Sunday 26 February 2012

Can you dig it?!!

Sooo tired I can hardly type! On one of the hottest Feb Days since 1998, me and 'Da Gang' got digging!
Paul and I put in some hard spade work for a few hours trying to analyse some of the roots we were coming across, we think couch grass is abundant, small amount of nettles and brambles. So we were thoroughly weeding and sifting then trying to get mulch down to keep that precious water resource from evaporating too much.
We planted a cheap Lidl pear tree...a £3.99 experiment!

Blink and you'll miss it!

As we worked, our plans for the site were tripping off our tongues....a shelter with a green roof, a small pond, fruit cage, 4 bed crop rotation, hot beds, greenhouses, solar panels, wind-up DAB radios, water saving, clay oven, bug hotels, bird tables.....we weren't getting carried away honest!!
But first....more digging...more weeding....ooh and some BURNING!! So I put my trust in my brother's fire-starting (and fire-controlling) skills, made sure we had marshmallows for the kids and off we went! I was a little nervous as everything was so dry but we watered the edges and kept vigilant.

Fire...boys looked studious, girls nonplussed!
Whilst old wood panels and vegetation crackled, me and mum sat on my 'Freecycled' bit of axminster carpet and perused the seed list. Hot favourites include courgettes, sweetcorn, chillies, potatoes, squash and peppers-so we will really need a greenhouse!

Tuesday 21 February 2012

A Welsh Wonderwoman, a tool delivery, and a natural progression

I am totally out of sync and playing catch up...so do excuse-nothing new there!!

Before snow stopped play we did make some real progress....quite literally the day before it snowed

Our Welsh Wonderwoman, Dr Thomas arrived with a boot full of tools for us to caretake at our allotment and we quickly put her to work building the compost bays! We decided this was a good first job to be achieved so that when we start clearing vegetation we have somewhere to put it!!
A natural progression.....

Composting  avec la dame Cymraeg!



Paul ably assisted...first pallet up

A lonely half built compost bay...

A funky finish! Paul and Abbey in a compostable pose!

...et enfin...the ladies of the canyon..er compost! I think we are impressed!

Snow stopped play...but only for a while!

Well it bloomin' snowed....and it was a tad on the chilly side for a while there. No photos to show as I didn't venture out!


So sat at home reading, reading, reading...most enjoyable reads:


'Grow your own vegetables' by Joy Larkcom a super level, experienced, considered and non-flowery account of Joy's take on veg growing-highly recommend it!
What a lovely lady!
Read all about her at this link:



Also: 'Organic Gardening-The natural no-dig way' by Charles Dowding. A great approach to soil management that I know I will come back to again and again. Funny if you read some of his forums-quite a fiery character!!


Charles on his vegetable 'bed' ha!
http://www.charlesdowding.co.uk/