Blog Moved

I have integrated this blog into my other blog so everything is now in one place, dont worry though, it's all categorised and filtered so you dont have to wade through the cycling stuff if you don't want to.

New Blog home - http://www.liamhobbs.blogspot.com/

Blog moved

Rather than keep three seperate blogs I have pooled all my musings into one place which is found - www.liamhobbs.blogspot.com

Greenhouse earning it's keep

Things are really starting to kick off in the greenhouse now after many seeds sprouting and being nursed into the garden, Tomato's, Celery, Cucumber, Melons and freshly sown Rhubarb are in abundance

Rhubarb and Peppers with a few late brasica's underneath

Tomato's, Cucumber's, Celery and Melons

At home in the garden

Got the salad and squash patch at home tidied up at last, it's looking good, already we have been eating courgette's, potatoes, lettuce, radish and strawberries from the garden.

  Salad & Squash Patch at home

Onions drying out

Coming on nice

The chicks are 4 and a half weeks old now and coming on very well, surprising how quick they grow, mum must be looking after them well.

Looks like we have a cock and two hens judging by the prominent comb on one of them.  Really pleased with our first effort, it was always the intention to let nature take it's course as much as possible, and hasn't mother nature done a great job!

First Harvest Box

First of many (i hope) harvest boxes from plot 71 on Twitpic

Pulled a few onions and early potatoes up today with young Roberts assistance, hopefully the first of many boxes I'll be taking home this year

Caught up with the weeds....for now

Well it's took nearly two weeks to catch up on a weeks worth of weed growth, but we are there at last. Got more stuff out of the greenhouse into the ground as well as tomatoes, cucumber & melons all in position inside the greenhouse. Everything seems to be filling out and shooting up now so visually the plot is changing by the day...........exciting times now waiting to see what we get from the ground

From the chicken shed

Back at home in the chicken shed (bantams to be precise) we have had a broody hen sitting on eggs for the last 23 days and today was the day they decided to break free from their shells, as I write one is still in there but we can here it chirping from inside. Just wanted to share the photo's.

Time for another (overdue) catch up

Not a lot apart from sowing seeds and watering has been done for the last 4 or 5 weeks since the last blog. The hard work is done, just weeding, weeding, watering and weeding really right now. Lots of young seedlings and plants in the greenhouse which will go out in a couple of weeks when I return from holiday.

Did put some young brasica's out a couple of weeks ago unprotected, and guess what, the birds had a feast, so seeds sowed again, netting purchased and I'll try again in a couple of weeks, all part of the learning curve I suppose.

Also disappointed with my rhubarb as it spectacularly bolted and went to seed so looks like no rhubarb this year, oh well, two young crowns sown and also a packet of seed sown so plenty of rhubarb in the future.



You can begin to see that things are coming along now, slabs and sleepers obtained from family members are being put to good use, potatoes are coming through and the onioins and garlic are really pushing on, what can not be seen in these pics are the young seedlings pushing through.

Time for a catch up

Sowed a few seeds outdoors over the last week or so, the kids have been up and started their own veg patches too.

As well as that I have been offered a load of slabs which I have transported half of to the plot so far and some sleepers which I am awaiting delivery of.

The slabs so far have provided hard standing for the car and an extended patio area outside the shed, the remainder of the slabs yet to arrive will provide stepping stones along the length of the plot.

The association on site have also put three posts in at the end of my plot to stop folk cutting the corner of as they drive around the site. Here's a few pics of where we are at now.

Kids sowing beans

New 'patio' in front of the shed

Plot from the shed end


Plot from t'other end

What a difference 4 months makes

November 2009

March 2010

Started Growing

At long last I have started some real growing, sown quite a few seeds in the greenhouse this week as well as tidying up the plot ready for Spring to really kick in, also put my first early potatos in as well this week.

First seeds sown for 2010

Straightening up the plot


Map of Inham Nook Allotments (Plot 71 nr bottom right corner)

The kids will be on the plot over the next couple of weeks sowing seeds and planting their beds up, will blog on their little parcels of land too :)

Done with digging!

All areas have now been dug :) it's took a couple of afternoons a week for 16 weeks but we are finaly there, and in time for spring too, still lots of jobs to do of course but at least now I can look forward to getting some planting done.

Big beds done!

At last, the fourth and final main bed is done, just got the kids patched to sort now, before tidying all the edges up and getting some planting done.

Fourth bed done at last! (notice my little helper digging his own plot)

As well as blagging some slabs the other day for the plot I have been fortunate enough to find someone who wants rid of a load of bricks, things are starting to come together on Plot 71.

Weather looking up?

Well it's been long overdue but are we starting to see the first signs of spring? A stunning day today, almost wall to wall sunshine, took advantage and spent the best part of the day on the plot, got half of the last bed dug over and some downpipes on the greenhouse guttering.

Last main bed 1/2 way there

Last Bed!!!

Took a while to get there but I can finally start digging the fourth and last of the 'main' beds on plot 71. After last weeks wipe out due to cold wet/snowy weather and the kids being on half term hols I got to plot 71 today to get things moving again.

Got the water butts into position and taps fitted to them this afternoon. Just need some 1" pipe to run from the greenhouse guttering and we will be collecting water

Water butts by the greenhouse

Water butts by the shed

Third main bed finished, one to go!

Once the last bed us dug over not only will it be time to start thinking about planting and sowing I will also have a huge pile of 'crap' dug out of the plot, to save shifting this lot I shall make a raised bed of it, essentially burying the rubbish, need some materials so make the raised bed out of though, any ideas?

Time for some before and afters?

Quite a bit of work has been done so I though it could be time for a couple of before and after photos.

November 2009

February 2010

Catch Up

Been a while since I blogged on the allotment, been trying to push on as much as I can as March is fast approaching and it will soon be time to get sowing. The 3rd large bed is nearly done, so 1 and a bit beds to dig (for now).

We have a water problem currently in that we are waiting for the council to lay new pipes and with sowing time fast approaching we need water on the site, obviously. So I have had to find some water butts on the cheap, which I have done but they are only 110 ltr ones, better than nothing for now though, these will be fed by guttering on the shed and greenhouse.

The compost heap has also been moved to fill some dead space by the shed, the site of the existing heap will eventually be dug over for a smaller bed, perhaps a seed bed as it's next to the greenhouse.

3rd Large bed nearly there

Added some working space to the shed

Compost heap moved to a better location

Too cold to dig

Popped round this morning for an hour whilst Kelly was at her Grandmothers, too cold to dig anything though as the frost in the ground was a good inch deep, so a quick tidy up in the shed and put the remaining canes up (need some more) and I was done.

This gave me some thinking time to walk the plot and decided where things could go, I have some dead space by the side of the shed so have decided that I will move the compost heap next to the shed, this will free up enough room to get a 5th large bed on the plot, even if I don't use it at least it will enable me to give each bed a year off.

Pottering......

Spent an hour or so pottering about getting little jobs done today after yesterdays digging efforts. The greenhouse is now ready to grow, tomato rack is in and the staging is complete, also got some canes attached to the bean frame, needs a few more though....

Got all my seed potato's now, 1st early, 2nd and main crop ready to sow in March into April for a good spread of crop. They are hanging in the sacks in the light in the shed, I've nowhere at home to chit them and dont want to leave them on a ledge in the shed incase the mice take a fancy to them, so they'll just have to chit in suspension :)

Greenhouse ready to grow

Canes going up

Potato's 'chitting'

Half Way There!

Finally finished the second large veg bed, seems to have taken an age what with a greenhouse going up and the bad weather to contend with but it's done now :) That marks the half way point on the digging and getting the beds ready for spring.

2 veg beds down.....2 to go

Shed/Tea room

So two more large beds to dig over, the next one won't be too bad but the last could well prove to be hard work as most of does not seem to have been dug over for quite some time.

It was nice to get out and do some gardening with the sun on my back, it's been a tough winter so far with another cold spell predicted, at least the freshly turned soil may get a good frost or two into it.

Also transplanted some Horseradish from the garden at home along with a large Rhubarb crown which was split before planting on plot 71, can't wait to harvest and 'crumble' that!

Back to work on 'Plot 71'

Well after the Christmas break and then the snow and ice I though it was time I got back to work on plot 71. Picked some gravel up for the greenhouse on the way and after warming up the gas canister had a brew in the shed :)

Greenhouse interior gravelled and waitng for staging to be erected

Did some digging for the first time since the hard frosts and even on the compacted unturned soil jack frost had done his work, the soil was breaking up really nicely, looks good stuff too, cant wait to get planting some stuff in it.

Got to start thinking and planning what I am going to grow in my first season on plot 71, early potatoes need sourcing and seeds to start of in the greenhouse......exciting times ahead.

Moving along steadily

Snow Pics

Called in to check up on things in the snow.

Icicles on the shed

Plot 71

Around the allotment

Around the allotment