After several months of hard work
After months of work digging, digging, and rotovating, the new plot takes shape nicely. This shows the view from the same place as the last post showing the results of all that work. I spent so long on the new plot that I still need to get more plants into the ground on the old plot.
You can see the new wires for the raspberries. The single wire system did not work well so I fitted spreaders and 2 wires but not very tidily. I intend to fit cross wires every so often and that way I may get away without any ties.
Against the wall you can also see the cupboard from my sister Rosemary’s house. It frees up the cold frame from the junk giving more space for plants. I also have a plastic chair deemed unusable for the garden. I’ll find the right spot sometime.
New plot almost full
“This year I am mostly growing Potatoes”
- oh and onions.
I have 2 rows of Kestrel on the right, 2 rows of Rooster next and then 3 rows of Desiree.
Both sides of the path are multiple rows of different onions. On the 8th May I finally planted out 5 rows of Bedfordshire Champion grown from seed. About half of the bought Mammoth plants I planted out earlier had failed.
In the cold frame I sowed 24 sweetcorn – Honeydew, 1/2 tray of celery – Loretta and 3 pots of Russian Giant sunflower. It is very late for celery and the sunflowers are old so we’ll see.
The Wee B Little pumpkins I sowed earlier in the month are growing well although none of the other cucurbits have shown yet.
In the nursery bed are cauliflower – All the Year Round, sprouts – Clodious and Berwick, calabrese – Zen, chard – Bright Lights, lettuce - Webbs Wonderful, Tom Thumb and Lollo Rosso, broccoli – Red Arrow and Rudolph.
We learn every year and this time I learnt not to leave a bonfire too long. I earthed it up to keep it safe overnight. By the time I decided the weeds were probably dead and scattered the pile, it had fired the earth and it now looks like a builders rubble site with red fired clay. Hopefully with manure and care that part will come back.
You can also see the sticks for the runner beans which are growing well in their trainers in the cold frame.
The roots and brassicas are finally in
After so much work on the new plot I really have not done a lot on the old one.
Last night I managed to sow 3 rows of Swede – Ruby, 2 rows of American land cress in the brassica patch (below the potatoes and to the right of the broad beans), a row of beetroot – Perfect 3 and a row of turnip – Golden Ball in the roots patch(nearest the camera). The turnips are very old although still sealed so may come to nothing and I sowed them between the rows of parsnips. I really must get some carrots in!
I did manage to dig over most of the remaining part after the rain at the beginning of May. The paths and ground around the overwintering broccoli, swedes and parsnips was rock hard before so it is nice to be able to at least get the fork in there.
I need the space for two beds, brassicas and the other more urgent for legumes. I need places for peas and dwarf french beans - real soon now.
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