The ups, the downs and the insides out of growing your own in 2025!

-taff

Might as well go no dig for money like that, cover with cardboard and get some compost on top, or hay or whatever. If you can wrangle some pllet collars even better, raised beds good for no bending but you needn't spend loads on them. Scaffolding places sell cronky boards cheaply, or find someone having a new roof and take all the battens, screw with corner posts, esy peasy. There are always ways and means which don't involve cash or much cash, just depends on what you're willing or able or both to do.

ladybird1106

Blackbirds are singing here at the plot. Moved the glass today, and I have 17 out of 30 broad beans through. Good job I did some in pots in the potting shed. Will hopefully get them in next week. Starting to warm up the ground where the peas will be going , hopefully the extra compost layer will give us a good yield. Generally been poor here due to local pigeons getting to the seedlings before we can cover them. However the trees that they used to roost in have been removed by the owner of the house that backs onto the plots. 

Watered the cauliflowers and cabbages that have over wintered in the greenhouses and have put on quite a bit of growth recently. Lots of sorting through the shed and lean to. Donated a load of pots on the allotment meet and greet plot. Still a lot to sort before the growing and hoeing season takes off. 

Having braised home grown borlotti beans (dried them last year) with roasted tomatoes and kale. RF organic borlotti beans 500g (pods on) £5.25.
love 🐞

carinjo

Spend a few hours this week clearing and pruning (a bit late, but heyho). The crispy, sunny mornings had me on allotment just after 8am! Pear tree done, 2 red gooseberries done. The fig tree finally dead, so cut it down and the base can be used to nail a little table on top of it.
Started building raised bed for greenhouse, but back too ouchy to finish.
Donated leftover glass panes to neighbour as thanks for rebuilding my greenhouse for me.
The rest of the week has a day trip to london and another to france for the wife's birthday, so everything will have to wait till next week.
Have a look at gardening event at L1d1. They have some lovely raised  planters with covers (and vents). Saw similar on Alan T's program on ITV this week.

greenbee

A meeting was cancelled earlier, so I took advantage given the nice weather and have planted gooseberries, blackcurrants, and rhubarb. They're probably in the wrong places, but they're in the ground!

Silvertabby

ladybird1106 said:

Roasted rhubarb. Cut up into chunks, place on baking parchment on a baking tray. Gas mark 6. 20-30 minutes (might need more or less depending on its thickness) until it’s soft and squishy. 
Love 🐞

Ooh - that sounds yummy!  Unfortunately, his nibs doesn't just hate the taste of rhubarb, he can't stand the smell either, so I rarely get to enjoy it.

Silvertabby

Spike and Mrs Spike are awake and on the hunt for food (we put out chicken cat biscuits) and slug pudding.  Looking forward to seeing their babies  on the wildlife camera - so cute!  

oceandreamer

Can I join please? Bit late I know, but I have just managed to clear enough of the end of the garden to think about planting a few things.  I have some potatoes ready to go in at weekend and have planted some celeriac seeds in a propagator.  I've never grown celeriac before and now I've read about it, I'm not sure how successful it will be - it seems very fickle! 

FreeBear

-taff said:

Might as well go no dig for money like that, cover with cardboard and get some compost on top, or hay or whatever. If you can wrangle some pllet collars even better, raised beds good for no bending but you needn't spend loads on them. Scaffolding places sell cronky boards cheaply, or find someone having a new roof and take all the battens, screw with corner posts, esy peasy. There are always ways and means which don't involve cash or much cash, just depends on what you're willing or able or both to do.

I had a tree surgeon/gardener dump some half rotten sleepers on my drive just after Xmas. They could probably be used a couple of raised beds.

Had another outfit dumping a pile of freshly felled cherry tree logs  just as I was heading out to work. As I walked past their other truck, I did contemplate asking for the chippings. A good thick layer of mulch should keep most of the weeds at bay at the expense of sucking all the nitrogen out of the soil. The guys are back tomorrow to finish off the garden they are working on, so I might see what they have to say about chippings.

Also have a large piece of geotextile that I can cover some of the weeds with. And once I've shifted logs in to the wood store, a big bit of black plastic can cover some more of the weeds. But I might need that plastic to go over the cherry once that is chopped & split.

ladybird1106

Managed to get to the plot for a couple of hours. Reclaimed raised bed frames from wild blackberry and found in amongst it some raspberry’s canes. Moved them into a tub ready to be replanted. Lots of hacking back of the dread wild blackberry. Sowed early 🥕 into a metal raised bed and put glass over to keep the soil warm. OH almost finished digging the potato area. Weeded the rhubarb area. Started to reconstruct the compost bins . Unfortunately the raised pallets are disintegrating and need replacing. I remembered there was some on the allotment recycling area. Even though I’ve done lots today I don’t feel as if we are getting anywhere. Just need to keep plodding. Sat and enjoyed the sun. Highlight was seeing a peacock butterfly. 

Love 🐞

Suffolk_lass

Received the strawberries first, and then the sweet pea plug plants I ordered in January. The strawberries are in. Very little growth on any of them and several leaves broken on arrival. We shall see but if I need to I will claim a refund. Ironically, the plug plants (all lovely) are matched by those I have grown from seed in long root trainers this year. Oh well, they will look and smell lovely, and they will encourage pollinators for our beans