Planting time in UK again....

[Compo 10,328]

Yep, it's planting time folks.  Today I have planted some tulips, hyacinths and fritillaria in the polytunnel for a spring display.  In a couple of weeks' time, usually Boxing Day, I shall be sowing my onion seeds for next season too.

[Compo 10,328]

26th December is traditional onion seed planting day.  This morning I planted two trays of Bedford Champion; one tray of Ailsa Craig and a large pot of Sweet Spanish onions.  Nothing much to sow now until February, when the bulk of my sowing activity takes place.

[plantfit 7,580]

Thats reninded me to line the inside of my greenhouse with bubblewrap (not our absent member,where is he by the way),get the raised beds raked over and some new compost put in them,thanks Compo,My job for tomorrow

 

Rog

[sue B 48 1,226]

#3 I was thinking the same about bubblewrap, not the greenhouse but our absent member.

[plantfit 7,580]

Enjoyed reading his posts,hope he's ok

 

Rog

[NewBasfordlad 3,599]

Sure I saw him on line yesterday hope so good bloke

[mick2me 3,033]

Having two wormeries running since June and July, I have acquired some of the finest compost for this years seeds.

 

[sue B 48 1,226]

Good work Mick, I would like to do this but I don't really have the  room.

[plantfit 7,580]

Inside the greenhouse is now lined with bubblewrap,greenhouse heater has a new wick fitted and a good clean,raised bed has had a good raking over and some old leaf mould dug in,it might give me a couple of weeks head start when I come to plant chillies,peppers,melons

 

Rog

[Compo 10,328]

I'm off out to the garden now to do a bit of tree pruning.  I have been trying to turn a sycamore tree and some flowering currant hedging into an archway in a corner of the garden.  Hopefully, this year it will look a bit less messy than it has of late.

[Compo 10,328]

Last weekend's storm brought down the tops of three Spruce trees in the wood over the road.  With the aid of my trusty chainsaw and permission from the owner, I managed to secure the wood for the fire.  Which reminds me - I have a large bottle of Scotch for his Hogamany present; I must get it over to him before I forget.

[Compo 10,328]

Well folks, my planting season is now well and truly under way.  I have three potato bags set, each with two Charlotte tubers, in the greenhouse, for an early crop.  My toms and chillies are sown and sitting in the airing cupboard for germination and some red Passion Flower seeds that I bought in Costa Rica are sitting in a saucer in damp tissue to germinate.  

 

The old platform edge by the goods loading bay is now fully repaired and a railway engineer complimented me on the job yesterday - I thought I was going to get into trouble for rebuilding railway property but it turns out he has been asking the management to repair the wall for some years now but they always say it would cost too much and is not worth doing.

 

I planted 16 willow and 4 ash trees over the road in the wood yesterday too.  As I take trees for the fire I replace them with young trees.  To date I have planted many times more than I have taken.

 

I would love to get out and plant stuff direct into the garden but with more snow forecast for tonight and tomorrow I shall have to bide my time and be patient.

 

I keep looking for signs of frogspawn in the pond and hope that they can wait a while yet.  The pond is currently frozen over and occasional warm days might tempt the frogs to lay too early, which is a bit of a worry.

[NewBasfordlad 3,599]

Still sitting on my hands here, only planted a few salad leaves. Spuds are chitting and the first earlys will go in th green house in a week or so.

 

Got to get the strawberry and raspberry planters cleaned out and top dressed, it will soon kick off....

[PeverilPeril 3,279]

Looks like I'll be doing a lot of gardening this year. My grandson is buying the house next door which has a huge garden. Looking forwards to helping him and to teach him a bit about gardening. Our deceased neighbour was a keen gardener and leaves a green house and several raised beds and big compost heap. I will fit a gate between our gardens and get a bigger mower. Chickens and bees at last! Granddaughter in law is a qualified florist so I'm expecting plenty of flower growing too.

[Compo 10,328]

Sounds like a touch of "The Good Life" coming on PP   It will be nice to have access to a big garden and keep said livestock.  Chickens are great....and they give you a very good manure too!

[FLY2 10,108]

Keeping poultry is a brilliant idea PP. I kept them for many years, and it's a really relaxing, rewarding and fulfilling pastime.

[PeverilPeril 3,279]

I kept chickens as a lad, so looking forwards to that. My garden is big enough but my job meant being away regularly, then when I retired we spent half our time in France - so no chooks or bees, Selling up in France so we will be able to concentrate on the gardens at home. A new phase in life....5 y/o great granddaughter next door too! Yes Compo - the Good Life.

Might find a space for a cidre shed big enough for the recently aquired press that has a 5' x 5' table and is 8' high. It's still sitting on the trailer and I'm scratching my head because I need to use the trailer. lol.

[FLY2 10,108]

I'd always fancied keeping poultry all my life, so when in the mid 80's, I'd tired of the rat race living in Wollaton, I sold up and moved to an isolated cottage in Saxondale. I was inspired by John Seymour 's brilliant book 'The Complete Guide to Self Sufficiency'. I digested all I could, and also attended a couple of Country Fairs, and got another couple of very informative books, and chatted to people involved in poultry keeping. 

I bought a shed which I suitably equipped and visited The Domestic Fowl Trust at Honeybourne near Evesham. I didn't really want the run of the mill brown hybrids, so I purchased 14 Plymouth Black Rocks, which are a hardy American bird. 

They were brilliant layers, so I expanded by having the local shed manufacturer construct a proper hen house. I then bought point of lay hybrids from a breeder in Hickling who was most helpful.

Then, on a visit to an open day at the RSPCA animal shelter at Radcliffe on Trent, I noticed that there were several types of poultry up for adoption. The inspector looked over my facilities, as I'd by now built another hen house myself, and I was given the go ahead and made a considerable donation and took them. 

I bred various chicks from the ones I'd adopted and they gave me untold pleasure for many years. 

I never ate any of them though. I just couldn't do it. LOL

[philmayfield 6,115]

I had a similar idea when I retired and decided to try "the good life". We have a modest five acre plot so I thought I would become a full time rustic. I too read John Seymour's book and went to the domestic fowl trust. We bought a few sheep, a fruit press for making cider, a Landrover, an old Fergie tractor. This is the life I thought. The sheep chewed the bark off the trees in the orchard and killed them, the cider tasted like cat pee, the Landrover was stolen and the Fergie became a restoration project. Sod this for rural living I decided. We turned the field into a wildlife meadow and now a farmer cuts the hay and the hedges for us and apart from grass cutting, gardening and vegetable growing we just sit back and enjoy our rural idyll. I've been a country boy for 55 years but I don't want to farm!

[FLY2 10,108]

Phil, I had the obligatory Land Rover, plus a Ford P100 pick - up. No Fergie I'm afraid, as I only had about half an acre, plus a half acre adjacent orchard that I  rented of the local farmer for a pittance. 

Therefore I had various types of apples. I grew rhubarb, raspberries, gooseberries, and black currants. Elder berry trees, and an enormous amount of blackberries growing in the surrounding hawthorn hedges.

Vegetable wise, I grew runner beans, perpetual spinach, spuds, winter cabbage, leeks, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and onions.

So, all that, plus five cats, the pubs, restaurants and facilities in Bingham, no near neighbours, it was paradise. 

Prior to getting that place, I'd looked at Rose Cottage in Staunton in the Vale, which was considerably larger, but it was just too remote, and £10k more. You probably know the place. 

Anyway, after 15 years, my ex wanted less work and wanted to relocate into Bingham. I didn't, and the rest is history. She got the absolute lot, plus most of my savings and a new Rover 214. Isn't hindsight brilliant eh ? 

[philmayfield 6,115]

Well mine's still with me! She's from country stock and loves the life. Women's Institute, village hall committee - all that stuff. No horses now, just four cats. I grow lots of tomatoes and cucumbers in the greenhouses - more than we can eat so we give them away. I also have a large veg garden and still have lots of fruit trees in spite of the sheep damage. There's still a lot of work to do in five acres and at my age I wonder just how long I can keep it going for. Still Spring's almost here so I'll be spending most of my time outdoors which is what I really enjoy.

[FLY2 10,108]

Good on yer Phil. Get out in the fresh air, and discard that bleddy computer ! 

[philmayfield 6,115]

I've worked with and around computers since 1962 when they were great big things in air conditioned rooms and I still find them addictive!

[FLY2 10,108]

I've only been really conversant with them since working for Siemens prior to my retirement.

I loathe, despise and generally hate them, but I love NS, Google and utube.

[FLY2 10,108]

I'd rather be outside in the garden, even on a cool day like today, but I've had a bad back since the New Year, and today is particularly painful, so I'm on the sofa, feet up on the coffee table, and surrounded by cushions and chocolate biscuits !