Not much doing

Hello again

I thought I would put the world to rights again today. The weather has been really bad again this week and I have been at work while the sun has been out so no work at the Lottie again. When I get home at 6.30 I cannot get anything done at the Lottie so I have to wait until the weekend and then try getting a whole weeks work done in a couple of hours.

We have been down twice in the last 3 weeks and planted some more stuff in the ground. But I have been sowing some things at home. I am trying to save some money this year and am trying to grow some flowers from seed this year instead of buying them.

I have tried this before and not had much success. I do better from cuttings, so my neighbours had better watch out.

So far all I have got is really long spindly growth so I think I will have to do some more and see what happens.

This week I am going to start some new broad beans and try sowing my peas in pots and then get them ready for the ground.

I like being able to see things grow from seed and then eat off it later.

So what about the plot. we have dug over 2/3 of now and we have decided to get rid of the grass paths as they are taking up a far amount of planting room. The grass has been saved to make into loam for next year.

So instead we are going to dig out the winter stuff soon and then make one very large bed and divide it up using the same fencing we brought last year. That way we get back about 6x3 foot of ground we can use. I am aiming to get it better laid out for the competition this year and get a better variety of plants in and hope they all come up in time.

I will definitely be growing Nasturtiums again as they did really well as did the Sweet Peas. But I don't have the room for too many flowers this year so I have planted bulbs which I lift and put back into my own garden for next year.

Anyway I will go now and try to take some photos the next time I am at the Lottie.

Happy sowing
Mim

New start 2008

Today is the first time since November I have been the Lottie for about 6 weeks .

I lost my keys over Christmas, and only found them when I got back to work. The weather has been awful like most of the country and that has prevented my return until today.

When I arrived I expected to have to deal with a lot of wind damage but found that the only thing that had blown away was my compost bin lid. Which someone else had found and so I got it back.

When at the Lottie in November I planted some broad beans and when I looked at them today I found that they have already started coming up and 1 was already in flower.

The 1 in flower was the one I found growing where the spuds had grown last year and we thought we would try and keep it. Looks like we may have done the right thing.

Today we planted another 2 rows of broad beans and we hope they will do as well. Come the end of Feb we will plant Bunyard's Exhibition ones as they don't like frost .



Again, we also planted some more pansies and some heather I had had in the garden and we will see how it comes on over the next few months. The small daffodils we planted last year also have some green leaves and mom thinks it also has some flowers ready to come on them very soon.

Down one side of the 4 beds in the middle of the Lottie we have planted some bulbs of various sorts. I found a lot of bulbs left over after plating up my own garden for the spring and so I have mixed them up and planted unknown bulbs.
I look forward to see what comes up.



At the Lottie today we meet our neighbour and he had a lovely spade which made light work of turning over the soil. It appears to be spring loaded at the back. If anyone has any idea of what this tool is or where I can get one from I really would like to know.I had a go and so did mom and we both liked it as it would be good for people with bad backs and knees, like me.

The work over we took some purple kale of Broccoli back for tea and I gave it to mom as she had done a lot of useful work today.


Anyway, it its time I went and did my tea and sorted out what I am planting for the next season.
Happy Lottie time
Doidge

Last post of 2007

Hello all

I have no photos today but I thought I would end the year on a positive note considering the past 12 months appear to have been fairly fruit less. I have decided to try and get my Lottie really sorted this year and I have now started to get things sorted for the next 12 months. I have kale and broccoli already in the ground as well as some broad beans.

I am looking through lots of my old seeds and deciding which to keep and which to swap with others. I may even see if anybody has something I may want to try growing my self in exchange.

But again I look forward to the new year with hope but a wry eye on the weather man a little more and more knowledgeable than last year, thanks to the lectures we have had given to us on our Lottie site.

All the best to you all and a good new year and lots of bumper crops as well.

Yours Miriam

The Miracle has happened

Hello All

The miracle has happened the Hubby has arrived at the Lottie.

He could not understand why I wanted his picture, so I told him I always take the camera to the Lottie with me in case I see anything unusual and this counts as 1 of those times I think.

Well he got stuck in digging for about an hour and then it got too dark so we came home. The tatties I had put in for Christmas have not done any good at all. In fact we have none anywhere.
Here is the strange sight of the hubby on the Lottie.

Whatever will I find next?? Alan Titchmarsh in my shed!!!!!!! Yes please. Even better still Sven Wombwell. He is so cute.

Here is my new planting area. I have put in the broad beans Aqua........ whatever I can't remember the name.

Talking of water does anyone have any ideas for a small pond. I have never done one before and could use some advice on all aspects.

Anyway I will go now

Yours Mim

What a Year????

Well Hello all

I hope you are reaping the rewards for your hard work. I have not got much out my Lottie this year, so I am starting to look towards the winter and the crops I can grow now and try to recoup a bad yield so far this year. I did get some potatoes and a few runner beans but not a lot. I did very well on the sweet peas which are still going very well indeed.

So what about next year?

I am going to really look at the plot and start to plan it better. I have started some more spuds and I have some broccoli, winter cabbage and some sprouts to put in.

But I also have some Chinese veg which I am starting off in the greenhouse and will have to transplant this week, they were only planted on bank holiday Monday and they are already nearly 1 1/2 inches tall. Wow I thought. I will have fun with those.

I don't have any photos this week as the Lottie is looking very empty and not much more than weeds are growing at the mo.

The open day at the allotment went very well and the Sandwell Show was a huge success,despite having to move because of the foot and mouth disease threat to the rare breeds at the usual venue.

The Green Pennant we got was the 1st one to be won by an allotment in the whole of the UK we believe. The Committee work hard every year and they deserve it. Let's hope we keep it next year.

I shall sign off now and hope to hear from some of you soon.

Mim