Sunny May Bank Holiday Monday

and then we get hailstones !!!!!!!!!!

Strange old world.

It's all exploding !

Spent all day up on the lottie and got back about 4pm to start on the plot. Here's some pics of today.



The triffid house with my wee Millwall gnome standing guard.













Another of Mum's rather attractive "brown marigolds". I really must decide on a name for it ! This is in the g/h to protect the toms from wild beasties.










Cayenne peppers. Now what am I going to do with eight of them ?







Bronze fennel, coming along nicely and just right for the lottie!









Vivid petunia









Strange tomato blooms. One is Marmande, the other a Muchamiel.













A bag of petunias. Yesterday these were really droopy as they'd dried out. Don't take long to recover ! Indestructible plants.







Some of RDM's fuschias







Lilies ready to pop








Nasturtiums and beetroot with a few morning glory thrown in.









Calendula going potty !








The courgettes - they seems to like it in the ground. They're still under cover, which I just took off for the photo !











Various fruit bushes, the christmas tree and some leeks








Jasmine and thingy greyii










JAs






Everything really is starting to go wild. I did a 12hr shift today between the plot and the lottie and enjoyed every minute of it.

The diary has gone completely to pot now, so next year I'll have to rely on the blogs to give me an idea of what I did when. I've still to plant out a tray of lobelia, Lemon Zest calendula, yet another tray of petunia and more fuschias than I can throw a big stick at, oh and there are still marigolds in their 3" pots just waiting for the lottie to be ready so they can go up there.

I've got a few wee lavender plants grown from cuttings that can go up there as well. So much for downsizing.

OK off for a shower and bed to try and read my new edition of Gardeners World before I collapse on the pillow.

I do love this game, obsessive as I am.

testing times ...........

trying to work out how to insert smiles ...









What a bloody parlarver

G/h auto vents - the continuing story

We fitted our second one last night. Fitting the first one caused enough rows that Kofi Annan had to be brought in to mediate. Eventually we got it on and it works beautifully.

You'd think we knew what we were doing fitting the second ! (even Kofi wasn't taking our calls).

I now have a strategically placed wad of bubble wrap stuck to the pane with uv/weather resistant tape to stop it banging against the pane of glass. I fully expect to come home from work tonight finding a million bits of (toughened) glass all over the toms. The weight of the first one seemed to be enough to pull it off the glass. I think the triple spring in the second is that bit stronger that it won't "drop".

I have a well known make of greenhouse (Hall's), and these were a well known brand of auto vents (Bayliss). I shall be writing to both manufacturers and suggesting they talk to each other about getting the damn holes to even vaguely match.

(note to self: must remember to loosen the net shading over the new side to allow for expansion).

I'm sure they are wonderful inventions but they won't get the Nobel Peace prize from me this year.

Yesterday

Having spent most of the weekend concentrating on the lottie, I came home last night and thought I'd better do something on the plot. I spent about 2 hours watering the tomatoes and No. 2 g/h. The hanging baskets have been inside since the gales during the week and everything looks pretty cramped (which it is lol). Glad I haven't got cat to swing !























Here's yet another different calendula, think this is yet another of 4P's. Windy's have still to flower, infact I must try and find his pots in amongst everything else.

The orange ones really do look lovely and there are literally dozens of blooms, so I'm not to precious about the odd one that get snapped here and there.

















Here are two fellas that were buzzing around yesterday, as long as they stay on the aerial and not in the hedge after the babies, I don't mind. There were about 6 of them altogether though. They're more common than the sparrows atm.




Here's my first petunia bloom, and this one hasn't even been potted up yet, it's still sitting in it's milk bottle !













I lost a broad bean plant to something, it just kind of keeled over, think it was nibbled at the base. Must have been some slug ! Everything else is doing fine. Garlic is still coming on a treat. Peas seem to have halted, but I need to take the cloches off the newly sown ones as they're now trying to escape through the top of the bottles.

Strawberries are a mass of leaves, but inbetween I can see loads of fruit forming. Note to self, must get some straw.

Courgettes have got mildew, don't know where from as we've had plenty of rain. Once they get up the lottie, I'll cut off the affected leaves and pretend I never saw them.

The honeysuckle is reaching for the sky and one bit of it has reached the g/h eaves now. Must get some more supporting wire put up for it.

One of the red lilies has started to blooms, but it's looks a bit small and puny looking. Probably cos I never fed the poor wee thing last autumn. All the others, even the tall ones, survived the gales and have plenty of buds. One of the rhubarb plants has put on a good spurt and have developed lots of nice new leaves, the second one still needs to get going.

Lordy, there's so much that I can't remember much else so I'll have to go round with the camera again just to remind myself.

Now must away to the nasty place.

xxx

Some birdies have no shame !

Two sparrows bonking on my greenhouse ridge. I ask you !

:-D

My poor poor windbashed plants

Been blowin a hoolie for 2 days now. Everything is swaying precariously and the poor old lilies and broadies are fair being bashed about.

Waiting for proper light before assessing the damage.

I've got wind !

and the jersusalem artichokes are nowhere near ready !

Pretty damn blowy out there this morning, so i've had to rush all the hanging baskets and potted courgettes inside and try and clip fleece windbreaks around the fuschias, morning glories, Hestias and beet.

The lilies are having to fend for themselves.

I hope there's something left by the time I get back tonight.

I think the thing that worries me most ...

is having to learn how to hoe ! How do you hoe ? Ho ho ho! :-)

OOH ! Exciting !

Got a letter from the secretary of the allotment site last night. Was I still interested ? Does a bear cr@p in the woods ??

So phoned Mr Sec today and was taken to see three sites. Two really big but incredibly overgrown and strewn with rubbish. I didn't even have to look at the OH to know what he thought about them. But there's one, relatively small (about a 1/4 plot I guess), not terribly overgrown, nothing that a good weekend wouldn't sort out. Right next to the Committee Hut which is only used once a month and I could get free use of. At least if it started pishing down, I would have somewhere to run. Ah, no loos ......... but I guess I do have the Committee Hut ! Loos are something they're looking at shortly. Only problem is a small matter of flooding in the winter. Didn't exactly imagine a paddy field in my first year ! But like Mr Sec says (and he's in the next plot and also get's flooding but copes with it) you're not up there much over the winter !

I really don't know if I've got the longevity to take on a huge plot, especially one that is in a huge need of sorting out first. So I'm going to see what my mates think over on A4A http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joomla/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,91/topic,31644.0
and then decide in the morning having gone to bed reading The Allotment Book by Andi Clevely falling asleep thinking of nice neat oblong beds with lovely straw paths and blooms galore.

And so to dream ......................

Eurovision ? WHAT ??

Is this what being part of Europe is ? If so, count me out. It was so cringeworthy, it was horrific.

Only redeeming feature was Mr Wogan in his usual stylee! How much longer he can continue torturing himself is anyone's guess !

Rule Britannia !

Another cold and damp day yesterday, however ...

Went and bought 5 new hanging basket brackets. Thought I better had seeing as I had 7 baskets and 2 brackets ! I kept bumping into them in the g/hs and bits kept breaking off. Two of the new ones are up meaning the fleece patrol at dusk to protect the petunias.


The poppy bed at the side of the house is starting to look like I just dumped handfuls of seed in various spots. I did try and scatter - honest !






The nasturium and freesia trough had a couple of additions yesterday (more marigolds). Some of the freesias are looking a bit wind blasted though. Unsurprising really as the side of the house is a proper wind tunnel.



The cucumbers really do look worse for wear. Still not got a clue what I'm doing with them. Think the one on the far right out of shot has keeled over already. A fair few blooms on some of the others though, so hoping for big green things.





This on the right is very odd. Found this strange flat leaved thing right in the middle of the garlic bed. There are two of them and look for all the world like the freesias ! Am going to leave them there until flowering just to see what the strange guest plant is.






The toms are in the "annexes" i.e. mini plastic greenhouses by the shed. Coming on nicely though. Do you think I can remember which is which though ? Don't be silly, that would mean me going back out and taking a look !




The whisky barrel is housing some Wodan beetroot, nasturtiums and morning glory up the back. Naturally as soon as I planted out the Morning Glory, I found another pot of them indoors ! I'll have to try and squeeze it in somewhere.





Here are two of the courgettes (All Green Bush I think) that have made their way to the border already. I keep a sun tunnel cloche over them at night. Out of the three varieties sown (All Green Bush, Astia, Defender), I only seem to be able to find AGB ! Strange one that lol.






All the aubergines are now potted up into their black buckets, but I'm still keeping them inside the house until the temperature outside gets turned up a bit. I ended up giving a way a box of excess of requirements goodies to a very nice lady on freeshare for her retired dad that's just started to grow his own. I feel better for the fact that they'll grow on to maturity rather than going on the compost heap.





Planted out some more calendula and french marigolds around the bases of the fruit trees, only to find out that the marigolds are half-hardy ! Ah well, let's hope for no frost eh as I've nearly got through my tray of spares now. One of Mum's "brown" marigolds has flowered. Not very brown imho, something to be thankful for. Having searched a couple of sites, I think it's either Tagetes patula Durango Red http://seeds.thompson-morgan.com/uk/en/product/6726/1 or Tagetes patula Scarlet Sophie http://seeds.thompson-morgan.com/uk/en/product/1513/1
A bit hard to tell at this stage but if anyone can ID it from this tiny pic, please do give me a clue!
Still more different blooms coming on 4P's calendula. Amazing how many different kinds all from one seed saving. This one is far more blousy than it's predecessors. Still lovelys though. I'm so glad that I've tried calendula this year. They will definitely be on my must grow list in future.



Planted up loads of RDM55's fuschias, which also have the fleece protection thingy at night. Just running out of room in the g/h. There's three different varieties in this pot, will have to dig out some names.



At least the sun has shown it's face this morning, so I've taken off all the fleece and hope that some of the warmth will reach the babies.

Slug despatching still continues apace. Watching one drown in beer is strangely satisfying !

Laters pals.

Time is just flying

and have been too pooped to update anything.

Well the long weekend started out fine. Nice weather on Saturday followed by the rain that was promised to everyone on Sunday and Monday. We've also got this bloody awful wind that freezes you as soon as you walk outside. I've had more boiling hot showers to warm me up than anything else ! Ah well, it's not like we've not got enough water.

The lily pad is swaying dangerously, but each of the long stems are secured to poles or canes so I feel fairly confident that they will get through the week unscathed.



I've been shifting stuff around the greenhouses and now have all the toms in g/h No. 1 potted up and in their final places. Have been pinching out like a mad person. It's all I can do to remember which are cordon's and which are bushes though ! Perhaps I should add that to the labels lol.


The strawberry bed is looking promising. Huge amounts of green growth, blossom and fruits starting to form.




Peas are fairly galloping away, not sure if one has bolted though (do peas bolt) as it's 3 times the size of all the others ! Plenty of pods forming. Same with the broadies, numerous pods and some quite large. Mainly on the aquathingies, but even the Green Windsors are starting to pod now and have a multitude of blooms.








I've potted up about half a dozen hanging baskets (petunia, lobelia) , which is slightly daft as I only have 4 brackets to hang them on although we got an extra one up yesterday. We half hinched the for sale post from a house up the street and put one of those metal spike things in the ground yesterday complete with extra bracket.

Aubergines are in the house still. Need potting up again as there are a mass of roots poking through the bottom of the milk bottle pots they're in. But quelle 'orror of 'orrors, I AM RUNNING OUT OF BLACK BUCKETS ! I've got about 10 left (from 50) so am going to have four Black Beauty aubs, and four Calliope in g/h No. 2 (no room in No. 1 as originally planned).

Bloody Co-op wouldn't let me have any of their buckets (they send them back up here Lishka - must be the Scottish influence). We did our shopping at Tesco's this week rather than Morrisons, but perhaps I'll have to return to the old stomping ground to see about buckets.

Lots of birdie action. Saw a magpie disappear into the hedge next door yesterday, much squalking and noise created by mummy Blackbird. I hope she managed to fight off the evil magpie before he did any damage. Just seen the silhouette of a blackbird with worms in it's mouth (looking into the light so I couldn't tell if it was Ma or Pa) so there are still babies around.

My daughter phoned yesterday to say that she had blue tits in her birdbox. Am gutted ! My box is definitely in the wrong place and it shalt be moved in the summer. I told her to keep her kitten well away from her babies, cos the parents will just get spooked and abandon the nest. And she doesn't even feed the birds. Double gutted !

Supersprout's Jersusalem Artichokes have put in an appearance at last. They just look like weed ! As I've not planted anything else in this particular patch, I'm taking it that they're they JAs.





Calendula going mad everywhere. Lemon Calendula still to be potted up. Something keeps attacking the french marigolds at ground level. Obviously Sluggy and his pals. I'm afraid to say, I've resorted to the pellets. They certainly do work, but I go on morning reconnaissance missions to collect the victims before they get eaten.


Have I said about the courgettes ? Planted out 4 under the 2 sun tunnels and they seem to be coping OK. Got one in a big pot and about another 6 to find homes for !

Beans ................ running riot all over the bedroom. I really have to do something with them and soon but they are looking healthy enough but some are about a foot long or more. I'd pinch them out but I'm having trouble actually finding the growing tip lol.













Just been out and you'd think it was winter ! Caught loads of big fat sluggies and one tried to climb over the edge of the bowl - ha ! can't get away from me ! Him and his little dead friends are now in the brown recycling container .

Ok fellow plottees ! Time for the ablutions. Catch you all later.


xx