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
05 Mar 19 p.m. session 1.5 hrs, DT. Weather overcast, drizzly 8-10o.
Plot #59: Planted Malus domestica ‘Howgate Wonder’ at front-right of plot. Set up cane support for stepover training, tied in lateral branches.
10 Mar 19
Home: Bagged up 3x large bags of home compost from bin #2, in order to move bin in preparation for fencing replacement.
12 Mar 19
At Home:
Sowing: Solanum lycopersicon ‘Maghrebi’, ‘Ildi F1’, ‘San Marzano red plum’. Raphanus Sativus ‘Sparkler 3’. Quick test: latter to be kept in half seed-tray until ready for harvest?
19 Mar 19 p.m. session 3.0 hrs, DT. Weather light overcast, 12-14o.
First visit to plot for 2 weeks due to extended wet / cold / hail / generally stormy weather. No storm damage noticed.
Plot #59: Moved several barrowloads of chippings (mostly Prunus laurocerasus, quite leafy) for mulching replanted rhubarb / raspberry section / front paths.
Added rotted rhubarb root & well-rotted horse muck to hugelkultur bed. Continued lifting turf for final layering.
20 Mar 19 p.m. session 2.5 hrs, DT. Weather sunny, 13-15o.
Plot #59: Cleared grass from around sage plant (which needs cutting back) and started clearing grass from main path area, added to hugelkultur bed.
Sowing: 1 row of Pastanica sativa ‘Student’ (direct sow, station, 2 seeds per). 1x bin of Daucus carota ‘Early Nantes 2’.
21 Mar 19 p.m. session 2.0 hrs, DT. Weather sunny / light overcast, 12-14o.
Plot #59: Laid 4x flagstones on central path. Continued to clear grass from main path area as required, added to hugelkultur bed.
Sowing: 1 row of Petroselinum crispum tuberosum ‘Atika’ (direct sow, station, scattered a cluster of seeds per).
Home: Potted up 12x Vicia faba ‘Martock’ into 9cm pots to grow on pre-planting out.
23 Mar 19 p.m. session 2.0 hrs, DT & JT. Weather light overcast, 8-10o
Plot #59: DT laid 3x large slabs on main path. Planted up 2x long trays Fragaria ananassa ‘Malwina’. Planted Malus domestica ‘Blenheim Orange’ stepover as rear border to apple cordon area (needs support / tying in). Planted out 6x Allium cepa var. aggregatum ‘Jermor’ and 6x A. cepa var. agg. ‘Hative de Niort’ at back of over-wintered onion bed.
JT cleared rampant Aster from path beds, checked & tidied front flower beds etc.
26 Mar 19 p.m. session 2.0 hrs, DT. Weather sunny to light overcast, chill breeze 8-12o
Laid 4x large slabs on main path. Now w/on additional slabs from home driveway.
28 Mar 19 p.m. session 2.0 hrs, DT. Weather sunny to light overcast, 12 – 14o
Put in support canes for third stepover apple, in front of carrot bins. Lifted turf from main path area to finish hugelkultur bed. Barrowed up more rough mulch for paths either side of hugel. Laid approx 20 block pavers on main path.
30 Mar 19 a.m. session 2.5 hrs, DT. Weather light overcast to sunny, 10 – 12o
Planted out: 12x Vicia faba ‘Martock’, front left behind stepover apple.
Note to self: perhaps allow Chinese artichoke to grow underneath stepover apple, as long as they don’t seem to be interfering with the root zone of the tree? Keep tree-circle completely clear.
Watered strawberry planters. Laid approx 10 block pavers on main path.
31 Mar 19 a.m. / p.m. session 3.0 hrs, DT & JT. Weather light overcast, 8 – 10o
JT weeded front flower beds, DT laid block pavers on main path, then assisted with JT’s attack on bindweed thicket at back left of plot, coming in from next door’s compost heaps… (a perennial problem if ever there was one).
To-Do:
- Prep 3x carrot bins w. w/r manure, re-sieved soil. Drill x1.
- Prep posts for cordons, ram in posts, wire up, plant cordons.
- Continue lifting grass, set aside for turf stack.
- Spring-clean greenhouse.
- Sort and tidy shed.
- Continue mulching paths / no-dig areas w. card & chippings (when available).
- Source (OH?) seed spuds, prep spud-planting area, plant out.
- Cut back sage bush.