KillitGrowitCookitt

Time I updated!

2011-12-07T12:22:00.001-08:00

The Yule log has been decorated for the festive season! Here are some November / December pics.

New strawberry plants in my new piece of plot.

Chinese sword leaf lettuce thriving into the cold months, and planters ready for next season.

Water feature!

2011-09-01T14:02:00.000-07:00

OK, so it's not up to Charlie Dimmock standards, but with free bits and a some imagination, I could have frogs eating my slugs next year!

2011-08-30T10:23:00.000-07:00

I've somehow managed to aquire anothr quarter plot right next to mine again!
Made a start.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv12mld66SU

July Update!

2011-07-27T11:27:00.000-07:00

Forum visitors!

New staging for the poly-tunnel.

A conducted tour!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjmAryv2G9Y

The scarecrow speaks!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4L2zJlE87A

Growing like triffids!

2011-07-17T03:38:00.000-07:00

At last, red tomatoes! The unstopable shark fin melon and spaghetti marrow, you can almost see them growing!

Allotment pics.

2011-06-26T13:42:00.001-07:00

The new camera! Testing Gareth's pallet salvaging bar on the plots!

Fartichokes!

Carrotts growing in a tub, all eaten now! The kiwi fruit has decided it's time to grow this year!

From the plot, pickled white beetroot!

A few onions!

One day soon they'll turn red!

Shark's fin melon, growing like a triffid!

91 year old Walter eyeballing two swarms of bees!

Why?

2011-06-06T12:20:00.001-07:00

This is the usually spotless RADAR toilet in Lincoln's Castle Square. What was this person's disability I wonder?

Hungry birds!

2011-05-10T11:40:00.000-07:00

Both the robin and blackbird were so intent on getting food for their young, neither were bothered by me and were close enough to take these pictures with my mobile!

Sunny April!

2011-04-21T13:30:00.000-07:00

Another break in, a bit of damage but not a lot missing, except for next doors non-ferrous scrap wiring, which they burnt off the insulation on the plots! No one saw it of course! French yellow dwarf beans now under fleece, as are my St. George runners.
Green trev cauli seedlings also went in today.

An archway!

2011-03-25T11:53:00.000-07:00

Made from recycled timber (and in some cases recycled nails) an arched entry to my plot!
This year it may have tiny tomatoes on it!

Julien upsets Felicity!

2011-03-09T11:40:00.000-08:00

He told her as she was stood about with a broom, she might as well sweep the path!
She said some magic words and off she went!

abc1 him/her

2011-03-05T13:09:00.000-08:00

Strange title I know, but I think I may have been refered to as such on another blog!
On an excellent frugality forum I visit on a regular basis, a man/woman, who is well known for frugal living on a pension. Have bus pass will travel, make do and mend, search for bargains etc, all of which I do myself to a certain extent (I'm also a pensioner), but it transpired he/she had a car that had been involved in an accident, so the frugal means of replacing said car was duly explained.
I found it hard to accept, scrimping, especially on food, simply to buy a motor car! The reasons were not convincing either, one being, "I've always had one" Up until four years ago I'd always had a car, now I manage without, as I do a TV!
I could afford a fairly good car if I wished, but my pension would not cover car running costs on my normal budget, so I manage without!
I doubt if him/her will read this, but you never know!

Retirement do!

2011-02-26T13:12:00.000-08:00

Bit of a get together on a cool afternoon on the plot to celebrate my retirement!
Jack Daniels helped to keep out the cold, a suitable spell kept the rain away!

Roll on Spring!

2011-02-14T09:25:00.001-08:00

The polytunnel is pretty much prepared for the new season. The long wooden planters are for basil!

Let it rain!

2011-02-08T14:42:00.000-08:00

At last I've managed to rid myself of a leaky water butt and get three water tight ones linked! It's suprising just how much water I can catch from such a small (5ft x 5ft) roof.
The leaky butt has been sawn down for a carrot growing tub!

That puts a top hat on it!

2011-01-30T03:54:00.001-08:00

This frame is for two varieties of spaghetti squash!

A new hat for Julian!

Remind you of anyone sis?

2011-01-08T08:34:00.000-08:00

An awkward looking customer!

2011

2011-01-02T08:11:00.000-08:00

Another New Years day on the plot! 90 year old Walter still pulling the birds!

A (profitable?) New Hobby

2010-12-29T08:28:00.001-08:00

Most of the gear for candle making obtained from a charity shop for a tenner!

Laverbread!

2010-12-16T10:40:00.000-08:00

I recieved a tin of laverbread amongst other items from some friends in Wales, So I made laverbread cakes and had it with bacon and a few trimmings! The egg is from a free roaming duck, also from the same source!

Yule log!

2010-12-02T07:42:00.001-08:00

Most of the greenery is from the allotment, but the fir cones cst me a quid!!!

Road kill!

2010-11-28T09:15:00.000-08:00

The phone call said, "Do you want a pheasant?"
The car in front knocked it down, so all legal!
I always manage to skin rather than pluck a pheasant, but it's oven ready now, with a few brocken ribs!
Just found blackberries in the freezer and juniper berries in the spice drawer, so a nice sauce is in order!

First snow of Winter!

2010-11-27T06:26:00.001-08:00

Nearly too cold to be a scarecrow!

New waistcoat for Jules!

2010-11-19T08:34:00.000-08:00

Well it was his birthday on November the fifth, so I had trip to Lincoln the other day and took in the chrity shops. £1.50!!!

Wellie box!

2010-11-08T04:18:00.000-08:00

A long time in the making, but reclaimed/recycled bits and pieces weren't forthcoming!

Pickled!

2010-11-07T01:17:00.000-07:00

My plot nieghbour, Fred the train (a real steam engine driver), is clearing one of his two plots to down size a bit. He let me help myself to his beetroot, so it was pickle time again!
With enough chilli flavoured white wine vinegar left over for a jar of nice onions!

Julian's Birthday!

2010-11-05T10:44:00.000-07:00

One, (35 on facebook) enjoying a nice pressy!ssy!

Right in it!

2010-11-03T09:33:00.000-07:00

A farm trailor full of well rotted manure arrived this morning on the plot, so its get my share time! Its shared between three of us.
It'll make things grow!

Almost Fallow!

2010-10-31T10:54:00.001-07:00

Veg is a bit thin on the ground now! Jules and Cu just have to keep the pigeons off the greens!

Almost finished!

2010-10-22T09:35:00.000-07:00

An extra layer of polythene on the outside and a lot of battening needed, but nearly there!

Doors!

2010-10-19T11:09:00.000-07:00

A bit closer to having doors on the polytunnel!
Painting, glazing and fitting left now!

Jack O Lantern!

2010-10-15T15:24:00.000-07:00

Today I have made and eaten pumpkin loaf cake, yum, yum!
Tomorrow I'm having pumpkin. sausage and pepperoni casserole!!!

Frugal heater!

2010-10-13T10:34:00.001-07:00

Plant pots and a goodie tin! Plus a candle and a little sand makes a suprisingly efficient polytunnel heater.
I may even get my seedlings off a bit earlier next season!

A mixed bunch!

2010-10-09T11:45:00.000-07:00

That's the last of the parsnips, and very tasty they are too!
They're all shapes and sizes, but roasted round a chicken tomorrow, yum yum!

Fat cat!

2010-10-02T09:43:00.000-07:00

This is Dennis the plot cat; one of them anyway, the other is almost wild but kills more rats!
This lazy lump knows half a dozen people who will feed him!

Tunnel door!

2010-09-29T09:40:00.001-07:00

A bit closer to having a double door on the polytunnel! I need some timber to make the doors from now.

Sunny September!

2010-09-26T00:56:00.000-07:00

Four hanging baskets on my beefed up bean frame, now containing my captured strawberry runners. Planted this month, spring greens that look like they'll be ready for Yule tide, and over winter garlic growing furiously!

Might have been 'you know who'?

2010-09-18T09:26:00.000-07:00

Circling and hovering aroud the plots today, Prince William? Well it was a yellow one.

To the dump!

2010-09-16T09:37:00.001-07:00

All my tomato plants infected with blight bagged up and ready for the dump!
Oh well, there's always next year!

New furniture!

2010-09-12T10:09:00.000-07:00

Poly tunnel now cleaned out, a bit of blight included, and all the reclaimed timber gro-bag benches and staging installed.

A bit of preserving!

2010-09-09T13:01:00.000-07:00

Green tomato and bramley apple chutney with a touch of chili!
The damsons await a bottle of Lidl's best gin!

A tomato with a sting?

2010-09-08T11:29:00.000-07:00

Not such a gardener's delight!

Need a pulper!

2010-09-05T09:52:00.001-07:00

It won't press chunks of apple, should have known better than to try!

Spaghetti marrow!

2010-09-01T10:04:00.000-07:00

I'm going to atempt to cook it tomorrow!

Obscene carrots!

2010-08-31T13:42:00.000-07:00

A mixed haul to take home for dinner; including some rather rudely shaped carrots1

Plot to pickle!

2010-08-27T12:30:00.000-07:00

A nice little jar of pickled beetroot! Pulled from the ground this morning and treated to wine vinegar, sugar and just a touch of chili!

Bee friendly corner!

2010-08-24T08:55:00.000-07:00

Strawberry runners!

2010-08-23T15:13:00.000-07:00

Over an inch of rain today, but between showers I managed to peg a few strawberry runners into pots!
All in preparation for next season's strawberry basket project!

Dandelion wine!

2010-08-21T11:07:00.000-07:00

Bottled some of my home made dandelion wine a couple of days ago and took it to the plots for a tasting!
The dandelions were picked from plots who never use weedkiller. It tastes quite good and will no doubt improve with keeping a few months!

Another small harvest!

2010-08-20T12:20:00.000-07:00

Tomatoes for the passata machine and runner beans for the freezer! And spuds for good measure!

Cider press!

2010-08-19T13:32:00.000-07:00

Its almost complete, George the retired joiner has done the woodwork and I'll be doing the hygenic bits! We've sussed out good apple supplies as well!

Harvest time!

2010-08-16T10:19:00.000-07:00

A few bits and peices for me and my neighbour!

My first Melon!

2010-08-15T08:27:00.001-07:00

At last it's grown from goosegog size to almost five inch diameter in a week!
I'm afraid I haven't taken enough care of the plants, I let them get a bit wild when they should have been pruned and the side shoots taken off!
It now has a support net so's it doesn't get its feet dirty!

A roast tomorrow!

2010-08-14T08:00:00.001-07:00

Harvest time! More than enough to go around a roast chicken. Plus one or two of my onions!

And for afters!

Looking to next season!

2010-08-13T12:25:00.001-07:00

Three gro-bag benches and a bit more staging for next season; all made from reclaimed wood!
Ready to go in the polytunnel.

Passata machine!

2010-08-07T11:55:00.000-07:00

Now I'm ready for all my tomatoes to turn red!
My own supply of passata.

Plot blooms!

2010-08-06T09:09:00.000-07:00

One of my sunflowers, facing away from the sun! Astors making a nice show!

The marigold barrier between strawberries and brassicas!

The slightly toxic insect repellant, tansy!

Working party!

2010-08-01T12:02:00.000-07:00

A sunday morning work party organised to dig trenches to distribute our water supply on the plots.
Sausage or burger inna bun was available along with tea and coffee!

Crop failiure!

2010-07-30T10:29:00.001-07:00

This is all I could salvage from my cauliflower and romanesco crop!
I suppose a cheese sauce will be in order for sunday dinner with a morsel of chicken and arran pilot spuds! The leaves are in the compost!

The Heckington Show

2010-07-25T12:42:00.001-07:00

Went on the day before it opened to help my mate George set up his entries, and didn't actually get the main show! He left me to set this one up whilst he concentrated on the others below!

This is the 57 varieties man who, over the years, has done displays with 57 different potatoes, weeds, etc. This year he has 57 different pelargonium! He was recently interviewed on local radio.

A bunch of basil!

2010-07-20T12:09:00.000-07:00

Brought this bunch of basil home tonight, to see how it dries!

A bit of digging!

2010-07-18T12:01:00.000-07:00

More than half way through the early spuds, and digging as I go! Decided to dig in all the old brassica leaves as well.

Autumn round the corner!

2010-07-15T10:34:00.000-07:00

Digging and raking where my potatoes were. This will be for over wintering vegetables such as spring cabbage, onions, garlic etc.
Runner beans and carrots for dinner! This is the floral barrier betwixt strawberries and caulies; apparently they don't make good neighbours!

Julian gets a new hat!

2010-07-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

Just enough for me!

2010-07-04T13:16:00.000-07:00

After a day watering and weeding, I took just sufficient for my needs.
Must google up how to do a rain dance!

Looks a good crop!

2010-07-02T10:40:00.001-07:00

Shirleys and ailsa craigs looking fairly good so far!

Glorious sunshine yet again!

2010-06-28T11:09:00.001-07:00

My fussed over from seeds romanesco have started to form heads!!! In my small tunnel, the melon plants are coming along in scorching temperatures with lots of water!

Breakfast!

2010-06-24T09:29:00.000-07:00

It's very nice to have fresh strawberries on my morning visit to thr allotment!

Hot stuff!

2010-06-20T09:54:00.001-07:00

Cleaned and ready for the kitchen! My own garlic and an over winter Japanese onion, going towards a stir fry with a few of my sugar snap peas!

A small get together.

2010-06-18T13:49:00.000-07:00

A barbecue and get together to celebrate Walter's (below) 90th and Cara's (second picture right) 70th!

A plot break in!

2010-06-09T10:24:00.000-07:00

Through the wire from one business to try and get into another business through the wall!
Foiled by a very loud alarm!

Shirleys!

2010-06-03T11:43:00.000-07:00

The Shirley tomatoes reaching for the canes!

Boots!

2010-06-02T10:29:00.001-07:00

A bus pass trip ti Lincoln today! I fancied a pair of rigger boots for the plot, so I did a quick google and came up with B&Q the likely candidate! So it had to be a Wednesday then I could get my 10% off! £17.99, not badD

Fully planted!

2010-05-31T12:01:00.001-07:00

That's it, no more space to be had! Pretty much the whole plot fully planted, and just a case of fighting the weeds until things are ready to eat.

The strawberries look like being first!

Pictures from the shed door.

2010-05-29T10:23:00.000-07:00

Ugly Ducklings!

2010-05-25T10:45:00.000-07:00

Nice family picture on the way down the river today Had to dig up what should have been three rows of leeks today, and plant seedlings from a trade!

Bramley blossom!

2010-05-17T09:40:00.000-07:00

Sat having a bit of lunch on the plot and took a pic of the bramley planted just before Christmas. Text it to step-daughter, who gave me it as a present!

Mind your parsnips!

2010-05-10T12:42:00.000-07:00

A bit of weeding, potting and pricking out today.
I decided to do an experiment growing parsnips from seed. If you grow them in seed trays they hit bottom and curl upwards; no one loves a bent parsnip! These are planted at the top of plastic tubes, so in theory, when they are mature enough they slide directly into a suitable hole in the ground!

Busy day!

2010-05-09T12:18:00.000-07:00

After succumbing to TV advertising, my neighbour bought an upside down tomato planter for £10! What a rip off, its little more than a plastic bag! She had to spend another tenner on compost, slow release fertiliser and other sundry bits!
I had to make a timber bracket sustantial enough to carry 17 litres of compost and 5 litres of water. Luckily I had most of the stuff around to make it, or it would have cost even more! I also provided the tomato plants required. It took most of the morning to get it up and running, including a mod to beef up the way it was hug up!Arrived on the plot late afternoon, and removed the anti-pigeon netting from the brassicas so's I could get at the weeds! Now its up to Julian and flashing CDs. They do say Des O'Connor CDs are best, but I did use one of Abba's!

As I was trudging past St. Johns.....

2010-05-08T11:45:00.001-07:00

in the rain on the way to water the tomato plants, I spotted this London bus, at that moment the wedding party came out of the church door. All very nice!

Planting!

2010-05-07T09:46:00.000-07:00

Three rows of Romanescu after listening to the local weather forecast, netted against the woodies! Planted out my St. George runner beans as well, and put a fleece around them to give them some protection. Better watch it or I'll have Julian sleeping in there!

I also planted eight Ailsa Craig tomato plants in the poly tunnel.

Pomato!

2010-05-04T10:23:00.000-07:00

Here is the beggining of a pomato plant! Potato and tomato growing side by side soon to be grafted together to produce both toms and spuds!

Could be a tomato glut!

2010-05-03T05:31:00.000-07:00

Runner beans on top, just waiting for a warm day.
Shirley, Cerise, Ailsa Craig and Gardener's Delight tomatoes at various stages of development! Ailsa Craig, pricked out and growing ready for the frame around it. The tray on the right is wormwood, grown as a flea beetle detterent.

Shirley toms in the ground with a tray full of Ailsa Craig in reserve. I may have to set up a stall!

Mother and babies doing well!

2010-04-30T10:29:00.001-07:00

We had to escort this little family across the footpaths on the plots, unlock the gates and see them safely into the river Witham!

Hot Again!

2010-04-27T10:29:00.001-07:00

The strawberries seem to like the hot weather, some flowers and growing fast! Had a poke around the compost heap today; don't think I'll have to buy compost next year!

Sunny Suday!

2010-04-25T09:23:00.000-07:00

The sick blackcurrant is no more! It was covered in aphids which soapy water would not remove, so I dug it up and burnt it!
Below the afternoon's sun's rays play on the newly hilled potatoes. Despite the hard frosts, the kiwi fruit trees are looking good!

My bramleys very first blossom!

And romanescu seedlings moved to the poly tunnel door to harden up before next month's planting.

Little friends!

2010-04-23T15:27:00.000-07:00

Some little friends helping me with a sick black-currant bush!

Even more sunshine!

2010-04-17T13:55:00.000-07:00

A really great sunny day! Did some weeding and watering, a bit of sunning myself and hindered George in the construction of his greenhouse on rails!

Julian's summer outfit!

2010-04-14T09:48:00.000-07:00

Nice new T-shirt for Jules! Had to tighten all his joints up as well, as his arms were a bit limp. The seedlings are coming along in the tunnel, I could end up with a lot of tomato plants!

Market day!

2010-04-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

Spent the morning rummaging around Melton Mowbray's excellent market, but didn't buy a lot!
Managed to find a horseshoe for over the lotty shed door!
The picture shoes my celariac poking its way out of the compost.

Nine to five!

2010-04-11T11:21:00.000-07:00

A full day on the plot today, including a commitee meeting.
This is the north side, all planted up now!Trying to rig up an easier way of watering my salad leaves in the planter without removing the top! Some kind of flow adjuster required now!

Soon need the sunscreen!

2010-04-10T13:46:00.000-07:00

Two sunny days on the allotment! A row of Savoy cabbage planted and a row of Maris Peer planted for my neighbour.
Lots of tidying and weeding done and seeds planted in the polytunnel.
All the tomato seeds have germinated along with French marigolds, basil, romanescu, viper's bugloss, wormwood and my sunflowers have appeared outside!

Tomorrow is my first commitee meeting!

Rain all day!

2010-04-07T10:41:00.000-07:00

The rain stopped as I left the lotties at 4:30!
Finally got around to one job I've been meaning to do, put in an overflow pipe to a second water butt! Tulips in the allotment shed window box!

New neighbours!

2010-04-06T11:10:00.001-07:00

Tony, my new neighbour, with his wife and sister helping to get rid of the dandelions and couch grass!
He's also my neighbour at home; me, pull strings? Never!!!

A busy day!

2010-04-03T13:36:00.000-07:00

Another row of cauliflower and some pointy cabbage in and netted. The fruit bushes look well! Ulster prince and Arran pilot spuds all in today as well.
Lettuce under the small net.

Nature's cammaflauge!

2010-04-01T04:42:00.000-07:00

Went to the plot to water in the polytunnel and my neighbours greenhouse, and spotted this little lady, a mallard, sat on a well disguised nest!

A reassignment for Julian!

2010-03-27T11:32:00.000-07:00

I persuaded Julian to move from the spring greens to look after the brassica patch!
Under the net are newly planted cauliflower seedlings. Got my pal Drew to take the picture

A quick shower!

2010-03-26T13:52:00.001-07:00

The view from the shed door as it started to rain. It didn't last long though!

Too much chat!

2010-03-25T10:30:00.000-07:00

Seem to have spent most of the day on the plot chatting! My neighbour has almost become the tenant of the quarter plot adjacent to mine; he and his wife and sister came to view the iy today!
I put together a prototype adjustable bird net frame. Found my onion sets had been pulled from the ground by birds, so I had to reset them, and dug over a patch in readiness for cabbage and cauliflower.

Onion sets arrive!

2010-03-24T14:30:00.000-07:00

Began to think they'd forgotten me, but they arrived in this morning's post!
So three rows of onions duly planted. The CDs are to deter blackbirds throwing out the onions in their search for food! Asked my neighbour, Fred the train, if I might bring his section of path up to the regulation three feet and level it a bit so I can get my trolley in without trampling his veg!