The one with all the bark chipping

I've been getting my path ready for the past couple of weeks for the arrival of the bark chipping. My friend Darren from Northborough Tree Services was able to supply me with a lorry load of fresh chippings

 I started to panic a bit as the lorry tipped as it was already 4.30, only had smallest with me and realised that had to shift all of it as other allotment holders would want to get on and around the path it was dumped on.

 About 30 barrow fulls later just over half the path was lined. At this point we'd run out of weed proof membrane and were getting very tired. There was still about half the pile left to move.

 The empty compost bin got the rest dumped into it

 And in just over 2 hours we'd cleared it all out of the way.

In the process I manage to burn my back in the sun - unexpected in March!


Other happenings on the plot this week....

Three rows of carrots have been set; Early Nantes 5, Chantonay red cored, Purple Haze F1

 Sweetcorn (Incredible F1) set in toilet roll tubes and now in the green house 

And the parsnips that were started in Feb were planted out

 Holes dug deep enough to site the tube. 

 Puddled in, and then backfilled

And in the kitchen we made hotcross buns and scones. Both were delish

First earlies...

...are in the ground (25th March)

I dispensed with digging a whole trench this year as with only 5 sets per row it seemed like far more work than was actually needed (and quite frankly after the past week's work I'm rather pooped). The area had all bee dug over anyway so it was a case of...

1) digging some holes

 2) sprinkling a few slug pellets (to combat the underground slugs who,like to nibble potatoes)

 3) Placing chitted seed potato in (eyes up, of course)

 4) filling in holes and earthing up.

First row that went in was Charlotte - lovely salad potato and typical of 'new' potatoes.

2nd row was Anya - a thinnish nobbly potato which sort of resembles a Jerusalem artichoke

Pallets and paths

 So my pallet went from this....

 to this...

to getting almost 2/3rds of the way down the path

Doesn't look like a lot done, but I can feel it in every muscle in my body. 

Really glad this should be a one off job.

Strawberries

Doesnt look like much got done today, but what did get done in the couple of hours was hard work, especially as it was quite warm. 'The weeding I didn't finish yesterday 

 got finished!

When the other strawberry beds were moved last year I left a patch just in case some didn't take. Over the winter I only lost 2 plants so filled the gaps and then had a bit of a dilema. Do I chuck the rest of the plants or make another bed, giving a total of about 60 plants.  

Finally decided that would make one and could always get rid if I end up with too many strawberries to cope with. Final photo still needs taking.

Tonight I am going to be studying module 7 of RHS level 2 Plant Growth, Propagation and Development. The module is all about soil and the root environment and is absolutely fascinating me, more than any of the modules I've studied so far. That's if I can stay awake. Very tired.

The one about the tree

On Sunday I bought a pear tree. Call it a Mother's Day present to me. It was an impulse buy, but was a really good price and I do love Conference pears. They're also the only pear that is self fertile so no need to buy more than one.

Getting it to the allotment I hadnt really thought through!! I'd walked with it back from the shop, but almost always cycle to the plot. Fortunately it did fit in the trailer but was a little precarious along with the other bits and pieces I had to take down.

The plot looked absolutely lovely when I got there bathed in full sunshine. So a hole was dug for the tree. About 2 spade depths down hit the clay pan and stopped. Filled the bottom of the hole with half a bucket of compost from the worm bin and then watered and let it soak in. The tree I'd been soaking while the digging etc had been going on.

I bashed one of the stakes usually used for the tomatoes right in.

And then planted the tree, not that it really shows up in the photo, firmed it in, attached it to the stack with a couple of cable ties (not tightly) and watered well again. Finally spread a layer of mulch (not pictured) over the top. So a waiting game now to see what, if anything, my pear tree will do.

Also divided the massive comfrey plant and made a sort of border with it. Hopefully they'll take. I've not done much in the way of propagating plants by division before, so hopefully all has gone well. Time will let me know I guess, but comfrey seems to be a fairly tough plant from what I've read. We'll see.

So around the plot, this is what's happening...

 The rhubarb is bursting into life as are the raspberries

 The strawberry plants that were transplanted into new bed at the end of last year are starting to show signs of life.

On this patch of purple deadnettle I saw 4 different species of bumblebee. I dont know which species they were yet, need to look it up, but 4 different is awesome and the 'weeds' can stay on that part of the plot for now. Also saw at least 2 different variety of butterfly, but not close enough to ident properly. Possibly gatekeeper and maybe painted lady, but not entirely sure. Also in abundance were 2 and 7-spot ladybirds. Saw well over 100 of the 7 spot just on my plot. Fabulous amounts of them. Hopefully they will chow down on all the aphids and keep the crops pest free.

This part went from this...

 to this in a relatively short space of time

Very productive day.

In the greenhouse, the parsnips that were transplanted a few weeks ago are looking very healthy seedlings now

 And the all year round cauliflower are also doing really well out in the greenhouse.

The equinox has now been and gone and we're really on the way to summer :D