May bank holiday blitz

Smokey has been helping us on the allotment.  The big news of recent weeks is that the huge conifers are down!  It took some months of email exchanges with the council - but it has worked - they are gone.  We thought there were about 7-9 of them, but actually it was only 3 with multiple trunks.  Did not have the presence of mind to take pics of the stumps, so these will follow, but the plot is now much more of a sun trap, so the plants which are all now in, will have a much better stab at survival.

The slug population of West Yorkshire, however, seems to be gathering on our hillside.

 Let battle commence.

Seedlings transferred

 Allotment baby steps!  We have planted 4 beds of potatoes to break up the heavy, heavy clay soil - and have brought into use a host of tubs and containers to try to get the lovely starter box plants going.  There are a LOT of lettuces.

The netted bed behind the green pots is next door - we have the onion bed in the front - beans and peas, some turnips, rocket and cabbages starting in the green pots - assorted salad type plants in the brown ones.

All in and watered - so fingers crossed.

A leg up...

It came like this...

 Carefully layered seedlings ...

 A few layers ...

 Care of my lovely brother and his wife for this generous Christmas gift - which needs to be planted by the end of the week.

A little bit of progress

This week we have got the fourth lot of potatoes in ... yes, lots of potatoes, but it is to try to break up the clay a bit more.  Also, we have been able to start on the Fourth Road bridge of strimming, and position a bit of edging.

We also had a go at tidying up the water feature.

Third lot of potatoes are in, and the sun is out

 It may not look like much, but it's a vast improvement on last year.  There are 3 lots of potatoes in, to help break up the clay.  Some onion sets have gone in, and we are planning on getting some pots up soon.  When you take a break from digging and turn around, this is the view - which is at least half the reason for us to persevere.

Does anyone know what this bush is?

New season beginnings

 The first real spring weekend day of the year.  We have done a couple of sessions of prep work - some hard digging and freezing weeding, but today we actually planted some potatoes.  So, fingers crossed, we are on our way with the allotment this year.

I have included pictures of buds, because that's hopeful; daffs, because they have looked after themselves;  the "water feature" before its tidy up, and it gets itself going ... an the "sleeping" beds.  More to follow, hopefully soon.

Potatoes: a crop at last

Well ... loads of bad weather, seems like summer is alomost non-stop rain around here.  The soil is really clay, and soaks up the water.  So, it's really heavy going.

Also, there seems to be a local infestation of flies - awful, really awful.  A local says he has not known it like this for 40 years.  So we have not spent much time at the allotment - running up, strimming and keeping a lid on the chaos as much as possible - whilst burning citronella lamps to fend off the flies.

Today, finally, we saw some result - the first potatoes, and the soil was turnable, so the potatoes have done their job.  Onwards and upwards for next year.