Selfsufficientish.com

Got an Azada for my birthday last week, and as a result have cleared loads of extra space in the allotment, and have two new beds, now planted up and sown with beans for drying (cannelini, borlotti and butterbeans).

This Azada is absolutely the best tool I've ever had. Forget rotivators, give me a hunk of metal on a stick every time! Honestly, everyone should have one - as well as clearing brambles, nettles, etc, it's great as a 'super-hoe' on existing beds, and for digging trenches and holes for planting into. I think I'm in love...

We're harvesting peas & waiting anxiously to see if our Broad beans can fatten up a bit before they're swamped by black-fly (no amount of pinching out growing tips is detering them).
My BF declared the peas 'the best he's ever tasted'

We've netted the strawberries (using an old net curtain) but the resident foxes on the site keep doing their business on the net

My turn to water in the greenhouse tonight, so I'll have some more peas & maybe a broad bean or 3, they've had a couple of good days of sun since I was there on Sunday.

Ranter wrote:We're harvesting peas & waiting anxiously to see if our Broad beans can fatten up a bit before they're swamped by black-fly (no amount of pinching out growing tips is detering them).

We're lucky(?) enough to have an absolute infestation of those killer ladybirds the press is in a lather about. Our broad beans were covered in blackfly for about 2 days before the hungry foreign menace finished them off.

I'm not saying I won't miss the old 5-spot now it's gone the way of the red squirrel, but you know, these harlequins don't half do the job.

I hate to appear thick. I really do. Oh, I despise my lack of knowledge. I feel awful.

What's an Azada?

MKG wrote:I hate to appear thick. I really do. Oh, I despise my lack of knowledge. I feel awful.

What's an Azada?

It's sort of a cross between a hoe and a mattock. There's an old thread around here somewhere about them (Stonehead was looking for, then found, one I think). Here's a link:

http://www.get-digging.co.uk/article.htm

made my first net cloche for the strawberries all by myself with no help... well proud! go on maternity leave on friday so if this weather keeps up i'm gonna have a wicked few weeks pottering around on the 'lloty all day! yessss!

JustinFun wrote:

MKG wrote:I hate to appear thick. I really do. Oh, I despise my lack of knowledge. I feel awful.

What's an Azada?

It's sort of a cross between a hoe and a mattock. There's an old thread around here somewhere about them (Stonehead was looking for, then found, one I think). Here's a link:

http://www.get-digging.co.uk/article.htm

Ah - thanks. I've got one of those, so I don't have to feel so thick any longer

great as a 'super-hoe' on existing beds, and for digging trenches and holes for planting into. I think I'm in love...

Blimey!!

Just been up to the plot tonight to water and take a few pictures. Amazing to see how its changed in the last couple of weeks when I compare pictures.

Did eat some mange tout while walking around, very nice!

wooohoooo i can join in this thread now....had my allotment for a whole 8 days!!. did some work at the weekend, then popped up last night and marked out 2 more beds, plus watered my rose and spuds. there was also a delivery of compost, so grabbed big blue IKEA bags full....dont own a wheelbarrow yet!!.

Arrived down at allotment today after 1 day off to find that the rain had done an excellent job of watering and that the compost fairies had arrived. One of the pigeon lofts had donated me six bags of pigeon poo and the daughter had left me the grass and weeds from her garden. I had to take the plastic cover off the compost heap, add the offerings and then put the cover back on. Messy and smelly but an excellent addition. The heap is so big that I'm going to have to start a new heap - that will be tomorrow when I have to do some more hedge clipping - miles of hedges around the allotment Fine for shelter but hours of cutting.

made my first net cloche for the strawberries

I hope yours is more successful than the net I rigged up from an old net curtain.

The site's resident foxes have been using the net as a toilet. And one had eaten something that gave it a very unpleasant 'episode'

Talking about Azadas...
This is exactly the right tool - the one I've been wanting - the one I haven't known was even available in this country!

but I do need some advice...

I'm quite strong for a woman and have clay soil on the allotment and loads of bramble roots, bindweed, etc., which is why I've put off (till now, I thought permanently) dealing with the worst third of the allotment. There are also lots and lots of large sandstone bits (baby's fist size and up to the size of mine) in the soil.
Now then - which Azada should I buy? a 7" medium, do you think? I keep trying to imagine swinging a bag of flour... Should I go for the heavier one? I'm asking you lot because it's difficult to imagine whether a heavier tool wil be much harder for me to use.

Went up last night for a while after a weekend away and picked a few bits.

5kgs of new charlotte potatoes
2 x large collinders each of spinnach & Salad leaves
A dozen raddish
6 rather large caugettes
4 medium beetroots
6 stems of Rhubarb
A few onions and first bulb of garlic.
1 kgs of Strawberries
A dozen or so Raspberries (Autumn)

Did pick some mange tout but they did not make it home, burp!

Very happy first major haul.

Just cooking our first batch of potatoes along with some broad beans. Can't wait.