Weeding & Excavating SFG Bed 1

Today has been spent clearing around the Square Foot Garden Bed 1, removing weeds and excavating the Mels Mix such that the bottom of the original single depth beds was found. The four square flower buckets to the left are filled with the Mels, Mix I have removed. 

View from the main path back to the Square Foot Gardening Beds 

Just over half of the Mels Mix removed from the single height frame. Still some mares tails roots to be removed before the magic cardboard goes into the bottom of the bed. Why do I call it magic cardboard because all the no dig merchants think it holds the weeds at bay, and it doesn't. The Magic Cardboard that I put in the bottom of this bed is not more, there was not a trace of it left, there was however the odd bit of tape that I had not removed that was found at the Mel's Mix and natural soil interface.   

Hedge Trimmings & Potting Up Cucumbers

 

It was a short visit to the allotment this afternoon to do some watering and potting up of four varieties of cucumbers that have germinated this year.

The cucumbers had grown nicely in the self watering pop bottle propagators, but its time to move them on into vending machine cups with two drainage holes melted in the bottom. The Lazy Susan French beans were watered and I need to get the bed for those in the climbing frame greenhouse ready to receive the bean and the cucumbers. 

Emma did some weeding of the paths in between and around the raspberry bed and we had a black sack worth to bring home and go into the rubbish bin. 

Having just emptied the hedge cuttings from last year, we brought down the hedge cuttings that Emma created this morning. It saves her taking the bags to the dump and gives me material to go in the bottom of the next Square Foot Garden bed that needs to be extended higher. 

Raised SFG Bed 2

The plot visit today was all about trying to get more done with the filling of the first Square Foot Garden bed that I have extended the height off because of my mobility issues to make it easier for me to work and weed. The photo above is the state of play this morning before I added the wheel barrow load of branches from the plum tree. 

Branches of the plum tree added and then hedge trimmings from my daughters property that have been in a sack for a year, and were supposed to be for the Hügelkultur beds in the climbing frame that are not raised but will have to become raised if I'm going to be able to use them in the future. 

I rounded up all the bags of last years hedge trimmings and spread them over the branches and this brought me up to the level of the top of the first level of timbers that form the raised bed. 

Next was compost and coir from last years potatoes in buckets that didn't get re used this year as I have cut back on the amount of potatoes I've grown this year. This nicely capped the hedge clippings and brought the level up to where the Mels Mix I removed from the single height raised bed could be reintroduced.

So I started emptying the sacks I could grab and lift and emptied them into the raised bed.

And finally a plot neighbour helped me with the last three sacks that were too heavy for me to manage with my now arthritic hands and wrists and the bed was topped up nearly to the brim, I had judged the volume just about right. Yes the level of the bed will sink as the materials get rained on and consolidate and the lower levels rot down, but for the moment it's ideal. 

By the time I capped this bed off it was 2pm and thus time to go home and have some late lunch.

Next visit the blue hoops will be re installed and the netting will go over and some sowing can take place, then it's onto clearing the Asparagus Bed and Square Foot Garden Bed 1 and doing this all over again.  

SFG Bed 2 goes Hügelkultur

My sister came this morning to help me with my socks and medical boots, and it was off for the morning and little bit of the afternoon on the allotment. I watered what's growing in the potting shed and then attacked the plum tree that has never given me a fruit as its getting way too big. I'm going to use it to fill the bottom of my now extended raised Square Foot Gardening bed next to the potting shed.

Lazy Housewife French Climbing Beans doing well

Cucumbers doing well in the self watering pop bottle propagators

One of my new favorite tools the Bamse Mini Chainsaw came out to play and  I have to say it was £39.99 well spent, makes cutting the tree back really easy. 

View from the path between plot 2 & 3 the Plum tree has been trimmed from the front and back 

I cut up as much as I could in the sun and then took the wheel barrow to SFG Bed 2

View from the potting shed of Square Foot Garden Bed 2 before adding the contents of the wheel barrow. To save buying lots of compost or soil I'm layering the bottom of the bed with the branches from the plum tree that I'm reducing and possibly removing in my take on a Hügelkultur Square Foot Gardening Raised Bed.

Contents of the wheel barrow added

First bag of weathered bark from Wally added to the bed and watered in. Lots more tree to cut up and the promise of grass cutting from my sister in the next couple of days, the bed will slowly get filled. 

Potting Up and SFG Bed 1

The morning started with potting the Celery that came last evening up into vending machine cups

12 Celery to remain at home and the rest went to the allotment greenhouse to live.

A couple of hours spent on the allotment this afternoon as daughter Emma came to look after Jen. John on the plot gave me 3 external Cucumbers and I gave him one of my greenhouse cucumbers. So my focus moved to Square Foot Gardening Bed  1 with weeds.

John's 3 cucumber plants went in along the mesh at the back of the bed.

Using my template to mark where to plant the spring onions.

Watered in after planting

Covered up to stop Basil Brush

Grapevine doing really well and spreading and growing fast

Runner bean cleared of bind weed and many Runner Bean plants already showing.

There is some trouble with the watering system and I think it's the naff splitter that replaced the one I fixed last year. I need to test out a better splitter when Sandra is on the plot. 

10 Amish Walking Onions sown directly into vending machine cups this evening. 

Square Foot Planting Plan Updated

 

 

Here is the plan for the Square Foot Gardening Beds at the moment, now I need to start off some of the plants I want to grow in them that can't be sown direct or can be but I want to get a head start.

 1 Gherkin (2) + Radish (8)

 2 Gherkin (2) + Radish (8) or Possibly Spring Onions ?

 3 Cucumber (2) + Radish (8) - Cucumbers sow end April for early May 

 4 Cucumber (2) + Radish (8) or Possibly Spring Onions ?

 5 Aubergine (1) Black Beauty - Sown, Transplant May + Radish (12)

 6 Pepper (1) – Sweet Lunchbox + Radish (12) or Possibly Spring Onions ?

 7 Aubergine (1) – Long Purple - Sown, Transplant May + Radish (12)

 8 Pepper (1) - Summer Salad + Radish (12) or Possibly Spring Onions?

 9 Carrots (16) – Snowman F1 (White Carrots) - D.T.Brown

10 Chard (4) – Fordhook Giant

11 Carrots (16) – Rainbow Mix - Thompson & Morgan 

12 Chard (4) – Bright Lights

13 Lettuce (4) – Little Gem

14 Beetroot (16) - Beetroot Kornett - Mr Fothergill's

15 Lettuce (4) – Amaze - D.T.Brown 

16 Beetroot (16) – Moneta

More Work on the Square Foot Garden Beds

As Kelly was on Mum watch duties I managed to get on the Allotment from 8 - 10 am this morning working on getting the two Square Foot Gardening Beds completed. I say working on because I made great headway but there is still some items to do.

I got the second 100 Litre sack of Vermiculite that had been stored in the plot 1A greenhouse. I Purchased both sacks from Marshalls last year. As the first sack it had been double wrapped in paper sacks for protection it during delivery.

I opened and tipped out the contents in the bed that already had half a sack of both the Westland New Horizon All Plant Compost and Westland New Horizon BIO3 All Vegetable Peat Free Compost and a sack of Miracle Gro Peat Free Premium Fruit and Vegetable Compost and Clover Multi-Purpose Peat Based Compost. 

Vermiculite is incredibly light weight and I was a little worried when I first used it yesterday that the wind might take it, but it stayed there long enough to be mixed into the compost.

Square foot gardening bed has had the Coco Coir in there since last year when I hydrated the block, the cardboard had more or less rotted away so a new layer of cardboard was added yesterday together with a sack of Miracle Gro Peat Free Premium Fruit and Vegetable Compost and Clover Multi-Purpose Peat Based Compost. 

The volume in SFG Bed two is greater than SFG Bed 1 done yesterday, so I added two sacks of Equigrow Soil Conditioner on top of the mix I have used in Bed 1. It will be interesting to see any difference in performance between the two beds.

Two Sacks worth of Equigrow Soil Conditioner on top of the Mix.

Two Sacks worth of Equigrow Soil Conditioner on top of the mix raked out

Then worked into the mix using the Claw that was bought for me 24 years ago on my 40th Birthday by Auntie Dawn who must have known that one day I would need it! I didn't really garden in those days other than cutting grass and hedges. 

You can see that I've worked the Equigrow Soil Conditioner in on the left side, but have not yet done the right side in this photo.

The bed once the Equigrow Soil Conditioner was worked into the whole bed. The level is still down from the surrounding frame so it was time to add something else.

Happy Compost Enriched Top Soil. I only have the one bag so I divided it up and spread it on both of the Square Foot gardening Beds.

Second Square Foot Gardening Bed once the Happy Compost Enriched Top Soil had been sprinkled over the two Square Foot Gardening Beds, still not taking the fill to the top of the frame on the second bed which is deeper than the first

Time to add some Willy Wormcasts from D.T.Brown to the mix

Willy Wormcasts up close and personal

Bed once the Willy Wormcasts were sprinkled over the Happy Compost Enriched Top Soil

View of both the the Square Foot Gardening Beds

View of the second Square Foot Gardening Bed once the Willy Wormcasts and Happy Compost Enriched Top Soil had been worked into the top of the mix.

Both Square Foot gardening Beds after working in the Willy Wormcasts and the Happy Enriched Top Soil into both beds

Fox protection put back in place

I still need to sort out the vertical climbing frame to the back of the second bed and install the two water pipe hoops, then cut a length of debris netting big enough to cover and protect from the foxes.

Filling the Square Foot Garden Beds

Today on the allotment the Square Foot Gardening Beds started to get filled, I need the cardboard and the Vermiculite out of the greenhouses and these beds needed filling, and protecting from Basil Brush and his mates from coming and doing the Watusi in the beds again like they did with the bean trench bed and the Grapevine beds.

A selection of different composts have been added to both of the square foot gardening beds, Peat based, peat free compost., and Coco Coir

The second Square foot gardening bed has had the Coco Coir in there since last year when I hydrated the block, the cardboard had more or less rotted away so a new layer of cardboard was added. Miracle Gro Peat Free Premium Fruit and Vegetable Compost and Clover Multi-Purpose Peat Based Compost.

Half a sack of both the Westland New Horizon All Plant Compost and Westland New Horizon BIO3 All Vegetable Peat Free Compost was added to each bed I didn't get to add the Happy Compost Enriched Top Soil or the Willy Worm Castings, I will add these after the beds have been rained on and compacted a little.

I didn't have room to add the Wickes Peat Free Multi-Purpose Compost so again I will wait and see how much compaction takes place and then spread it over and work it into the mix. Or use it for my potatoes.

I was not expecting the 100 Litre plastic sack of Vermiculite that I bought from Marshalls last year to be double wrapped in paper sacks, I thought the paper sacks were it and have been worried about the sacks lasting or splitting unnecessarily. 

I emptied the Vermiculite and then started to mix it in with the different composts, and mixing everything together.

I used the plastic shovel, rake, fork and finally the claw to mix up the Mels Mix and I ended up with a nice level fill to the top of the timbers making the beds.

Coco Coir hydrated yesterday was added and mixed in with the claw and shovel

Once mixed and level with the top of the beds framework I added the finishing touches the vertical mesh and blue water pipes added so I can add debris netting to keep Basil Brush and his mates out of my nice new Square Foot Gardening Bed.

I ran out of time to finish off the second Square Foot gardening bed by adding the Vermiculite and mixing everything up, but I've used the portable protection hoops and mesh to keep Basil and his mates off it.