Watching The Weather & Housekeeping

 

It's all change in the forecast for the next couple of weeks, It was originally supposed to be raining today, however that didn't happen. There was a heavy dew on the car this morning, but looking at the over night lows we are going up again and the lowest of 6C so it looks like I have a couple of weeks of still harvesting tomatoes as they ripen.  

I brought home the Containerwise Shallow 40L Long Life Propagation Tray (40 Cell)  that I grew the lettuce in to wash and clean ready for re-use. I've had that particular Propagation tray since June 2019, it has served me well and it's still as good as the day I bought it. 

I find that hot water & a little washing up liquid and a tooth brush is the best way to get them really clean and ready for re-use. Yes it takes a few goes as after each wash & rinse as they dry you see the areas you missed and that need further cleaning, but its a good feeling when they are nice and pristine once more. It's so much easier cleaning these at home rather than on the plot.

Tomato Harvest & Trim and Excavation

This afternoon on the plot as there is a 4C overnight temperature due on Thursday morning and a possibility of a hard frost event with rain Due Wednesday & Thursday so no allotment visits. I started off by harvest the ripening tomatoes, some trusses of tomatoes with a mixture of ripe and green tomatoes were taken into the potting shed and placed in front of the windows to ripen off.

State of tomato plants after harvesting semi ripe tomatoes as a 4C is forecast for the morning of Thursday and thus possible frost event

As can be seen there are still many green tomatoes on the plants which I have trimmed and thinned out so that more daylight can get to the tomatoes and ripen them off.

I also dug and weeded the mound in front of the last raised bed constructed, and looking at the reduction of the level in that bed that still has tomatoes in it, that will possibly be used to top the raised bed and the other tomato raised bed up once the plants are removed. I need to de-band the remaining 1.2m scaffold boards and construct the next raised beds, but I also need to remove the mound and excavate the footprint and back fill with logs, branches and woodchip back to ground level.

I emptied containers and excavated another 90 Litres from the bed next to the Hotbin that will eventually be used to fill the next raised bed. I stopped excavating here as I soon realised, I didn't still have enough containers to hold all the material. I will source some of the saved sacks and fill those with risings from the excavation.

Beautiful the Robin was around me again today as I was the only person digging their plot. One plot holder was having a family BBQ on their plot and other than that I was the only other plot holder on the site.

Larry and Mo came onto the allotment and It gave me an incite to how effective or not the Fox Repellers were. The foxes didn't like them and basically used the network of paths on my allotment to navigate around them. So purchasing the additional two units will mean that I can set up a unit covering the main 4 entrances onto my plot and hopefully discourage them from actually entering the allotment. 

What's Today Have In Store?

Looking at the forecast for today, and the rest of the week, It looks like I need to harvest as many tomatoes today as there could be frost over night on the 29th. Friday looks to be a good day, but I have a hospital appointment so an allotment visit may not be possible. 

Think about that for a while 

Slow Progress

 

This afternoons earlier allotment visit at 2pm as its the new 3pm and it's going to start getting dark at 4pm rather than 5pm, started with finding the bed next to the hot bin had been got at by the foxes overnight, there were paw prints and evidence of digging. They do like to dig in a freshly cleared plot of ground. This was upstream of the Fox Ultrasonic Deterrent device I installed on Sunday, so it looks like I may need another couple to cover the other access points from the path between plot 1&1A and 2&2A.

120 litres of humus soil removed and decanted into 2 no 30 litre square flower buckets and 2 x 30 litre pots with handles

I need to find more buckets and containers to decant the humus into. The missing paving slab was rescued and re purposed for the foundation to the potting shed in 2023. I now have 450x450mm paving slabs and can remove the woodchip and install a paving slab in that path again.

Better view of the excavated soil. It's difficult for me doing the digging and takes me more time, and exhaust me faster than in 2023 before I became ill, but in terms of 2024, I would not be able to do this at all. I could not even get into my potting shed as the threshold was too high for me to step into and out of, and I had to relay the paving slabs in front and add a roof joist on flat as a step. 

View up towards plot 1A. I need to work my way back down the path and level off the three paving slabs from the green tug as they slope to the right and are not a smooth transition from plot 1 to plot 1A which has always been higher in level.

View up towards plot 1A last load of woodchip laid for the day. More needed for the path from the leaf bin up to the Dalek at the end of the path which will ultimately go in the excavated bed. As can be see the slab(s) to the bottom of the photo need lifting and packing for stability and a smooth transition from plot 1 to plot 1A 

View down the allotment towards plot 1. Slow progress, but progress non the less!

Sunday Morning On The Plot

 
Todays Visit started with a look at the pebble pool, which told the story of just how much rain we have had recently.

As usual I forgot to take a photo before I started to clear this bed of weeds, so this photo is taken after the first area of weeds have been pulled up.  

View of path from Plot 1A down to the entrance on plot 1

Beautiful the Robin came to the bed more or less straight away and was searching the bed for food as I was digging and turning it over. 

Beautiful the Robin followed me to the plot 1 shed where I sat for a rest and a drink 

Beautiful got bored waiting for me to get my strength back and decided he would check out the floor of the potting shed. He has flown in there a few times and usually checks out the potting benches, and he has done it with me in the shed. I now need to make sure he is not in there before I lock it up.

Two 30L pots with handles of weeds and roots from the bed later, and the bed is looking much clearer, the timber frame has more or less rotted away. Next Visit to excavate and decant the humus into 30L Pots with handles and take down where the next raised bed is to be built. 

I will then line the excavation with magic cardboard, install a Dalek and backfill with woodchips. I will also be sorting out the paving slabs into a better path configuration and filling in around them with woodchip to tidy the path up.

I scraped the moss off a paving slab, I will brush it off next visit, woodchip needs to be laid under and around these paving slabs.  

Looking Good For Tomorrow

A quick look to see if I may be able to squeeze in a few hours on the allotment tomorrow and with the clocks going back tonight it just may be possible. I need to install the Dalek behind the plum tree, by digging out the roots of the bindweed and nettles, laying magic cardboard and backfilling around the Dalek with woodchips. I may also harvest any tomatoes that have managed to ripen since my last harvest.  

Coffee Grounds

My sister likes her cup of coffee in the morning before starting work and picks me up a regular supply of used coffee grounds from a well known, tax evading company in the UK. 

Used coffee grounds are beneficial for an allotment as they can be composted to enrich the soil with nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus , and potassium, or applied directly in thin layers to repel pests like slugs and snails. When adding them to the soil, it's best to mix them in to avoid creating a mat that blocks water absorption and to do it sparingly around young plants. Composting is the best method for long-term soil improvement and a more immediate nutrient release. 

Benefits for your allotment

• Soil enrichment: Coffee grounds contain nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and other trace minerals that nourish plants. Composting them with "browns" like dried leaves improves the soil's structure over time.
• Pest deterrent: The gritty texture of coffee grounds is an effective way to deter slugs and snails from reaching plants. Sprinkling a ring around sensitive plants can stop them from attacking.
• Attracts earthworms: Earthworms love coffee grounds, which helps aerate the soil and improve its overall condition.
• Improves soil health: Coffee grounds can help suppress certain fungal rots and wilts, and their addition can boost water retention in the soil. 

How to use coffee grounds

• Compost them: The safest and most effective method is to add used coffee grounds to your compost bin. They are considered "green" matter due to their nitrogen content, so be sure to balance them with plenty of "browns".
• Apply directly (with caution):
  • Sprinkle a thin layer over the soil and lightly rake or dig them in.
  • Avoid applying thickly, as they can form a mat that prevents water from reaching the soil.
  • Do not use them as a thick mulch or apply directly around very young seedlings, as they can inhibit growth.
• Create a pest barrier: Sprinkle a ring of grounds around the base of plants to keep slugs and snails away. 

Tomatoes, Egg Shells & Coffee Grounds

 

A visit to the allotment this morning to harvest another plastic box load of tomatoes and trim the plants back and expose more green tomatoes to the sun. To sprinkle crushed egg shells around the lettuces in SFG Bed 1 and also give a dressing of ground coffee.

Beautiful the Robin came and hopped around my feet whilst I was on the plot & I discovered a mushroom in the raised bed

Lettuce and Japanese Onions looking healthy after transplanting and a couple of days of rain

SFG Bed 1 pre sprinkling crushed egg shells and coffee grounds

SFG Bed 1 post sprinkling crushed egg shells and coffee grounds

I spy a Fun Guy in the corner of the raised bed

Well that was not there the last time I visited.

I also placed the solar Fox Repellers either end of the main path of the allotment 

Egg Shells Processed

 

Egg shells are a fantastic source of calcium for your soil in addition to being beneficial to the worms digestive system and sex life, and reproductive process. They also help prevent high acid conditions that can harm your worms in your composting bins. 

However we need to undertake a little work to the egg shells before adding to our compost bins. I collect the egg shells until I have enough, I normally wash them out just after the have been used or place in a bowl of boiling water. Then I let them air dry and then finally I nuke them in the microwave a few times in 2 - 3 minute bursts to sterilise them as they can carry salmonella bacteria in and on them.

The alternative to using the microwave is to Preheat your oven to 400°F and bake your eggshells on a baking tray for 10 minutes. In addition to killing bacteria, this will also make the shells more brittle and easier to crush into small pieces.

Once they have been heated up and are totally dry, its time to add them to my mortar and pestle and grind them up and turn them into a powder as egg shells if just added to your compost bin they would take a very long time to decompose, and I want the egg shell grit to aid my worms. 

Crushed egg shells is what stone restoration companies used to grit blast old buildings, so be cautious about using a blender as it will scratch the blender jugs up.

Once I've ground up the egg shells enough I add to a take-a-way container and once full enough I take the crushed egg shells down to the allotment to add to my compost bins. 

If you can't be bothered to process your own egg shells you can always buy them pre processed. Below is the results of a google search. Crushed egg shells can also be used as a barrier to slugs. 

These egg shells are destined to be sprinkled around the lettuces and Japanese onions that were transplanted earlier this week to try and discourage slugs and snails from munching on my seedlings. 

Solar Ultrasonic Repeller

I've bought Larry Mo and Curley the allotment foxes a couple of little gifts off ebay that will be installed at either end of my plots. 

Solar Ultrasonic Garden Deterrent Repeller Animal Bird Cat Scarer Pest Fox Dog

High quality and 100% Brand New

Handy ground spike makes it easy to place product anywhere in your garden.

Device only activates when motion sensor is triggered, making the most of its power supply.

Solar power means this product requires no cords or cables - simply put in place, and wait for it to charge.

Solar Animal Repeller, Waterproof Solar PIR Sensor Pest Repeller, Ultrasonic Electronic Pest Animal Repeller,

Bird Repellent, Rodent Repellent, Dog Repellent, Mice Repellent. You'll start to see a difference within a week, and within a few weeks even your most stubborn visitors will be deterred.

Specifications

Range: 5-8 Meters
Material: ABS plastic
Waterproof grade: IPX4
Sensor angel: 110 degree
Size: 39*14cm/15.3*5.5IN
Ultrasonic Frequency: 25 - 65Khz
Coverage Area: 30 feet @ 110° = 2,425 square feet
Battery voltage: 6.6V
Power: 5W
Rated voltage 4.4-6.6V
Power supply: Solar panel and 3 x AA batteries

I bought a pack of two on offer for £8.75 including vat from ebay and they arrived today, and I have had them out in the sunlight on charge all afternoon. The average price range is between £8.55 to £9.99 with free delivery for one.

I will have to see if they actually prevent Larry Mo and Curley, and the cats at all. 

 

How Mash Potato Is Made

 

Weather Watching

Looking at the forecast locally I have home and the allotment set up, links on the left margin if viewing this blog on a PC. There looks like a possibility of Frost Saturday / Sunday from experience if the forecast is down to 3C - 4C a frost is always possible. 

The good news looking at the forecast today is that Friday is now showing no rain, so at the moment that's my window of opportunity to go and gather another load of tomatoes from the allotment this week  

Rain Stops Play

A quick look at the weather for the next week, and it's not looking good at all. The rain came a little later today than anticipated and the night time temperatures are diving and there is a forecast for -2C across most of Britain around the 27th October, So I will need to get down and harvest as many tomatoes as possible Thursday or Friday in between the showers.

My What's In My Seed Bank audit for 2026 is now complete and I will be looking at the seed catalogues during the week and making a list of what I would like to get and from where for next year. It's a perfect job for when rain stops play, and for the darker Autumn & Winter nights.

I shall also be reverting to sorting out my broom cupboard office and the paperwork, from working for myself whilst looking after my wife who had Lupus, before her passing in 2023.    

SFG Bed 2 - Planting Seedlings

Afternoon on the allotment, transplanting Vailan Winter Gem lettuce seedlings and Senshyu Yellow Globe Japanese Onions grown from seed into Square Foot Garden Bed 2 next to the potting shed.

Foxes Larry & Mo came and tried to jump on the bed just after I had planted up and before scattering the crushed egg shells, and before I got the debris netting back on, and I had to chase them off. Four times they came back to see what I was doing, they have no fear of humans at all.

There are three rows of Japanese Onions in the right of this bed but they are not visible because of the green debris netting. The white stuff is crushed egg shells to put off the slugs and snails. With the water turned off mid last week, watering was via a watering can and water from the water butts on the greenhouse from plot 1

The Vailan Winter Gem lettuces transplanted on the 10th October are doing well only one nobbled by critters so far. I have some more egg shells at home and need to bring them to the allotment and sprinkle around the lettuces.  

Another Orange & Red tomato harvest, quite a lot of the tomatoes are splitting now, but still a lot of green tomatoes to ripen up yet, hopefully we dont get the -2 forecast for around the 27th of the month and I will get another couple of plastic baskets full to distribute to family and friends.

In My Seed Box For 2026 - Tomatoes

At least one of each of these varieties will be grown on the allotment in 2026.

I will be growing a Crimson Crush F1 and a F3 and comparing the fruits. The Big Mother Fucker and Tennis Ball seeds that I saved from a neighbours harvest in 2025 will be grown. He didn't know what variety they were so that's why they have the names they have.   

In My Seed Box For 2026 - Index