Measured up Polytunnel and Pulled up Weedliner on Allotment 2 and done some more digging of Allotment 2

Today I went down to the Allotments and also had my mum help me to measure up the Polytunnel in order to get a new Polythene sheet for it. I then went onto Allotment 2 and I pulled up some weedliner from where the Polytunnel will be sighted. Under this there appears to be a lot of Couch Grass which I will dig up over the next week and hopefully will be putting the Polytunnel here over Easter. I started to dig over some more of the ground that leads to this but unfortunately due to it getting quite windy and also starting to rain I had to stop. The weather today was a wet and rainy morning before clearing up to leave it sunny before some brief showers in the afternoon with some gusty winds and then clearing up once again in the late afternoon to leave a really sunny afternoon. Feeling quite warm in the sunshine.

Went down to Allotment in late Afternoon and laid weedliner in front of Greenhouse

Today I went down to the Allotments in the afternoon due to having work in the early morning. Me and my uncle made three trips to the tip taking a lot of rubbish which was put in the polytonal from the day before. I then went back down in the late afternoon and I laid down two pieces of weedliner in front of the Greenhouse cutting them to size. I then put down the Terracotta woodchippings that I brought from Homebase a few weeks back. The concrete slabs that lead to the Greenhouse were then put on top of this. The taps have finally been fitted by the council after much anticipation so I will now be able to water my sweet peas that are in the Allotment Greenhouse. The weather today was quite a sunny day with some cloud about. Temperatures around 8 Degrees celsius once again. Last night there was some rain before a hard frost which meant that the rain that fell froze in the night.

Mum, Nan and Uncle went down to Allotments

Today I didn't go down to the Allotments as I had work in the afternoon. However my Nan, Mum and Uncle went down and cleared the allotment of rubbish bags and bagging up some rubbish in order for me to take it down to the tip. The Polytunnel was cleared out and most of the stuff put into the Greenhouse for the time being. The rubbish bags was then put in the Polytunnel in order to all be in one place. No work was done on Allotment 2 today. The weather today was sunny and temperatures around 8 Degrees Celsius.

Finished of digging another part of Allotment 2 and planted Late Maincrop Seed Potatoes 'Kerr's Pink' and 'Sarpo Mira'

Today I went back onto Allotment 2 and I have finished digging the parts that I dug over the weekend. I have also rotivated this ground in order to plant my potatoes. I done two rows of Kerr's Pink setting them 18 inches apart and putting 13 into one row and 14 into the other. I then planted a row of Sarpo Mira planting some 24 inches apart then 18 inches apart.

In the evening I then went down and rotivated and raked over in front of the Greenhouse in order to put down the weedliner at some point. The weather today was sunny with temperatures in double figures once again.

Brought Sweet Pepper 'King of the North' Seeds

Today I brought the following from Crawley Horticultural Society with 20% off:

- Sweet Pepper 'King of the North' seeds - £2.09 - £1.69

More digging of Allotment 2

I done more digging of Allotment 2 continuing on from yesterday. I hope to finish this part of the digging tomorrow in order for me to be able to plant my late maincrop Potatoes on Monday. The weather today was once again mostly sunny and a top temperatures of 8 Degrees Celsius so feeling quite cool.

Continued digging more of Allotment 2

Today I continued to dig more of Allotment 2 in order to put in more of my potatoes hopefully tomorrow or on Monday. I also rotivated the ground that I had already dug using my Mantis Tiller. The weather today was mostly sunny with temperatures around 8 Degrees Celsius.

Brought 30 x 24" Split Canes

Today I brought the following from Crawley Horticultural Society:

- 30 x 24" Split Canes - 10 for £0.30 - £0.90

Brought Beetroot 'Egyptische Platronde', Spring Onion 'Laser' seeds and Shallot 'Mikor' Sets

Today I brought the following from Squires Garden Centre:

- Beetroot 'Egyptische Platronde' (95 Seeds) - £0.99
- Spring Onion 'Laser' (95 Seeds) - £0.99
- Shallot 'Mikor' (11 Sets) - £1.50

Solar Eclipse - Dug more of Allotment 2 and Planted Early Main 'International Kidney' Seed potatoes into Allotment 2

Today I once again went onto Allotment 2 for about 3 hours and I continued to dig over more of where the Potatoes need to be planted. I then rotivated this bit over in order to get the ground into more of a fine tilth. I then made trenches using the Mantis tiller and plough attached. I planted 2 rows of Early Main 'International Kidney' seed potatoes setting the seed potatoes setting the seed potatoes about 18 inches apart, putting about 12 seed potatoes per row. The weather today was mostly overcast but there was some sunshine in the afternoon which helped to lift temperatures to about 10 degrees celsius.

Went down onto Allotment 2, planted 'Highland Burgundy' and 'Purple Majesty' seed potatoes and dug over some more of Allotment 2

Today I went down onto Allotment 2 for a couple of hours and I made a trench in which I planted the 5 x Early Main 'Purple Majesty' seed potatoes, 18 inches apart and I planted the 5 x Early Main 'Highland Burgundy' seed potatoes about 24 inches apart. I then started to continuing digging over part of the Allotment as I needed extra room to plant my Potatoes. The weather today was once again quite sunny but feeling a little chillier than yesterday with temperatures not quite reaching double figures.

Went down onto Allotment 2 and planted Second Early 'British Queen', 'Vivaldi', 'Shetland Black' and 'Salad Blue' seed potatoes

Today I went down to the Allotment and went onto Allotment 2 for about 4 hours. I started to rotivate over part of the Allotment where the potatoes will be planted, using my Mantis Tiller. I planted my Second Early 'British Queen' seed potatoes into a trench which I took out using the Mantis tiller with the plough attachment. I planted 14 'British Queen' Seed Potatoes in one row, 15 inches apart and I planted the other 9 'British Queen' Seed Potatoes in another row. To finish this row I then planted 5 'Vivaldi' Seed Potatoes approx 21 inches apart. I then planted 1/2 a row of 5 x 'Shetland Black' Seed Potatoes following on with 1/2 a row of 5 x 'Salad Blue' Seed Potatoes. I spaced both of these two about 18 inches apart. All the rows that I used were spaced 2 feet apart in order to allow me to earth them up. The weather today was feeling quite warm with it being quite sunny. Temperatures around double figures.

St Patricks Day - Planted First Early 'Rocket' Potatoes, First Early 'Epicure' Potatoes, Dug up some fruit trees and put down another raised bed

Today I went down the Allotment for about 3 hours in the morning and part afternoon and I rotivated over part of the plot in order to plant my First Early Potatoes. I made trenches using the Mantis Tiller and Plough attachment and in the bottom I put Shredded paper and Chicken Manure pellets. I put in 2 rows of 'Rocket', 12 in each row, and 1 row of 'Epicure', 12 in a row. I then popped down to Homebase to pick up a few items. I then went back about 1/2 hour later for about another 4 hours and my nan came over to help dig up some fruit trees that were round the Polytunnel. We planted up some Blueberry plants into pots as well as my Nectarine, Pear and 3 x Apple Trees. We also relaid the weedliner down to the left hand side of the Greenhouse and put the raised bed on it. I have put some soil back into this however it still needs levelling off along with the raised bed infront of it. In the afternoon I then put in another row of 'Epicure' First early seed potatoes. I then tidied up the Greenhouse as it was quite messy and I put the rest of the potatoes that I have left in the Greenhouse in order for me to plant in the coming days. The weather last night was drizzly and today was quite drizzly in the morning but then turning into a cloudy day with it feeling quite warm in the afternoon and temperatures into double figures.

Brought 2 x 39 Inch Pots and Westaldn Jack's Magic Compost

Today I brought the following from Homebase with 20% Website Discount:

- 2 x 39 inch pot - £4.99 each - £9.98 - £7.98
- Westland Jack's Magic Multi Purpose Compost - £6.99 - £5.59

No Progress on Allotment today due to unpredictable weather but went out in the Greenhouse

Today I didn't go down to the Allotment as the weather was cloudy then drizzly rain and then cloudy again throughout the day. Last night we had some rain and also it is still feeling rather cold with temperatures around 7 degrees celsius. I went out into the Greenhouse this afternoon and sowed some Sweet Peas which I have documented on my Flowers blog. Tomorrow is looking as if it will be a very sunny day with temperatures in double figures so hopefully I will be able to rotivate Allotment 1 and Allotment 2 and put some of my Potatoes in the ground.

No Progress on Allotment or in the Greenhouse due to Mother's Day

Today I didn't go down to the Allotment or out into the Greenhouse as it was Mother's Day and me and my mum and dad went out for a meal together. The weather today was mostly cloudy with some drizzly rain in the afternoon and it is feeling quite cold in a easterly wind. Temperatures struggling at about 6 degrees celsius.

Brought Westland Jack's Magic Compost

Today I brought the following from Homebase with 20% off and a further 20% staff discount:

- Westalnd Jack's Magic Multi Purpose compost - (£5.59) - £4.47

Continued digging Allotment 2

Today I went down to the Allotment for about one hour and continued digging over Allotment 2. The weather today was a very cloudy day with a strong eastly wind making it feel quite chilly and rather raw. Feeling much colder than of recent days with temperatures not making it into double figures.

Sowed Basil 'Lemonade', Basil 'Christmas', Basil 'Sweet' and Coriander 'Cilantro'

Today I sowed the following in the unheated greenhouse:

- Basil 'Lemonade' into a 7cm square pot which has been placed in a heated propagator
- Basil 'Christmas' into a 7cm square pot which has been placed in a heated propagator
- Basil 'Sweet' into a 7cm square pot which has been placed in a heated propagator
- Coriander 'Cilantro' into a 7cm square pot which has been placed in a heated propagator

Brought 24" Split Canes

Today I brought the following from Crawley Horticultural Society:

- 20 x 24" Split Canes - £0.30 for 10 - £0.60

Went onto Allotment 2 and continued digging

Today I went down onto Allotment 2 and continued to dig over where the potatoes will be going. The weather today was mostly sunny with a slight easterly breeze. Temperatures making it into double figures.

Brought Bamboo Plant Labels

Today I brought the following from Wilko:

- Bamboo Plant Labels (Pack of 10) - £1.50

Sowed 2 x Courgette 'Parathenon F1 Hybrid' seeds

Today I sowed the following into the unheated greenhouse:

- 2 x Courgette 'Parathenon F1 Hybrid' seeds, 1 each into 11cm square pots which have been placed into a heated propagator

Moved Raspberries and Loganberries, Put down weed liner and raised bed to left hand side of Greenhouse and dug over on Allotment 2

Today I went down the Allotment for about 3 hours, and I moved some of the Raspberries and Loganberries to more suitable places. I then manured around these as well as around the Rhubarb and around some of the fruit bushes. I will need to get further manure in order to manure around the rest of the fruit bushes. I also had my Nan pop over quickly to put the welding down roughly to the left hand side of the Greenhouse and I have put another square raised bed on this. I will finish off this next week. I also went over onto Allotment 2 and continued digging over the plot in order to make more room for the Potatoes to go in next week. The weather last night was no rain and today it was a  sunny day with temperatures just getting into double figures. Overnight rain will start spreading in from the west before travelling back west again so we should miss it altogether but it will be a cloudy night meaning temperatures will hold up.

Trip to the tip, put in new raised bed, dug rest of patch near Greenhouse, dug up Apple Tree, planted up pots and started moving Raspberries/Loganberries

Today I went down onto Allotment 1 once again. I went for a trip with my mum to the tip to throw away a lot of the Garden waste that i had accumulated while clearing the plot. I then went down a little later on and I rotated over the left hand side outside of the Greenhouse. I then put down another raised bed to the left in front of the Greenhouse. I also dug over the soil nearest the polytonal and motivated this. While doing this I also dug up the fruit tree on the back right hand side of the Polytunnel and planted this up in a big pot. I also planted up the 2 pots with plants in order to brighten up the area a little. I then started to move around some of the Raspberries/Loganberries but after being down the allotment for about 4 hours decided it was time to give up for the day and head home so will finish the rest tomorrow. The weather today was a sunny morning and part afternoon before clouding over in the late afternoon. Rain is expected overnight and into tomorrow. Feeling quite warm in the sunshine.

Brought 4 x Wood Bark Chip's

Today I brought the following from Homebase with 20% staff discount:

- 4 x Wood Bark Chips - £3.00 each - £2.40 each - £9.60

Finished clearing Fruit Cage, Filled up 2 raised beds, put down weedliner and dug up some fruit trees and fruit bushes

Today I went down onto Allotment 1 on my own for about 2 hours and in this time I rotivated the right hand side outside of the Greenhouse. I also put down one raised bed on the right hand side in front of the Greenhouse. While on my own I also finished weeding the fruit cage and digging out the edges in order to be able to peg down the netting very soon. I was then joined by my Nan and Later by my Mum and stayed for another 2 hours. We laid down some weedliner on the right hand side of the Greenhouse of which another square raised bed has been sat upon. This was also wood barked over and some of the fruit trees as well fruit bushes that are dug up will be sat there. We took up the Cherry 'Morello' tree as well as two Blueberry Bushes from around the Polytunnel and have potted these up in big pots. These have now been placed on the weedliner with Bark Chips on. The weather today was really sunny and feeling quite warm with the wind having dropped. A slight frost last night with some rain.

Continued digging around Greenhouse and Started clearing Fruit Cage

Today I went down the Allotment for about 3 hours and I dug to the left hand side of the Greenhouse. I moved the raised bed out of the way as this will be rearranged in the foreseeable future. I also continued to dig around the back of the Greenhouse and have now cleared this. I have a little bit of weedliner to remove as well as digging to do at the back left hand side however I will do this in due course.






I also started to remove the weeds from the Fruit Cage so that I am able to mulch in here during the week and also it helps to make it look tidier.



The weather today was mostly cloudy with slightly drizzley rain with a cold wind however it was quite sheltered from the wind on the Allotment. The temperatures didn't quite get into double figures today with temperatures about 9 degrees celsius. A slight frost last night but it wasn't too hard.

Brought Haw's Watering Can and 2 x 4 Inch Labels

Today I brought the following from Crawley Horticultural Society:

- Haw's Watering Can - 6 Litres Capacity - £10.75
- 2 x 4" Labels - £0.60 each - £1.20

Went down onto Allotment 1 and started digging behind the Greenhouse and to the Left of the Greenhouse

Today I went down the Allotments and went onto Allotment 1 and I dug some of the left hand side in front of the Greenhouse. While doing this I found a root from my Miniature Cherry fruit tree that I have now decided that I will chop off as I need to pot this tree up. I also started to dig behind the Greenhouse aswell. I will hopefully finish off digging around the Greenhouse tomorrow providing that the weather stays sunny as it was today. The weather today was a Sunny and warm morning but turning cloudier in the afternoon with the temperatures dropping into the evening. Once again temperatures got into double figures.

Brought 8 x Garden Refuse Sacks

Today I brought the following from Wilko:

- 8 x Garden Refuse Sacks - £1.00

Sowed Cabbage 'Derby Day' Seeds

Today I sowed the following into the unheated greenhouse:

- Cabbage 'Derby Day' seeds into a 7cm square pot which has been placed into the heated propagator

I sowed these into Westland Jack's Magic Multi Purpose Compost mixed with Vermiculite

Transplanted Broccoli 'Summer Purple', Calabrese 'F1 Marathon', Cauliflower 'All the Year Round', Cabbage 'Greyhound' and Cauliflower 'Mayflower' Seedlings

Today I transplanted the following in my Nan and Grandad's Greenhouse:

- 8 x Broccoli 'Summer Purple' seedlings into 1 x 6 cell tray and 2 x 7cm square pots
- 6 x Calabrese 'F1 Marathon' seedlings into 1 x 6 cell tray
- 4 x Cauliflower 'All the Year Round' seedlings into 1 x 6 cell tray
- 9 x Cabbage 'Greyhound' seedlings into 1 x 6 cell tray and 3 x 7cm square pots
- 7 x Cauliflower 'Mayflower' seedlings into 1 x 6 cell tray and 1 x 7cm square pot

These were transplanted into Westland Jack's Magic Multi Purpose Compost mixed with Perlite and have been placed in the unheated Greenhouse

Went down Allotment and dug over in front of Greenhouse

Today I went down to Allotment 1 and I dug in front of the Greenhouse. I lifted up the weedliner so I can relay new when I have dug over the rest of this area. I will continue digging over this area tomorrow providing the weather remains warm and sunny. The weather today was a warm sunny start with temperatures around 7 degrees celsius and a sunny day with a slight breeze making it feel cool however temperatures still getting into double figures.

Brought Kitchen Garden Magazine and Grow Your Own Magazine

Today I brought the following from Sainsbury's:

- Kitchen Garden Magazine - £4.99

I got the following free:

- 10 Packets of seed:

- Mr Fothergill's Tomato 'Roma VF' (75 Seeds) Worth £1.65
- Mr Fothergill's Lettuce 'Salad Bowl Red & Green Mixed' (1250 Seeds) Worth £1.89
- Mr Fothergill's Strawberry 'Baron Solemacher' (200 Seeds) Worth £1.55
- Mr Fothergill's Chard 'Rhubarb Chard' (Vulcan) (125 Seeds) Worth £2.09
- Mr Fothergill's Pak Choi 'Red Choi F1' (75 Seeds) Worth £1.89
- Mr Fothergill's Kale 'Red Russian' (200 Seeds) Worth £1.30
- Mr Fothergill's Pepper (Sweet) 'California Wonder' (75 Seeds) Worth £1.89
- Mr Fothergill's Onion (Spring) 'North Holland Blood Red' (500 Seeds) Worth £2.09
- Mr Fothergill's Aubergine 'Early Long Purple 3' (100 Seeds) Worth £1.30
- Mr Fothergill's Parsley 'Plain Leaved 2' (1000 Seeds) Worth £1.89

- Grow Your Own Magazine - £4.99

I got the following free:

- Mr Fothergill's Lettuce 'Little Gem' (1250 Seeds) Worth £1.65
- Mr Fothergill's Basil 'Sweet' (650 Seeds) Worth £1.89
- Mr Fothergill's Celeriac 'Monarch' (250 Seeds) Worth £1.89
- Mr Fothergill's Courgette 'Zucchini' (20 Seeds) Worth £2.09
- Mr Fothergill's Carrot 'Nantes 5' (2000 Seeds) Worth £1.65
- Mr Fothergill's Kale 'Nero di Toscana' (400 Seeds) Worth £1.65
- Incredicrop 100g Trail Pack

Brought Westland Jack's Magic Multi Purpose Compost 60 Litres

Today I brought the following from Homebase with 20% off and a 10% saving:

- Westland Jack's Magic Multi Purpose Compost (60 Litres) - £6.99 - £4.90

Moved Raised bed on right side of Greenhouse and dug over

Today I went down the allotment and I moved the raised bed on the right hand side of the Greenhouse so that I could dig in this area. I also took up the weedliner in this area as I will be relaying it as well as creating new raised beds. I didn't get to do as much as expected however will continue to do this over the weekend. There was no frost last night and it was a chilly start however it warmed up throughout the day with it being sunny all day once again. The temperatures have now lifted to just above double figures.

Brought Spear & Jackson Trowel and Hand Fork Set

Today I brought the following from Argos with 10% off and 7.5% saving:

- Spear & Jackson Trowel and Hand Fork Set - £12.99 - £10.82

Thompson & Morgan Order Arrived

Today the following arrived from Thompson & Morgan:

- Basil 'Lemonade' (150 Seeds)

Brought Black Bucket

Today I brought the following from B&Q:

- Black Bucket - £1.00

No Progress on Allotment or in the Greenhouse today

I didn't do anything on the Allotment or in the Greenhouse today due to being called into work for the afternoon. The weather last night was a frost however it was a very sunny day and feeling quite warm.

Dug around Rhubarb down the Allotment

Today I went down the Allotments for about 2 1/2 hours and I dug around the Rhubarb on Allotment 1. While doing this I managed to break some of the roots some am hoping that this will not affect them too badly. However I did find another Rhubarb plant which I haven't seen in a couple of years so I am hoping now there is air around this it will help it to fruit better this year. Next time I am on the Allotment I will dig around my fruit trees and I have been thinking of doing this by hand fork and trowel to avoid disturbing the roots too much. This will hopefully be done tomorrow if the weather stays as predicted. After doing this I will then put in all my raspberries in the right places before manuring round them, the loganberries, rhubarb and other fruit bushes. Last night there was a slight frost. The weather today was feeling quite warm and it was quite sunny, with some cloudy periods. Also the wind has dropped so it made it feel warmer today. Overnight tonight another frost is expected before a milder day tomorrow with sunny spells.