The March of Time

A lot has happened since my last post. The soft fruit area at the rear of the plot has been finished. The roof on the 'greenhouse' or hothouse as I now call it has been damaged by strong winds and has only just been replaced.

Heavy and persistant rain from September to Christmas waterlogged the soil but has been followed by one of the driest and warmest Springs on record.

View of the plot from the front

View of the plot from the rear

The flowerbed and salvaged arch

Gooseberry cage

Soft Fruit

Inside the hothouse

Sunshine After The Rain

Yesterdays torrential rain has changed to sunshine and showers today. The plot is drying out so there was not too much to do today except a bit of tidying up, sowing some seeds; leeks, spring onions, french marigolds and didiscus 'Madonna'.

The strawberry planters, deluxe bee hotel and shed looking good in the sunshine

The floods in the valley following this weeks rain.

Raspberries

My new raspberry canes came on Thursday and after giving them a good soak, I planted them today in the new raised beds in the 'fruit' area at the rear of my plot.
I ordered 6 canes each of two varieties, summer fruiting 'Glen Ample' and autumn fruiting 'Joan J'

The new raised beds

Joan J on the left and Glen Ample on the right

Planting Calendar

Carrots

Bee Hotels

I now have two bee hotels fixed to the central shed. One is from my old plot but the other was a recent purchase from Aldi. The lower section originally contained pine cones with wire mesh over the front. I removed these and refilled the space with sand and then covered it with a layer of mortar. A piece of cane made the holes before I allowed it to dry. I already have plans for several more as well as 'bee bank' for Mining Bees but that's for next year.

Small bee hotel with an Osmia bicornis

The deluxe version

Greenhouse Door

Over the weekend I made a door for the 'greenhouse'. It's a very snug fit but it will keep out all the draughts and keep the interior much warmer than the outside temperature. I just have the windows to sort out. However I have started to put some tomatoes, cucumbers and courgettes in there to take advantage of the additional heat

Door frame under construction

The almost finished door. Double 'glazed' at the bottom and shade netting for the top half

There's still a lot of work to do at the rear of the plot

Eight weeks of hard work

Eight weeks of hard work, clearing weeds, making repairs, replanting and sowing are finally paying off. There is still so much to do but at least the basics are all in place and I can potter about, stay dry and have somewhere to sit and make tea.

The woodchip path

New roof on the concrete shed with view over Cobbydale

The main shed with cold frame. planters and insect hotels 

Onions, shallots and salads

Runner, Broad and French Beans with some peas too

Root vegetables with more peas

New beginnings...

My new plot (25B) is further up the hill, has sheds and ready-made raised beds. It's been neglected for the past couple of years but only really needs a good tidying up and the odd repair here and there. A fence needs to be put up between my neighbour and myself as well as sorting out secure access for both of us.

Sheds and raised beds

The concrete shed at the end will be transformed into a cold greenhouse

Looking east towards Rombalds Moor 

End of an era

Following a rough 2017 for me healthwise, the opportunity arose for me to move plots. This is a rare occurrence and I'm thankful for the Committee to allow me to swap my large plot for a slightly smaller but better one.

Some things on my old plot (10A) I will be leaving such as the asparagus, raspberries and compost bins. The battered shed and remains of the tumbled down one will need to be dismantled and put in a skip as they are beyond salvage. My fruit bushes, bean support, barrels and coldframe will be moved to the new plot once I have the key and secured the front fence.

The old plot, ready for a final tidy before handing it back.