Sowing with a little helper

After all the digging on the allotment yesterday, decided I needed a more relaxing Sunday,  so a good opportunity to do some sorting out.   Set up the mini growhouse ready for trays of brassicas and other trays of seed to go in next month.   Still a tad early with heavy frosts at the moment to plant direct into the growhouse.   With the Tomato Growhouse, ive left the covers off, as it will be a while before the toms are transplanted into there.

So, next up I finished transplanting plants that were sown in February into the heated propegator.

In the various trays here, they are Tomato Lidl Yellow, Money maker, Ailsa Craig.

Chilli wise, Cayenna, Jalapeno and Tabasco.

 The tray of Ailsa Craig which i translanted a fortnight ago, look theyve taken a bit of a hit with the cold nights.    What I should have done is used a plastic cover (and i've got plenty) to cover these overnight to give them that extra protection.   I will be doing this tonight,  better late than never

 In the two pots with some good pencil thin green shoots, are early sown Leeks.   You can't really transplant Leeks until April, so these could do with slowing down growing!    looking very good though.  I will over the next couple of weeks sow another pot of leeks, to ensure that over next winter I will be picking regular crops of leeks but not all of them ready at once!

It was an old gentlemen a few years ago, that gave me some left over leeks to plant on my plot and he showed me a really good way.   basically sow in pots (like the pic shown), and then on your plot use a Dibbler to make fairly deep holes.  Drop a single leek into each hole, and fill the hole with WATER (not soil),   Ive had some tremendous crops of leeks, arguably one of the vegetables ive had the most success with.

 So after freeing up the propegator grow pots, it was time to sow more seeds,   as you can see with Rgio, my little helper for the morning

Here I was sowing my sprouts, a Darmar 21 variety.   Then thinly cover with compost and stick in the propegator

I sowed two varieties of Pumpkin today.  One seed per pot.  The two varieties are Pumpkin Rocket F1  and  Pumpkin Small Sugar.

I have two propegators, each can hold 7 pots.   One is a heater propagator which plugs into the electric,  and the other is a very clever seven day self watering propegator which doesnt need any electric.  








 The following were all sown in the pots today :-
Onion Karma, Pea Douce Provence, Mangetout, Sprouts Darmar 21, Turnip Milan Purple, Cabbage Express, Lettuce Antartica, Pepper sweet spanish mixed, Cherry Tomato Cerise, Tomato Tamina, Tomato Black Cherry and finally Sweetcorn Applause F1

A few weeks ago now, I took delivery of my potatoes,  and instantly put them into egg boxes in the conservatory to Chit  (see a previous blog pots). They are finally starting to show signs of shoots, and these will need to go into the ground in April.

Next weekend i need to finish digging the potato bed, because the fertilizer  (you need a potato speciifc fertasliser - do not use manure) needs to be added to the soil a few weeks before you put the spuds in,  so this in reality is a must job for next weekend.

 A very busy weekend on the allotment, and then at home.  

Freezing Spring Morning, digging it is then

Its less than a month until Easter, which means one thing....    Time is running out and fast to get my beds ready for the mental sowing blitz.   Although i will be starting some seeds off this week in the propergators.

Today, down on the plot by 8am after a bacon sandwich and coffee from Morrisons Petrol station,  £2 you cant beat it.  Gave me just enough energy for over five hours worth of digging.

Dug several tree roots up, i am laid on the sofa as I type this, feeling absolutely shattered!!!   well worth it i hope....


Remember....Clicking on the photos put them into fullsize view...

Below : The bottom of the plot, still so much to do, but its not long ago it was head high in brambles!!!

 Dug this whole bed over today, at the side of the blackberry bushes which im keeping.   Think this bed will have the salad crops in this year,  lettuces, radish, spring onions etc
After digging the side bed, it was time to move onto the Potato bed, which was head high in brambles last summer and gave me a fantastic blackberry crop,  but i need more growing space, so theyve had to go.

Below are a couple of images showing some of the Roots i dug up today, talk about back breaking!

 Oh and one layer of the brick path dug up too

 You cant see it from this view,  but the top section is also dug over!     got a lot of middle ground to do!

So hopefully i can still stand tomorrow and get myself down to the plot....    now a glass of wine and sleep needed!!!

Marching into Spring

Had a fab day down the allotment on Saturday.   the sun was shining

Today i sowed the broad beans.

A view of the plot...

 Camping stove, lifes sorted

 Dug all of this bed over, and I was absolutely shattered.

 The Cabbages look pretty good, and hoping they will be ready for Easter

 The onion and Garlic bed, doing really wel.

 Is it me, or does my path (LEFT) now look more like a railway line?