Allotment Diary May 2006

Sunday 28th May
We watered before going out for the day.

Wednesday 24th May
Mum watered in greenhouse. Cut 1 roll of wire mesh into lengths. Dad shaped wire to thread through to make cloches.

Tuesday 23rd May
Mum and dad barrowed up 10 wheelbarrow loads of horse manure. Mum watered in greenhouse. Mum transplanted tomato plants into bigger pots. Dad cut wire lengths for further cloches.

Monday 22nd May
Mum and dad bought two further rolls of wire mesh from Spring Green Garden Centre.

Sunday 21st May
Watered. Haricot beans look poorly. Squash in 3 pots through. Dwarf French runner beans, courgettes, sprouts, broccoli ready for planting out, but too wet. Some sunflower shoots coming up. Turnip sown in pots last week already appearing. Bought wire from Earnshaws.

Friday 19th May
Bought fold up wooden table for plot.

Thursday 18th May
Mum planted some seeds in pots in greenhouse, 2 types of sweetcorn + kohl rabi + turnip + lettuce leaf salad. Watered in greenhouse. Mum raked level the brassica area weeded so far on bottom plot. Dad dug out thistles and hoed around plots. Dad put some plastic wire over remainder of peas as coming through. Mum and dad weeded a little on bottom plot.

Wednesday 17th May
Dad cut some of the grass and weeds down that seem to have grown quickly following the rain. Mum and dad weeded on the bottom plot. As the polyanthus seeds have not germinated Mum put fresh seeds in the pots.

Tuesday 16th May
Dad continued with wire cloches. Covered mangetout with wire cloches as shoots appearing. One or two of the first haricot seeds planted are showing now. Mum hoed some of top and bottom plot where young weeds coming through. Dad weeded near strawberries and mum weeded on bottom plot. Dad hoed in between currant bushes and put a rubber buffer on the greenhouse doorstop. Spinach plants appear to be yellowing.

Sunday 14th May
Me and dad went down and watered (dissolved some chicken manure pellets in a bucket of water as courgette plants leaves yellowing). Took down the three pumpkin plants and put in the greenhouse.

Friday 12th May
Dad modified greenhouse door by putting a door stop on it. And put wire cloches over peas. Mum watered greenhouse pots and weeded near fire. Garlic shoots showing now. Rain stopped play within the hour!

Thursday 11th May
Dad finished constructing 4 wire cloches and cut and mowed some green areas. Both weeded on bottom plot near fire. Mum planted a row of Swede seeds next to the Kohl Rabi and Turnip, also a row of broad beans and haricot beans near the peas. Mum mowed some areas of grass/nettles. Watered lots.

Wednesday 10th May
In the afternoon mum second weeded an area on Carrot bed for Sunflower seeds and spinach. Planted 9 Spinach plants in two rows (5 + 4), plus 3 rows of 8 Sunflower seeds. Chicken manured this area. Dad cut some of the grassed areas to tidy. Dad cut lengths and made wire hoops for wire cloches.Watered.

Tuesday 9th May
Mum and dad bought fleece from In Store and Sunflower seeds. Bought 2 rolls of Wire Mesh from Job Earnshaws 6m x 0.9m (25mm square) Weeded bottom plot near fire for a couple of hours. Dad and Chris watered evening.

Monday 8th May
Mum planted in pots 6 Cucumber and 4 Squash Butternut. Weeded remainder of area used last year for veg and raked out ready for planting. Raked out plot of peas and beans. Planted a row of Mangetout peas about 90, a row of Kelvedon Wonder peas and a row of Ambassador peas. On top plot sowed a row of Parsnip White Gem, will need to thin out to about 9” apart when they come through. Planted out 6 Capri F1, 8 Golden and 6 Greyhound cabbages in the bed with Kohl Rabi and Turnip. Dad cut chicken wire into 6 x 5 feet lengths and turned sharp ends in. Cut wire and shaped into horseshoes, then threaded 3 of these through each of the chicken wire lengths. Covered the cabbage plants and stood wire mesh ends to each run to keep the birds off. Put down chicken manure pellets on the cabbages, turnips, kohl rabi, peas and parsnips. Put slug pellets in jam jars adjacent to brassica plants. Put slug pellets in jam jars on plot at home where lettuce and radish have been sown. The French beans are showing in the pots and the Aster flowers.

Saturday 6th May
Me mum and dad went down and planted some out the sweetcorn (miracle and applause) approx 40, kohl rabi (only 3) and turnips (6). Dad washed the pots we had emptied and we came home after because it was raining on us most of the time we were down there.

Friday 5th May
Mum and dad weeded in the daytime on the bottom plot where the peas and beans will be going.
Before tea me and dad went down to water the parsnip and carrot seeds and in the greenhouse + close the greenhouse door.

Thursday 4th May
Mum and dad weeded bottom plot, harvested broccoli. Planted Aster seeds in the pots where pansy seeds have not germinated. Watered carrots, parsnips, haricot beans and garlic + greenhouse pots.

Wednesday 3rd May
Mum and dad weeded bottom plot, planted row of Haricot Beans, elephant and ordinary garlic cloves. Planted in pots Sweet peas and Polyanthus in the afternoon and in the evening I watered and planted 32 French beans in pots.

Monday 1st May
I dug out the purple sprouting broccoli from the garden and we took it to the plot to compost.