The council finally delivered a load of poo fresh from pets' corner. Just in time for me finishing digging over the new strawberry patch (tobe). So we've given it a liberal coating of poo.
Nick has also buried his 2 new trees (almond - in beautiful orchid-like blossom atm, and a damson which is just starting to get white buds), the newly-split rhubarb (from one huge plant into 5 little ones, all looking a lot happier than they were!) in deep random-animal do-do.
And I've finally planted my first 3 rows of potatoes!
Row 1: Annabel, first early, individually in bags. About 20 in total. Some chicken poo on the ones nearest the gate.
Row 2: Rocket, first early, mostly individual in bags (couple doubled up as ran out!). About 20 in total. Some chicken poo and worm-soil on the same side as Annabel.
Row 3: Charlotte, salad, sown straight in the ground on top of worm soil. Ones on the far side have some chicken poo around them too.
Plus all have some organic potato fertiliser to give them a hand.
Unseasonably warm this week. Loads of people on the allotment. Had a chat with some newbies.
Loads of seeds are sprouting up now. The new Rosada tomato seeds are all up already. Some that I sowed weeks ago still aren't! The cape gooseberries aren't doing anything. Or the sweet peas. Or the aubergines, which have been in forever! Loads of melons though!
I've finally dug out all of last year's seeds to see what is left over, and the answer is - rather a lot! Something like 800-850 tomato seeds. Annoyingly, no rosada. :-( Just the empty packet, saying they were 3.19 for 6 seeds!! (but we bought them for 50p at Wyevale in the sale!)
I've already got a tray of GD that are doing well, and a couple of Harbinger which I did to use up the packet but then found another packet today. And I finished off the packet of pineapple, which were lovely last year, but not many fruit - only 2 seeds left.
Plus Daniel has 3 lots of 'bush' tomatoes - 2 yellow ones (just showing first leaves), and 3 each of 2 types of red ones (just put in today)
What we have:
Tumbler - maskotka - 45
Bush - minibel - 35
Bush - garden pearl - 35
Bush - yellow somethingorother - ?
Cordon - czar/market king - 100
Cordon - roma - 100
Cordon - mr novak - 15
Cordon - super marmande - 30
Cordon - tigerella - 40
Cordon - rio grande - 100
Cordon - matina - 20
Cordon - veepro paste - 10
Cordon - shirley - 8
Cordon - jersey sunrise - 13
Cordon - yellow centiflor - 9
Cordon - reisetomate - 20
Cordon - yellow bell - 10
Cordon - GD - 30
Cordon - sweet million - 12
Cordon - harbinger - 20
Cordon - moneymaker - 100
Cordon - alicante - 80
Cordon - golden sunrise - 30
Trying to remember what was good and bad last year! Definitely doing:
* Rosada
* GD
* Rio Grande
* Roma
Definitely /not/ doing:
* tigerella
* golden sunrise
* reisetomate
Everything else is pretty much up for grabs. Nick doesn't want me doing more than 6-8 varieties, so I guess I pick 4 more from that. Oh, and I've already started the Harbinger! But I could do Harbinger + Shirley on the allotment, perhaps. Not that there is much more room there than in the greenhouse.
Finally got the first 5 annabels in at the weekend. Although they're a bit far apart, I may have to dig them back up and shuffle them together so I can fit more in. (Panic not - they're in black grow-sacks, in the ground)
11 new asparagus plants in - 2x3 Colossal something, 5 of some other variety Nick bought off ebay.
And added 2 new rows of onion sets - so now we have 1 red + 2 white.
Seedlings aren't looking so healthy.
One tray of GDs are still going well.
A tray of Harbinger tomatoes (which Nick knocked on the floor, so I'm surprised they're doing anything!) have a few sprouted out.
And the California Wonder peppers have some little sprouted plants.
Plus Daniel's 2 little yellow bush tomatoes.
Everything else - other peppers, melons, aubergines, nothing showing so far still.
And the mushrooms are still refusing to show - got as far as the white speckledy stuff, but no actual 'shrooms.