Dry as a bone

We continue to have very dry weather here in West Kent, and our tap is still shut off, and I've used up all my reserves in the water butt. With no more rain forecast in the next week or so, I'm wondering how to keep the whole plot going without losing all sown seed. I've ordered a 10ltr water butt to take water there from home and will fill up bottles and tubs then drive VERY carefully down to the village!

As a result of the very dry weather here, I've held off doing too much at the plot and concentrated on raising strong plants in the greenhouse to give them a better chance or establishing themselves once the rain arrives. I had a flush of planting the other night, sowing french beans, swede, lettuce, dill, basil, tomatoes and a variety of cut flowers.

I popped to the plot this morning with the children and saw the asparagus tips that emerged a few days ago are still there thankfully, but are coming up really slowly, not sure if they need a good water to get them going, but they are certainly taking their time! Still hoeing off lots of thistles every day or two. I have broad beans, peas, lettuce, radish, parsnip, endive and chard seedlings up now. I sowed another row of carrots (autumn king) in trench of compost (kindly suggested here for parsnips by Green Lane Allotments) so we shall see how that goes.

Aside from that I'm continuing to pot up and harden off. I potted up some Blue Kuri Squash, Pacino Sunflower, Sweetcorn and asters (which mainly died and didn't like being moved at all!) My cucumbers (spacemaster) are growing fast in the propergator so I'm off to pot them up now.

Off to do a raindance too!

Four seasons in one day

 Yesterday was my weekly update on the plot. The day started of frosty, so I had to wait for the sun to burn off most of the cold in preparation for digging, which in turn made the countryside look very autumnal with the mist laying low on the fields. Then by midday it was almost mid summer, with scorching (yes I even felt like I may need sunscreen) sun, but I'm sure it was probably only about 12C.I had to shed a couple of layers while working and was truly soaking up the spring sunshine. Then by about 3pm, the mist rolled in again and cloud blocked out the sun, and we were back to winter!

The plot is structurally coming on nicely, and I'm excited for the children (or perhaps just for me) as I have created some paths and seperate beds, not quite raised beds, just sectioned off areas, for them to walk and play around. When I was younger I used to love visiting country house gardens because they were exciting to explore with their different 'rooms'. I want to recreate a tiny part of this idea on my plot as it makes it an inviting place for them to visit.

So, I have a salad bed, and now a courgette bed behind...
In the salad bed I have planted some general cut and come again lettuce and some radishes, just to keep my enthusiasm going (as my carrots have not come up elsewhere)

...the path leading up to this is a climbing bean and flower tunnel, to the right of which will be a sweetcorn block.

 In my roots bed, I planted more Early Nantes Carrots (not sure if the others will ever germinate, will give them a couple more weeks before resowing there). I also sowed rocket and parsley, intercropped between the roots.

Then, as I had frivolously bought some additional early potatoes, I decided to put them in, the shoots had reached almost 2" long. The variety is Foremost, which don't necessarily get the best recommendations across the web, but we shall see, the proof being in the eating. This time I've added a little comfrey to the trench, not something I've tried before, but most books say potatoes are a 'hungry crop' and as this bed has only been mucked this year, they might need an extra boost.

Garlic update...

Broad beans finally in!

Today turned out to be not so bad after all. Bit of a cold start, but it got up to about 8C and with a bit of sunshine thrown in, it was positively springlike. My husband kindly offered to mind the children so I could have a few 'hours off' down on the plot. I managed to cross off a few items on my March To Do List, so I'm feeling pretty positive by the state of the plot at the moment. There were quite a few people coming and going around the allotments which makes a pleasant change as normally I am on my lonesome. There are a few families who seem keen to give it another go after been defeated last year, and some slightly older folk at the end of my patch who are very nice to chat to.

Here are some updated photos of my progress, they are only mobile shots so a bit blurry/overexposed. Below are broad beans (Eleonora Express and The Sutton) going in, I planted two rows of each. I was going to add compost to the trench, but decided not to as I have some held back in the greenhouse that have been raised in compost, so I'm using it as an experiment to see which do best. This bed has been prepared with plenty of manure, compost and blood/fish/bone anyway. It is still a little wet, as it's been under cover, which I've now removed and used to cover what will be the brassica/squash/sweetcorn/miscellaneous bed, which has dried out nicely.

 

My new fleece and plastic closhes arrived last week, and have swifty been put to use, here to bring on the carrots and spinach which have recently germinated. Whilst preparing this bed I have pulled out all mannor of things from a couple of metal hop hooks; slate; crockery/pottery; red tiles; flint stones; a huge rusty bolt and screw... perhaps I should call Time Team in!

The dark line shows where I have planted the last of my onion sets. I still have a lot of onions growing from seed, but am not sure how big they have to be before they go in the ground, I was thinking sometime in May perhaps? I have decided not to net these onions as so far the pigeons haven't uprooted the last lot, but famous last words....

A general view from the rear of the plot showing the black polythene has been moved up to allow the legumes bed to dry out a bit. The fleece tunnel to the left is keeping my broad beans cosy, the clear polythene tunnel is covering the carrots and spinach to the right. Next to which I planted some cornflower (they were glorious last year, see below) these will be blue, but I will find space for some black/blood red ones too. I planted some parsnips too, just a common or garden variety I bought last minute from the garden shop last week, I'll look at the packet and update the variety later.

I will also be planting some wildflowers soon as they really looked fantastic mingled with my sweetcorn and squash last year.

 

 

Which reminds me, I really must plant some cavalo nero (the Italian seed Franchi variety is pretty fullproof)

Risky planting

I got rather carried away yesterday in the warm spring air, and began some planting of seeds on the plot. This was rather precarious as we could well still have a return of winter which could jeapardise everything. I was counting on my closhes being here by now, but my Kings Seeds order is being rather tardy.

I have planted Amsterdam and Sugarsnax carrots, Spinach (a mistake, I didn't realise how fussy it is compaired to perpetual spinach...) Jetset onion sets and a few parsnips to make up a short row of carrots. Well if it doesn't work, hey ho, start again!

Signs of life: Comfrey

Rhubarb

Strawberry

Digging new raspberry bed

 Progress, right side ready for action