Wednesday 30th July 2014

Up early to get Party Wall Awards completed printed and bound. Dropped off the wife at her sisters, went to the post office then on to the allotment. The council have now at long last fenced off the dangerous wall so I can stop worrying about my neighbours Mum who would sit where it is likely to end up when it goes over!

I cut the lacing members for the hoop cage on bed 14 and fixed then fixed the netting so ready for the weed membrane and planting of the cabbages, next visit.

Harvested Runner Beans, and another courgette where are they all coming from and so quickly? the four plants are beginning to spread outside the area I want them in and I have put their limbs back inside  Noticed my first marrow growing Yipppeeeee.

Dug up the rest of the early potatoes out of bed 7 - sorted as new size new potatoes and large potatoes.

Collected the onions up and placed in a twin gravel tray to take home, I will leave them out in the sun for another day perhaps two before distributing them and storing them in the shed. I'm guessing the wife can freeze some?

Still not managed to net the mini portable hoop frame on Bed 2 which the beetroots will be going into - they are in the green house and looking OK

I moved the spring onions up a level and over turning them around to they will straighten up a little, they were leaning over to get the light where they were, Comfrey feed for them this weekend.

Two pallets in nice condition near the bins, so I rescued them and put them on my plot, hopefully I can get them apart without knackering the timber and use them to make a couple more 1.2m x 1.2m portable hoop frames.

Flowers on the peppers are turning into fruit.

Tuesday 29th July 2014 - Blue Water Pipe

Early morning visit to the allotment.

The car was running on vapours so I filled up with petrol and noticed that the building site next door still had blue water pipe rolled up. Popped in and spoke to the site agent and came away with 3 rolls of pipe 1x20mm and 2x 25mm dia. which I have cut up for small and large hoops.

I watered the sad looking tomatoes in the grow house, the conservatory to the shed and the peppers, beetroots and onions in the greenhouse. Watered the runner beans and weeded bed 3 around the beetroots and tied back the cucumbers to the trellis.

Found another cucumber for my trouble so that's 4 I have now. I'm not quite sure how long you let them get before you pick them as there is no guidance on the multipack they came from so any guidance from anyone reading out there is welcome.

The onions have all but one fallen over or been knocked over by basil and crew and have gone brown so I have lifted and left on the top to dry out.

The second wave of red and white spring onions are doing well, I hope these last long enough for the third wave to grow to a similar size.

Note to self - Plant one or two trays of onions and beetroots every two weeks next year... 

Sunday 27th July 2014

Over the allotment at 7:00am until 1:00pm very warm but lots of cloud cover so actually nice to work in. Lots of people on the allotment today including brother and sister-in-law thus lots of coffee breaks and a quick sit downs outside Pauline's P&T shed.

Someone had placed a 6ft x 3ft timber trellis on the skip outside the allotment, which is now residing up against the greenhouse to be used next year for a long cucumber bed following the success this year. John noticed that there are now three little cucumbers growing.

Using a mixture of parts from the small and large 4 tier grow houses bought from Wilko for £1 + £2. I made up staging for the greenhouse using the small plastic footprint on plan and the long bars from the large frame for the vertical members. I now have the ideal framing for the greenhouse that allows me access into the corner to the original frames and I have moved the peppers that were touching the roof down onto the ground level shelf and they have plenty of growing room. 

I've used the large footprint which fits exactly into the conservatory extension to the shed and modified the sides on the to so I can remove the middle and outer top bars and mesh shelf when housing tomatoes in and replace when I want to use it as a cold frame next year.

Bed 14 soil sieved and all the stones and glass removed ready for planting with the cauliflowers if they survive the heat in the cold frame.

A 1.2 x 1.2m hoop framework constructed but I ran out of time to cover in netting, this will go on bed 2 to cover the new beetroot I have in the greenhouse to keep Basil off

Harvest of a nice carrier bag of beans, some white and red onions, beetroot and two courgettes. The two Marrows were given to me by my brother in law who is currently overrun with them and so far I have two little marrows about 50mm long forming. The Marrow plants are growing and spreading, I now understand why I was told to stand back and watch by people on the forum. http://chat.allotment-garden.org/

Friday 25th July 2014

Up early and straight down to the allotment at 6am , after a swift breakfast to water as I did not get down yesterday. I took some fence panels that I had made into cold frame ends like those I've used on the shed extension and they will eventually get bolted to the wall to make another covered area for tomatoes, and hardening off plants next year.

The tomatoes in the grow house were looking a little thirsty and the leafs were sagging and droopy, but it was very sunny yesterday and about 27 C. As my plot was in shade this morning, I watered as much as I could and picked up all the Fox sh1t which was all over the place.

Basil and his mates have been digging up bed 2 as predicted because I put in Blood Fish and Bone  I would really like to find a way of keeping them away, any suggestion welcome

I also took down two trays of beetroot to go into bed 2, but until I have built a portable 1.2 x1.2m hoop cage to keep off Basil and chums, they can stay in the greenhouse. Basil has also trod down my Onions 

I have limed bed 14 which is going to get the cauliflower, lets see if Basil and his mates like lime as much as BFB

Update - A visit to wilko at 5:00ish resulted in yet more seeds as they are now reduced by 75% plus I picked up a tall 4 tier blow a way for £2 and a short one for a £1 they are going to be used as staging in the cold frame extension to the shed

Also bought a selection of good quality stainless steel hand tools that will end up on hooks on the shed door as I can never find the ones I have and they are so cheap and nasty they break and bend as you use them.

23rd July 2014

Very hot again today 26 C during the day and 22 C over night if the forecast is correct.

Dropped off my daughter to work, continued to the allotment to water contents of greenhouse and grow house. Harvested beetroot and spring onions and a dozen tomatoes. half of bed 2 now clear of spring onions and weeds, I've added blood fish and bone and worked in then watered so hopefully basil and mates will not get too excited!

So the plan is to plant out the beetroots I have growing in modules at home within the next few days

Clear the rest of the potatoes from bed 7 and plant out the spring onions in modules 

I harvest the toms just before leaving so they are not in the photo

Tuesday 22nd July 2014

Another very hot and sunny day. Dropped wife to her sister and decided to pop to the allotment to water the contents of the greenhouse and the grow house. I also watered the marrows and the trees that were flagging slightly in the heat. Not wanting to be in the direct sunlight for too long I worked up the top end of the site on fitting up the extension to the shed that I've had in mind since last year.

The sides were a fence panel that blew out in the high winds last year that I cut to size. The twin wall polycarbonate sheeting was a freecycle item last year- so cordless drill and saw in hand I knocked up the extension which makes my shed look very Little House on the Prairie like when viewed from the bottom of the plot.

Three tomatoes that were out in the open are now residing in the extension which I plan to use as a cold frame by putting some more polycarbonate in the front to harden off plants before planting out next year.

Monday 21st July 2014

Condition survey in 3 properties this morning, really not wanting to be in the lofts in this weather but there you have it.....work is after all work

This afternoon saw a swift visit to water the contents of the greenhouse and grow house - ended up watering the rest of the plot as well as there was some cloud cover. It's been extremely hot and sticky today, I raked over bed 14 and removed lots of dross, stones, glass, roof tiles all manner of dodo really.

I will do some more clearing debris and then lime bed 14 pre plating the cabbages which really should have been out of the cold frame and in the ground a couple of weeks ago. But there is no way I'm working in the sun in current temperatures.

Saturday 19th & Sunday 20th July 2014

Saturday 19th July 2014 - Water the contents of the greenhouse and grow house

Sunday 20th July 2014 - On site from 7:00 - 9:15 

Water the contents of the greenhouse and grow house

Trimmed some beans and tie up "Fred" the cucumber

My wife's suggestion that I name him as he is my first) he has grown quite a bit in the last four days
 

Edging to Bed 14 and Woodchip between beds 13 & 14 and behind 

Albert - The Marrow (named after Albert Einstein as I'm a clever so and so for growing him apparently) is doing very well, not many others yet Coke bottle for scale

Plenty of Red Tomatoes but they are in the back and not in direct sunlight so how does that work?

The Cabbage and the Sprouts are doing really well, I shall soon have to extend the hoops and netting on the sprouts.

Sweet Corn tassels are beginning to go brown, but I note there are a few corns with two per stem, Each visit I give a little shake all around the block. 

Aphids are being eaten by my ladybird army. so I'm glad I made the bug hotel now

Thursday 18th July 2014

Due to the heat wave a late afternoon / early evening visit to you guessed it. ......
Water the greenhouse and grow house contents and the toms out in the open.

I have to say they were looking a little sad, but there are more red tomatoes as a result of the sun at least 1/2 doz on the grow house and 4 out in the open. The peppers in the greenhouse appear to be liking the weather.

Some of the spring onions have looked as if they were on their last legs, so I harvested them. The roots rubbed off and the outer skins were a but naff, but after a wash and de skin they looked OK.

More beetroot ordered by Mrs Cadalot, I pulled a couple of carrots to see how they are doing - small still so I will leave them alone. I got too excited about runners being big enough to pick and then found there was not enough for a meal 

Used part of the dog cage fixed with mini bulldog clips supplied by Kelly to fill in the door of the greenhouse to keep the foxes and cats out so that some airflow can keep it a little cooler in there tomorrow in the anticipated 32 degrees temperatures. it was just over 100 degrees F in there at 5:00 Christ knows how hot it was between 12:00 - 3:00.

In the night there was thunder and lighting and a good deal of rain, so it looks like I really did not need to spend quite as much time as I did watering the allotment - Ho Hum who knew 

Wednesday 16th July - Wilko Garden Sale

Another extended lunch break to water, far too hot for digging.

Trimmed back the beans that had got to the end of the poles

I have beans that will soon be ready to harvest. More red tomatoes on the way.

Dropped off Bill and Ben plus the weeds

Here is a photo of the cucumber which was difficult to spot in the one I took yesterday.
He is only the size of my finger at the moment but he is there 

The beetroots are coming up in bed 3 but so are the weeds!
I will let them a grow a little more before I extract the weeds.

This morning I created a list of my seeds and went to Wilko for a few more 1/2 price goodies on the way back from the allotment.

I am a seed-a-holic but at 50% which makes some cheaper than the Wyevale 50p sale it has to be done.

  Cabbage Greyhound (2 packs)
  Cabbage Golden Acre II
  Cauliflower All Year Round
  Beetroot Bolthardy (3 packs)
  Brussels Sprout Evesham special
  leek Musselburgh
  Seed labels 2 packs
  Small green house (blow a way)
  Double gravel Tray
  9 seed tray modules (15) 3 x 5
 

Tuesday 15th July 2014

Jen needed to be at her sisters earlier today so I was down on the allotment by about 9:30. Took the four 1.2m & 2 x 0.6m sheets of polycarbonate collected from my sisters last night with me.

It was so sunny when the clouds were not in the way that I dug bed 14 with a pick axe and fork when the sun was covered but retreated to behind the shed to clear up when there was no cloud cover. I managed to clear all the dross from the back, and trimmed up the ivy tree canopy that is now just lining up with the back wall of the shed.

The staging / 4 tier grow house frame has gone in the back and I'm using it for storage. It's nice to have some order and room in the storage area again. I do however have an awful lot of bags of dross to get rid off.

I watered the plot and the greenhouse and grow house contents and spied my first red tomato at the back which I don't understand I would have thought those in the direct sun light would have been first.

Discovered my first little cucumber forming - it made me fell so happy  , I'm not quite sure how long these little prickly Marymount cucumbers are supposed to grow? The seeds were in a 99p shop variety pack which had very little information on the back of the pack.

I left the allotment about 1:40 - grabbed something to eat, picked up the wife and then carried on cutting the tree in the back garden back. I love being my own boss and giving myself time off when the weather is good.

13th and 14th July 2014

Sunday 13th July - Rain stopped play in the morning and as the girls were both away the wife and I had a lazy afternoon.

 

Monday 14th July - Dropped off the wife at her sisters at 10:30 and picked her up at 2:00 - Allotment in between Dug the next 1/4 of Bed 7 New Potatoes starting from the end again and picking up potatoes I missed.

 

• Watered the Green house and Grow House Plants
• Weeded Bed 1 
• Planted out Baby Beetroots in Bed 1
• Planted Peas in Bed 7 using two dog cage panels between dexion as trellis
• Filled more soft bricks and re -loaded trays with wet sand
• Harvested some more spring onions 
• Topped up the compost with items from home and the allotment

Saturday 12th July - Peppers and Spring Onions

A swift visit to water the plants in the Greenhouse and Grow house as I have a tree to cut back in the back garden today.

Basil and his crew have dug up all round the plot but mainly the woodchip path as it all over the flag stone path again  .

In the green house the Peppers are doing well and I can see little peppers forming. The spring onions are making headway, I have sown another two trays at home which are not showing yet.

 

The sweet corn are doing well - last visit I was worried because I could see the male tassels but not the female , but today there were about 3 - 4 corn showing both, so I gave the plant a little shake to help nature along.

 

OK I have 2 marrows and 2 courgette plants and I have no idea which is what as they were donated to me by my brother in law who didn't label them, so something is growing but I'm not quite sure what, or if to pick small at courgette size. 

 

 

Sprouts and Cabbages are growing well

 

 

 

The Comfrey is embarrassed by the naughty gnome and trying to cover him up