Allotment Diary March 2007

Tuesday 27th March
Me, mum and dad went to the allotment after dinner and finished planting the first early potatoes. We have just over a row and a half of them. Mum harvested the first of the Rhubarb for tea and then we came home because there was a rather smelly fire burning... definitely not just wood or weeds on it.

Monday 26th March
Me, mum and dad went to the allotment after dinner. Mum and dad weeded by the road edge where the potatoes are going while I started to dig the first trench. I put in 38 Pentland Javelin (first early) in this row. We dug it a spade deep and put some of the compost that has rotted quite well, newspaper strips in the bottom and then a sprinkle of chicken manure on top. Hopefully this will be enough. I then filled in the trench carefully and raked it into a ridge. There are 18 potatoes left so I plan to go back tomorrow and do another half row of them. Mum harvested some purple sprouting broccoli as well.

Saturday 24th March
We noticed the next-door neighbours taking the glass out of their greenhouse. Dad went out and asked them what they were doing with it and they said that they were getting rid of it and that we could have it! So now we have three greenhouses, not quite sure where to put the new one this time.

Thursday 22nd March
Rang up a farmer to see about some manure being delivered, he said to ring back in a couple of weeks because he will be mucking out then.

Wednesday 21st March
Me, mum and dad went down and weeded some more by the road on the bottom plot for the potatoes. We lit a fire to burn some of the weed pile that had dried out as well.
Jan came over with a voting slip for the allotment association chairperson and we asked him about where to get manure from. He suggested Sowood farm in Ossett and Greenwoods farm in Midgley.

Sunday 18th March
Me and dad put the main crop potato into the porch to chit. There were 36 Desiree, 46 King Edward and 30 Romano.
We went down in the afternoon to check the greenhouses as there have been very high winds again! All was ok except for the tyre tracks across some freshly cultivated ground on the bottom plot. Someone obviously has no respect for the work that others are doing on their allotments.

Friday 16th March
Mum and dad weeded on the bottom plot again.

Wednesday 14th March
Mum and dad weeded on the bottom plot. Dad lit fire and it burnt quite well.

Monday 12th March
Me, mum and dad did the seed buying today after a bit of deliberation went with seeds from a few companies.

Beetroot (Chioggia Pink)
Broccoli (Purple Sprouting)
Brussel Sprout (Trafalgar F1)
Cabbage (F1 Kilaxy)
Carrot (Autumn King 2 and Early Nantes 5)
Courgette (F1 Green Bush)
French Bean (Tender Green and The Prince)
Kohl Rabi (F1 Lanro)
Leek (Autumn Giant 3 – Albana and Musselburgh x 2 – oops)
Mangetout (Oregon Sugar Pod)
Parsnip ('Tender and True' and F1 Albion)
Pea (Hurst Greenshaft)
Pumpkin (F1 Becky)
Radish (Rainbow Mixed)
Rocket (Rocket)
Spinach (Bordeaux)
Sweetcorn (F1 Swift and F1 Sundance)

Sunday 11th March
Mum and dad weeded on the bottom plot again.

Saturday 10th March
Mum and dad weeded on bottom plot at the road edge. Dad tried unsuccessfully to light the fire.

Friday 9th March
Mum put cling film over the chilli pepper seed pots to increase the temperature for germination. All the Gardeners delight tomato seeds have germinated and so far 12 of the Ailsa Craig variety. Mum and dad weeded on the bottom plot again and dad lit the fire again.

Thursday 8th March
Mum and dad weeded on bottom plot at road edge. Dad lit fire and it burnt a bit.

Wednesday 7th March
Added casing peat to mushroom kit to simulate the fall of leafs that occurs in nature to encourage the mushroom fungus to produce its crop.
Me, mum and dad went down. Dad weeded on the top plot and defined the top boundary a bit more, mum weeded on the top plot under the black matting. I helped mum for a bit, then weeded little on the bottom plot by the road and then decided to just turn over the soil to help it dry out and make it easier to weed later by the road and in the middle of the bottom plot.
The Purple sprouting broccoli is coming on well, the onions and garlic are too.

Tuesday 6th March
Mum and dad weeded on the top plot under the black matting.

Monday 5th March
The tomato seeds are germinating (5 of each variety) have shown sprouting shoots today.

Friday 2nd March
Mum and dad weeded on bottom plot.

Thursday 1st March
Mum and dad weeded on bottom plot. Dad strengthened the shed roof timber by putting a wood brace across the back section.