Allotment Diary August 2006

Wednesday 30th August
Me and dad went down and harvested a pumpkin and a turnip. The pumpkin weighed 1stone 3lb!

Tuesday 29th August
Me and mum planted some spring cabbage seeds in the greenhouse.

Monday 28th August
I printed the transplanting and harvesting sheets and put them together (4x A4 sheets).
Me, mum and dad went to the allotment via the garden centre where we bought some spring cabbage (April) and 25kg of garden lime for just under £6. Me and mum planted 28 cabbage in pots in the greenhouse, put in a row of kohl rabi (half plot width) and cut back the growth on the tomato plants in the greenhouse. I lifted the onions and put them to dry on the racking in the greenhouse, and did the same with the garlic. I started to weed where the onions were. Mum harvested a cauliflower, french beans, haricot beans, tomatoes, cabbage, cucumber and courgettes. Me and mum took out the french bean and haricot plants. Dad weeded near the trees, fruit bushes and cut the grass. Mum and dad removed the split tomatoes from the plants outside and we decided to compost them because the splits were really wide. Some of the onions that we harvested had gone rotten because the weather had turned quite damp over the last couple of weeks.

Sunday 27th August
Didn't go to the allotment, but finished making my sowing, transplanting and harvesting spreadsheet and printed out one on 4x A4 sheets.

Saturday 26th August
I went down and watered in the greenhouse, one of the cucumber plants was looking a bit dry and brown after a week of neglect, the other looked OK as did the tomatoes. The outdoor tomatoes had split because of excessive rainfall while we were away. These can still be used though. I harvested cucumbers, courgettes, spinach, a turnip, two windfall pears and two more pears and tomatoes.

Sunday 23rd August
I went down when we got back from holiday on my bike to water in the greenhouse and harvest what had been let go while we were away.

Tuesday 19th August
Mum and dad went to the allotment, weeded more and brought the onions that had been drying in the greenhouse home. I then strung up the onions and it totalled 6 strings!

Thursday 17th August
I went down over lunch and harvested the top set of sweetcorn (Applause), 4 courgettes, 3 cucumbers and some tomatoes. I also helped the fire from yesterday by opening up the ash and putting the stuff that hadn't burnt onto it. It soon caught again. I stripped the outer leaves from the sweetcorn and put them into the composter and removed some dead leaves from the tomato plants in the greenhouse. I also watered and fed the tomatoes and cucumbers in the greenhouse.

Wednesday 16th August
Me, mum and dad went down in the morning. Mum helped me with harvesting potatoes. First we did the first earlies. Me and dad checked them for any cuts or blemishes (including slug holes) so that they could be put to one side. The biggest went into a Hessian sack first and the smallest will be used first. Mum then starting potting up strawberry runners into pots (6 per plant). After lunch, me, mum and dad went back down and me and dad harvested the second earlies. The soil was very dry on this row, it hadn't had horse manure, but pelleted chicken manure instead because we didn't have enough manure. They (Wilja) had produced quite well with larger tubers than the Pentland Javelin (first earlies), but appeared to be a bit sparse in comparison. The potatoes were double sacked to reduce light and old carpet put over them in the garage (attached to the house, so shouldn't get too cold). There are 15kg of Pentland Javelin (first early) and 18kg Wilja (second early). There is also about 7kg that were slugged or damaged so didn't make it into the sacks! These can be used first.

Tuesday 15th August
Me, mum and dad went to the allotment in the morning. Mum weeded and harvested a cabbage, courgette, 5x cucumbers, some tomatoes, French beans and we found some quail eggs from someone else at the allotment in exchange for some cucumbers. Me and dad moved 3 barrow loads of manure from near the car park and turned the compost and put our older manure pile which seems a bit strawy and dry into the compost bins as well. We checked the pH on the top plot. The front half is slightly acidic near the road (6.7) a little further in it is about 6.8 and in the back half where the potatoes are it is about 6.7 again. The brassicas are going on the front half next year so we will need to lime the plot to sort out the acidity.

Monday 14th August
Me and dad went down and dad put some mesh over the new greenhouse window and I took some glass out to fit a rubber seal that was missing when we put it up.

Sunday 13th August
Mum and dad went and harvested French beans, cucumber (gave some to someone else at the plot), courgette and tomatoes.

Saturday 12th August
Me, mum and dad went down in the afternoon and mum put the weed matting around the trees, harvested some potatoes, carrots and sweetcorn for tea. We sorted out the greenhouses and put racking into both and tidied around. Mum and dad cleaned some pots and trays that needed washing out and the tomatoes were put into the bigger trays so that they don't dry out so fast. Dad silicon sealed the gaps in the greenhouse to keep out the water. I removed a row of peas that were drying up and weeded the area too.

Friday 11th August
Finished glazing the greenhouse.

Thursday 10th August
Me, mum and dad started putting the glass into the greenhouse and then worked out what we needed to buy. We went to a shop in Dewsbury where they can cut the glass to size... it was going to be about 3.50 for a 2'x2' sheet, but we got it for 2.25 a sheet cash because that is what it is at the garden centre. We had to get it cut because the sides of the greenhouse slope and so the ends are not square, going from 2' wide at the bottom to about 19.5#x201d; wide higher up with a triangle on top. We then started putting the glass in, but gave up at after 8 because it was getting cold and we were a bit tired.

Tuesday 8th August
I went down in the morning, lifted the broad beans and did some weeding. Re-weeding some of the bottom plot and some virgin ground too. Mum, dad and Sarah joined me at lunch time and brought me something to eat. I went home before them because I was getting tired.

Monday 7th August
Me, mum, dad and Sarah went down in the afternoon. I harvested some potatoes, mum washed some pots and trays. Sarah harvested some more as well. Me and dad levelled for the greenhouse and then we all lifted it into place. Me, mum and dad went down in the evening with some beers and lit a fire. Noticed while wandering around that the garlic has rust on it and so do the broadbeans. These will be lifted tomorrow and put to burn!

Saturday 5th August
Back from holiday and a quick harvest at the allotment gives us plenty of food!