High winds have hit Cumbria - as a first time allotmenteer, I've been
there today anxiously checking over newly planted fruit trees. luckily
I have good friends who will stake them for me, if the weather worsens
over the weekend when I am away! I almost feel like a new parent again
) Sadly I have also emailed pictures of my cabbage plants to friends
abroad - does it get better as time goes on?
)
LW

"Little Weed" wrote in message
ups.com...
High winds have hit Cumbria - as a first time allotmenteer, I've been
there today anxiously checking over newly planted fruit trees. luckily
I have good friends who will stake them for me, if the weather worsens
over the weekend when I am away! I almost feel like a new parent again
) Sadly I have also emailed pictures of my cabbage plants to friends
abroad - does it get better as time goes on?

No - but you become more confident :-)

Mary

Mary Fisher wrote:
"Little Weed" wrote in message
ups.com...
High winds have hit Cumbria - as a first time allotmenteer, I've been
there today anxiously checking over newly planted fruit trees. luckily
I have good friends who will stake them for me, if the weather worsens
over the weekend when I am away! I almost feel like a new parent again
) Sadly I have also emailed pictures of my cabbage plants to friends
abroad - does it get better as time goes on?

No - but you become more confident :-)

Mary

Thanks Mary - I may need the confidence - as my friend's eyes glaze
over when I attempt a conversation with the words..."you know, my
allot.." and I am rapidly losing friends
I had tried to grow some Sarah Raven salad leaves in the back garden,
in (funnily enough) wooden wine boxes, and the protective cloches were
ripped away from them last night in the storm and they have been
effectively flattened.

Ah well - learning curves and all that - even more boringly, I have
listed all of the seeds thus far bought, in my notebook.

Drums fingers when is spring in the north?


CW

On 26 Oct 2006 13:08:52 -0700, "Little Weed"
wrote and included this (or some of this):


Mary Fisher wrote:
"Little Weed" wrote in message
ups.com...
High winds have hit Cumbria - as a first time allotmenteer, I've been
there today anxiously checking over newly planted fruit trees. luckily
I have good friends who will stake them for me, if the weather worsens
over the weekend when I am away! I almost feel like a new parent again
) Sadly I have also emailed pictures of my cabbage plants to friends
abroad - does it get better as time goes on?

No - but you become more confident :-)

Mary

Thanks Mary - I may need the confidence - as my friend's eyes glaze
over when I attempt a conversation with the words..."you know, my
allot.." and I am rapidly losing friends
I had tried to grow some Sarah Raven salad leaves in the back garden,
in (funnily enough) wooden wine boxes, and the protective cloches were
ripped away from them last night in the storm and they have been
effectively flattened.

Ah well - learning curves and all that - even more boringly, I have
listed all of the seeds thus far bought, in my notebook.

Drums fingers when is spring in the north?

What is this spring of which you speak?

8(


--
®óñ© © ² * ¹°°³

In message . com,
Little Weed writes
High winds have hit Cumbria - as a first time allotmenteer, I've been
there today anxiously checking over newly planted fruit trees. luckily
I have good friends who will stake them for me, if the weather worsens
over the weekend when I am away! I almost feel like a new parent again
) Sadly I have also emailed pictures of my cabbage plants to friends
abroad - does it get better as time goes on?
)
Well I never! Another Cumbrian on urg! Welcome. I was brought up in
Whitehaven and am well aware of the difficulties of the wind! Don't
worry! My first father-in-law was the best gardener I have ever known
and he had around a third of an acre at Whinney Hill on the way from
Whitehaven to Cleator Moor. He had big sausagey fingers but could thin
out leeks like nobody's business. Good luck. I'm sure you'll be OK,
laal lass
--
June Hughes

"Little Weed" wrote in message
oups.com...

Mary Fisher wrote:
"Little Weed" wrote in message
ups.com...
High winds have hit Cumbria - as a first time allotmenteer, I've been
there today anxiously checking over newly planted fruit trees. luckily
I have good friends who will stake them for me, if the weather worsens
over the weekend when I am away! I almost feel like a new parent again
) Sadly I have also emailed pictures of my cabbage plants to friends
abroad - does it get better as time goes on?

No - but you become more confident :-)

Mary

Thanks Mary - I may need the confidence - as my friend's eyes glaze
over when I attempt a conversation with the words..."you know, my
allot.." and I am rapidly losing friends

Oh, the good ones will stick around :-)

I had tried to grow some Sarah Raven salad leaves in the back garden,
in (funnily enough) wooden wine boxes,

there's posh!

and the protective cloches were
ripped away from them last night in the storm and they have been
effectively flattened.

Ah well - learning curves and all that - even more boringly, I have
listed all of the seeds thus far bought, in my notebook.

Cor - how efficient! I still don't do that, never thought of it, but I do
keep a plan of the plots and number them so that I can do a proper rotation.
I thought I was being frightfuly efficient doing that!

Drums fingers when is spring in the north?

When it's summer everywhere else. Then we go straight into autumn, which is
short.

Mary

"®óñ© © ² * ¹°°³" wrote in message
...



What is this spring of which you speak?

It's the day when it doesn't rain in Wales.

8(

Ah well - learning curves and all that - even more boringly, I have
listed all of the seeds thus far bought, in my notebook.

Cor - how efficient! I still don't do that, never thought of it, but I do
keep a plan of the plots and number them so that I can do a proper rotation.
I thought I was being frightfuly efficient doing that!

I'm building up to that - I have drafted four alternative plans and
have filed me brassicas from me legumes and the seeds bought, from
those awaited in february. More tellingly, my husband has been given a
clear plan of where he has to clear NEXT on my allotment.
Sorted.
)
LW

Little Weed writes

Mary Fisher wrote:
"Little Weed" wrote in message
ups.com...
High winds have hit Cumbria - as a first time allotmenteer, I've been
there today anxiously checking over newly planted fruit trees. luckily
I have good friends who will stake them for me, if the weather worsens
over the weekend when I am away! I almost feel like a new parent again
) Sadly I have also emailed pictures of my cabbage plants to friends
abroad - does it get better as time goes on?

No - but you become more confident :-)

You learn that something will go wrong every year - it may be winds,
late frosts, early frosts, germination failure, you completely forget to
water three whole trays of seedlings,,, But because you know this will
happen, you expect it and don't worry about it, and you find there are
all sorts of unexpected successes to celebrate

Thanks Mary - I may need the confidence - as my friend's eyes glaze
over when I attempt a conversation with the words..."you know, my
allot.." and I am rapidly losing friends
I had tried to grow some Sarah Raven salad leaves in the back garden,
in (funnily enough) wooden wine boxes, and the protective cloches were
ripped away from them last night in the storm and they have been
effectively flattened.

Ah well - learning curves and all that - even more boringly, I have
listed all of the seeds thus far bought, in my notebook.

Worth doing that, and listing what happened to all of them. I keep
meaning to do that ;-)
Remember "I never give up on a plant until I have well and truly killed
it three times" (Dave Poole)

Drums fingers when is spring in the north?

June ;-)
--
Kay

"Little Weed" wrote in message
Mary Fisher wrote:
"Little Weed" wrote in message

does it get better as time goes on?

No - but you become more confident :-)

Thanks Mary - I may need the confidence - as my friend's eyes glaze
over when I attempt a conversation with the words..."you know, my
allot.." and I am rapidly losing friends

Just get new friends with the same enthusiasm as you for gardening
:-))

I had tried to grow some Sarah Raven salad leaves in the back
garden,
in (funnily enough) wooden wine boxes, and the protective cloches
were
ripped away from them last night in the storm and they have been
effectively flattened.

Do you get brocccolli boxes in the UK? By that I mean polystyrene
boxes that are bout 30-40 cms deep and about 30 cm wide and about 50
cm long? They have no holes in the bottom but holes can be punched in
them and they make excellent planter boxes for small things that need
to be protected from the wind or elements such as a mesclun mix of
greens. You can plant several and if they need glass then an old
window on the top of the nest of boxes works wwell but usually if you
don't fill tem too full of potting mix then the plants stay low and
grow well with the warmthe and shelter of the polysyrene sides.

Remember "I never give up on a plant until I have well and truly killed
it three times" (Dave Poole)

Drums fingers when is spring in the north?

June ;-)
--
Kay
Aaah - I can go away safely for the weekend then...but if its left to
June, I suspect I may come back to something strangled with weeds!

I'll be back Sunday teatime to hoe me onions and cabbages. Any good
garden centres in the York area? We're off to Helmseley which is al
ovely area to visit

LW

Little Weed writes

Remember "I never give up on a plant until I have well and truly killed
it three times" (Dave Poole)

Drums fingers when is spring in the north?

June ;-)

Aaah - I can go away safely for the weekend then...but if its left to
June, I suspect I may come back to something strangled with weeds!

You're probably warmer in Cumbria, but in NW Leeds I reckon that we're
not safe from frost till after the first week in June. Can still sow a
lot in May, and you have to get cracking to get everything finished by
the time of the first frost in October ;-) Except this year, of course.

I'll be back Sunday teatime to hoe me onions and cabbages. Any good
garden centres in the York area? We're off to Helmseley which is al
ovely area to visit

No idea, sorry. Remember to drop in at Harlow Carr on the way - some
good vegetable garden displays atm.
--
Kay

"Little Weed" wrote in message
oups.com...

Mary Fisher wrote:
"Little Weed" wrote in message
ups.com...
High winds have hit Cumbria - as a first time allotmenteer, I've been
there today anxiously checking over newly planted fruit trees. luckily
I have good friends who will stake them for me, if the weather worsens
over the weekend when I am away! I almost feel like a new parent again
) Sadly I have also emailed pictures of my cabbage plants to friends
abroad - does it get better as time goes on?

No - but you become more confident :-)

Mary

Thanks Mary - I may need the confidence - as my friend's eyes glaze
over when I attempt a conversation with the words..."you know, my
allot.." and I am rapidly losing friends
I had tried to grow some Sarah Raven salad leaves in the back garden,
in (funnily enough) wooden wine boxes, and the protective cloches were
ripped away from them last night in the storm and they have been
effectively flattened.

Ah well - learning curves and all that - even more boringly, I have
listed all of the seeds thus far bought, in my notebook.

Drums fingers when is spring in the north?


You may eventually stop taking photos but you will probably never stop
talking about your allotment. Each yearbrings its own surprises e.g. the
strawberries I just went out and picked. Making lists of seeds is good.
Don't forget to record how well each variety did and how much you liked the
taste. different varieties work better in different locations but it can be
hard to remember what you have tried. Sadly I also have a template diagram
of my allotment on the computer and record what I grow in each bed when I've
limed if manured it etc. to help me plan rotations. There's no reason why
you can't be an allotment geek if you want to.

Gill M

Sadly I also have a template diagram
of my allotment on the computer and record what I grow in each bed when I've
limed if manured it etc. to help me plan rotations. There's no reason why
you can't be an allotment geek if you want to.

Gill M

Thats a relief! Have just returned from north yorkshire and for the
first time ever, can list all of the garden centres visited, including
the walled garden in Helmsely and not how long i went shopping in york
city centre- my husband is greatly relieved, although just as much out
of pocket.

Did you use a particular programme for the planning on the PC? I would
like to try that
regards
LW

In message . com,
Little Weed writes

Sadly I also have a template diagram
of my allotment on the computer and record what I grow in each bed when I've
limed if manured it etc. to help me plan rotations. There's no reason why
you can't be an allotment geek if you want to.

Gill M

Thats a relief! Have just returned from north yorkshire and for the
first time ever, can list all of the garden centres visited, including
the walled garden in Helmsely and not how long i went shopping in york
city centre- my husband is greatly relieved, although just as much out
of pocket.

Did you use a particular programme for the planning on the PC? I would
like to try that
regards
There is a good Geoffrey Hamilton programme. See the Barnsdale Gardens
site for details.
--
June Hughes