Sunday 8th September 2013

Not up quite as early as usual, but still managed to leave home at 7:15 and be on the allotment by 7:30. There was dew on the grass and it's not as warm as it has been but  not too cold to warrant a coat .

I started by cutting up roofing batten to make 1.2m square frames up to cover with pop bottle and bamboo and some with wire to go over the strawberries, but then when putting the first frame together I found that the battery to the cordless drill / screwdriver was nearly dead and the spare battery was knackered as well. Ho-Hum I will just have to wait until the next weekend visit to assemble.

Rounded up as many pop bottles as possible and stacked on bamboo, I appear to have enough to fill  another frame up. I have stood those that I have not used on bamboo canes, until I can complete the frame and make it up.

Harvested runner beans from both beds, there are lots more too come subject to the first frost attack.

Tidied up the shed and swept out all the dirt, and put the hooks on the back of the door so I can hang the fork, shovel and spade on it. I have to say it's much better than keep leaning it all inside, gives me a little more room to breathe in there and get in out of the rain if I have too - I need to stiffen up the upper timber shelf, which is bowing under the weight of weed killer and stuff at a later time and visit ( perhaps once the drill is working)

I harvested the comfrey and filled the comfrey pipe back up to capacity then replaced the bricks around the comfrey patch with the blue edging blocks that had been scattered all around the site holding down carpet and plastic sheeting, I've got enough soft milk bottle bricks for that now.

I've suddenly realised that if I'm going to over winter crops on the allotment I'm going to need a water source as the council turn off the water at the end of September - Mid October -ish.  Using the bricks from around the comfrey patch together with the a couple of concrete blocks and a paving slab made a stand for the dustbin with the tap. This one will have the comfrey feed, and I have another that I'm going to take to the allotment that is not really doing anything in the back garden.

So I also need to get the guttering on the shed and the water butt sorted out before the water is turned off, and build up a supply for winter. 

I trimmed off the lower leafs on the Toms that look as if they had seen better days, and those that are over toms so that the sun/ daylight can get at them - Many orange but not red toms on the allotment. I gave the toms and the peppers an diluted comfrey feed.

Found another blessed cabbage white in the enclosure!  I let it out and decided to harvest three cabbages as they have started to be eaten by something. One for Emma's boyfriend Andy , my sister Elaine and sister-in-law Jackie.  I sorted out some of the clean outer leafs for Sid and family.

I  found what looks like either lot of eggs or white bugs on the lower leafs. I'm not sure if they are some like of bugs - white fly, cabbage white eggs, or slug eggs, some seem to have legs like mini white spiders.
Dug up another two seed Potato locations and brought them home, they are not very big, I was expecting bigger, but the quantity is good.

Jobs still to be done:-

 * Sort out a paintbrush to paint to 1.2m timbers
 * Charge all the batteries for the cordless drill
 * Make up the 3 frames
 * Tidy up the entrance and de-weed along the path.
 * Plant Radish
 * Plant the Strawberries.
 * Clear the weeds from around the spring onions
 * Clear beds 10 - 12 plus the additional triangle