Week twelve - March 18th - March 25th
2006
Saturday 18th March 2006. The weather still hasn't improved. We have had no more wet warm weather from the South West- just cold winds from the North or equally cold from the east. I have now totally cleaned up and pruned the Norfolk Russet apple tree.
This was one of the original cordon apple trees that I bought for the garden when we first moved to the house over 25 years ago. All of the other trees have stayed dwarfed as cordons, but not this one. It decided to grow and now has several 'branches' growing straight up that must be fifteen feet high now. It has cropped well in the past but I'm sorry to say that I have been neglecting it in the last few years and allowed brambles and bind weed to grow within its branches and haven’t been pruning it. Now with the brambles removed and after a hard prune it looks in much better shape. I will have to keep hoeing under and around it to keep the bind weed down as it is impossible to dig it out from there.
Sunday 19th March 2006. The red gooseberries bushes are multiplying at the rate of ten to fifteen a year now. The original row of bushes are maturing well and one in particular throws up a multitude of strong straight new growths that make ideal cuttings. It takes quite some time to prune them dig around them and generally clean up the area. There is a certain amount of bind weed creeping in now and although I cleared a lot of it out today I have only so far only dug down one side of the row. The other side of the row needs the two and three year old bushes moving out so that I can get in there and give it a good weed. The problem is finding space for all these new bushes to be moved to. Although I have sold several and given others away this year I still need to find new homes for a dozen plants or so. I may be able to give Lucy a row for her new plot.
I planted out a new black current bush today (one of three that I purchased in the allotment shed) and gave it got start in it’s new home with a generous helping of muck underneath its roots.
I have hoed under the greengage tree and decided that it would benefit from a years hoeing before planting anything in it. Whether or not I can keep the hoeing up all year round remains to be seen.
I’ve planted the very first of this years potatoes using some of what is left of last years muck delivery. But there is not much of last years muck left now so I will have to order a new load to be delivered at the weekend.
2005
Sunday 20th March 2005 There was a light drizzle of rain at the start of the day until early afternoon. Planted out small onion seedlings, sowed spring onion seed and radish. Moved flowering crocuses and thyme from under the big apple tree to the middle apple tree with the snowdrops and aconites as the end tree is getting invaded by bind weed and now needs serious digging out for the next year. By the end of the day the light breeze had moved around to the east and it was distinctly colder again. The crows were very noisy and active today seems like they were sorting out who was mating with who or something.
Saturday 19th March 2005 Another warm day although not as sunny as yesterday. I planted out the first of this years potatoes and sowed the first of the runner beans.
2004
Saturday 21st March 2004 It was blowing a gale all day. Sowed first runner beans and green Windsor broad beans. Planted some gladioli corms.
Sunday 22nd March 2004 It was still windy today but much calmer than yesterday - and by the end of the day it was positively calm. Planted out more potatoes, sowed sprout seed, first radishes, and red cabbage seed. Burned off a spare beehive base that I will put under on of the hives the next time the weather is favourable.
2002
March 25th Planted out more new potatoes - Condor. If the weather continues to be sunny and warm during the next few days we could be in for a bumper plum crop as all the trees are in or coming into full bloom.
Weekend 23/24 th of March - perfect gardening weather warm and sunny with the lightest breeze. The soil was in perfect condition after recent rain giving one the feeling that you could sow anything and plant anything. Moved several well rooted gooseberry cuttings and gave away several more. Bees were working hard replaced the base of one hive after torching it. Got another base burnt ready for the other hive.
March 20th No wind steady soft rain - Dug ground removed spear grass. Fed cabbages blood fish and bone. Left the allotment with rain set in for the night.
March 19th Dug ground removed spear grass. Planted out Greyhound cabbages under netting.
2001
Sunday March 25th. The wind coming from the North East continues the winter weather. Today we moved into British Summer Time and I planted green Windsor broad beans that I should have planted a month ago. Most of my seed sowing still hasn't been done.
2000
In contrast to Saturday, Sunday was perfect although out of the sun there was still the lightest of cool breezes to be felt. I cut the lawn for the first time. The lawn hasn't grown much this winter although the weather has been very mild. Possibly the low rainfall in the last two months accounts for the lack of growth. Prepared a little ground for Pru to sow a few annual flower seeds in. Continued digging the new piece of ground (184). The Brussels seed sown weeks ago now has germinated.
18/19 March Saturday's weather was a reminder that cold winter weather is never far away if the wind turns northerly. The sky was dark and heavy although the day remained dry. Ideal digging weather.
March 21st
Weather foul again, cold and wet most of the time. Planted a row of new potatoes in the rain. Sowed Brussels sprout seed. Planted gladioli corms. Need to sow peas, carrots, radish etc. and the strawberries need weeding.
Saturday 18th March 2006. The weather still hasn't improved. We have had no more wet warm weather from the South West- just cold winds from the North or equally cold from the east. I have now totally cleaned up and pruned the Norfolk Russet apple tree.
This was one of the original cordon apple trees that I bought for the garden when we first moved to the house over 25 years ago. All of the other trees have stayed dwarfed as cordons, but not this one. It decided to grow and now has several 'branches' growing straight up that must be fifteen feet high now. It has cropped well in the past but I'm sorry to say that I have been neglecting it in the last few years and allowed brambles and bind weed to grow within its branches and haven’t been pruning it. Now with the brambles removed and after a hard prune it looks in much better shape. I will have to keep hoeing under and around it to keep the bind weed down as it is impossible to dig it out from there.
Sunday 19th March 2006. The red gooseberries bushes are multiplying at the rate of ten to fifteen a year now. The original row of bushes are maturing well and one in particular throws up a multitude of strong straight new growths that make ideal cuttings. It takes quite some time to prune them dig around them and generally clean up the area. There is a certain amount of bind weed creeping in now and although I cleared a lot of it out today I have only so far only dug down one side of the row. The other side of the row needs the two and three year old bushes moving out so that I can get in there and give it a good weed. The problem is finding space for all these new bushes to be moved to. Although I have sold several and given others away this year I still need to find new homes for a dozen plants or so. I may be able to give Lucy a row for her new plot.
I planted out a new black current bush today (one of three that I purchased in the allotment shed) and gave it got start in it’s new home with a generous helping of muck underneath its roots.
I have hoed under the greengage tree and decided that it would benefit from a years hoeing before planting anything in it. Whether or not I can keep the hoeing up all year round remains to be seen.
I’ve planted the very first of this years potatoes using some of what is left of last years muck delivery. But there is not much of last years muck left now so I will have to order a new load to be delivered at the weekend.
2005
Sunday 20th March 2005 There was a light drizzle of rain at the start of the day until early afternoon. Planted out small onion seedlings, sowed spring onion seed and radish. Moved flowering crocuses and thyme from under the big apple tree to the middle apple tree with the snowdrops and aconites as the end tree is getting invaded by bind weed and now needs serious digging out for the next year. By the end of the day the light breeze had moved around to the east and it was distinctly colder again. The crows were very noisy and active today seems like they were sorting out who was mating with who or something.
Saturday 19th March 2005 Another warm day although not as sunny as yesterday. I planted out the first of this years potatoes and sowed the first of the runner beans.
2004
Saturday 21st March 2004 It was blowing a gale all day. Sowed first runner beans and green Windsor broad beans. Planted some gladioli corms.
Sunday 22nd March 2004 It was still windy today but much calmer than yesterday - and by the end of the day it was positively calm. Planted out more potatoes, sowed sprout seed, first radishes, and red cabbage seed. Burned off a spare beehive base that I will put under on of the hives the next time the weather is favourable.
2002
March 25th Planted out more new potatoes - Condor. If the weather continues to be sunny and warm during the next few days we could be in for a bumper plum crop as all the trees are in or coming into full bloom.
Weekend 23/24 th of March - perfect gardening weather warm and sunny with the lightest breeze. The soil was in perfect condition after recent rain giving one the feeling that you could sow anything and plant anything. Moved several well rooted gooseberry cuttings and gave away several more. Bees were working hard replaced the base of one hive after torching it. Got another base burnt ready for the other hive.
March 20th No wind steady soft rain - Dug ground removed spear grass. Fed cabbages blood fish and bone. Left the allotment with rain set in for the night.
March 19th Dug ground removed spear grass. Planted out Greyhound cabbages under netting.
2001
Sunday March 25th. The wind coming from the North East continues the winter weather. Today we moved into British Summer Time and I planted green Windsor broad beans that I should have planted a month ago. Most of my seed sowing still hasn't been done.
2000
In contrast to Saturday, Sunday was perfect although out of the sun there was still the lightest of cool breezes to be felt. I cut the lawn for the first time. The lawn hasn't grown much this winter although the weather has been very mild. Possibly the low rainfall in the last two months accounts for the lack of growth. Prepared a little ground for Pru to sow a few annual flower seeds in. Continued digging the new piece of ground (184). The Brussels seed sown weeks ago now has germinated.
18/19 March Saturday's weather was a reminder that cold winter weather is never far away if the wind turns northerly. The sky was dark and heavy although the day remained dry. Ideal digging weather.
March 21st
Weather foul again, cold and wet most of the time. Planted a row of new potatoes in the rain. Sowed Brussels sprout seed. Planted gladioli corms. Need to sow peas, carrots, radish etc. and the strawberries need weeding.
