Friday 20th April 2012

Posted on April 20, 2012 by clairesallotment

Well I finally got up to the allotment today. I was watching the clouds come in, and kept everything to a minimum, just incase it decided to rain suddenly, and I had to make mad dash to the car. I managed to plant the last few white onions, so they’re now all in. I found a few more parsnip seeds, so there was just enough for 1 more row. I then started on my potatoes. I had to weed the bed before I could put them in. Because we’ve had loads or rain in the past 3 days the soil is very easy to dig. I was able to get all the potatoes that I took down with me in. My new tool is fantastic, I’m so pleased I found one. It’s lovely and sturdy, and the hole that it makes is a good size to fit a seed potato in. I can’t wait to use it again on Monday (that’s if the weather allows me to go to the allotment). When I got in the car it started to spit, so I timed it perfectly.

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4 Responses to Friday 20th April 2012

  1. bacon66's avatar bacon66 says:
    April 20, 2012 at 2:13 pm

    Hi Claire , ive recently moved house and wanted to start growing my veg again, however the ground where in growing is very boggy im thinking about doing raise beds as am not sure if they will grow being so wet , i was gonna try adding compost & horse manure what do you think
    Mark

    Reply
    • clairesallotment's avatar clairesallotment says:
      April 20, 2012 at 3:54 pm

      Hi Mark,
      Raised beds are brilliant, you grow in exactly the same way. Make sure the raised beds are at least 1 foot deep. That way to have enough depth for potatoes, and those plants that grow downwards. Fill each bed with a mixture of manure, compost, rotting leaves and soil. Add in a bit of ballast to aid with the drainage. You don’t have to be precise with the amounts you put in. If you want to use the “No dig” method, then line the bottom of the bed with old cardboard boxes as this will stop the weeds and grass coming through. The boxes will rot away after the greenery underneath has died.
      Hope that helps.
      Claire

      Reply
  2. David Hyams's avatar David Hyams says:
    April 23, 2012 at 8:11 am

    It is good to note that, like me, you don’t make a trench for the potatoes when planting. I simply use a trowel to make individual holes, drop a little muck in, place the tuber on top then earth up the row and leave them. I can’t see the point in wasting energy unnecessarily.

    Reply
    • clairesallotment's avatar clairesallotment says:
      April 23, 2012 at 10:47 am

      I used to dig a trench, but then thought that there must be a much easier way to do it. I used to use a trowel, that was until I discovered my long handled bulb planter. We do so much digging with the soil, anyway to lesten that is a good thing.

      Reply

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