EADD Gardening Club: Ploughing FUBAR's infertile Fields

[Mailmonkey]

We started building a chicken run last year, or was it the year before, but we've turned it into a decking area instead now...a few others got chickens up our allotments, they fuckin stink, and they scratch the soil to a dry stinky dirtpan, so we decided against it in the end, and had a a nice bit of decking to sit and drink on instead... :D

And, got a new charger for me old camera, so I might even take a few photos later today, nice and sunny here....

 

[badandwicked]

I've seen & smelt chicken runs like that before, I think you made a wise choice. These ones are going to have the run of a huge garden with lots of hedges to scratch under so I'm hoping they won't trash it, they'll just have to take their chances with Mr Fox during the day I'll take some when if I find my camera.

I look forward to some pictures MM, I've got a lot of respect for any one who can keep up with an allotment cos I know how much time & work they take. The perfect past time for fine weather & good weed %) Where I grow is tiny patch and I can't even do that.

 

[Mailmonkey]

Scorchio today, and just had a message from a friend that he's dropped off a bucket of fish heads down the allotment..

Big breakfast cooking, and then off down to dig some stinking ling heads into the plot, very much depends on how much the foxes and other creatures of the night have scattered the fish remains around everybody elses plots.

Will take me camera down

I think b&w you'll be okay for foxes during the day, people down here let the chickens out during the day, and put them awayat night.

Mae sure you clip wings, or keep them in your plot during the day though, as they have a habit of picking through everyone's new growth, eating pea shoots and new tender shoots of anything and pissing off neighbouring growers

 

[YellowPolkaDotHalo]

Ive been buzy digging around my new shed.. I want it covered in morning glory one side and possibly runner beans on the other. Ive got a tray of blue morning glory seedlings ready to go in the ground but I'm not sure if its a wee bit early or not.

 

[Mailmonkey]

get them in if it's a nice sheltered spot....if it's exposed or north facing then best wait a bit....once they take a hold they'll go mental, make sure there's plenty for the tendrils to grabthemselves onto....

 

[YellowPolkaDotHalo]

Ive got t a bit of runner bean netting for them to clambour up.. Last year they were all over the side of my house I know how quickly they can take hold...
Its looking good out there at the moment..Ive got a woody area with tons of bluebells, ferns and a few foxgloves ready to come out.

I definately want chickens too!

 

[Mailmonkey]

Some pics of my allotment at the weekend....

NSFW:

 

[YellowPolkaDotHalo]

Aw your village looks idylic man!

I love the MadMax shanty town thing that allotments have.

I'm doing wigwams for my beans this year. Ive already done the frames and stuck feathers in the top

The sheds getting a gypsy caravan makeover when I get the paint.

 

[badandwicked]

Thank you MM! Just how imagined it, just my style of allotment keeping. Lovely soil & lovely spot too. How does the grass get cut, does someone go round?
Look forward to more pics as the season goes on, if I lived nearer I'd come and lend a hand while you rest up. Any offers of help you get, direct them up there

 

[koneko]

I like the sound of the gypsy caravan shed Yella can you take pics of your garden too?

Loving the allotment Mr Monkey, what stunning views. Is that a rainwater butt thingy you have on the go? Really liking the sun-deck too. It's be great to see more pics as the season progresses.

How's your plot going B&W - what's the update on the kennel / chicken house?

I'm still at the digging, tilling n' nourishing, weeding stage, there's so much dead-wood needing removed still. Grass has covered my wildflower patch and I can see the brambles taking a hold already (cunts ) them and slugs I dislike immensely

Anyhoo I've ordered some plugs and baby plants from garden centre to get the veggies going - swiss chard as recommended here, more kale, spring onions, waverax peas, dwarf french beans and runner beans. It's going to be cane wigwam city out there!

Got several varieties of seed lettuce and salad leaves, fat-chives and carrots for succession planting on the go too. I'm not going to bother with tatties or courgettes after last season's disasters.

Still to tackle the flower beds / borders and my patio pots - lil flowers are hardening off just now. Its all about pinks and white this year :D

I'll get some pics up at the weekend too.

 

[Mailmonkey]

Thank you MM! Just how imagined it, just my style of allotment keeping. Lovely soil & lovely spot too. How does the grass get cut, does someone go round?
Look forward to more pics as the season goes on, if I lived nearer I'd come and lend a hand while you rest up. Any offers of help you get, direct them up there

Thanks :D

It is a lovely spot, we spend a lot of time there as our house doesn't have a garden, we got a massive shared garden as we live in some old mill cottages, so there's a big central green traffic free for the kids and that to play on, but the allotment is like our garden...that why we've given a lot over to decking and a "lawn"...hahaha, that lawn needs sorting as it had scaffold boards and bags of rubbish all over it all winter, need to reseed it....

No, nobody comes round to do the grass, just if anyone has a petrol strimmer on the go, everyone borrows it....I'm gonna get an oldskool push along ctylinder mower i think.....

Can't expect our grass cut too, we only pay a tenner a year for the plot.... :D

Yeah @kate, it's a container we blagged from a local industrial business, 1000litre, we set it up to collect rainfall from the gutterings on the shed rooves, ned to set the guttering up properly again, as removed some roof to make the decking....but there's no running water at our allotments, just a river at the bottom of the hill, and just not possible to keep lugging way=ter up the hill, people without water collectors soon get something set up....

You only just behind us kate, the prep work is hard, we had a job this year as we didn't do a lot up there last year for one reason or another, same probs as us too...brambles, slugs.....couch grass, ducks, and chickens , all make our life harder, but without them, we'd have fuck all to do up there al day but drink and get tanned up.

Carrots?????? Give me the fear, never grown a decent carrot in me life, grown carrots, but always very small, thin, twisted and mis-shapen, tasty, but we've decided they're not worth it....they look like the sort of think Albion would pass you as a "spliff"

Did you get the standard leaf beet Swiss Chard? oR THE rainbow chard? Sometimes called bright lights or similar "colourful" name?

 

[YellowPolkaDotHalo]

I'm just perusing dustbin burners on ebay. Not because I have a lot of stuff to burn regularly. My fireplace had to get filled in a few years ago and I miss having a hearth.

I bought a purple clematis to grow over the shed the other day. I'tll look really good mingled with the blue Morning Glory if their seasons are in synch.

 

[Mailmonkey]

lovely down there today, took me son and his mates down after school, really sunny.

Broad beans starting to flower.

1st and 2nd beetroot plantings up and producing leaves now.

All 3 pea varieties up, and some just starting to thread round their sticks.

some lollo rosso's doing well been in the shed, hardening them off to plant out now.

green manure completely covering 1 large bed now, amazing how g=fast the manuring crops grow.

Wil go down again tomorrow, might take couple of pics.

Kids found a grass snake today too, i was quietly weeding me beetroots, massive shout "SNNNNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKKKKKEEEEEEE!" hahah, %)

 

[koneko]

Did you start your broad beans last autumn Mr Monkey? It says something about the southern climate eh, flowers and picking rocket already!

I reckon we'll still be having frost here for another months or so. You could wait until bloody mid-June to plant out, most gardeny folks I know just go for it and pray, or cloche and fleece up at night. Madness I tell you

My french beans and the swiss chard don't appear to be enjoying the chilly nights. Oh and I did get rainbow chard - it looks so pretty, here's hoping it'll grow up north.

That's me got everything planted up and a succession plan drafted for the salads etc if I remember 8) Have went for lots of variety this year - 15 types of veggies and some strawberries. I'm hoping this is a good strategy (one can only try) and I'll be successful with some of them.

The salads are doing well so far and the broad beans - those things are mental growers! %)voracious

See the swiss chard - should I be covering it up at night? its about 3 inches tall now.

 

[badandwicked]

^ I remember when you just did flowers & shrubs'n'stuff Kate. Nice to see you've got the bug I can't imagine gardening so far North, I've definitely been spoilt by the warmer southern weather. Is your plot south facing?

I'm frustrated by the rain, haven't done anything in the plot as its too wet and will just compress the soil. The stuff i started in pots got attacked by something slimy so I have 2/12 sweetcorn and 4/12 climbing beans Sorry to say i resorted to a few slug pellets and this morning i found the 3 culprits humungous snails no wonder the fuckers got so fat.

The grass is out of control - all I need is 3/4 consecutive dry days and I could turn this place around. Still no chickens but I've got a free hen house and I'm fencing off a section for them so shouldn't be too long. The amount of snails in this garden this place will be paradise for them.

 

[koneko]

I'll admit to slug pellets too there was no way i could keep up with the onslaught otherwise.

It's so changeable here one minute the sun's out the next pissin' it and windy, but very cold at night still. Alas I have a north-east garden hence some of the new raised beds are in odd places to catch as much light as possible. I've put a lot of other things like the carrots in planters too so they get max-sun. And away from wind - we're on the coast on a bloody hill too

Still got all my flowers n' patio planters %) cannot be without colour and fragrance! Hence I've given myself a lot of work this year...

Grass is a bitch. As are brambles.

Looking forward to hearing about your chickens, here's hoping it dries up for you so you can get out there a bit more. I'm jealous you're growing sweetcorn! What else are you attempting?

What kind of poultry are you going for? Felix keeps saying no to chickens...

 

[Mailmonkey]

Did you start your broad beans last autumn Mr Monkey? It says something about the southern climate eh, flowers and picking rocket already!

I reckon we'll still be having frost here for another months or so. You could wait until bloody mid-June to plant out, most gardeny folks I know just go for it and pray, or cloche and fleece up at night. Madness I tell you

My french beans and the swiss chard don't appear to be enjoying the chilly nights. Oh and I did get rainbow chard - it looks so pretty, here's hoping it'll grow up north.

That's me got everything planted up and a succession plan drafted for the salads etc if I remember 8) Have went for lots of variety this year - 15 types of veggies and some strawberries. I'm hoping this is a good strategy (one can only try) and I'll be successful with some of them.

The salads are doing well so far and the broad beans - those things are mental growers! %)voracious

See the swiss chard - should I be covering it up at night? its about 3 inches tall now.

No, I USUALLY plant broad beans in autumn, mainly cos it avoids blackfly...but this year did Feb planting....mainly cos last couple years the frosts have been so hard I've lost a few plants...this year autumn planting would have been fine.

Swiss chard is VERY hardy...if you getting very hard frosts , maybe cover, but it copes all winter down here, even in bad winters (which i know are like your summers )

And TOP plan growing many vars, then you can just concentrate next year on what did well don't be too jealous of my rocket, these first sowings don't last long, always bolt, mid june plantings of rocket will keep going well.

Rainbow chard/Bright Lights, beautiful , such an atttractive plant, and versatile and tasty, still need to get my chard in....

You sound well organised this year anyway kate, hope you have some tasty crops

edit>@badandwicked, yeah, also guilty of slug pellets....have tried beer traps, companion planting etc, but never as good....pellets are the only way....

 

[badandwicked]

Looking forward to hearing about your chickens, here's hoping it dries up for you so you can get out there a bit more. I'm jealous you're growing sweetcorn! What else are you attempting?

What kind of poultry are you going for? Felix keeps saying no to chickens...

Thanks Kate, and I hope the weather warms up for you. I've got the beans, may try some more sweetcorn directly in the soil as they pollenate each other so you plant them in blocks - my remaining two won't do it on their own. And 4 pumpkin & 4 courgette.
Then from seed I'll do new potatoes (if I can still find any) carrots, beetroot & salads. I may buy a couple of tomato plants. Nothing exciting.

One year I went all out and did as above and broccoli, cabbage & cauliflower but that was when I was trying to obsess about something healthy rather than unhealthy and it took a lot of work. Its very humbling to see months of hard work be consumed day by day by an army of cabbage white caterpillars.

So why is he anti-chickens? Any objection can be overcome with logic You'll get your chickens, mark my words, it's just a matter of time I'd like to get some traditional breeds but cant afford them and I haven't a clue what i'm doing so i'll start with some hybrids. Apparently ex-battery hens arent recommended for 1st timers as they have issues, poor things. Follow my chicken learning curve in preparation for yours Kate

MM its a shame but in the war of them v's us sometimes you've got to resort to pellets haven't you. I see people putting down mounds of them, craziness, i find one every foot or so more than enough. But I'll have to stop using them when i get the chickens i suppose. Apparently hens are more interested in bugs than veg, so I hope they'll help keep slimy things down. there are so many unkempt parts of this garden which is part of the problem, a bit like your allotment, hardly manicured surroundings.

 

[Shambles]

I seem to have hit upon a minor (or not) hurdle in my quest for homegrown chillis... I have fungi. Or mould. Depending on which term is preferable.

Actually, I don't have mould (I hope ) but the compost in me chilli pot does. Nowt on the plants themselves (which appear to be doing just dandily so far) but a few furry white spots on the soil around them. I suspect this may be due to having left the kit wot they woz spawned from on top of me toilet cistern for a year or so before attempting to use it. Shitspray and all that. I always though shite was good for plants? Perhaps it was a nastier bug. I may well have had food poisoning at some point over the 12 months or so leading up to using the said kit...

Question is, seeing as there's no obvious damage done to the plants themselves thus far, and seeing as the fungimouldy is spreading slowly, is it likely to be a problem? I know most of any given fungus tends to lurk beneath, but would flicking off the furry patches help? Hinder? Make nary a toss of difference? They're weensy patches. 1/4-1/2cm diameter or so at most. If that makes a difference.

 

[koneko]

^
Your probably over watering it Shammy, leave it to dry out a lil (though not so dry it'll die) between waterings.

If you can get hold of some fresh soil I'd say pot it up again, or even take the mouldy layer off and top it up with fresh.

Go pinch some