Create accountLogin

Recent searches

No recent searches

Search options

Not available on handmade.social.
handmade.social is one of the many independent Mastodon servers you can use to participate in the fediverse.
handmade.social is for all handmade artisans to create accounts for their Etsy and other handmade business shops.

Administered by:

Server stats:

37
active users

handmade.social: AboutProfiles directoryPrivacy policy

Mastodon: AboutGet the appKeyboard shortcutsView source codev4.3.7

#Allotment

22 posts16 participants1 post today
Continued thread
Public *
Yvan

And with that done this #allotment plot is pretty much at 100% utilisation for the first time since we took it on in the lockdown-summer of 2020. Sure, some planting could be denser... and the fruit area on the other side of the polytunnel needs some work... but there is essentially something that isn't a weed in every square foot* of bed right now.

If I had time I'd draw a map of it... I've got a base map somewhere actually, hmmm... I did do a quick video walkaround before leaving today but not sure of my video-fettling time, I'm going to see if I can get some done this evening.

* A rare case where I'll resort to the old units... square metres are just at the wrong scale, and "square 30 centimetres" just doesn't really have the right feel to it.

Public
Yvan

Braved a couple of hours getting damp down at the #allotment - needed to pick some of our cut-n-come-again celery for "bog"* I plan to make tonight anyway.

We finished weeding the narrow bed beside the polytunnel and popped in 14 "Cara" potatoes. There are goods and bads to this plan... the Cara might get a big big and shade that edge of the polytunnel, and block the path... OTOH this is currently very much a "dig" bed so some deeply planted maincrop potatoes makes sense in that we're going to need to monitor it for weed regrowth and the harvest-time opportunity to deeply pick through it again will be advantageous. We've left it bare for now, to monitor for & handle any weed growth... but as they pop their little shoots up we'll fill these to the brim with municipal compost.

In time the main, very vague, plan for this bed is for lower-growing annual and biennial herb crops. But we shall see!

* a bolognese-type minced beef ragu generally heavy on the vegetable content

In the middle of the shot a long narrow raised bed of bare earth stretches from right of bottom-centre to left of top-centre, it is alongside the edge of a polytunnel though which foliage and yellow flowers can be faintly seen. At the far end of it is a blue plastic drum, and to the left a wider raised bed with various plantings in it. Woodchip covered path between and to the fore.
Public
Richard Rollinson

Had to retire my old carrot pot this season because an extra good crop last yr split it wide open. The replacement pot is slightly larger, being 18 inches/450mm x 16 inches/400 mm holding about 16 gallons of soil. My old pot usually produced about 100 carrots over the season, so hoping for a bit more this time. My garden soil is just not conducive to growing carrots so I went the the pot method several years ago and it works great for me.
#gardening
#Allotment
#NewEngland
#Zone6b
@gardening

Side view of a plastic planter with a person's hand holding a steel ruler showing the pot to be about 16 inches/ 400 mm deep. The pot sits on a small plastic table sitting next to a house.
Close up of a seed packet of Moonraker carrot seeds showing planting instructions and cultivation requirements.
Looking straight down on a large plastic planter about 18 inches/ 450mm in diameter. It is filled with potting soil. There is a white seed packet of carrots and a steel ruler for scale.
A large red plastic planter full of carrots which have caused the pot to split apart.
Public
Yvan

A productive #allotment jaunt has occurred. The greenhouse base is now lined, the interior levelled, and the frame screwed down. Kat has weeded half of the long bed beside the polytunnel, and moved the leaf mould bag into a dalek thus tidying up some more space. The sort of shift where you can look around after and it actually looks like something has been done.

Planting the old lilac behind the shed is already paying off.

And we deliberately set a curfew and headed home so I can get a BBQ going whilst the sun still shines. Some trashy lagers have gone into the freezer.

Right, better get some coals burning... and whilst doing that I am going to pot on tomatoes, eggplants, tomatillos, capsicums, and padrons. And get those damn cucurbit seeds in!

A view out a shed window, in the foreground a sparse lilac with two large flower bracts in it, behind a grassy field and blue sky above.
A greenhouse frame on a base of sleepers, which are lined internally with green plastic, there is level bare earth inside the greenhouse.
To centre of image a narrow raised bed of bare earth half the length of the polytunnel side to the right of it, the far half of the bed is weedy with some black tubs in it and a large blue drum. To the left a wider raised bed has various covered plantings in it.
Public
Richard Rollinson

With the warmer weather upon us suddenly ( it got up to 86⁰F / 30⁰C today) I moved the hardier stuff outside and got the lettuce, beets and cabbage planted in to the ground. Indoor propagation room now completely shut down and empty and all remaining plants are in the greenhouse. Of course, there are many more things not started yet waiting for warmer soil, or just simply the space. On we go.... 😀
#gardening
#Allotment
#NewEngland
#Zone6b
@gardening

Inside benches of a small greenhouse showing all benches crowded with small plants mostly potted up in to 4 inch /100mm pots. Clockwise from left we have snap dragons, Cleome, Jet Star tomato, Better Boy tomato, Jalapeño peppers, Green Bell peppers and Eggplant.
Hardier plants moved outside to harden off. From left to right we have Snap Dragons, Onions, Lettuce, Verbena, Cabbage, Parsley, and Beets.
A small green metal shelving unit set out in the sun. On it are six dozen Snap Dragon plants that have had their tops pinched off to promote branchier growth.
Public
Mactonex

Phase 2 of the wood store complete. It’s looking a bit like a temple at the moment. I was hoping to get the roof on today but last night I fucked my back up. And how did I do this? I bent down to push a button on my dehumidifier. I like getting old, I think I’m a much nicer person than I was 20 years ago, and I know myself much better - but the physical decline that comes with old age is shit. What I wouldn’t give for my 18 year old body with my 60 year old self. #allotment #making #GettingOld

Two red sheds with a gap between. In the gap are four vertical post with two crossbeams at the top. All the wood is stained red. It looks a bit like a temple.
Continued thread
Public
Yvan

So much to do on the #allotment it's hard to know what to prioritise. Really must get all the cucurbit seeds in this weekend - zucchinis, pumpkins, and cucumbers. Also sweetcorn! The tomatoes, eggplants, and capsicums should have been potted on a week or two ago and it's getting so close to planting out I wonder if I should bother (but yes, I really should... first job tomorrow perhaps, I'm a bit bushed for today, and it's nearly 8pm after all!)

On the plot we need to get this greenhouse done, our growing plans for the chillies and melons really require that greenhouse.

And when that is done we can spread and move woodchip to the back of the plot clearing the front of the plot for putting in the planned low raised beds which will be a lot of our required outdoor growing space for zucchinis, pumpkins, sweetcorn, beans, and more.

At some point we need to do that front fence and gates, and the back fence, but they feel less like priorities right now.

Public
Yvan

Managed to get some stuff done down the #allotment... it isn't panning out as the mega-productive long-weekend I'd hoped for down there... but there are still two more days!!

We got some planting done. And now our current outdoor beds are full. We need to get more beds sorted soon. That's mutisown beetroot, onions, and spring onions in - plus chards, cabbages and lettuces.

The polytunnel is a jungle... but we'll just let it do its thing, harvest as we need, and clear it when it's time to put the tomatoes, chillies, etc, in (which will be circa 2nd week of May.)

Got the greenhouse base fully secured and started trenching one side for plastic lining (because creosotey sleepers) but the plastic we had was short so I'm going to check if we have longer plastic in storage before using the short stuff.

Harvested some mustard greens to go with tonight's dinner of gumbo and mashed potato.

A rectangular base of sleepers secured at the corners by yellow posts, on top of it is the glassless frame of a greenhouse.... loose earth piled to the centre.
Some long raised beds with seedlings in them and varied net covers.
Ends of along raised bed with seedlings in covered with nets over arched hoops of blue pipe, with some other plants behind inside an array of 9 plastic cloches.
A kitchen counter-top with two large mustard leaf plants sat on it obscuring most of a stove-top and the counter to the left of it.
Public *
Brownster

Potatoes are in! Charlotte, Desiree, and Setanta filling five and a half beds all planted yesterday and picked our first crop of asparagus this year. Made a super tasty pea, asparagus brown rice risotto with a couple of boiled eggs from a local seller.
This morning cleared three more beds, one was a full dig, the others were a bit easier.
#allotment #gardening #GrowYourOwn

Picture of allotment divided into beds with paths inbetween covered in weed matting and wood chips. A grass path runs down the centre and a low wire fence is visible on each side.
Public
Frieda_M

Some little beastie has been biting the tops off my seedlings, so today has been about re-sowing brassicas, but also fennel, salad, and tomatoes, and pricking out celeriac. Got some purple sprouting broccoli and chitted parsnip seeds in the ground too #allotment

View of an allotment bed with freshly watered seed drills. Two rows are covered with plastic tunnels, and there is a cold frame, metal raised bed and pallet compost bin alongside. Raspberry canes are springing up in the foreground. There are fruit bushes and potato ridges behind.
Public
Yvan

Work lunch is last week's orange sticker bonanza pitas, smoked mackerel, and camembert — with #allotment mustard leaf and last season's chutney using #allotment green tomatoes and scrumped local apples. One pita is cheese and the other is fish, they're two too strong clashing flavours to combine IMO. The week+ OOD camembert is stinky perfection.

Hoed in before I thought to record it. I am somewhat less prolific in these here parts due to starting FT work... a new equilibrium will be reached at some point, not sure what that will be. Currently working on turning my night-owl self into an early-bird; it goes against my nature but I have successfully achieved the switch long-term in the past… I expect I'll always naturally revert to being a night-creature though. 🌌

A photo of two part eaten pita breads on a pale teal plate. The pitas mainky look stuffed with green leaf, and have big bite marks chomped off them showing a leafy cross section.
SearchLive feeds
About