Busy and Hops

I haven't been on the allotment as much as usual. I helped out scouts on camp for 3 days and this months mostly been miserable. Raining all the time. When I do get to the allotment I feel like I'm just pulling up bindweed. I've come realise its not like gardeners world where everything is daisy and your plot is effortlessly weeded. I find that its repetitive, rather than hard, work.

Anyway's my hops are starting to get going. Right now they are on canes, but they will need a trellis very soon. I started feeding them on nettle fertiliser. Interestingly they like it better than my store brought stuff, though its not really a popular brand.

Strawberry patch

These are summer fruiting Elsanta strawberries that my uncle got from bnq.

First time I've put up some netting over anything.

Runner beans

A friend of mine helped me fix up these wigwams. I also planted out the runner beans. It's a little early. So I put some fleece around the wigwams.

Corn

My corn on the way.

Runner beans sowed

Today I sowed some yellow dwarf beans and runner beans in the old greenhouse.

End of March

I had a go at planting onions with the use of plastic mulch. Its a bit messy after watering/rain.



The reason for the mulch in this area of the garden is that there's a weed problem. I'm interested to see how it goes.

Hops have new growth! Hopping to see some dominant bines in a couple of weeks.



I planted some french dwarf beans today to go next to broad beans.



Plated/sowed: corn (inside), beans, stuttgart onions.

Bindweed

I dug a lot today. Weeding as I go along. Unlike Tuesday's couch grass, today it is bindwind. This part of the plot was invaded late last summer after next doors plot was abandoned (it now has a brave owner, the soil is full of the roots) which was then taken over as bindweed central.

The roots of the weed have to all come out. They are easy to spot being white and usually long. I got a fair pile.

Apparently Mexican Marigold kills it but, I don't know I'm sceptical.



I plan to grown runner beans and more onions on this side of the plot with plastic mulch. I may use this method www.ehow.com/how_2292784_plant-onion...

Weeds, greenhouse and planting

I dug a lot of weeds out. Couch grass is annoyingly spread in a area I dug over in winter.



It grows creeping steams underneath the soil. You have to remove every piece you find. Even the smallest of roots with allow it to take.

An another annoying thing is that the greenhouse took a battering by last nights winds so we had to replace some of the panes.

I put some broad beans in. One dwarf and a tall variety. A line of cabbage too.

The hops are in a little shock from the move. Some parts of the have wilted. The ground is still moist from winter so I know its not lack of water. I will check them again soon.

In the ground they go

Moved the hops to the allotment. I mixed in some Fish, Blood and Bone with rotted manure. Topped off with manure on top and a black plastic mulch.

Hop update

Just a quick post. I checked my hops this morning. The challenger has 4 bines and more shoots. I wont remove them until I get a trellis made. I think ill take two away.

You can see how much its grown since last time.



My goldings plant is still small but slowly growing.