Fun on the allotment.

Student, chef, gardner, photographer and general procrastinator. Playing on my allotment since 5th November 2011.

[gmrobinson]

Back in the north west and the sun is shining. It genuinely felt like a warm spring say (until the sun went behind the clouds). Having been ignored all winter while I worked away in London my plot wasn't in that bad a condition. The beds and paths do a wonderful job of keeping things tidy. They were a great investment of time and resources. The front flower boarder is looking great. Yellow Crocuses in full bloom, Tulips and Aquilegias shooting up. The Oriental Poppy that I took root cuttings from has bounced back (and every single cutting has taken to boot!) The strawberry bed is looking a little worse for wear but I'm hoping they'll bounce back when it warms up. I added another few inches of sieved compost for good luck.

[gmrobinson]

The little townhouse I'm renting in south London has a small yard and one fence that catches the sun. Last autumn I emoted out the mostly barren pots behind the (rather pretty) box hedge and replanted them with perennials, bulbs, and (all importantly) herbs. With the day's getting longer, even if still chilly, there are small signs of growth. Having had the tail end of last year to spread their roots I'm hoping for a bumper display. I'm visiting home (the far north) this coming weekend and hoping to see what state the allotment is in, and start to get it ready for the year ahead.

[gmrobinson]

I’m still here ...

Wanted to say hello, and let everyone know that I’m still here. I’m working in London lots (still) and so barely keeping the allotment ticking over. My little sister has finished her Masters and has had the summer off (before starting her Phd) and so has kindly been helping.

The best surprise this year has been the Echinacea plants (that I posted about here and here) they’ve literally been in flower all summer long. The mix that I have “Lustre Hybrids“ is a really nice blends of white through pink and magenta, with slightly varied heights. Best packet of seeds I’ve bought, and in their second year they’ve really come in to their own.

Hope everyone else is having a great growing season, and I hope to post more soon.

- Gary

[gmrobinson]

Anyone recognise this cute, daisy like flower? I don't have a picture of the foliage sorry, but it was a small (12" ish) mounding plant with a dianthus look to the stems, flowering in the last few weeks.

[gmrobinson]

Wisteria in the walled garden (Brockwell Park)

[gmrobinson]

Duck Island I often have to work in London, and when I do I like to take lunch walking around the parks. St James Park is my favourite and Duck Island is the best part. It's a dream little homestead.

[gmrobinson]

Spring Time on the Allotment

The new Rhubarb bed is coming up nicely. I planted the crown divisions quite closely, as I didn’t expect them all to succeed (they were quite small and had been left out to dry on top of the soil before I collected them). I may need to re-plant some of them again in the winter so that they have the room required. I won’t harvest any of them this year, I’ll just let them bulk up.

The bed behind is ready for sowing, a mix of spinach, land cress, lettuce and parsley. The mixed chard from last year is also putting on strong growth and I’ll be enjoying that for as long as possible before it goes to seed.

The strawberry bed is looking good and I topped it up with some home made compost, lightly forked in to the soil.

[gmrobinson]

One of my thyme bushes is clearly confused. It's cold and windy, but he's trying to flower.

[gmrobinson]

Strawberry Bed

Last year I planted out around 10 "new" strawberry plants (given to me by an old lady). I used the space around them for other things and took runner's in pots when I could.

Now that the weather is starting to warm up I cleared the rest of the bed out and back filled with the runners (they had been in a nursery bed all winter). I've now got a full 26 plants all of a good size and well spaced.

I forked over the soil and fed with a combination of bonemeal (to encourage strong root development) and calcified seaweed (for micro-nutrients). Once they start in to top growth I'll start feeding with liquid comfrey (left over from last year). 

[gmrobinson]

More signs of spring. Another batch of Crocus push their way up and in the background the first Tulips start to appear.

[gmrobinson]

The common toad has the best Latin name, "Bufo Bufo."

[gmrobinson]

Spring approaches!

[gmrobinson]

I may have been hibernating this winter, but I'm still here. Dwarf irises on the window ledge keeping me company.

[gmrobinson]

Plant Identification: Success

After a few hints and a bit of Googling it looks like the plant in question is Gaura "Siskiyou Pink."

And even better, the cuttings I took have started to root. Because they've been quite slow I'll leave them as they are until spring, before potting them on individually.

- Gary

[gmrobinson]

Friendship

Imagine this, you're at home on a Sunday afternoon. Wearing your pyjamas, with a roast dinner in the oven. It's been a hard week and you're looking forward to watching TV for a few hours and dozing off on the sofa.

Your phone goes and and a friend says "I've just had a metric ton of manure delivered to the allotment. I've got to move it within 48 hours but I'm working in London for the next few days, so it has to be tonight. Also, the sun goes down in 2 hours, so I'm running there now, I need you to help?" 

In case you didn't realise, it was me who had the manure and had called my friend.

I don't have many friend that I can call in that situation, and who will drop everything to be there no questions asked. In fact I only have one. But he's great.

So we cleared the manure and stacked it at the back of the allotment (in the old "wild" area). Its been covered over with plastic and will be left there for a year, then used to top up the raised beds.

- Gary

[gmrobinson]

Plant ID Help Another plant ID post, sorry (you're all just so good at it!) The plant above is on neighbours allotment and has been flowering all autumn. I thought it might be a Salvia at first but now I'm not so sure. I took some cuttings from it around 4 weeks ago, and they've yet to take but don't seem like they're dying off, so I'll wait.

[gmrobinson]

Lazy autumn mornings ...