Bed 16A Decanting Humus III

 

A sunny day today and around 8C so an early lunch and a long afternoon on the allotment continuing with decanting the soil and back filling with woodchips from Bed 16A Raised bed on "Avalon" the name for my two half plots 1 and 1A at Mill Green allotment.

I could now get in the raised bed frame and start to decant the humus material

It was nice to see many more plot holders visiting today, during the wet weather it's only been the die-hards that visit all year round.

One knows which plot holder are likely to get a no-cult notice this year already, and funnily enough its the ones that did last year. That's not my problem I shall leave the no-cults to Jane, I'm only the site rep and not a policeman for the council.

A couple of 30 litre pots filled later I had a trench excavated and placed a decking board as a shutter to the trench and back filled it with woodchips and then capped it off with decking boards. 

A couple of 30 litre pots filled later I had a trench excavated and placed a decking board as a shutter to the trench and back filled it with woodchips and then capped it off with decking boards

Decking board shutter placed to hold back the woodchips from entering the lower area to be excavated next.

First barrow load of woodchip dumped levelled and compacted using a 115kg of me via my feet

Second barrowload of woodchips levelled and tamped with the rake and then again compacted by walking all over the area.

I started to decant the remaining humus, but I was quite frankly knackered, I had been taking small breaks to hydrate and catch my breath but with the time getting on, yes I finally remembered the battery for the clock on the shed, I decided enough was enough for the day. 

Rain and sleet forecast for tomorrow, so it's debateable if I wlll be able to continue tomorrow so I recovered the bed to keep the rain out until I have decanted the rest of the humus and back filled the whole of raised bed back to surrounding ground level.

Bed 16A Decanting Humus Continues

9C today, my phones battery was really low this morning so I put it on charge and went to the allotment in the afternoon for a couple of hours. Work continued on bed 16A decanting the humus material enough that I could fill a trench with woodchips and then place some old timber decking cut to fit, such that I can now step into the footprint of the raised bed and continue to decant and weed the humus into 30L Pots with handles.

Bed 16A after excavating a trench to a spade depth and back filling with woodchips, then adding some old decking boards cut to the width of the raised bed. 

Covering up Bed 16A as the rain started to fall just before coming home, board laid to support the garden Tray 

Garden tray over the bed and some weight to prevent the wind from moving the tray

I ripped up enough old decking material to 800mm long to line the bottom of the whole bed, once all the humus has been decanted.

Bed 16A Decanting Humus

9C this morning with rain forecast in the afternoon so a couple of hours on the allotment this morning starting to decant the humus material on bed 16A into the 30 litre potato pots with handles, that I emptied yesterday.

The timber scaffold boards and tray that has been keeping the soil dry in the bed were removed.

Bindweed and mares tail roots were removed from each shovel load decanted into the 30Litre pots with handles.

90 Litres of humus weeded and decanted into the pots with handles before rain stopped play.

Polka (late) Raspberry Bed

11C today and overcast with some light rain, but dry enough for a couple of hours on the allotment this afternoon.

I worked on the Polka (late) Raspberry bed, giving it a dusting of coffee grounds and 1500 litres of year old rotted woodchip mulch that has been standing in 30 litre pots with handles. This will free up the pots to hold the decanted soil from bed 16A raise bed base which is what I'm working towards getting on with as the dryer weather arrives.

Lots of bird song today and the Merlin Bird ID app let me know what was around me and chirping away

All Gold Raspberries Continued

A visit to St Georges Hospital to give a shed load of blood for the Haematologist and the Rheumatologist this morning and a couple of hours on the cold but dry allotment this afternoon.

Photo above All Gold Raspberry Beds from the man path by the dip tank and tap

All Gold Raspberry Beds all fertilised with coffee grounds and the woodchip mulch topped up.

The muddy main path covered with woodchip at the corner opposite the entrance to plot 1

All Gold Raspberry bed from the entrance to plot 1

Polka Late Raspberry bed

Rhubarb Livingstone

Climbing Frame Greenhouse Beds in need of weeding and a mulch. 

Climbing Frame Greenhouse Beds in need of weeding and a mulch.

All Gold Raspberry Beds

 

With rain nearly every day since the Christmas Holidays, I managed to get a morning on the allotment today. I cut up all the Winter raspberry canes that I had cut back from the All Gold boundary beds and the Polka and Autumn Treasure (late) Beds.

View of the front of plot 1 from the main path taken from the entrance to plot 1

The boundary beds have been given a sprinkle of coffee grounds and I started to top up the woodchip mulch to the beds.

A coffee and a chat with Wally and only one other plot holder was on the allotment this morning. It started to rain around 1:30 so it was time to go home for a late lunch.

View of plot 1 from the main path by the water tank and tap

Half of the boundary beds fertilised with coffee grounds and woodchip mulch to the top of the scaffold boards forming the beds. Three 30L potato pots with handles filled with cut up raspberry canes.

The "Daytime" Rule

 

If you see a hedgehog walking across your lawn in February sunlight, do not smile. Do not take a photo. Pick it up immediately. In the visual language of nature, a nocturnal animal exposing itself to daylight and predators is not a greeting. It is a biological SOS.

The Myth: A common misconception is that hedgehogs seen in the day are simply "sunbathing" or "waking up early" to forage. We project our own desire for spring onto them. The Scientific Reality: The European Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) is strictly nocturnal. Its circadian rhythm is hardwired to avoid diurnal predators (badgers, foxes, and historically, humans). When a hedgehog breaks this cardinal rule, it indicates that homeostasis has failed.

The Override: The drive to stay hidden is so strong that only extreme physiological distress—such as the final stages of starvation, hypothermia, or systemic infection (often lungworm, Crenosoma striatum)—can override it.

The "Wobble": If the hedgehog appears to be "drunk" or wobbling, it is likely suffering from Hypoglycaemia (critically low blood sugar) and dehydration. It is looking for heat, not just food.

Seasonal Context: The Failed Hibernation Right now, in mid-February, this is a critical emergency. Biologically, hedgehogs should be in Torpor (hibernation). In this state, their heart rate drops from 190bpm to 20bpm, and their body temperature lowers to match the environment (down to 4°C) to conserve energy. If you see one now:

Arousal Failure: It may have woken up (arousal) due to a disturbance or a mild spell, but found its Brown Adipose Tissue (brown fat reserves) depleted.

The Energy Trap: Waking up costs immense energy. If it cannot find food immediately (and invertebrates are scarce in Feb), it begins to digest its own muscle mass. It is out in the day because it is desperate, blind with hunger, and freezing.

Why This Matters Ecologically Hedgehog populations in the UK are in freefall (down 30–75% in rural areas since 2000). A hedgehog seen in February is usually an adult or a "late autumn juvenile" that failed to reach the critical hibernation weight (450g) in December. If this individual dies, we lose a breeding adult just weeks before the reproductive season begins. Saving one "daytime walker" in February can protect an entire lineage of hoglets in June.

Your Action Do not "wait and see."

The Glove: Pick it up using gardening gloves (to avoid ringworm transmission).

The Box: Place it in a high-sided box (they can climb) lined with a towel.

The Heat Source: This is non-negotiable. Fill a hot water bottle (wrap it in a towel so it doesn't burn the skin) and place it in the box. The animal is likely hypothermic; it cannot generate its own heat.

No Food Yet: Do not force-feed. A cold hedgehog cannot digest food; eating while hypothermic can cause fatal ileus (gut stasis). Warmth first.

The Call: Contact the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) or a local rescue immediately.

The Verdict A hedgehog in the daylight is a ghost. It has abandoned millions of years of evolutionary instinct because it is dying. Don't wave at it. Save it.

Scientific references & evidence

British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS). Found a Hedgehog? (The definitive protocol: "Out during the day is always a bad sign").

Reeve, N. (1994). Hedgehogs. (Standard text on circadian rhythms and nocturnal adaptations).

Rasmussen, S. L. et al. (2019). The ecology of the European hedgehog. (Data on hibernation weight thresholds and winter mortality).

Morris, P. A. (2018). The Hedgehog. (Explaining the physiology of torpor and arousal costs).

Harvesting Snowmen Carrots

I've been keeping an eye on the weather as I really need to get the raised beds constructed and get the allotment ready for the growing season, but as I mentioned earlier, hospital visits and rain has been preventing me. 

The timber gates that were supposed to be fixed and still binding and I rang idverde to inform them that they had not fixed the problem. 

The allotment was just far to wet to do any digging at all so I decided to harvest the Snowman carrots from The Square Foot Garden Bed 2 

The lettuce has not survived the sub zero temperatures 

Snowman carrots from The Square Foot Garden Bed 2. My stamina on the allotment is not as good since I have reduced the steroids from 7.5mg a day to 5mg and I got somewhat puffed out just walking to Wallys shed to have a coffee and biscuit with him and John who I have not seen for nearly three weeks. 

I do enjoy those last of the summer wine moments.  

Snowman carrots washed minus 3 of the largest ones that I took round to daughter Emma and Digby to try. 

Planning and Reviewing February in Previous Years

 Reviewing the diary over the last Thirteen years for February

2013 - Infrastructure works, drying weeds for burning, burning weeds, Rain start of the month, dry towards the end, delivery of woodchip to plot, built a coldframe  
 

2014 - Infrastructure works, transplanting bluebells and daffs in comfrey bed, bought and planted fruit trees, Constructed Greenhouse Sub Frame, Seeds from Lidl I could not resist at 29p a pack or 5 for a £1   

2015 -  Allotment Winter Tidy Up, Spent tomato compost & coir dressing added to beds, Sprouts, Cabbage, Chitting Potatoes, Timber base for the greenhouse created, Onions from Seeds   

2016 - Infrastructure works, kerb stones off freecycle, Base for the shed on Spencer Road. Erecting the Shed, Trimming shaggy weed membrane, gathering compost paper & Coffee Grounds.

2017 - Infrastructure works, Laying concrete slabs at Spencer Road in the Greenhouse area , Portable Grow Station created and Sprouts sown, Grow Station 2 created, Chitting potatoes in Grow Station 2,  

2018 - Infrastructure works, Laying concrete slabs on Plot 1A, Installing the bed edging that had been brought from Spencer Road Allotment, Warming Up Beds with solar tunnels and obtaining Timber Roof Joists from the building site next door.

2019 - Infrastructure works, Frost and a couple or raining Allotment days this year. Andy brought leaves from home for my leaf pile. Burning rotted timber and dry vegetation. Painting timber joists on the plot. Attacking the Hawthorne along the wall. Purchased potatoes from Wilko and set up chitting potatoes in Space saver Greenhouse. Attended the Garden Press Event and came home with lots of  packs of seeds and other goodies.

2020 - Infrastructure works, picked up a stack of free slabs off Freecycle, Showed vacant plots and they took plot 4. Cleaned the Space Saver Greenhouse ready for the season and for chitting spuds in. The contractor converting the industrial unit to residential behind Plot 1 & 1A decided in the infinite wisdom to remove the trees that were holding the unstable wall in place and destabilise the wall directly behind my shed on plot 1A. They cut and dropped the branches directly on my shed! Not happy and informed them and the council.       

Showing Chris the vacant plots available, he decided to take on plot 14. Storm Ciara blows many polytunnels off the plots and destroys them and light weight greenhouses on plots. Mentioned In Despatches by Waltons, National Nestbox Week 

Lots of Rain during the early part of the month Storm Dennis with many photographs of flooded allotment plots, especially in Wales and then suddenly at the end of the month, dry weather bluebells and daffs showing and Fools Spring has arrived. Won Mr Fothergills Facebook competition of Swing F1 Cucumber seeds

Picked up another free Dalek to add to Dalek Army II. Attended the Garden Press Event and came home with not so many packs of seeds but lots of other goodies, and promises of equipment to trial. The Covid -19 Virus starts sweeping around the globe, and people start to think twice about shaking hands at the Event. Still cataloguing what's in my Seed Box, need to get this done a lot earlier next year, if not by the end of 2020 

2021 - Making Warm Mushroon Trays. Chitting Potatoes, covered in the Norfolk Space Saver Greenhouse . The beast from the East II and snow. The Paved path was installed and so were the scaffold tubes to the first 3 Raspberry beds. The first SFG bed frame was installed in February 2021.

2022 - Sowing Grow With Me tomatoes, Sowing Brassicas and planting seedless grape vines against the wall. Storm Dudley came and went and then Storm Eunice removed greenhouse panels and took items on a journey around the allotment site. Laying slabs around the Plot 1 greenhouse. Grow With Me 2022 with Joe Mills Basil. Spuds in the Space Saver Greenhouse chitting. Making a new store on plot 1A at the location of the old potting table and adding the bench with roof to the new potting table behind the greenhouse on plot 1. 

2023 - .Loft extension for the plot 1 greenhouse completed and erected. Lots of time spent on the plot as I didn't want to be in the house without my wife her funeral was on the 20th February. New Spear & Jackson spade and fork set and broke the handle to my fork. Mulching the asparagus bed. Cleaning out the space saver Greenhouse in readiness for the potting shed arrival on the plot. Installing the potting sheds base. Garden Press Event attended. Review of Sophie McKays book. The boundary beds with the main path was started in February and completed at the end of the month. Well rotted woodchip was placed in the bottom of the new beds and the rotary sieve was use on my allotment made compost to complete filling the beds. 

2024 - As a result of my ongoing ulcerated leg problems, and having to learn to walk unaided, I only visited the plot a couple of times in February, I was hoping I will be able to get down to the plot a little more often with the assistance of family and friends but some of the February sowings happen in the Space Saver greenhouse at home.

My objective was to get healed enough that I can drive and get myself to the allotment in March so most of February was spent sorting out my seed boxes and what new seeds had been sent to me to trial.  

2025 - Raised beds 15 and 15a completed. Excavating and filling raised bed 16. Clearing the All Gold Raspberries from the boundary beds on the main path. Bedding in the Daleks on plot 1A that will hold the shredded paper (browns). Working on converting the Gardening Guidance into a Gardening Rulebook 

To Do List for 2026  

The plan for February 2026 weather permitting is to get as much of the new raised beds infrastructure on Plot 1 in place as possible and get both plots and greenhouses ready for the spring growing season 

Mill Green - Plot 1

• Greenhouse 1 - Currently being used to house all the cardboard to be used in the new raised beds  
• Infrastructure - Convert standard 2.4m x 1.2m beds to 2 number 1.2 x 0.9m Raised beds with a path between.
• Potting Shed - Finish tidying up the potting shed ready for Spring 2025 

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
• Main Crop Potatoes  - Harvest the last 3 buckets as required
• Onions - Overwintering Onions and Shallots in weed bed as necessary. 
• Leaf Cages - Move contents of secondary cage to primary cage 
• Apple Trees - Prune & Stabilise
• Grape Vines - Prune  

February

February           Apple - plant trees

February           Apple - prune trees

February           Pear - plant trees

February           Pear - prune trees

                          Infrastructure Work

Week 1              Parsnip – Germinate in Take-a-way containers 

Week 1              Welsh Onions (D.T.Brown) - sow under glass / indoors (14 – 28 days)

Week 1              Shallot Simiane (Dobies) - sow under glass / indoors (14 – 28 days)

Week 1              Cauliflower (early summer) - sow seed indoors

Week 2              Brussels Sprouts - sow seed of early varieties

Week 2              Broccoli (sprouting) early varieties - begin harvest

Week 2              Aubergine  – sow in modules

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

Week 3              Radish – Sow fortnightly

Week 3              Lettuce (Winter) – Sow fortnightly

Week 3              Potatoes- chit / sprout seed potatoes

Week 3              Cauliflower (summer) - prepare ground

Week 3              Cauliflower (autumn) - prepare ground

Week 4              Broccoli (sprouting) late varieties - begin harvest

Week 4              Celery - sow seeds indoors

Week 4              Sweet pepper - sow seeds

Week 4              Carrot Water Butt – Core out sand & Compost ready for sowing seeds