down at the allotment and in the garden what are you up to

[Wombat]

Something ate the lettuce that had germinated in pots in my cold frame so I've resown and put the pots somewhere else.

If it's any consolation M3, it happens to me too! Most frustrating.....

Nev

[Millymollymandy]

I could plant the darn things straight in the ground now, but I was trying to get ahead of the game whilst the soil was all wet and claggy! It's dry now!

Anyway today I am planting onion sets.

[mattachinelee]

Planted some organic yellow onions today which had begun sprouting green shoots in the shop. My step-dad says these will grow into spring onions in a couple of months. Speedy & tasty if he's right!!

Losing my Margo's!!!

[red]

planted my cauliflowers out - hope they survive.. they look all lonesome out in the mud.. all little and vulnerable...

[Cheezy]

Ahhgh, something's ate my broad beans, nipped them right at the base leaving all the nice green growth, and digging up the seed. I suspect mice, any cures other than a 12 bore shot gun and 24hr protection!.

Got my asparagus in at last. Bought it on line with an expected 10 to 12 day delivery, so thought order it before Easter hols ,have all Easter to prep area(I've seived every bit of soil to try and make sure no thistles/marestail and couch grass as per rest of lottie), and they bloody delivered next day!. Asparagus (gjinlim) has suffered a bit as it's tried to sprout, but at least it's in now.

Having trouble germinating my mixed scotch bonnet chillies, everything else in my unheated prop has germinated (San marzano toms, gardens delight, cayenne chille,aubergine, but no Scotch bonnets...CM any comments!?.)

[Rohen]

The tray of beans, peas and tomatoes that I put in a neighbours greenhouse in March I recovered yesterday after doing the locks and it seems to have dwindled to three bean plants and a few peas but hey ho they are going to be planted today in the green house and we'll see what becomes of them

Mice implicated again Is there any worth in setting traps on the allotment? in a greenhouse? ( we also get squirrels)

[the.fee.fairy]

Cheezy: i've had trouble germinating a l;ot of chilli varieties - i've got Big Jims, unknowns, Capsicum hots (could be anything), Hungarian sweets, and One Peter. But, i really really wanted the Cherry bombs to come up, and there's not even the slightest bit of movement from them

Ah well...got some Pumpkins and Summer squash coming up, and some cucumbers, salad leaves, Tarragon and Sprouted things (i think).

So if nothing else, i'll be living on squash for the rest of the year!

Puppy's in trouble - caught him digging up the peas and eating them He's been 'educated' now!

[the.fee.fairy]

Been in domestic goddess mode today. Well, nearly!

I opened all the failed bottles of ginger beer and poured them all into a fermenting bin. Then, i got all the fruit from the fruit bowl that didn't look too good (mostly apples), sliced them and covered them with boiling water....in the fermenting bin with the ginger beer.

I left that to go cold, and then liquidised the fruit bits, and returned it al to the fermenting bin. I'm now leaving it overnight (and possible til Tuesday, i broke a demijohn again too). Fingers crossed, it will come out like either a fruity cider, or a cidery fruit wine. I have no idea, but i couldn't think of another use for the fruit...and there were two lonely, empty little demojohns looking at me...

Then, i made a cake - the pumpkin cake that someone posted on here, and then i made the oat cakes someone else posted on here. Then i made spice cakes and Coconut cakes. Then i made some gingerbread. Don't think that recipe came from here. Its an old english recipe apparently, and its come up like ginger cake rather than gingerbread. Smells gorgeous!

Had a chance to go see the greenhouse. I've got a nice lot of squashes coming up (one butternut is just showing its head) and a good few chillies. Some Sweetcorn is just setting off, and so are the salad leaves and the basil, so there should be a nice crop later on with any luck!

I also planted the tea seeds (camellia something...the real tea one), started soaking the chocolate vine and the liquorice seeds, and watered everything else.

Been a busy girl today...going for a nice cup of tea now.

[red]

the leeks outside have started to show - yay -
something keeps digging up my garlic and parsnip toilet roll s- personally I'm blaming the jackdaws and there is no sign of digging - and the rolls look pulled up. The jackdaws are all over the place here and some are nesting in our attic (nice big gap in wall.. bless) - they disgard lots of sticks so there is growing pile on the floor that i will collect and store for kinderling! amongs the pile are bits of soggy cardboard.. so thats why I point the finger at them!!

so I keep replanting them - the next lot i am going to sink a bit deeper. meanwhile teh parsnips sown in the normal way have shown themselves too.

In the green house have started to sow courgettes, squash and gherkins.

[Thomzo]

I did plant some things over the weekend but I can't remember what. Thank goodness for plant labels!

Someone had chucked a bread crate into the bushes in the playing fields at the bottom of my garden. I rescued it and upturned it over my seeds. With an old piece of glass on the top it makes a great chook guard/semi coldframe.

Zoe

[the.fee.fairy]

Went in greenhouse again today: the tomatoes have started growing!

And...finally...ONE cherry bomb chilli has showed its leaves. hopefully, there'll be a few to follow, but just one plant will do me nicely.

my pumpkins and squash are getting big now. Will probaby transplant them to the garden next weekend. Got to string the fence panels ready for them first. Then i can hang the net over them later on as well.

I think i've got a couple of peas coming up. but really, they're green leaves, and so could be anything!

Got some flowers showing - got soem candy tuft and either Lavender or Teddy bear Sunflowers, Not quite sure which. Roll on the flowering. it'll all stop looking so bare then!

[red]

blummin slugs have eaten all my beetroot seedlings in one night!!

and more of my parsnip in rolls have been dug up - grrrr

[Rohen]

Have been investigating the price of decking with which to build 15 raised beds of 2.4 m by 1.2 m

Comes in at around £250 but then it will be lasting for at least five or more years which isnt bad

[digiveg]

Hi Rohen -
Is that using pressure-treated wood? 'Cos if so it's treated with lots of copper and arsenic, and eventually you'll be gardening with bits of it all through your earth. I'm told that it's a very inert combination, but I don't think it's worth the risk where my food is concerned. After all, it's not that long since science thought smoking was good for us and Coca Cola came with real cocaine .

Anyway: an alternative approach. I visited our local building supply and scored LOADS of untreated offcuts of 3 x 1 and 2 x 1. I'm using the 3 x 1 for the sides of my raised beds and holding everything together with 2-ft (roughly) bits of the 2 x 1, sharpened at one end and hammered into the earth. No nails, no screws. I know it won't last more than a few years but I have no worries about the poisons - and it was REALLY REALLY cheap. It's wood that would end up being turned into palettes or getting chipped, so they were prepared to take almost nothing for it.

Worth a try, anyway.

[Muddypause]

Is that using pressure-treated wood? 'Cos if so it's treated with lots of copper and arsenic

Actually, Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA) has not been allowed in the mix for tanalised wood for a couple of years now (not in EU countries, anyway). Tanelith 'E' is what us modern people look for - it still uses copper (hence the green colour) with triazole - no idea what that is, though.