Sunday 3 March 2013

Digging, clearing and some planting!

We had a brilliant few hours on the plot this afternoon. We got our shallots into the ground - fifteen Golden Gourmet should provide enough shallots for some pickles and cooking with.
We stapled (LOVE our staple gun!) netting onto the frame Jamie made the other week and put that over the top. The shallots don't really need that much protection but it keeps the birds (and mice) from pulling the shallots out of the ground and later will provide some protection against the leek moth.
The rest of the afternoon I spent digging the area behind the raised bed. The raspberries are sending shoots and roots out so that seems like a good sign that they're spreading happily. This area will be used for our little greenhouse for germinating seeds and then, once the greenhouse is packed away, we'll be putting some pretty wildflowers and night stocks in.

Jamie cleared a layer of moss and compost from the raised bed - we're going to give it a top up before sowing our beets and radishes this year. Then Jamie cleared all the annoying grass and weeds from near our strawberries and rhubarb. The birds keep burying our rhubarb whilst flicking around for worms and grubs.
Talking of birds, I've put an entry and video on the Wildlife on Our Allotment blog regarding the robins today. Our new regular, the female blackbird, was also on the scene - very pleased to eat giant worms we uncovered during our digging and clearing.

We took some small leeks home - enough to go in the creamy mushroom and leek pie that I'm looking forward to tonight!

4 comments:

  1. Tried to pozt comment on wildlif blog but couldn't read the code letters. Nice bird vid.

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    Replies
    1. Glad you like the robins video. Such a pretty song

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  2. It looks like you have things well under control. I like the idea of using a staple gun for fastening netting, a good time saver.

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Belinda