Winding up for the winter

Well what a year. Nothing to do with crop failures, but the personal front has been nothing short of tragic.

We lost Mum in February, her mum - my Nan in August and then on 11/11 we lost my Dad.

So I'm sitting here in Sidcup once again, planning a funeral and thinking back a year ...... if we knew then what we know now, I'd have given up before I even started.

So this winter is going to be very quiet. The lottie had been pretty nearly put to bed a month ago, just a wee bit of tidying up to do when I get home.

I'd cleared out the g/h on the plot before I left too and deposited all the spent compost in various raised beds at the lottie. The soil levels are rising steadily.

I'm even going to have to start a blog for the Sidcup plot and I've got a fair size garden, room for a few raised beds and already got a greenhouse in place which doesn't need much apart from a good old wash.

So folks, I truely hope you've had a better year than me and mine. Look forward to seeing you all in the Spring when hopefully my life will be back under control and I will have a masterplan for the three plots !

Take care of yourselves and have a Happy Christmas !

RIP Dad, no more 3 putting now eh ? ...... "Yeah yeah yeah"

Ron Bryer
21/3/28-11/11/08

Swede seedlings are through

But were fast becoming slug brunch. Working along the line they were. Might have to get some standby modules sown. Now I remember why I don't sow direct ! Thinned the survivors and surrounded them by a ring of animal friendly pellets and put the fleece back over.

Got the bean trellis up. Cheated and used the one from last year that I'd taken down intact. Slung some cardboard up the centre as a mulch to keep the weeds down.

All the Sutton broadies now germinated.

Beetroot has avoided being munched so far.

Planted out sweetcorn and peas and surrounded them with fleece wall to keep off the chill. Covered the whole bed with the remains of the multipurpose compost with JI as a mulch.

Tatties only just coming through. The ones on the plot are still bigger by far.

Uncovered another of the beds intended for the courgettes. Gave it a bit of a fork and turnover. One bed left to work on. The comfrey plant at the back of the plot is growing nicely, may steal a few leaves to sling in the bottom of the courgette holes along with a handful of manure.

Got a hose rigged onto the tap and filled the butts.

Had a bit of a weed round everything.

Garlic doing ok but a bit yellow at the edges.

Sunflowers starting to germinate under their cloches. Chard not put in an appearance yet.

Painted plot number on watering can and wheel barrow in an effort to remind the people that want to borrow them where to bring them back to. Lost two sun tunnels now and a watering can. You don't mind if people want to borrow, but at least have the decency to return them after they've finished. Got to buy myself a new watering can for the plot now !

Weather was overcast and large amounts of drizzle and blooming cold. Sun is out this morning but there's a 10k race on which will prevent me getting into the site until after lunch. That will give me chance to do some watering on the plot ............ and to go and get a new watering can ! The beauty of the drizzle was that nothing needed watering. Don't suppose the rain got very far down though.

Had a trim round the front edge flower beds and have promptly knackered my wrist again. Need to build some arm strength up. Got the salt out for the slugs which was fun ! Poor pansies are more or less stumps !

No idea what I'm going to plant to go over the arch this year as I didn't sow any sweetpeas until very late, and those that were donated by a lady at work have gone on the plot.

Have got nasturtiums (hey - arch idea ?), poached egg plant, turnips, marigolds still to plant out that are sitting back at home, along with the courgettes and beans. Had to resow some purple teepee dwarf beans as the majority had refused to germinate. May sow some extra runners direct as well (busily searching out packets now) .............

Hi ho, Hi Ho, it's off to B&Q I go.

xx

James Whale

Don't know if you've ever listened to the man but if he does anything he speaks his mind. He's just been sacked from Talksport for doing just that.

You may or may not agree with what he says but you should fight for his right to say it.

There's far too much censorship in this country these days.

Freedom of speech ? Don't make me laugh.

Want to find out what's going on ? Visit his website at http://www.jameswhaleradio.com/
and do just that.

Get on your soap box before it's too late.

Sowing direct scares me

but today I took the plunge.

As the M-I-L turned her nose up to turnips and wanted swedes instead, I've sown a row of Best of All swedes and chanced a half row of Beetroot Albina Vereduna and Wodan.

As the soil is still pretty heavy, I'd raked the bed, formed a couple of channels with a hoe, filled them with compost and sowed the seeds in there. Covered it with a fleece hoop network for some reason. Primarily to keep the scorching sun off as the babies pop through, but also to protect from the night chill. No-one else on the plot has done it, so I'm thinking "overkill", but like I say in the title, sowing direct scares me and I don't want to find a couple of rows of compost in a few days time and no bloomin seedlings !.

Perhaps already mentioned, where this bed is sitting, was where the cow poo was initially dumped last autumn before spreading it over the other beds. We'll see what incredible hulk mutant roots appear.

Water is running out. Down to half in both butts now, but had to give the broadies another soak - more of The Sutton germinated now.

Had another rake of the 5x5 and stuck all the big lumps which wouldn't break down, around the sunflowers leaving the rest of the bed looking pretty even but very dusty.

Possible showers tonight ........ I'm wanting a good heavy load !

Never satisfied ? Moi ?

Au revoir les jardinieres (made up word, probably wrong but you get the idea).

xxx

Bank Holiday Monday

Having spent a couple of days in the garden, thought I'd better get up the lottie to see what was what.

We'd had some pretty terrific rain since I last visited so expected to see my broad beans floating halfway down the street, followed closely by the garlic !

Not so!

Ground is incredibly dry and the water butt I'd used last time still hasn't refilled !

Broadies are doing ok but the one's planted direct don't seem to have taken any interest in the goings on. They're underneath pop bottle cloches but I could only see one germinating. Still there will be enough to go round when everything else starts producing. We have blooms on some but everything does look as if it could do with a bit of a feed which I'll take next time I'm up.

Cleared out my bit of the shed and had a tidy up and sort, collected a carrier bag full of nettles to take home to make nettle tea (not for me - for the plants), think the locals thought I was just a bit mad.

Had a hoe, weed and rake of a couple of beds and planted 16 or so sunflowers just to fill a bit of the backof the 5'x'5' bed. May stick the corn in front of them.

M-I-L has expressed a disire for Swede. As they weren't on the list this year, I had to buy a packet of seeds and I know exactly where I'm going to put them. Only thing is that was where I dumped the cow poo before digging it in elsewhere. Will probably get mutant double headed roots. Will be interesting anyways. The few I had last year were donated and the year before rotted, so this will be my first time of going solo on the plot.

Shallots succeeding in evading the birds and are looking very green and healthy under their cages.

JA's haven't put in an appearance yet, but then I suppose someone took you out of bed and tell you that you're going in another one, miles away, that would put you back a bit too.

Garlic needs a feed too. Going a bit yellow at the ends.

Tatties are not showing atm.

Tulips are windbashed and over, but they still add a splash of colour to an otherwise bare looking plot.

Right, must dash .......... work calls. booooooooooooooooooooooooo!

2008 Starts Here

If you've visited the plot blog, you'll know by now that Mum collected her wings in late February and I returned to the frozen north at Easter.

Life has been a bit strange since then with no signs of settling at all. However in the middle of the turmoil nature carries on and I thought it would be good for the concentration to start the 2008 blog now.

To start with the OH decided it would be a good idea to get a job down south ! This kept the white water going for a bit until I decided I could cope "home alone" for a wee while anyway. Spent all of 5 mins deciding whether I could keep the lottie going or not. Having broke my back last year getting it all ready, I came to the conclusion that one more year wasn't going to hurt.

So I've been getting things sown at home in modules:

Sweetcorn Lark (although no-one I've met yet has been successful with it on the plot).

Courgettes: Jemmer and Defender came to nought on the first sowing, second has been more successful. All Green Bush and Cavili were successful first time round.

Broad Beans: Aquadulce Claudia, Green Windsor and The Sutton are in the ground.

Arran Pilot spuds are still chitting and must go in soon, although we did have frost again this week.

Leeks: Musselburgh. I've only just lifted the last of the leeks planted last year and jolly nice they were too so decided to have another go as they weren't that hard to maintain (seeing as I'd left them all over winter without any attention at all.

Beetroot: Wodan (same as last year) and a white version Albina Vereduna.

Peas: Twinkle and Meteor.

Got trays of nasturtiums, marigolds and poached egg plants in the greenhouse all beginning to germinate now. Left it a bit late.

That's not to say more stuff won't be started ......... runners, dwarf beans etc, but I'll see how I go.

The metal fence fell down totally and had been launched across my beds. But with the help of Mr Secretary, they have now been dumped to the side awaiting some OH help to re-erect.

The ground was pretty workable and I was quite pleased with that. Not much to do in the way of weeding ......... yet!

Here are some pics of the flower bed. Mum's primroses didn't do badly, but the pansies became slug brunch. Her tulips however are looking just fab. A fellow plot holder was quite surprised they were still there and hadn't been nicked (like my two sun tunnels have - grrr).

So, we have started ................ may your sun remain shining and your butts full.

xxx

Mind is elsewhere

Since returning from Costa del Hextable, we have had nothing but rain, gales, snow, hail, more rain, more gales and now we have flu!

Situation darn sarf remains serious which doesn't help the concentration levels. Thursday afternoon was spent (like every other afternoon last week) in bed sleeping. I say sleeping, I think it's been more of a coma really as my temperature was holding steady at 102oF. Never felt so ill in a long time ! Emergency trip to the quack (who held the surgery open for me, bless him) secured a course of anti-biotics which have made me feel 10 times worse if the truth be known.

Thankfully the temperature has now broken, the intense pain upon coughing has now subsided and all we have to contend with is the rather dodgy side effects from the Anti-Bs! One step forward, 10 back, it's getting beyond a joke.

So what's happening on the growing front ?

Paid a visit up to t'lottie last weekend to inspect the carnage to find ........... none ! Bit of laying water but nothing overly bad. The mustard needs digging in and the metal fence panel had blown down (onto the Sec's plot - well it was his fault for digging so close to my foundations which I had made sure were a good foot or so inside my boundary - so HE can re-erect the fence whenever suits him). A quick weed is all that's required. Forgot to look at the trug full of garlic.

6 out of 8 of the Aquadulce's have now sprouted and I've got a tray 0f 24 Arran Pilot spuds chitting on the office windowsill.

Car has now been sent to the big metal scrap pile in the sky which means no more lottie trips for about a month til I can brave the long and arduous journey back from darn sarf with new car.

Can't wait until the river of life settles down past the white water rapids. Getting bored with the chaos now.

Peaceful thoughts to all.

xxx

Back !

Not been up the lottie yet but understand flippers were needed for a wee while.

I thought the other half was taking the proverbial when he told me he'd been drowned virtually every morning on his way to work since he got back after the New Year.

Having now experienced two sleeps (and associated mornings) back up the road, I see that he wasn't joshing. The plot at home is going to need some serious remedial work as both greenhouses got hit in the gales.

Still, nothing was ever grown by sitting around waiting for the weather to improve, so I've sown another 8 Aquadulce Claudia this morning and have stuck them in the leccy propogater in the nursery.

If I get nothing else, I'm going to have broad beans again this season.

The crisis carries on down south, which is going to mean fortnightly trips back home. Thusly, I'm not going to be growing loads of stuff with gay abandon, but am having to keep it realistic.

What exactly I'm going to do with the shoebox of seeds is anyone's business.

So if anyone wants some, just give me a shout !