutting and Painting bed timbers continues, Onion Sets planted by Emma, Beetrootrs sown but fail to germinate or are eaten by slugs. Comfrey Pipe cleaned out, Insect Houses bought from Morrisons.  

2020 - Due to Covid and the lockdown I  didn't visit the allotment during May as I was shielding my wife. My daughter and son in law visited and tried to keep the allotment tidy and undertook weed management. All of my growing was done in the back garden.

2021 - Sieving my own compost. All potatoes finally in. High winds and damage on the plot. Apple trees at home pollarded. Rhubarb plants arrived. Sowing Courgettes, Gherkins & Cucumbers. Tomatoes sown early May which was a little late really. Self tapping screws for polycarbonate sheets on greenhouse. 25th May Towel Day, Bought 21 HD Containerwise Plastic trays.  Trimming the Path with the old strimmer and new blades. Lots of grass from Emma for composting. Second SFG bed dug and the bed frame in but never got around to filling it and planting it up.

2022 - Anti Cabbage whites Hoops and debris netting mesh installed, Red Grapevine growing well, Ordered additional spring clips to fix debris netting, Additonal 600mm radius black hoops cut from roll , Sweetcorn sown, Mares Tail weeded from the raspberry paths, Celery Tango planted in SFG Bed, Weed Free Onion Beds thanks to Emma and Walking Onions Planted, Renewing Woodchip Paths, Where is Wally from areal photo of the plot, two lots of paving slabs off Freecycle, Guidance on Pruning a Grapevine, Topping up Potatoes in Buckets, Potatoes in Buckets sown. Seedless Grape vines planted. Swarm of Bees on the allotment.  

2023 - Spuds in Buckets sown, Solar Powered water pump in Pebble Pool installed. Brassicas sown and potted on this month. Sweetcorn sown, Installing the climbing frame horticulture beds. Mares tail attacked in the AFG Beds twice this month. Emma & Andy helped me get a lot of jobs done on the allotment. Apples showing on the trees. Growing Tomatoes for the Grow Off between Westland & Dalefoot. Two MRI Scans during May. First Meeting the the Maxi Facial team CT and MRI Scan results and the investigations into what turns out to be Cancer starts 22nd May 2023. Andy provided four sacks of grass from cutting their lawn. Luffa & Burpless Tasty Green Cucumbers planted in the climbing frame greenhouse Courgettes, Cucumbers & Broccoli plants potted on. Westland Horticulture V Dalefoot Compost Tomato grow off started. Lazy Housewife French climbing beans went into the ground. Melon went in under glass up against the wall, Girls came and weeded the parsnip bed. Drying coffee grounds and making the birdfeeder. Potatoes in Buckets foliage showing. Laying woodchips in the paths to the climbing frame greenhouse. Transplanting Cucumbers into the climbing frame greenhouse. PET Scan at St Georges Hospital 

2024 - The medical boots allowed me to visit more often this month, Asparagus Bed overgrown with weeds, and 105 parsnips decimated by slugs and snails, 300 Red Baron onions planted, Potting up cucumbers, spuds in Buckets sown, Sweetcorn planted in modules, Square Foot Gardening Beds in front of the Potting Shed deconstructed and reconstructed as raised beds as I can no longer get down on my hands and knees to sow and weed.   

2025 - Raspberries growing rapidly had to build cages around them. Planting Potatoes in Buckets, Growing Climbing French beans, Sweetcorn, Tomatoes. PET Scan at the Royal Marsden mid May. Climbing French Beans planted in the climbing frame Greenhouse. The weeds mainly bindweed had taken over most of the old beds. PET Scan   

To Do List   

Mill Green - Plot 1

• Greenhouse 1 - Currently being used to house all the cardboard to be used in the new raised beds Loft Conversion fixed & Fitted   
• Infrastructure - Bed 16A Completed, Bed H1 Completed and Beds H2, 14 & 14A to be started and worked towards completion. 
• Infrastructure - De-Band Scaffold Boards & Assemble more Raised Bed Frames   
• Rhubarb - Weed and Mulch
• Raspberry Beds - 3 of 4 now Weedws and Mulch, then build cages
• All Gold Raspberry Beds - New Fencing to be installed  
• Climbing Frame Greenhouse - Weed and Mulch  

Mill Green - Plot 1A

• Greenhouse 1A - Set up more Coffee to dry out 
• Daleks - Dig in the additional Daleks along the path with plot 2A
• Grape Vines - Prune  

Sowing and Planting Plan for May    

May

Week 1              Lettuce (Winter) - Sow 

Week 1              Broccoli (sprouting) late varieties - sow seed bed

Week 1              Cabbage (summer) - plant out indoor sown plants

Week 1              Celery - plant out

Week 1              Cucumber (ridge) - sow seed under cloches outside

Week 1              Kale (curly) - sow in pots or seed bed

Week 1              Runner Beans - sow seed in pots indoors

Week 1              Runner Beans - sow seed under cloches

Week 1              Tomatoes - begin to harden off

Week 1              Carrot - sow maincrop seed

Week 1              Radish – Sow fortnightly

Week 1              Spring Onions – Sow fortnightly

Week 1              Lettuce – Sow fortnightly

Week 2              Beetroot - plant out seedlings sown in pots indoors  

Week 2              French Beans - sow seed outside

Week 2              French Beans - harden off seedlings

Week 2              Onion - plant out seedlings

Week 2              Potatoes - nitrogen feed fortnightly

Week 2              Rhubarb- apply mulch

Week 2              Squash / pumpkins - harden off

Week 2              Strawberries - mulch around plants

Week 2              Cucumber  – Sow Party Time 3 plants into the greenhouse 

Week 3              Beetroot - thin out seedlings

Week 3              Brussels Sprouts- transplant

Week 3              Cabbage (spring) - harvest

Week 3              Cauliflower (autumn) - sow seed in pots

Week 3              Courgette - Harden off indoor grown plants

Week 3              Cucumber (ridge) - Harden off indoor grown plants

Week 3              French Beans - plant out seedlings sown in pots indoors

Week 3              Runner Beans - harden off seedlings

Week 3              Swede - sow seed outdoors

Week 3              Sweetcorn - plant out seedlings sown in pots indoors

Week 3              Swiss Chard - thin out seedlings

Week 3              Parsnip – Transplant into loo rolls once signs of germination

Week 3              Melons – Amarillo Oro - Plant Out

Week 3              Melons – Sugar Baby - Plant Out

Week 4              Radish – Sow fortnightly

Week 4              Aubergine – Plant Out 

Week 4              Spring Onions – Sow fortnightly

Week 4              Luffa  - Transplant into pots

Week 4              Lettuce – Sow fortnightly

Week 4              Onions Onwards - water in dry conditions

Week 4              Courgettes - plant out

Week 4              Parsnip - thin seedlings to 15cm / 6in apart

Week 4              Radish - begin to harvest

Week 4              Runner Beans - plant out seedlings sown in pots indoors

Week 4              Runner Beans - sow seed outside

Week 4              Shallot Onwards - water in dry conditions

Week 4              Squash / pumpkins - plant out

Week 4              Tomatoes - plant out