Planting at the allotment.

Well, over the last couple of weeks, I have managed (with help from my wife), to dig a little of the plot, and we have managed to get the broad bean plants in, and some more sown. Also, the garlic is in, and half of the onion sets,(all three brought on in pots at home) and most of the early potatoes. Oh and half a dozen Chard plants (strictly for the wife, as I hate it).
Earlier we had managed to get the fruit bushes in at the front of the plot. Black and redcurrants, gooseberries, and rhubarb all growing well. There was already an established bed of autumn raspberries, and a couple of thornless blackberries further up the plot, both of which I severely cut back in February, in an attempt to be able to train them on wires instead of just flopping wherever they felt. We bought a few summer rasperries, but these are being brought on in a container for this year, along with another gooseberry plant.
It's been too hot for me to consider doing any serious digging, but our next door plot neighbour has offered to do a bit for us every time he goes to his plot. Apparently our plot, although worked on by the previous tenant, (in his eighties) has only been dug in dribs and drabs, wherever he wanted to grow something. Last time we went up to water what is already in, it looked like he had actually dug about another 4 feet for us. Not only dug, but also broken up and raked level. BLESS HIM. I still have to dig the bean trench and get shredded paper and composted farmyard manure into the bottom, AND put up their canes. At least when that's done, from a distance it will be more obvious that something is being done. I think we might end up spraying roundup over a lot of the top of the plot, and then covering it with a tarpaulin until the autumn digging season starts ready for next year.
At the moment, I can't actually do a lot of digging because of my knees. (Still waiting to hear from the hospital, when I am to go in for surgery on my left knee). I work for 10 mins and then have to sit down for 10. Even using a terrex fork/spade,(So I can keep both feet on the ground, I push it down with my body weight) is hard work, and I always end up with bruises all over my upper body.
The greenhouse is now groaning with the weight of things at various stages, being prepared to go in up at the plot. Carrots have been sown in the raised bed at home, and the strawberries are in the other bed. This last weekend, I put the toms for the greenhouse into their final containers, and my wife prepared the bed for the ones which will be going out alongside the greenhouse.(A bit too early yet to actually plant them out). There are runners, dwarf beans, various cabbages, more toms, cues, caulis, broccoli, calabrese, peas in toilet roll tubes, all just staring to sprout. There's dahlias begonias and various other tender flowering plants being started off in there too.
We also have 2 of the 4 tier shelf units , which are also laden with hardier stuff.
Meanwhile, I have commited to putting a new border in the garden, but have the same problem digging wise, so that is taking ages, especially as the area was a bed of couchgrass before, so I am painstakingly trying to remove all the roots, and the bed is raised, so I am having to import soil from other parts of the garden.
Enough for now, I'm of to watch "The Big Dig".

Further to March thought about rain.

It's now April 23rd, and to my recollection we have had NO rain now for about 4 weeks. The ground up at the plot, having been saturated in March and then rapidly dried out, is now like concrete. Thinking about hiring a breaker to start off any further digging.

Might be a little better now, since we did actually have a tiny drop of rain today. Mind you, it wasn't enough to make any visible difference to the water levels in the water butts.

A few April Photos of the garden.

The rockery 7 weeks on.

Strawberry bed, new this year. One solitary flower so far. A 1 mt square raised bed made from recycled plastic.

Hostas, in a container, with some Jersey Lilies, and so far not a sign this year of slug damage. Thinking it's maybe been too dry for the slugs to appear yet?

Acer Palmatum Dissectum. Growing in a half barrel, this specimen is about 10 yrs old, and this year has grown approx. 50% bigger than last year. It is now around 4ft across. It also has an abundance of flower buds this year. Last year I spotted a few "winged seeds", but never saw the flowers. Back right is the new border, still a work in progress.

Dessert apple Greensleeves. This plant was bought last year, and is growing in a huge container. last year it bore 14 apples. Loads more blossom this year.

The first rose? This is Canary Bird, always the 1st rose to flower in my garden. As you can see, it's a single rose. This is about 8 ft tall, also about 10 yrs old, and is planted against a north facing fence (the same one that's behind the rockery).

Ceanothus (Californian Lilac), also about 10 yrs old, and now in full bloom. It's about 6 weeks early this year, as it doesn't normally flower until June. Hopefully, as it is so early, we may get a second flowering in September. Underneath it are potatoes growing in old compost sacks x7, and various other smaller shrubs in containers. The holly in the foreground is the same age as the Ceanothus, and also in bud. The Ceanothus has a "haircut" every Spring, when I remove a lot of the downward growing branches from the lower parts.

New Bed

A couple of weeks ago, browsing through the Argos catalogue, I found that they had an offer on some edging. It's like 6" logroll to look at, but is rigid, 1metre 2cms long. I had been planning for some time to create a new bed on the north side of the garden (south facing fence), next to the decking, which is less shady than the other side.The south side of the garden is overshadowed by a 6ft+ high fence. (see photographs of the rockery)
Anyhow, I duly purchased 2 packs of the edging, 2 pieces in each, and set about creating the bed. Originally planned to be 2mts long by 1mt deep, this would have left me with one piece of edging left over. (What would I do with one odd piece of edging?) so I changed the plan and it became 2mts square.
Firstly I had to remove all of the weeds (including the dreaded Couchgrass) from the area. No mean task when your normally supported on at least one crutch. I dug the whole area out to a depth of about 12", stacking the soil to one side, then hammered in the 4 pieces of edging. I then covered the inside of the edging pieces, the fence and the edge of the deck, with a layer of damp proof material, as the soil level is going to be 6" higher. The whole area was then covered in landscape fabric, stapled in position, and I set about refilling.
I sieved all of the soil from the hole to remove the worst of the weed roots, also added some sieved ash from previous bonfires(also sieved) and a bag or two of multipurpose compost. Then I had to set about digging soil from a mound in the garden (spoil from the footings for the conservatory, which has been there for years, the rest of which will eventually be spread out to level the garden). This also needed to be sieved. Any weeds that reappear afterwards can easily be treated to a dose of Roundup.
As a result, we will, when it's finished, have a nice new flower bed, in which it is planned to have (for starters) a climbing rose in each of the back corners(Schoolgirl and Golden Showers), with a pink Jasmine going up a fan trellis in between them. I also have several large Dahlias to plant, and some 50 or so gladioli. For this year, I will also sow several swathes of various annuals, and maybe a row of bedding Begonias along the front.
Pictures to follow when it's all planted up.