This section of the site is intended as a personal record of jobs undertaken and work completed on the allotment, either on plot #59, our main growing plot; or plot #79, our orchard plot. Please feel free to visit the front page of Allotment Notes for more blog-style content.
2019: Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June | July
06 Jan 19 p.m. session 2 hrs, DT & JT. Weather drizzly, overcast, 5-8o
Plot 59 – Dug out strawberries. Lifted membrane, cleaned off.
08 Jan 19 p.m. session 2 hrs, DT. Weather cold, bright, overcast later, 2-5o
Plot 59 – Dug out raspberries (approx. half). Some to Ian D, some to Collette & Moira. (Forget-me-nots to C&M also.)
Plot 79 – Spoke to Mike re: pruning. Agreed email to Mike & Christine to arrange session. Mike suggested notice on shop board to invite folks to watch / learn.
09 Jan 19
Home – Brought propagators in from shed. Took delivery of pruning shears & string for raspberry enclosure.
10 Jan 19 a.m. session 1.5hr, DT. Weather cold, overcast, 6-7o, lingering ground frost.
Plot 59 – Dug out, divided & distributed remaining raspberries. Too cold to plant shallots (to do: Sunday).
Home – Set up & cleaned smaller propagator. Brought in prepped seed soil trays for chilli sowing.
11 Jan 19
Home – Sowing:
– Capsicum annuum ‘Bolivian Rainbow’ (Pennard) x 10
– Capsicum annuum ‘Trifetti’ (HSL) x 10
– Allium cepa ‘Dakota Red Potato Onion’ (via Alex Taylor) x many
– Lycium ruthenicum Goji Berry ‘Black Pearl’ (Plant World) x 12-15
All sown in 1/5 trays, pre-moistened and warmed seed compost on top of multipurpose, small propagator at 24o.
13 Jan 19
Home – potted up shallots (8x ‘Jermor’, 8x ‘Hative de Niort’) in modules.
Will keep in greenhouse to establish root systems, ready for planting out later in Spring.
15 Jan 19 a.m. session, 3 hrs, DT. Weather cool, dry, overcast 8-9o.
Finished weeding and levelling new raspberry section.
24 Jan 19 a.m. session, hrs, DT. Weather cold, damp, overcast 3-5o (First decent break in the weather for a week or so.)
Cut back the willow. Approx. 12-13′ of growth last year. Used lengthier stems to boost asparagus windbreak. Cut propagules to take in for Ordsall Hall.
Pruned 2x small standard gooseberries, took out one or two older blackcurrant stems.
24 Jan 19
Home – took delivery of replacement (correct) lights for Vitopod propagator, installed. Surviving chilli seedlings responding well to much-improved light source. Looking forward to the rest of the season’s germination and propagation.
Still waiting on delivery from Pomona Fruits, but recent adverse weather (much snow, ice) may have caused the delay.
To-Do:
- Mark out canes for rasperry enclosure.
- Buy h.d. weed membrane (Giants Seat)
- Plant raspberries, strawberries, lingonberries, blueberry (w/on delivery from Pomona).
- Help Mike w. apple pruning on is new plot (if req’d).
- Divide, lift & re-plant rhubarb crowns x4, leaving x4 in situ for this year.
- Relocate 2x blackcurrant bushes to reduce over-crowding. Possibly same for red/white currant bushes on far side of large gooseberry.