More Infrastructure Works

My Daughter Kelly is at home again this morning and the weather forecast is dry so up early, breakfast and on the plot by 7:30am but only three hours until to 10:30am this morning, as I need to get home to care for the wife, and five and a half hours yesterday was enough for my feet and body, so I'm not pushing it today! 

The nearest acidic composting Dalek from last year was lifted and the compost exposed to the world since last year when the two Daleks were continuously topped up with alternating layers of apples and shredded paper.  

At the moment I have one Dalek full to the brim with this years apples and shredded paper, and I had four 10Litre buckets worth of apples that I brought down yesterday that I had nowhere to start composting. Those are now in the second Dalek from the right and the end Dalek has a layer of woodchips and last years Acidic compost in the base to hold in place against any high winds and is ready for the remainder of the compost from last year in the remaining Dalek in the middle of the overgrown area. 

The area for the relocated bin was dug and weeded and produced a trug load of couch grass, nettle and Mears Tail roots, it does not look a big area but it took time to clear, only to be covered over with weed membrane and a thick layer of woodchip, which will hopefully keep the weeds at bay, or at least make it easier to keep on top of them once all the infrastructure is in place and I'm just in allotment maintenance mode.  

I placed a spare board along the path where the next bed frame is due to go and levelled up the wood chip path.

I didn't have time to deal with the invading bindweed on plot 1A today, but I did give it a blast of weed killer before leaving the plot. I don't like having to use weed killer but sometimes you need a little helping hand to get on top of fast invading weeds on the plot.

All of the hosepipe ends that I had last year apart from one didn't survive the winter even though they were taken off the hose pipes and stored away. Due to Covid-19 I never got to the £1 shop to stock up again, so I took my watering wand with the on/off switch and watered the Thompson & Morgan Winter Squash whilst on site this morning moving the end around from plant to plant, and gave them a good drenching. 

At the moment it's all leaf and flowers, they are in there and bees have been in and out of them so I'm hoping for pollination and some baby squash but I have not spied anything growing just yet. James Sean Cameron is also growing these this year and has only just notices a very small squash so looks like I'm not too far behind him. 

Up on plot 1A the Waltham Butternut squash are making their way out of the bed, they always seem to want to get out to the path between my plot and plot 2. I have turned the ones on the main path back into the bed but the others exploring and invading the beds either side are welcome to roam as I don't have anything planted because of my wife shielding for Covid-19.

Don't worry little Dalek I will get you over and all lined up with your mates as soon as I can! 

Harvested two buckets worth of new potatoes that were grown in the back garden tonight, and the compost will be taken to the plot next visit to be dumped as conditioner on one of the new beds prior to sowing green manure.