My head is about to explode but....

I feel terrible today and these blasted headaches are not helping - argh! the weather is driving me bonkers. How are these cold, grey, windy and intermittently wet days supposed to make the Depressed person feel? It's not fair.

Anywho, thought I'd quickly write about Sunday as, at the time, it made me feel a bit happier. (Ecotherapy in action). That feeling has disappeared now, believe me ~ but let's try to recapture some of the joy of.....planting out our first new crop!

Yes, it happened. I planted out 8 beautiful Broad Bean plants ('Aquadulce Claudia') in A1. I admit they aren't planted in the most perfect lines, but I blame my Double Vision for that. The wee plants had the best root systems and were sturdy little things. I hope they survive; they're my wee babies. I have a cover ('sun tunnel' sounds so silly) over them, stuck firmly into the ground to give them the best chance in this awful weather. We'll be sowing more soon, a different variety 'The Sutton' I think, so we do have back up, but fingers crossed everyone for my babies.


I also planted my Hellebores into a long trough, but again the weather was so bad I just put them back in the cold frame for now. If I hadn't they'd probably be miles away up the Beltoy Road come the weekend! Hahahaha (maniacal laugh or cry moment). This weekend will be better!

I'm a messy planter, I know.

Yes, we can! (I hope)

The 44th President of America is now in office, today has been an important day in the world. Fingers crossed that Mr Barack Obama can lead the world to change. Let's face it, we need it! A bit of Peace and Stability around the Globe would be a dream come true.

Frosty Wind made Moan (a lot)

Oh my goodness! It was blowing a gale this weekend, never mind the nasty coldness and the downpours ~ not a good weekend to be an Allotmenteer. Though I have to say we did get some jobs done and saw quite a few others down at the plots over the period - we hardy perennials!

The wind was the worst however and things were all over the place when we visited, especially on Sunday. Apologies to: Myrtle as this is a photo of her shed on it's side and your cloches are in the hedge; the people at 15b in field C as this is their shed blown off its foundations; everyone at the Eden Allotment Gardens (in total) as this is our little port-a-loo, and to all those who have yet to find their compost bins - they're all over the place.

My sympathies to the man in Field A No. 12 ~ you're shed, as yet not fully erected and stabilised, is in a heap on the ground - too upsetting to put a photo of it here - there may be children reading this.

We (the Hubby and I) were very lucky, only our middle compost bin, from 'the Trinity', escaped. It left not only our plot but Field A altogether, past Field C and the Car park area and ended up as the furthest away bin in the whole place (up by the changing rooms!). We were fortunate to get it back! Andrew has it well and truly bolted to the ground now with canes and big rocks.

Maggie missed the carnage, as we left her at home on her blanket all cosy and sleepy. I don't think 'dog kites' would go down very well with the animal cruelty people! (note: cartoon pic not photo!)

A little moment of clarity

I don't work, study, have children or keep the best home; tidy and clean with dinner on the table every night for the hubby.

I am disabled, both mentally and physically. It pains me immensely to write that, to even admit it to myself, never mind anyone else.

But.

I have abilities too. I love my husband more than words can say, I care greatly for my friends, family and fellow man. I am passionate, empathic, sympathetic, keep trusted secrets and always try my best.

These things have no economic value therefore I believe they are not taken seriously. I certainly forget to list them in any description of myself (which are totally negative). But, surely they have meaning and are worth something - right? Surely I then have worth too?

Mindfulness is something I am trying to practice and looking back on the day I have fragmented it into moments, not minutes and hours. It makes the day seem longer (the bad parts and the good) but the outcome of this ~ I lived today. And I believe it was because I was in touch with nature, in touch with life itself.

Focus on ...Looking to the future

With great thanks to Mo, Irene and my darling Hubby (who I love more than words can say) I feel well enough now to write a quick blogette.

I am trying (with not a little difficulty) to look to the future and with that in mind I think it's apt to 'Focus on'... seeds. We were at a nursery both on Sunday and for a moment, yesterday. Everywhere you look there are seed stands and potatoes for the chittin', daffs and primroses. And quite frankly - Thank Goodness!

We have of course been looking at seed catalogues, seeds on the websites and in the magazines over the horrid winter period. Now, we are ready for a new growing year; Andrew even looked through the seed box to see what was viable for this year and we have a good lot that we're going to stick in a seed tray and see what happens.

(By the way that is Maggie's hotdog in amongst that pile - she was 'helping')

My only thought really for you today is... check what you have already, take time to look for the best offers on seeds (try Pound shops and big evil*DIY stores, honestly) and see if you can share seeds with friends/family. Let's face it, we're Allotmenteers ~quality and 'good value' (i.e. cheapness) is the key. Oh and I urge you to get flower seeds too, make those friendly insects welcome in your plot.

Speed is of the essence my friends ~ plan, go... and think of the long, fruitful days to come. (Hark at me, being all positive).

*tbc

The Plots Thicken

Okay, so really there is extremely little to tell you about what Andrew and I did at the Lottie. He dug over some soil and did a lot of looking, I did even less. Instead I dandered as I said in a previous blogette. So this blogette is about the hard work of some others about the plots.

First this plot. I have seen the gentleman who owns it working hard on this over the past few times I've been down. He has it looking great; edged raised beds, a compact cold frame and to add some (much needed) winter colour has planted pretty primroses all around the edge.

In Field B I spoke to Donald who had just finished equalling out the height of his plot by adding a thick mulch of medium sized gravel, with small drainage pipes underneath. Hopefully this will stop one side of his site from being just too soggy to work. Now he has lovely raised beds and a great looking (and sounding) path all around. His little alpine plant raised edge around the whole place is also starting to settle in , but I think the 'Little Critter Hotel and Spa' is still under booked.

Field C is a mass of new members getting to work, ah, the heady days of a brand new plot, the energy and excitement (before any blight and failed crop pain of the seasoned allotmenteer kick in)! I can just imagine the sore backs and hands, the all consuming nature of 'the plan' and the 100s of books being bought and the joy of ordering a shed. Good Luck to them all!!!!

Field trip to Field D

So, I made it to the Lottie on Saturday for a wee while (about half and hour, before I had to go home) I'm sure you'll be glad to hear.

I headed off to see the new field ~ 'D', see if anything had started there. Remember I told you it was soon to be released and was going to be totally organic? Well here is how it looks now, this was where Maggie just to go for a run and chase and where I would lie down in the Summer and watch the clouds roll by. No one else ever seemed to go into it, I'll miss it when it all gets turned into Allotments. But one must not be selfish ~ think of the joy that will be in that field, the new adventures, the lovely food and flowers and the quirky individuality of new people's sheds and plots. Photo fodder if you will.

The only thing I noticed was a shuck had been dug around the bottom edge of the field (between it and Field B. And another, by the way, had been dug down the side of Field B, by the hedge, between that field and ours. I desperately hope that the drainage situation will get sorted out soon. It's such a squidgy mess there.

I suppose one good thing is that a large official sign has been erected in the car park, urging people not to use the paths with their cars between October and April. I hope that is just for now and in the future we will get proper roads laid down ~ only for the fact that, at times people will have to take their cars to their plots, to off-load large, heavy items, or indeed get a shed delivered. But patience is a virtue ~ we'll get there in the end.

A Home from Home

A while back I mentioned that Andrew, Maggie and I were going off to Fermanagh for a week after Christmas. Well, I didn't get round to talking about it and it was great so ~ a quick blurb.

We stayed in a beautifully converted Stables behind a gorgeous Old Rectory House, near to Lisnaskea.

http://www.fermanaghselfcatering.co.uk/

It backed on to a sweet little Church and had, virtually as an extension to the front garden, Killyfole Lough. This is the prefect place for a walk with the dog; so much effort has been applied in the making of a path around the circumference, wonderful boardwalks over the clear water, fishing jetties, a bird hide, plenty of benches, an artificial beach (which was frozen!) and a large family of ducks, oh and 2 serene Swans. I love it there.

On top off that the back gardens of the Rectory have a well established looking allotment!! Accessed (for us, staying in the Stables) through an old lean to greenhouse, complete with a massive grape vine. There are loads of soft fruits (including a golden raspberry and loganberries, which I have yet to taste), a large pond, an ancient looking apple tree, cleared out Brussel Sprout plants (Christmas Dinners?), cabbages and an old bath with leeks and young Asparagus in it. They grow a heck of a lot more but it was also winter remember.

(these pics do it NO justice)

Plus we were surrounded by fields which, let's face it are specialist crop Allotments on a grand scale. We were guilty of getting carried away and dreaming of renovating an abandoned farmhouse and setting up a small-holding, but we soon wised up, haha! I'm a town girl (can't be too far away from Belfast) but for a while having nothing but beautiful walks, a wood fire and little to do was wonderful (we also had the best bed ever, more than 1 bathroom and a dishwasher!). I took around 200 photos, eek!

I don't usually advertise but this was heavenly; the family that run it are so welcoming, friendly and have the sweetest children and they're Allotmenteers ~ fab!! (There are a lot more photos on my Flickr Account by the way).

P.S. Thanks for the homemade Apple Pie Caroline)

Just a wee "sorry" ~ no post today because I feel too bad.
Hugs, hope to write tomorrow.

A Delightful Blog!

You may notice that over on the right hand side of this humble blog there is a 'button' for Delightful Blogs. This is an on-line directory for blogs that are considered to be original, interesting and regularly up-dated. It's an American company which seems to be run by a lovely lady called Lynda. I attempted to put myself on this directory but with the meds etc I didn't have the concentration and messed it up. I wrote to Lynda and after checking 'Grow Our Own' out she included it in her directory and even waived the fee.

I have been crying again, for a change it is not out of depression but appreciation to a stranger who has reached out and shown kindness to me when , let's face it, I really need some.

As I predicted, yesterday's meeting with a member of my mental health team didn't really help much. Though I truly like my Social Worker, she has her hands tied and there is nothing out there. I am miserable and hopeless, but, I had a moment of joy there that has left me all shook up ~ thank you Lynda and 'Delightful Blogs'.

Eden Allotment Gardens gets Bigger!

We received a letter yesterday from the council to offically declare that we are to have a 4th field of Lotties, hoorah! This new one,(excitingly named 'Field D') is going to be completely organic which is pretty cool. We have been offered a position there in place of our present Lottie ~ but how could I leave A24a! She means so much and has offered such love and produce. I could never love another Lottie in the same way. Luckily Andrew feels the same.

Check out the new area map here>
http://www.carrickfergusinbloom.org/allotment-location-map.pdf
or indeed there is a handy link down the right hand side which updates itself as the Council updates its info. Ah, technology.

The letter came with a little Fact Sheet about Organic growing and it seems we're doing rather well at that anyway! We only use Slug Pellets (I hate slugs with a passion that cannot be expressed with out you seeing my 'angry face') and once the container we have is finished we're going to get Organic Slug Pellets ~ none of this wasting good beer on them or trespassing on the site at night with a miners' head lamp and catching the blighters at it.

So soon there will be even more Eden Allotmenteers (and we know the waiting list is huge too). Oh yeah, Allotmenteering Rocks!

P.S. I have a member of my mental health team coming to the house today, I may sound cynical but I suspect I'll hear the usual " I'm so sorry but there just isn't anything available, I can't think how to help you". God, I'm miserable :(

A quick boast...

That Christmas Eve visit hasn't been fully blogged, as time was short. So I shall take this opportunity to boast a little about just how wonderful those Parsnips where! We grew 'Tender and True' in a brand new bed, which had organic matter etc in it, and they didn't fork ~ take that Mother Nature!!! The frosts beforehand has really helped with the flavour, they were truly scrumptious. On Christmas day, I ate all mine up off my dinner plate before I even attempted anything else, I love Parsnips, our Parsnips. And they were pretty darn big!!!

As well as that we harvested some more joyous Leeks (I'm allergic to Onions but can eat Leek). Look how HAPPY Andrew was with them ~ 'Ecotherpay in action' for him too!

Then, finally I checked on my Broad Bean seedlings in the Cold Frame ~ they are doing extremely well, possibly too well as they look like they are in need of planting out and it's not time yet! Eek. They're the first of our new year crops, so I hope they stay alive, not such a great way to start the year if they end up in the compost bin in the sky.

Boasting over.

The Plan (as it stands at the start of Jan 09)

I'm no garden designer or graphic designer, so you'll have to make do with my very low tech scribbles on good old paper with a pencil. :)

Below left we have the bare bones of the plot lay out: the beds, permanent structures and permanent fruit bushes and trees. On the right I have annotated a bit, I hope it is legible...

For the sake of clarity we call the beds on the left hand side column A and the right column B. Then they are numbered across as rows, as we move away from the bench. The larger square bed at the back is the permanent bed; on the right of the path we have a row of Strawberries and them by the edge there is a row of Raspberries. To the left of the path there will be Asparagus (some day!!)

Okay, this is the closest overview pic I have, time wise, taken the weekend before the apple arch went in. But that doesn't really matter as that particular arch is going to be moved and a more substantial one put in its place.

Hopefully this plan will make more sense as I talk about what is happening where in the plot.

A great website find

Still feeling terrible but I have to say a massive thank you to Michelle, allotofveg and Maureen for their very kind words of encouragement and support on yesterday's comments section. It was so appreciated, I can't tell you. Big hugs to you all.

Last night Andrew found a very absorbing website ~
http://www.rhs.org.uk/growyourown/index.asp
all about growing your own fruit and veg and as it's RHS, you know you can trust it like an online Allotmeentering Bible. He was on it for quite some time, as we are looking into more fruit trees and a new year of veg growing in general. So maybe you'd like it too.

Drawing up those plans of the Lottie when I have little bursts of energy, so they'll be up, hopefully, tomorrow.

Thanks again for the support, I need all I can get a the mo.

Hello,

Unfortunately I am going through a very difficult period; my depression and anxiety has really taken a turn for the worse and I have little energy or interest in anything at the moment and I am screaming inside.

I was too ill to make to the Lottie at the weekend (I did manage to reach the car park on Sunday but then totally panicked), even though it was the only place I wanted to be. I had plans, hopes of meeting new people and generally getting some Ecotherapy, as I have been slowly getting more ill for the past months. It was not to be. As blogging helps me to be cathartic I will continue to write this week about stuff, but please bare with me.

The Catharsis of Blogging

Back from Fermanagh now, I'll tell you all about it on Monday. For now I need to write just for me - no access to the Internet on hols and thus I need to be a little cathartic.

The winter of 08 was difficult for me. Coming down on my medication and quickly realising it was a mistake. The many recurring nervous breakdowns; the dark, damp, short days and the lack of Lottie time. All in all not so good really (by that read - 'terrible'). Even my holidays away didn't help as much, though the photography has been wonderful to get into again.

Now - 2009 (looks rather like POOS when seen from behind lit up in celebratory street lights, let's hope that isn't a sign!) is here. It comes with new hope, new adventures, longer days etc. The past is written, the future is a fresh page.

I wish you all a happy, healthy 2009, full of growth ~ the metaphysical and the Lottie type. Who knows what's in store!! This time last year we didn't even have a Lottie, a Blogger account or DSLR.

The only resolution ~ BE GOOD TO YOURSELF!

The Last day of 2008 on the Lottie for us.

It's the end of another year ~ farewell 2008!

We saw our beloved 'piece of Eden' for the last time for 2008 on Christmas Eve. Here we are....

We gathered the last of our (wonderful) Parsnips to be used in a family Christmas Dinner (and some for the cottage trip). Stayed there to watch the sunset, it was lovely, we were there all alone. A nice way to say farewell for now.

My Chrimbo Pressie for my Lottie!

I LOVE MY LOTTIE!!

Therefore I thought she deserved a pressie, after all she has given me. Think me not mad, I beg you, I am aware that 'she' is not a sentient being and cares not for presents, but, well as I said ~ I love my Lottie.

So, behold her old sign. It was made in some haste in answer to the tenancy agreement, which stipulated we all mark our territory. (Maggie already had done so, in her own personal way, of course, but this was not seen as good enough). A very old, battered bit of fencing board was bashed up and as you can see,I, just quickly, but with care, wrote the wonderful letters and numbers which would soon mean so much. A24a.

Here it is on the day it was 'planted' in the corner of our plot. That doesn't sound like the right word, but it is apt...



And here it is on the day of its makeover. Exciting!

Well now, the quick witted of you with be thinking ~ Titles, Grout, ummmm! Yes indeed I made my 1st ever Mosaic. And boy was it fun. Any excuse to take a hammer to things and really bash it up into tiny bits and I feel happier. It was done under controlled conditions though : newspaper down, pencil and paper for a plan, tea towel to cover tiles and Maggie safely in the corner of her favourite sofa, sleeping.

I left out the 'A' this time because we all know which fields are which by now. And, quite frankly it wouldn't have fitted on the wood anyway. I'm sure I need not tell you how to do Mosaic, but I will pass on the joy of 'Fix and Grout' in one, so much easier and cheaper than buying 2 different tiling things.

Here is the finished article, I'm quite pleased, as I am sure my Lottie is too.

N.B. This was also written on the 22nd!! Golly I hope this post dating lark works. I'll be off in Fermanagh on Boxing day for a week, just me, the Hubby and Maggie ~ bliss.

Happy Christmas

It being Christmas Eve and all I didn't plan to write my blog, but via the awe inspiring technology that is the web, I wrote this on Tuesday and put a delay on its posting until now. Wow, I know.

All I want to say is 'Happy Christmas':

This mainly goes for the big event tomorrow...

may your family not drive you crazy today,
may you not receive gifts you hate and have to pretend otherwise,
may you have chocolate for breakfast,
may your dinner be tasty - not over cooked, mushy or indeed consisting of dry Turkey,
may you get a little 'merry' on the old mulled wine,
and may you feel loved - because you are - because you are you.

Big Hugs
Carrie

The Apple Arch

It has been a dream of ours (of Andrew's in particular) to have a few Arches, a la Geoff Hamilton in the older series of Gardeners' World*. We have a little piece of Eden and want to make the most of it, therefore doing up is always a good idea, it also gives the plot a bit of structure. At the moment we have 3 Arches bought (at sale prices) and they will all, eventually go down at the bottom of the path.

*I have tried to find a good photo of this but the only I can get is tiny and has a lot of foreground in it. Wick.

But for now I'll have to concentrate on the one ~ the Apple one erected on Sunday. It has 2 lovely little trees planted one on either side. They were bare rooted, but for convenience sake they were in pots, bought from a large DIY and Gardening chain. Andrew chose a 'Lord Lambourne' and a 'Egremont Russet'. I found a great website all about Apples ~ http://www.orangepippin.com/

http://www.orangepippin.com/apples/lord-lambourne.aspx
http://www.orangepippin.com/apples/egremont-russet.aspx

We planted them together (well I 'helped') and staked them in at a 45 degree angle. Not without some frustration and a bit of inappropriate anger from someone, who shall remain nameless (it wasn't me, that is all I'm saying). Then we put together the Arch, with was surprisingly easy and quite fun. Bit like Meccano and all the screws were the same type and length and there were 2 left over, hoorah!

And so, here it is, out 1st fruit arch, we did it!!

Christmas Bargains

This whole credit crunch thing has its good points you know. At the weekend Andrew and I got a whole load of stuff for the Lottie, with Christmas money from my 2 Aunties. My Hubby has been planning an Apple Arch for a long time now and we bought 2 lovely trees and 3 arches all at a bargain price. (I'll tell you about the arch tomorrow...)

We have also become quite obsessed by Raspberries. After putting all those Autumn fruiting ('Joan J') ones into the permanent bed recently we decided that more Summer ones would be good too. (We like Raspberries.) In Homebase they were selling 3 pots for £10! There are 3 good, just potted up stems, in each pot = 9 Raspberry plants for £10! Good eh?

2 pots of 'Glen Clova' and 1 of 'Tulameen' ~ these names mean nothing to me yet but I will get round to looking them up. I just hope we get fruit some day and I can get to making jam (its quite an achievable dream, surely).

Then we drove up the road a little, to a nursery (mainly for a coffee and wee bun in their nice cafe) and managed to get these lovely blackcurrant bushes at a humble £1 each. You just couldn't shake a stick at that now, could you?

The one on the left is a 'Ben Lomond' and on the right is a 'Baldwin', Fingers crossed our bargains don't turn out to be a false economy.

The Soup of our Labour

Here are the ingredients for the joyous Lottie Soup we had at the start of the week. Made entirely from Lottie grown produce - Frugal, Warming, very Tasty, not to mention Healthy. You can't go wrong.

3 Small Leeks (Musselburgh)
2 Cabbages (Greyhound)
12 Baby Carrots (Early Nantes 5)
12 Scallions (White Lisbon)
BIG handful of Parsley (Plain leaved 2)
A few Cloves of Smoked Garlic (courtesy of 'WG')

Water
Andrew's secret ingredient ~ Ras el Hanout
(Salt & Pepper to your own tastes)

The other pure joy of this Lottie Soup was all the ingredients get bunged in at the same time and it makes enough for 2 people for 2 nights! Plus, the 2nd night, it tastes even better!!! We had ours with lovely N. Irish Wheaten Bread but I suppose you could have white Crusty Bread/Baguettes etc. It's up to you, (but personally Wheaten is the way to go...)

It was a real joy to eat and was made all the better by knowing to produce was all Lottie stuff! Hoorah for Allomenteering, it totally ROCKS.

Focus on ...Mulled Wine ~ yum (in moderation)

Yes, I know, we don't have Grapes growing at A24a and indeed I don't believe anyone does at the Allotment Gardens - however, if we did (and you may), this would be the only thing to do at Christmas ~ Mulled Red Wine.

I have recently enjoyed a glass (just the 1 mind) at the wonderful Contential Market held in the grounds of Belfast City Hall. And, oh my! Andrew had the Mulled Cider (which come to think of it we could do one year with our Apple Tree, uummm) and another friend had White Mulled Wine, which I never even thought existed.

It may interest you to know that 'mulled' merely means warmed and spicy and originated in the colder climes were it's cockle warming proprieties where most appreciated. It is, I have heard, so old that the 1st known name for it was something similar to the word Hippocrates (the ancient Dr)because it was considered healthy and better for you than the (dirty) water of the period.

There is, of course, a write up on Mulled wine and the different types and names for it around the world on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulled_Wine. However, there really isn't time for that, is there? Let's get down to the making of the stuff.

I have chosen Delia Smith's version from http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/mulled-wine,907,RC.html rather than the one I have from Nigella Lawson's book ' How to be a Domestic Goddess' which has Earl Grey Tea in it and therefore sounds gross to me.

I urge you to click the link and make and enjoy!

The photo I have chosen to decorate this bloggette sadly is not my own - I haven't made mine yet - it comes straight from the Delia website. God Bless her! And "God bless us, every one!"(Tiny Tim)

Mamma G's got 'Grow Our Own' Fever!

I regret to inform you that there was no noseying about on Saturday at other people's plots ~ it was just to bloomin' cold. Maggie had to be taken back up to the car because she just couldn't take the cold winds and we didn't last a great period of time ourselves at good old A24a.

What we did do though was head round to Mamma G's house. She too has been bitten by the Grow Our Own bug and we had decided to make a kitchen garden for her. Very green fingered, Mamma G has grown many types of fruit and vegetables in the past and even had her own Greenhouse for a long time. In recent years she had been growing Strawberries, Herbs, Beans, Apples and Tomatoes (including a variety called Shirley which is her 'real' name) with great aplomb. Now, however it is time to take this a step further.

The patio area has been as such for 20 odd years, so the soil needs some tender loving care to bring it back to it's virile self. Also a very large tree (which I mentioned in reference to it's leaves in the bloggette 'Composting - we LOVE it', 6th November) has just been cut down, as it was ill and now the garden has more light and it's time for a change.

So we cut back some overgrown shrubs and lifted concrete slabs to create 4 nice planting areas, which will eventually be edged and raised in wood. It's yet another exciting wee project for us to get our teeth into and we can do seed swaps etc. I'll let you know how it goes.

Mystery of the Beetroot ~ Solved.

I regret to inform you that the Beetroot was indeed heartlessly ripped out and thrown in the compost bin. (There is a written confession in the Comments section under the bloggette 'Baby Carrots, Manly Scallions and the Case of the Disappearing Beetroot'). The culprit shows no remorse and a suitable punishment is yet to be decided.

Soil and Coffee

Ronnie had a very nifty gadget he let us borrow - to test the PH of our soil. We had heard that it was a little acidic but why waste an opportunity to do an experiment. Between us, Andrew and I did all the Sciences at A-level - we're geeks at heart!

So, this was cool to us and we got straight down to it. With this particular tester we had to dig a whole around a trowel's depth and add a little water (unfortunately we had no distilled water which would have made the experiment better, but I digress..) so it was the consistency of wet soil. Then plonk (science -y term) the tester in, making sure the probe was nice and wet all over (and the switch was flicked to PH rather than Wetness testing mode). Then we had to wait... for a minute........

The Result - the soil was a wee bit acidic. The needle hovered just on the line between 7 and 6. Isn't science fun!!?

So our soil is pretty neutral, which is a good place to start I think, we can add stuff to it to please certain fussy plants - making it more alkaline or acidic where needed. Good news indeed.

After that ,we added some Used Coffee Grounds from Starbucks (you get big bags there for FREE) around the baby Spring Cabbages - there are some thoughts that caffeine deters slugs. I don't know if it works but we're giving it a go. Check out the link below for a discussion thread on it, which seems to suggest the opposite!

But anyway, it made my hands smell lovely and the rest of the bag went into the compost bin (which is what we usually do with these free used grounds); coffee is a great soil conditioner. (Bit acidic, science-y again).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/reports/archive/science_nature/slug_caffeine_mail.shtml

Baby Carrots, Manly Scallions and the Case of the Disappearing Beetroot

It's all about that process of planning for a new year (stops me going mad in the winter); picking seeds to order, looking into brand new areas of Allotmeentering (Apple/Pear/Plum Arches!) clearing out beds and the soil given a bit of tender, loving, care. We've been doing this slowly for the past few weeks, but Saturday saw us clearing out, pretty much, the last bed. We still have a few Parsnips in one, Leeks in another and Spinach in one.

The 3rd bed on the right contained some Cabbages, Beetroot (Holy Moly what did he do with them????), Baby Carrots and Scallions (which where under a poly tunnel) and Parsley.

Andrew cut out the Cabbages (4 or 5 of them) before I could get near the place with my camera and I am guessing he also did something with the Beetroot at this time too. He had me distracted, in the shed or something - what happened to the row of Beetroot??~ I fear it may be in the compost bin! But no, surely not!? Then where are they all????? There must be a perfectly good explanation, I'll find out when he gets home.


(open picture for notes)

And then we started to lift all the remaining Carrots (they weren't going to grow much more) and we were surprised that some actually looked good. They ended up in the Lottie Soup, which I still have to tell you about and I swear they were packed with Carroty yumminess; as if all the carrot flavour they would have had as big specimens was concentrated down into a tiny root.

The Scallions however were wonderfully tall and as good as any we've had from the Lottie. I highly recommend the mini Poly Tunnel (or they might be called Sun Tunnels officially, I can't remember) to any and every Allotmeenter out there. A good buy indeed.

The Parsley plants are still there, though I cut a big one (that had been under a large water bottle) right down and Boy was it good. Again it went in the soup but we also had some with a stir fry - fresh herbs are the way to go, if you can get them to grow in our climate (I'm still upset about my Basil and Coriander disasters!).

So another bed ready for thinking about. I think it will be all Root Vegetables next year, if my hold on the rotation scheme is right. It was a Brassica bed last year, with some Squashes but they didn't do very well. I'll have to draw out some better plans so I can explain things clearer, eh? And I will get that Lottie Soup written down....

Waxwings

It was quite exciting to learn that Ronnie had seen approximately 22 Waxwings (Bombycilla garrulus, for those who like their Latin names) on the plot during last week.

According to the RSPB website they don't breed here but are winter visitors to the UK between October and March. And amazingly they estimate that there are only approximately 100 wintering birds in the UK (that means about 1/5 of them popping bye to chirp "Hello" at our Allotment Gardens).

Smaller than a Starling (and rather more colourful) they eat berries, such as the rose and hawthorn berries we have a lot of around the site perimeters. They like to be in big groups too, which must make for a lovely sight in the rather bland winter treescapes. Lucky Ronnie!

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/w/waxwing/index.asp

Presents!!!

Christmas started early for me on Saturday when I received a bubble envelope in the post. I love getting those so much I can't tell you. Inside was a wonderful gift from my friend 'WG' at :
http://www.growveg.info/index.php - Smoked Garlic, Smoked Shallots and Smoked Garlic Salt. What a smell; gorgeous! and large cloves too. We have already used some Smoked Garlic cloves in a wonderful Lottie Soup that I'll tell you about later and it was beautiful. A strong smell, yes, but a subtle flavour that is so different from the somewhat acrid taste of normal Garlic (which admittedly I also like). So a Big Thank You to 'WG', you should check out his forum if you are anyway Gardening and Allotmenteering inclined; so many topics covered and the friendliest people.


Then, Lo and Behold, today I received another Bubble envelope package. The Postman must think me very popular. This one was my 'Secret Santa' present from ? (I think I know...) The whole thing was organised by http://www.growveg.info/index.php before I even joined, yet I got a pressie too! How sweet was that. Usually I am really 'good' at keeping presents until the big day itself, but I had the worse day ever yesterday and last night with depression that I needed a wee cheer up. Inside was this....


A lovely little Card, a thick plastic zip lock bag (for seeds maybe? or holiday security checks?), some Stress Busting smelly Salve (which I am covered in at the moment!) and a lovely big key ring. These little gifts had obviously been chosen especially with me in mind; isn't it nice to feel loved?!

Oh, look at me!

Look, I've put a photo up in my Header! It's the Horse Shoe we found in the ground when we dug up our last bed. Good luck is bound to floweth now!!