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".

Todays update

Well the onion sets and garlic are ready to go in, but the ground is SO wet after the weekend rain, that I don't think I can get them planted just yet.
Most of the tomatoes are now germinated, or at least some of each type sown, and I now have 7/10 Chinese snake cues up.
Most of the mussel burgh leeks are through too, but only a few of the Lyon.
Won't need to transplant the tarvoy and perpetual spinach into pots, as they were sown individually into root trainers.(Trying them for the first time this year)
Still no show for anything else in the greenhouse. I can only presume that it's still too cold out there despite having a gaz lantern burning all night.
Have today planted up 2 self-watering troughs (ex Lidl) with lilies, cannas, and fresia bulbs. I'm told that the latter are hard to grow, so we shall see. They have been kept in the greenhouse until it's safe to put them outside too.

Seeds sown so far update

Well as of today, there are 5/10 Gardeners Delight Toms up, but no sign of any of the other toms.
15/20 of the sweetcorn Lark F1 are up, but again no sign of the other sweetcorn.(Golden Bantam)
The leeks are just beginning to show, but there were a couple of seedlings up which didn't look like leeks. I left them until the leeks appeared just in case, but since they bore no resemblance, have now removed them. (Odd since I sowed all cells individually)
4 of the Chinese Snake cues are trying to appear, but no sign of the others which are in the g/house.
The Tarvoy cabbages and perpetual spinach are now coming through, with about 75%germination, and they ARE in the g/house.
Yesterday, I sowed another packet of sweet peas, 12 Giant Sunflowers, and a packet of Italian White multi-headed sunflowers.)Approx 11 seeds in a packet from AlanRomans that said Ave contents 40 Grrr!!!)

Seed sown so far(February 2007)

Put some garlic cloves into 3" pots around Christmas time and they are all about 4-5" tall now, and in the garden waiting to be transplanted to the plot.

The first seeds to be sown were Broad Bean-Aquadulce in 3" pots. They were in the greenhouse but I think it was too cold out there for them. I brought them into the conservatory and they showed within a couple of days. They are now 1-6" tall and are in the garden hardening off.

Then I sowed some sweet peas, but no sign of anything yet. Again they are in the greenhouse.

Also at the same time, sowed Tarvoy F1 cabbage and Perpetual Spinach, also in the greenhouse. As of 4 o'clock today (Feb 27th) 10/40 cabbages up, but nothing else. Have now started applying a little heat overnight to the greenhouse in the form of a Gaz lantern. Should keep the temperature about 5 degrees above that outside.

Have put 200 onion set into 2" pots to give them a start. They are 40 Stuttgart Giant, and 160 Sturon. these are now actually up at the plot in a makeshift cold frame, made from a recycled plastic raised bed 1 metre square, stood on a sheet of plastic, with a huge sheet of glass which I found behind the shed, almost covering it. They have started shooting too.
I still have 40 Red onion sets to plant, but I think it's a bit early for them, as I'm told they will bolt if they go in too early.

Meanwhile, over the last weekend I got some more sowing done, but this time all went straight to the conservatory.* Four types of Tomato, ten seeds of each :- Gardeners Delight, Sweet Million, Shirley and Tamina. Some of these will be for the greenhouse at home, and some for outdoors at the plot.

Two types of sweetcorn also went in :- Golden Bantam (thank you Gabriela for those) and Lark F1, around 15 of each

Two types of leek also went in :- Musseburgh and Lyon, 60 of each.

Also two types of cucumber :- Chinese snake, which can be grown indoors or out, and Burpless tasty Green, around 12-15 of each.

Suppose I'll have to sort the greenhouse out soon to make more room for future sowings.

We also have several types of potato seed chitting away up on the bed in the spare bedroom. I think there must be about 10 kilos altogether of five types :- Bambino, Charlotte, Kestrel, Desiree and Maris Piper. One tray of the Desiree are in a cold frame by the shed up at the plot though.

We have also planted up at the plot, some soft fruit bushes :- Gooseberry, Redcurrant, Blackcurrant, and a couple of rhubarbs. The autumn raspberries have been pruned down to just above ground level too, and the digging is progressing as and when the weather, time and health permit.

* Our conservatory is about 3 mt by 5.5 mt and is also a utility room and is serviced by 2 radiators, one of which is permanently on (subject to the system timer), and the other is thermostatically controlled.

Well that's it for now. More Later.