Beds In The Climbing Frame Greenhouse

Filling a trench and then digging another to fill up with hedge cuttings to make a raised bed in the climbing frame greenhouse as the luffa seedlings are growing at quite a pace and it will not be long until they need to go out and start climbing the frame.

Pebble Pool In Action

Spuds In Buckets & Solar Power Water Pump

A full day 9am - 5:30pm on the allotment taking the PowerPlanter auger to the compost in the second Dalek to give the ants time to evacuate the remains of the first Dalek.

Two Buckets of 4 spuds/bucket of the Charlottes added

One Bucket of 4 spuds/buckets of the Swift added

Four Buckets of 6 spuds/large round buckets of the Maris Peer's

With space in the potting shed, a tidy up and water top up of the self watering pop bottle propagators.

Bed 9 got a dressing of soil improver from last years compost and coir that was used to grow potatoes last year.

Solar water pump set up in the Pebble Pool. 

I installed the solar water pump in the pebble pool today as the risk if frost is over.

Swift First Early Spud in Buckets

Nice warm and sunny morning on the allotment planting 8 number 30 litre Square Flower Buckets worth of Swift first early potatoes 4 in each bucket at two levels in diagonally opposite corners.

8 number 30 litre Square Flower Buckets worth of Swift first early potatoes

So happy to see that the Sweetpeas along the greenhouse climbing frame have germinated and are showing.

Potatoes In Buckets

Today on the plot was all about emptying one of the Daleks for compost to add to coir, Gro-more, Biochar, Potato Fertiliser and Coffee Grounds and plant my Charlotte seed potatoes into square flower buckets.

I used up the 80 litres of Coir that I had already hydrated.

Un-composted material went into the nearby active compost bin which was watered and a layer of Comfrey was harvested cut up and added to the Dalek, along with coffee grounds and some diluted liquid gold.

More coir has been hydrated and more compost from the Dalek is ready on the plot 1 shed patio ready to get a tray load of swift potatoes into flower and potato buckets tomorrow.

Blow-a-way shelving mesh used to stop the foxes and cats from digging in the buckets

Sorting Out Netting Hoops

The forecast was for rain this afternoon so 3.5 hours on the allotment this morning sorting out the netting that was leaning over the path.

To be honest my daughter did the best she could, and didn't use the longitudinal binder that I had pre drilled with fixing holes for the cable ties.

I marked up and drilled holes in 3 number longitudinal binders.

Uncovered two onion beds and sorted out the leaning and binders, then re-covered with debris netting

I also cut a number of shallow hoops for beds with low vegetables in.

I weeded 3/4 of Square foot Garden Bed 1 then before I knew it with the dark clouds rolling over, it was time to make a move home for lunch.

Planning and Reviewing May in Previous Years

Reviewing the diary over the last Ten years for May

2013 - Spring was the coldest for 50 years, I had the first six beds and the comfrey bed in place.Beds 5 & 6 were Sprouts and Cabbages, as expected lots of sowing and potting on happened.

2014 - Frost warnings and seedlings grown in the grow house inside the green house on Mill Green.Potato Halums were a little frost damaged, Slabs at home laid for the Space Saver Greenhouse, Erected the Space Saver Greenhouse at home and the Double grow House at Mill Green.

2015 - Potatoes in Buckets, transplanting Tomato plants, High Winds and damage on the plots, Cherry Trees have Cherries on them, Planting out Spring Onions, Harvesting Over wintered spring onions, Planting Cabbages and Cauliflowers and the Crimson Crush plants arrive, three more bed frames made.

2016 - Spencer Road - Second sowing of sweetcorn due to slow germination then the first sowing germinated after the first !, Beds 1-3 completed, Potatoes in bed 3. Comfrey bed 2 completed

2016 - Mill Green - overwintered onions in greenhouse planted to replace those that were nobbled by slugs in the beds, Sowing frenzy of beetroots, Spring Onions, Cucumber, Celery, second sowing or brassica's as first sowing died. Frost second week of May. Bean frame maintenance.

2017 - Spencer Road Allotment - Working on infrastructure and the watering system for the plot, spuds and onions growing well, Walking Onion infrastructure created. Comfrey Pipe erected.

2017 - Mill Green Allotment - Mosquito Nets to Protect fruit on the trees, Brassicas planted, SoilFixer Potatoes in Buckets experiment, Push Lawn mower obtained off Freecycle.

Having two plots on different sites really did have an effect on the overall progress last year, but the additional beds provided more opportunity for sowing and planting a greater range of varieties of vegetables to try  in 2017.

This year the decommissioning of Spencer Road and the Infrastructure works at Mill Green Plot 1 to accept the Shed and Greenhouse has not gone as quickly as I would have liked primarily due to the bad weather we have had in the way of snow and rain, combined with getting Mill Green Plot 1A back into shape as before the drop off and pick up area was created it was difficult to gain access to Mill Green and keep it up to scratch, plus the intention was to move to Spencer Road so the focus was off Mill Green, Its now firmly back on it.

 

2018 - Moving tomatoes from vending machine cups into larger pots, Sown Sweetcorn, Hardening off Tomatoes in the cold frame, Transporting items from Spencer Road to Mill Green Tomatoes transplanted into flower Buckets, Cucumbers & Courgettes planted. Runner Beans & Beetroots started off at home planted. Two Crimson Crush and a Repunzel grown out in the open on the plot, they were left to go wild and become so prolific .Bought an Apex Rotary Sieve from Germany for less that the version from Wales. Radish in cut down flower bucket. Rain & Thunder storms  

2019 - May as always means the Spacesaver Greenhouse heaving with seedlings and everything getting started off so that it can finally be transplanted at the allotment during the end of the month. The framework for the greenhouse was finally assembled with Andy's assistance and Emma & Andy as I was having problems getting down on my knees due to my leg injury. Andy & I planted spuds, Brassica excess supplied by Pauline, Hazelnut tree arrives and is taken to plot and potted up. Cutting and Painting bed timbers continues, Onion Sets planted by Emma, Beetrootrs sown but fail to germinate or are eaten by slugs. Comfrey Pipe cleaned out, Insect Houses bought from Morrisons.  

2020 - Due to Covid and the lockdown I  didn't visit the allotment during May as I was shielding my wife. My daughter and son in law visited and tried to keep the allotment tidy and undertook weed management. All of my growing was done in the back garden.

2021 - Sieving my own compost. All potatoes finally in. High winds and damage on the plot. Apple trees at home pollarded. Rhubarb plants arrived. Sowing Courgettes, Gherkins & Cucumbers. Tomatoes sown early May which was a little late really. Self tapping screws for polycarbonate sheets on greenhouse. 25th May Towel Day, Bought 21 HD Containerwise Plastic trays.  Trimming the Path with the old strimmer and new blades. Lots of grass from Emma for composting. Second SFG bed dug and the bed frame in but never got around to filling it and planting it up.

2022 - Anti Cabbage whites Hoops and debris netting mesh installed, Red Grapevine growing well, Ordered additional spring clips to fix debris netting, Additonal 600mm radius black hoops cut from roll , Sweetcorn sown, Mares Tail weeded from the raspberry paths, Celery Tango planted in SFG Bed, Weed Free Onion Beds thanks to Emma and Walking Onions Planted, Renewing Woodchip Paths, Where is Wally from areal photo of the plot, two lots of paving slabs off Freecycle, Guidance on Pruning a Grapevine, Topping up Potatoes in Buckets, Potatoes in Buckets sown. Seedless Grape vines planted. Swarm of Bees on the allotment.  

To Do List   

April was kinder with regards the weather, and a lot of progress was made on the plot now the potting shed is erected and in action.     

Mill Green - Plot 1A

• Re Add additional supporting timbers to the roof of the shed - TBD
• Tidy Up the Allotment - Ongoing but getting so much better

Mill Green - Plot 1

• Potting Shed  - Erected and now in use.
• Greenhouse Cage - Now erected and ready for action.  
• Beds and Paths - The area that the greenhouse cage in the corner was turned over weeded and beds and paths installed during April.
• Water - System modifying following water tuned on 30th March.

Home 

• Planning - Ongoing
• Cut Planting Membrane - Made more full bed blanks some will be turned into planting membrane
• Space Saver Greenhouse - Clear and Cleaned but most of the action now happening in the potting shed.

Grass Cutting

This morning I cut the grass on the main path in front of my boundary beds and the path between plots 1 & 1A and 2 & 2A. I watered everything in the potting shed as it was very hot in there yesterday only 25C in there today.

I re arranged everything on the staging as the parsnip corner has now gone into a bed and I now have a bottom shelf to the staging I built to go along the back gable wall of the potting shed.

This afternoon I charged the batteries to the lawn mower back up and cut the grass in the back garden as there is a couple of hours of rain due in the early hours of tomorrow morning/

Ram Rod Spring Onions showing. and more seedings pocking their heads up in the self watering pop bottle propagators.