Category Archives: Preparation

construction, early days, Preparation, project othello

Project Othello: #1 Origins

tiger tiger-these two often come and watch me. This is not my plot!, but neighbouring forlone one
flattened cardboard. The rest has newspaper
Ma doing the hard graft
near side right
far side left
The first bit

I might be getting towards the tail end of my summer holidays, but Mama H is officially starting hers. So that gives her plenty of time and impetus to give me  a hand. Project Othello, concerns the top end of the allotment plot. The existing half, the sukh shaanti garden is 88 square metres. So I Imagine, that the rest of the plot is of  similar size. I have yet to go down there with Dad’s measuring tape. When I have figured out what I want to do, I shall definitely size things up. I am banned from putting raised beds there-by my mother-so the odds are that this bit, will be more manual labour orientated. Influenced, heavily, I think, by Ma’s own GYO experiences as a child.

This patch has been fallow now for approximately a year. Previous owners had cleared it, and Rotavatored it. But sadly, through no fault of their own, were unable to attend to it.  We musn’t begrudge them that, they did genuinely have a go. Unlike the neighbouring plot, where you will see the tiger tigers lurking. That is another issue. It makes very cross. That as someone has paid their rent, they cannot be asked to vacate. Anyway, that is my soapbox. Except when that plot seeds weeds all over mine. Have seen the owner all of four times in my two years there.

Anyway, Project Othello. Why the Shakespearean name? It looks awful on the top, but beneath there is something that has a lot of potential. Case of Othello taking on Iago and winning. We like Othello, for all the nastiness he encounters and overcomes. I now have visions of a nasty Christopher Ecclestone…moving on, though.

There has been a lot of debate, wrestling with what to do. Do I weedkill, pull up, cover? Two years ago, I had to just pull up the grass and weeds. The plot had been dressed with weedkiller. I didn’t have that luxury this time. Weedkiller, also needs dry days to work. Which, despite the current state of Blighty summer, is calling take a chance on things. For the moment, Mama has made short work of pulling up grass and chopping down. The best part of which, is being put into builders bags to compost down. Though, it could also be chopped down and covered with the tarp. Essentially, that is what is happening. That which can  be pulled, is being pulled. There are lots and lots of brambles along the border and also by the back where the fence is. Not sure whether these will be chopped, killed, or cultivated. Might even keep the odd invader out. The cardboard and newspaper should help block out the light, and facilitate things being broken down into the soil. We are doing our best, to stop seeds getting everywhere. Not an easy task, I tell you.

Those two cats you see, I don’t know who they belong to; but they often come and skulk around the plot. We startle each other, as they exit the grass. But today, these two just sat there having a chat with each other.

A third sorted, and more to come.

Yours in anticipation,

Horticultural Hobbit

construction, Planting out, Preparation

Feeling a bit brassica

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Looking ahead to the winter, today some winter brassicas were planted out. Ma got very excited yesterday when they arrived, and they have to be planted out ASAP. I had a vague idea where to plant them and how. In the one bed, that hasn’t done very well or very much. Also this area, has in past flooded quite a bit too. Of course, many will tell you about having to net them. Well, these are part netted, part fleeced. I do have veggie mesh on the other cabbages.
Stupidly, have left gaps in those and so flutterbies have got in. As well as that, slugs! I swear they are psychic. Only just planted things, collared them, added pellets. Whoosh. Big fat thing was there as though it had ESP. Was promptly lobbed. It was not pleasant.

Anyway, the cabbages, caulis and broccoli have been sunk. As to whether they last, well that’s another thing.

Yours in anticipation,

Horticultural Hobbit.

Planting out, Preparation, success

Tiddler tomatoes

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These things are still waiting, and apparently it is British Tomato Week. With the exception of Aunt VVG’s Ukrainian purple; these are sat here not growing very much. The Ukrainian purple is sat on the plot in a raised bed, sporting her fleece jacket.

But what do I do with these?

I couldn’t tell you what varieties there are, I very rarely label. Some are in fact flourishing, others not so much. There are both bush and corden varieties in there. This time last year, the tomatoes were easily three times as big. I’m not in a particular rush for these to crop; but it would be nice to see them crop.

Do I keep them as they are, or do I plug them into the plot. They can’t just sit there?

Yours in anticipation,

Horticultural Hobbit

Preparation

Human Beans

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“I’m watching you, you haven’t covered them properly.”

Mama and I have taken a walk down and planted the following:
Tendergreen
Borlotto
Fagiolo nano brittle wax
Purple queen

In the Wendy house, some of the sunflowers have been deposited as well as the ‘running’ beans.

As of yet, there are germinators amongst the recently sown broad beans. But….

“Eleven!”

mama spotted eleven direct sown broadies and reminded me to put a stick next to them. Had to remind her in turn, that broadies don’t need support. I will not however argue.

Will be back shortly 🙂

Yours in anticipation,

Horticultural Hobbit

classroom experimentation, Planting out, Preparation, The Big Sunflower Project 2013

Burgeoning

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Have made something of a transition, in shuffling things around onto the window sill.

The cucumbers and the squashes have been brought home and placed into the four tier blowaway. I don’t think that in the time that I have had it; it has ever been this full. The contents is getting bigger and bigger; and need hardening off. Am bit fearful actually, for the cucumbers. Might throw a bit of fleece over things tonight as they have been sat in a semi warm classroom. If they don’t make it through the night, that will be a problem.

We almost have a block of sweetcorn. Just waiting on a few more to germinate for security. I witnessed yesterday. The leaves of the sweetcorn transpiring. I have clearly over watered them! It was a wow moment that you had to be there for.

Another batch of runners have been sown. As have loads of petite poise and kelevdon wonder pea. Handful of caulis have been sown too.

Will update further soon!

Yours in anticipation,

Horticultural Hobbit

classroom experimentation, Preparation

Waiting in the wings

The burgeoning windowsills.

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Lots and lots of squashes, sweetcorn, very very very small tomatos, cucumbers that are increasingly more triffid like. Yes, I know that is a lot of squashes. They all require lots of room, lots of feeding. They might find themselves donated to a loving home. Hoping that more sweet corn will germinate. All of four, will not make for a suitable block.

Chillies are there too, I think the one that is the most rampant the moment is purple Beauty from Real seed Catalogue. There is also an early jalepeno from them, as well as Nigel’s outdoor chilli that they used to do. The seed sown was from a lovely Grape. In that squash box, there is a striato de Napoli courgette also from them. There are a couple of seeds, from another heritage seed collection Thomas Etty For the first time ever, sweet mini red has germinated. There are few patio varieties and other purple ones in the mix.

Painted lady and scarlet emperor runners have been sown. They had only just started to germinate. They do not make for pretty babies.

There are also baby sunflowers for the Big Sunflower project 2013.

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Everything is waiting for the threat of frost to pass. It is going to a long four weeks!

Yours in anticipation,

Horticultural Hobbit

classroom experimentation, Preparation, success

Germinate, germinate: Triffids arise

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This morning I was met with a very green looking unheated propagator. We have germination. Not just your average germination either, but that of would be triffids.

In the prop, the following have risen:
Femspot, marketmore and crystal lemon cucumbers
Yellow scallop
Cobnut
Two Avalon
Patty Pan
Ghostrider and Astia-sort of.
Sunburst and giant sunflowers

They are beautiful and green, standing there all proud. They will be in need of hardening off over time. Though I might send them out under cloches before long.

There are lots of sunflowers, that will also need to feel the sun on their faces.

The race for chillies and bells has ended. No more now to be expected. There are 22 babies, I think, sat on the window sill. That is more than enough to be getting on with; they will be staying there indefinitely and will be potted on accordingly.

I have to say that the purple ones are coming on rather strongly. I will have to identify properly later on which ones are which exactly.

Always nice to see the rise of the a triffids. Unless they keel over before the morning….

Yours on anticipation,

Horticultural Hobbit

Planting out, Preparation

Daleks don’t diet

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dalek_two dalek_one

Composting shouldn’t be challenging, but I do find it challenging. Mostly as there is a habit to be started and then maintained. I found it very difficult to maintain last year. This year is about making it work. There is a kitchen caddy as well, so we can continue to compost suitable kitchen waste. Yesterday, as the weather was fine, Pops mowed the lawn. Today, off I trundled to the plot with a wheelbarrow of grass clippings and shredded paper. There are simple rules as to how and what you should put into compost, all predicated on layers of brown and green. The daleks were both filled with grass clippings layered with shredded paper. All being well, the daleks will continued to be fed. It is true what is said about the grass clippings being hot, they were certainly very warm to touch as they were piled into the daleks.

A tip given to me today by an allotment neighbour, was that if you are growing runner beans; mulch them with grass clippings to nitrogenise the soil. Not sure if this works, so answers on a post card for that please.

Some peas were sown out today, but not many. A handful of petite pois and kelvedon wonder pea were sown directly by way of experimentation. There is a possibility that I might soak some peas and then perhaps plant out once they have chitted. I would like to see however, if these come. These were sown by the netting that bisects the plot and also by the bean/pea netting. I will leave it a week or so perhaps, before I sow runner beans in modules. After this, there are always Dwarf French Beans  to be sown as well.

Summer flowering bulbs were also sank today. I had last year thought about these, but perhaps didn’t action them as well as I could have. Especially as last year all that was cultivated was weeds and super slugs. The logic behind this was, that since squashes and others require pollinators, summer flowering bulbs would facilitate. Seeing as they were now appearing in the shops, off I pootled to a poundshop and found quite a few. There are a number below that were sown today, before I got brain freeze with sheer number. A second batch will be sunk at a later date. If you have any ideas about the lis below, that would be lovely hear. A handful of the winter pansies and primulas that were planted last autumn have been spotted, so not an entirely lost cause.

  •  Freesias double
  • Acidanthera
  • Mixed Liatris Spicala
  • Oxalis Seppel
  • Gladioli Mixed
  • Purple Gladioli
  • Anemone Mr.Fokker
  • Gladioli Plum Tart
  • Iris Purple sensation
  • Mixed Sparaxis
  • Anemone Hollandia
  • Freesia Red Single
  • Gladioli Tradehorn
  • Gladioli Pink

….think  I have enough gladioli….

Last year, I had also planted some dahlias. Sadly, with the rain and general misery last year, the tubers met their make and were eaten by the clay. A very demoralising event, and an expensive folly. The jury is out as to whether I would like to plant them again, I rather like the  pom pom flower. I know that they are available in Wilkos, as well as a 99p shop!

In other news, Incredible sweetcorn has come through the surface of module dirt as have Crystal lemon and Femspot Cucumbers There are baby sunflowers also coming up.

On the subject of of sunflowers. May I introduce you to:

http://centronuclear.org.uk/theinformationpoint/pages/ways_to_help/the_big_sunflower_project.html

I heard about this from a fellow gardener and was rather intrigued. My seeds have just come through, and I will sowing very soon. All being well, I shall post what happens, so watch this space for that.

All to play for.

Yours in anticipation,

Horticultural Hobbit

 

construction, Preparation

Parental Supervision: Gardening with our adults

I did say that I would request adult supervision. In having already put in situ the canes that needed to be strung up with netting; I asked Pops to come and help. The reason being, that I couldn’t possibly reach the top of them, and I really wanted to put up string. Whilst Pops could have grumbled, he didn’t. He came down the plot, and was rather warmly welcomed by the many folks that were down there today. Since the sun had come out, it really had brought people out to play in the dirt.

It was one of many missions today, to get the nets strung up. As you can see from the gallery, it took some doing. Mama H and Pops are some team. Pops even had the idea of the bamboo cane across the top to form the Rugby Style goal posts. My original idea, in hindsight, did make for some weak integrity. Mama H, cut up the string so that it could all be lashed together. Between us, we got one and bit a frame sorted, before I ran out of stringy netting. Off, then, pootled the parents. I was left to my own devices.

I had taken with me, some green barrier fencing. Yet another plan today was to plant peas. That didn’t happen. I stood there, thinking, well, I don’t have any pea netting. But I did! The barrier fencing. Surely, that will do for runners too? Surely.

With that epiphany, I cut the fencing to various lengths to finish the job. In addition, it now bisects the plot too. That was where I plan to put the peas. I will get to those eventually, they keep looking at me.

Whilst there was a lot of infrastructure to play with, there was also some sowing and transplanting to do. The herbs, that have spent the best part of five months in the four tier blow away, were transplanted. Did rather look a bit sorry for themselves, but hopefully they will perk up a bit. A direct sowing of broadbeans was. This time, it was bunyards exhibition and some more suttons dwarf. These are to replace the ones that were eaten by the frost two weeks ago. The clay has got increasingly dry and concrete again. But there are things growing!

Then Mama H came back again. Just as I opened up my seed tin-another plan-and actually made me jump. The bag I had opened, was the Fenugreek, a clarion call for Mother’s arrival, I tell you. The methi was handed over. And off she went. Sowing the stuff, as well as some turnips, perpetual spinach, nero de toscana, green and yellow mustard too. I had already sunk some strawberries that Mama H has now unceremoniously kicked out of her garden. Fun was had, with the parents. Now to decide whether I direct sown the beans, or modularise

Yours in anticipation,

 

Horticultural Hobbit