Journal Entries
Wildlife at Christmas
Posted Dec 21, 2009
I am sure that many of you have seen this before, but it is brilliant 
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1529569286/bctid5524339001
Nigel 
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Latest reply: Dec 21, 2009
My Allotment and Garden Diary
Posted Nov 21, 2009
Saturday 21st November, 2009
It has been a long time since I have written a diary account on my garden, my aim is to make sure I continue with one every week if possible 
.
On a Saturday morning I am usually down the allotment, but as the weather is dark and miserable it will not be worth sinking in the mud 
. Saying that, I will go down probably tomorrow to check everything is 
and to get some leeks for Sunday lunch.
It has been a poor year crop wise, losing five rows of potatoes to blight and all of my swede seedlings to slugs was quite a blow. As a result I have decided to grow more lower maintenance plants next year like soft fruit but still growing a few veggies to keep us fed during the summer months.
We have already made a start on the soft fruit growing by moving raspberry canes from the bottom of the plot to the top, building two support features to grow them up. Also, raspberry canes have been planted on the top left and right sides in which I hope to train into a hedge.
Marrows and Squashes have done well at the plot this year, the two types of vegetable which we did not use! I grow marrows every year for my friends and the squashes were a trial vegetable to see how they did. I grew the squashes with the intention of using them in our meals but unfortunately we found them too sweet 
. My friends enjoyed them though!
As it is now autumn it means leek time! I usually do well with leeks and all of them are soon eaten, using them with many cooked meals. I am growing Musselborough Improved which is a fairly well-known variety. I like to go down the allotment Christmas morning and dig some up, you cannot get much fresher for Christmas lunch!
I am also growing some parsnips for Christmas lunch, but in the garden at home as the soil is better. I do not mind growing them in the allotment but as it is clay soil I get some rather rude shapes . I am hoping by growing them at home I get some prize winning ones .
My plans for next year are to grow my potatoes in two metal storage tanks, the difficult bit is always digging them out once they are ready but it is worth a go. I always like to grow a different variety of potato each year which I have not decided yet, it will probably be a case of hunting through the seed catalogues.
I am not sure what varieties of veggies I will be growing either, but I will be aiming for something completely different to what I normally grow. Again, it will probably be the case of looking through seed catalogues .
Anyway, that is all the news for now. Enjoy your garden!
Nigel
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Latest reply: Nov 21, 2009
Helleborus a.k.a. Nigel
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