Bin AWOL

I have been walking in Derbyshire for a week but have been back for three days without bloggin'. Naughty me!!!!!

Anyway, got the last of my seven rows of tatties in as planned. Sowed the rest of my Marfona two per station and the same with my King Eds. Hate small seed as they throw all my planning out of key. If they had all been the same size as my Pentland Crown, Desiree, Arran Pilot, Home Guard and Kestrels, the planned seven rows would have been perfect. As it is, I have a rows worth of Kind Eds that I am going to have to give to my mate and cos they were so small, my yield will be down. Had to give up on the paper as I ran out so the ones without paper, got more grass - will probably be better. I have covered the rest of the solanum bed as I am going to virtually no dig my tomatoes - the previous tenant did nothing with this part of the lotty so I am just going to dig a hole where each tom plant will go, fill it with compost, grass cuttings and leaf mould, put the soil back and then cover with cardboard. The toms can then go through the cardboard.

Sowed my first sowing of squash tonight - that is:
Summer:
Black Beauty Courgette
All Green Bush Courgette
Sebring Courgette
Pattinson Patty Pan (well looking forward to these)

Winter:
Butternut (variety a mystery)
Anna Schwartz Hubbard
Burgess Buttercup
Thelma Sanders Sweet Potato
Jack o' Lantern Pumpkin
Sunnysideup Roadside Specials

Also:
Marketmore Cucumbers.

Have also sowed giant Sunflowers as that is the competition up the lotty this year.

Finally, trying to beat the pea curse on my plot so bought some guttering today and sowed Hurst Greenshaft peas.

No sign of my carrots, parsnips or spring onions yet. Have baby pods on by November sowing of Broad Beans.

My MIL has sown the marrows that we are all going to grow as part of a internecine competition, which I will undoubtedly win due to my undoubted prowess with all things courgette - where is the wink smiley when you need it??????

Short one tonight

Sowed a row of Parano and a row of Nantes 2 carrots with a row of White Lisbon Spring Onions in between today. Had to water two rather lumpy beds today, leave for an hour then rake to get the tilth I wanted - the second bed is for my parsnips which will be going in tomorrow along with some beetroot.

Oh aye, and the Imps at the moment couldn't hit a barn door - not that they bother trying. Loads of good build up then no delivery.

Barking up the wrong tree?

Well, seem to have had a bit of flack for this elsewhere but experimenting with my potato row spacing this year. As it is now April, tis not too early to get maincrop spuds. Maincrops need wide row spacing so had a thought - to save space initially, I am planting in sequence 1st, MC, 1st, MC, 2nd, MC, 2nd, MC on the basis that most of the 1sts and 2nds will be out as the MCs are doing the last of their bulking up. This way they will have an empty row between each one. It will also allow them to dry out quicker thus being less attractive to blight spores. If it don't work - I won't do it next year.

To that end, got a row of King Eds and a row of Arran Pilot in.

Oooh owww oooch

Last Friday (23rd March) a Scout elbowed me hard in the ribs. Raking the grass on Friday, really aggravated it and I haven't been able to do any heavy work this weekend :o( Not good timing - my Arran Pilots are now developing leaves at the end of their chits. Also, met teatree for a drink yesterday which numbed the pain a bit but did mean no (or little) plotting. Have been today and got my Feb sowing of Aquadulces in the ground. Also put the weed fabric back round my strawbs and hand weeded my onions and garlic. Since I came home, I have sowed another 60 broadies (Witkiem and Mastergreen Longpod). Hopefully going to get my tomatoes in later - and anything else that occurs to me - or to you ;o)

PS - just had a big helping of PSB for me tea - lurvvely :o)

WoooooooooooHooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!

WoooooooooooHooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!! WoooooooooooHooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!! WoooooooooooHooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!! Should have known it - they painted new white lines on the school field on Monday - they came to mow it today (need rolly eyes smiley!!!!) Anyway, fetched grass rake from plot - and did some hand weeding. Got "Big Hands" in my boot. Got black plastic bags. Tomorrow pm, before I come home for PPA, gonna rake the field and fill me bags!!!!!

PS - me shallots are starting to show signs of life.

Blogging for bloggings sake!!!!!

Gotta keep up the pace - seems somebody out there is keeping track!!!!

Curly Kale, Pablo, Forellenschloss and Bresson Rouge have all germinated - just waiting for Grandpa Admire now but as he such an old geezer, he may be a bit behind the others.

Broadies on my shed still looking mighty fine. Had something dig in one of my leeky washing up bowls - which are at the top of the growhouse so not want of the cats looking for a leak. Hope I haven't got rats again!!!!! The leeks outside are a bit sluggish but the ones inside (that are now out) germinated very well - did not sow as thinly as I thought so will be pricking out from there into the other two washing up bowls containing the outside sluggish leeks.

Gotta sow some toms at the weekend - and probably a ton of other stuff.

Need a ton more grass clippings - anybody got any??????

Keep up boys and girls!!!!

Following on from yesterday am, yesterday pm I got another 5m row of Home Guard in. Have Arran Pilots up me passage (ph-nar ph-nar) desperately trying to get out. As Icy puts it, the chits are so long, they will soon be developing potatoes.

After the calabrese poked its head above the parapet with 100% germination, the red cabbage followed (100%) again along with Kohl Rabi (also 100%) and the All Year Round Cauli (good germination). The sprouts and swede are coming up in dribs and drabs (older seed) and I have resown where nothing has shown just in case it doesn't. This year I am using the windowsill propagators more as they have handy modules that come in sixes. Sowing a bigger variety of things in smaller unit sizes. For instance - not a huge call for red cabbage, so only have six of them whereas have 12 each of the sprouts, cauli, calabrese etc.

Today, I have sown sweet peppers, some curly kale (only six at this stage, more to follow) and four types of lettuce - Grandpa Admire's, Pablo, Forellenschloss and Bresson Rouge. Trying to grow varieties of salad that aren't available in the shops - although Little Gem, Salad Bowl etc will probably find themtselves up at the plot at some point.