Week ten - March 4th - March 11th
2005
Saturday 11th March 2006. I finished digging around and under the greengage tree that I started working on last week. I’m not sure exactly what I am going to do with this ground. I guess I will have left some stinging nettle root behind and that will grow again as will the grass. I could just keep hoeing it for a year to clean it up a bit or I could fill the whole area with snowdrops and aconites. I would need to put my hand deep in my pockets and buy in some more plants to do that. I am temped.
Wednesday 7th March 2006. The rain has arrived and the weather has warmed up a bit. On inspection all the of beehives are showing some signs of life, although judging by the number of bees coming and going, some hives seem to be much stronger than others. The earliest of the aconites and snowdrops now have small seedpods on but the main bulk of the snowdrops and the aconites under the blackberries that were planted there last year were still being visited by the bees today.
Sunday March 4th 2006. We are looking forward to a milder spell and some rain. The rain will be useful for settling the transplanted snowdrops in their new home. I am clearing the area under my smaller greengage tree out and digging the ground over. Part of the area had a pile of old flowerpots and ‘useful’ fertiliser bags on it. That had provided a great home for snails and a feasting area for the mice that had collected up all the fallen plum stones and eaten a neat whole in the side of each. The greengage had had a bumper crop on last year. My greengage trees throw up clumps of suckers at the ends of their roots that once left for a few years can be dug up for new trees.
2005
After a weeek of snow and ice there wasn't much one could do in the allotment other than pruning this weekend. There was still a good covering of snow on the ground.
2004
Saturday March 6th and Sunday March 7th 2004
The cold spell continues with short spells of sunshine breaking through occasionally giving a faint promise of a spring not yet sprung.
In the middle of the day I quickly opened up the four bee hives in the allotments and inserted chemical strips to help control the Varroa mites. I also gave three of the hives some honey feed - lets hope the weather warms up a bit and the bees will be able to get out and feed themselves.
I am still planting out shallots and preparing ground for planting out potatoes. I haven't finished punning all of the gooseberries yet, although I did more this weekend and now have a complete row of Geoff's red gooseberry 'Whithams Industry' as a results of punning his bushes for him some years ago. Prunning the bushes is important if mildrew is to be kept under control.
The hand weeding has begun again and now my garlic are standing like a row of green soldiers in a brown zero tolerance weed free zone. The self sown lettuce are a little more random. The fancy kale that Elka gave me last year didn't like the dry summer - but those that came through look good now and I will let one plant flower and keep some seed from it.
I gave the spring cabbage a final feed of liquid feed and then emptied out the dustbin ready to start again with an empty bin that I will fill with weeds and comfrey leaves covered in water making liquid feed that can be watered down and used as a foliar feed.
2003
2003 Sunday March 9th
A warm sunny spring like day with winds from the south west. I planted the first potatoes of the year today and pruned more gooseberries.
2002
March 9/10 The whole weekend was dominated by gale force winds. Managed to plant out onion sets and dig first stretch of ground for new potatoes. Planted an apple tree (that Geoff didn't want). Next job - dig ground for runner beans and more ground for potatoes. Bought new raspberry canes and cabbage plants that need planting out.
March 7th . The first sunny warm day and although it was a little windy it that it seemed reasonable to open up and inspect the bee hives. Fortunately all of my four hives have come through the winter months intact and each has a laying queen. The apiary has rabbits but fortunately they don't seem to like eating snowdrops and aconites. My stocks of these two early flowering plants (for the bees) are gradually increasing and the larger aconites have three generations of seedlings around them.
2000
4th / 5th March A bright, cool, dry weekend of garage maintenance and very little gardening. Pruned Clematis.
1999
March 6/7th 1999
The weather reminded us this weekend that it is still winter at this time of year no matter how much we wish it to be spring. This was an ideal weekend for DIY and as a result I now know lot more about sanding and varnishing old pine floors.
Saturday 11th March 2006. I finished digging around and under the greengage tree that I started working on last week. I’m not sure exactly what I am going to do with this ground. I guess I will have left some stinging nettle root behind and that will grow again as will the grass. I could just keep hoeing it for a year to clean it up a bit or I could fill the whole area with snowdrops and aconites. I would need to put my hand deep in my pockets and buy in some more plants to do that. I am temped.
Wednesday 7th March 2006. The rain has arrived and the weather has warmed up a bit. On inspection all the of beehives are showing some signs of life, although judging by the number of bees coming and going, some hives seem to be much stronger than others. The earliest of the aconites and snowdrops now have small seedpods on but the main bulk of the snowdrops and the aconites under the blackberries that were planted there last year were still being visited by the bees today.
Sunday March 4th 2006. We are looking forward to a milder spell and some rain. The rain will be useful for settling the transplanted snowdrops in their new home. I am clearing the area under my smaller greengage tree out and digging the ground over. Part of the area had a pile of old flowerpots and ‘useful’ fertiliser bags on it. That had provided a great home for snails and a feasting area for the mice that had collected up all the fallen plum stones and eaten a neat whole in the side of each. The greengage had had a bumper crop on last year. My greengage trees throw up clumps of suckers at the ends of their roots that once left for a few years can be dug up for new trees.
2005
After a weeek of snow and ice there wasn't much one could do in the allotment other than pruning this weekend. There was still a good covering of snow on the ground.
2004
Saturday March 6th and Sunday March 7th 2004
The cold spell continues with short spells of sunshine breaking through occasionally giving a faint promise of a spring not yet sprung.
In the middle of the day I quickly opened up the four bee hives in the allotments and inserted chemical strips to help control the Varroa mites. I also gave three of the hives some honey feed - lets hope the weather warms up a bit and the bees will be able to get out and feed themselves.
I am still planting out shallots and preparing ground for planting out potatoes. I haven't finished punning all of the gooseberries yet, although I did more this weekend and now have a complete row of Geoff's red gooseberry 'Whithams Industry' as a results of punning his bushes for him some years ago. Prunning the bushes is important if mildrew is to be kept under control.
The hand weeding has begun again and now my garlic are standing like a row of green soldiers in a brown zero tolerance weed free zone. The self sown lettuce are a little more random. The fancy kale that Elka gave me last year didn't like the dry summer - but those that came through look good now and I will let one plant flower and keep some seed from it.
I gave the spring cabbage a final feed of liquid feed and then emptied out the dustbin ready to start again with an empty bin that I will fill with weeds and comfrey leaves covered in water making liquid feed that can be watered down and used as a foliar feed.
2003
2003 Sunday March 9th
A warm sunny spring like day with winds from the south west. I planted the first potatoes of the year today and pruned more gooseberries.
2002
March 9/10 The whole weekend was dominated by gale force winds. Managed to plant out onion sets and dig first stretch of ground for new potatoes. Planted an apple tree (that Geoff didn't want). Next job - dig ground for runner beans and more ground for potatoes. Bought new raspberry canes and cabbage plants that need planting out.
March 7th . The first sunny warm day and although it was a little windy it that it seemed reasonable to open up and inspect the bee hives. Fortunately all of my four hives have come through the winter months intact and each has a laying queen. The apiary has rabbits but fortunately they don't seem to like eating snowdrops and aconites. My stocks of these two early flowering plants (for the bees) are gradually increasing and the larger aconites have three generations of seedlings around them.
2000
4th / 5th March A bright, cool, dry weekend of garage maintenance and very little gardening. Pruned Clematis.
1999
March 6/7th 1999
The weather reminded us this weekend that it is still winter at this time of year no matter how much we wish it to be spring. This was an ideal weekend for DIY and as a result I now know lot more about sanding and varnishing old pine floors.
