Allotment and stuff!!!

[tommy the cat]

Oops sorry missing posts due to me tea... Yes it's the good old Wrekin....
Alder in background? Alder yes I think so I was just snapping away for reference as I was really doing other stuff.
Very kind offer Hugh give me a wee while to find my feet and ill be in touch.
Yes shame I'm not closer would love to see your plot!!
I've got a couple of raspberry canes and s gooseberry got to buy more mind.
D

 

[tommy the cat]

Nettles are a good sign though - they are a great indicator of fertile soil

Didn't know that 😃
Stu think I'm up there again Sunday as we have done bugger all and running out of time.. Fences need to go up yet as well .
Corrine and Bob are lovely very knowledgable and friendly. I may join them as the pole lathers play last Sunday of the month..... You're welcome to a bacon buttie anytime brother even without any work

 

[British Red]

I've got a couple of raspberry canes and s gooseberry got to buy more mind.
D

Wilkos have some dirt cheap at the moment Dave,

Drop me a note when you are ready and I'll see whats about in the seed bank

 

[tommy the cat]

Br got some from Wikinsons although they've just put them up doh! As I realised I need quite alot more...
The warehouse I use sell them so I can get them cheap. It's all a bit new to me so I'm still finding my feet especially with soft fruit. I was told one of the trees out the front which looks pretty poor to me is a pear but its full of ivy and only has shoots high up at the top of the tree?!

 

[British Red]

Probably been badly pruned chap - it may be possible to prune it down but you would need landords permission. Cut the ivy off at the base to kill it up the tree and leave it this year to see what it does.

I'm a whiz at goosegogs so ask away - I can have you producing your own bushes in no time and pruning like a pro!

I'm still learning on the currants though.....

 

[tommy the cat]

Probably been badly pruned chap - it may be possible to prune it down but you would need landords permission. Cut the ivy off at the base to kill it up the tree and leave it this year to see what it does.

I'm a whiz at goosegogs so ask away - I can have you producing your own bushes in no time and pruning like a pro!

I'm still learning on the currants though.....

To be honest I'm gonna leave it alone to see what happens I will do the same with apple trees. There was quite a bit of fruit on the floor so maybe prune next season...
It's great seeing whats coming up snowdrops were a nice surprise as we're the helebore and crocus.
I have an area that I would like to plant a wild seed mixture but think ill have to wait a season to see what if anything comes up.
D

 

[tommy the cat]

Two new additions.... wilkinsons £11 for two trees..... look pretty healthy to me.
They've got pear, apple, cherry, silver birch thought may have been of interest to BR?

D

 

[British Red]

If I had more land mate

We've planted about 20 fruit trees in the last three years - and maybe eight nut trees, plus silver birch, oak, yew, juniper and a good few hundred native and edible hedging (blackthorn, hawthorn, crab apple, guelder rose, fire thorn, dog rose, beech, holly etc.)

I wish we had more space now....although at times I'm glad we haven't. Planting a two acre orchard is still on my "dream" list

 

[Elen Sentier]

Looks great to me chap. 7" is fine. Some prefer 12" but I have 6" - you can always add a plank later as you build up the soil. 4 beds in the "standard" size is great - 400 square feet give or take. Thats a lot of turf to dig out with a spade......weedkiller and rotovate might be favourite. Get all the organic matter (manure, compost etc.) that you can and work it in - one of those bin full per bed would not be too much to start with.

Shout if you want some seeds from my own stock - they are yours for the asking

...btw Nice chimneys!

Ooooo !!! Ouch !!! Do take up the turf if you can - it will give you the best topsoil ever in 6 months. We did it here when we first came to our 1/4 acre and well worth the effort. You can hire a turf cutter which makes the job a lot easier. Stack the turf gras-to-graas and cover with black membrane to keep the light out and stop the grass growing, the grass roots will die as it composts down. I never use weedkiller and certainly not on things like turf as it makes such fabulous soil with a bit of effort.

Agree with later comment on composting down all manure. I always add QR from the Organic Catalogue it's not expensive and works a treat, excellent stuff. I'd put it on the turf piles too, it will help make the topsoil. Get the heaps going as hot as you can to deal with the weed seeds, brambles etc. Nettles very good sign

It looks a lovely spot ...

 

[Toddy]

Looks very promising
Lot of labour, but it's the best kind of work.

I've been emptying my compost bins and spreading the soil around the garden. In the bed where the blackcurrants grow I have found two sports from the bush.
The bush provides masses of big sweet fruit, has never had any disease, and it's being growing here for over twenty years now. It's vigorous and a real pleasure to have The leaves make excellent tea too.
It was a named variety from a Scottish Nursery, but I've long lost the label.

If you would like the new rooted cuttings, let me know ?

cheers,
M

 

[tommy the cat]

Thanks very kind Mary!
I would love some cuttings as would love some of Mr BR seeds....unfortunatly not alot to swap at the mo as Im at square one but would happily pay postage ad return the favour when I can!!
Been looking at the holly hedges today some places are so thick with ivy its knocked back the holly. Im reading about taking cuttings off them to improve the gaps as well as plant some more at the side of the plot.
Going to borrow my cousins rotavator but not sure how it would get on with bramble roots as I've never used one before.
d

 

[Toddy]

You are more than welcome
Folks keep doing me favours; I'm just passing one along

I need an address please, and it'll need to wait a couple of days, we've had hard frost and the ground's solid again

I leave the ivy and the holly to get on with it tbh; the holly stretches out and over the ivy, but the ivy provides so many hidey places for birds and insects, and it kind of baffles the wind too, so I'm quite happy to just redd back it's runners to the fence lines


atb,
Mary

 

[British Red]

Going to borrow my cousins rotavator but not sure how it would get on with bramble roots as I've never used one before.
d

Mine cuts up tree roots! One thing to watch is the roots wrapped around the axle. I keep an old Mora (sharpened on a bench sander ) for slicing rubbish off the axle and jobs like that.

Having said that mine is a bit of a beast....although there are even more powerful ones


1. Rotovator by British Red, on Flickr

 

[Mesquite]

Having said that mine is a bit of a beast....although there are even more powerful ones

Like the old Howard Gem... they're beasts for sure.

Had great fun using one of them when I used to be a gardener

 

[British Red]

Ahhh...isn't that more of a walking tractor though?

I fancy one of the huge Husqy ones that take a plough and even a ride on trailer....

 

[Mesquite]

Ahhh...isn't that more of a walking tractor though?

I fancy one of the huge Husqy ones that take a plough and even a ride on trailer....

Don't you remember Tom and Barbara with their rotovator car?

[video=youtube;fNzPw5pqntg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNzPw5pqntg[/video]

I couldn't find the right clip but you'll remember it for sure

 

[British Red]

I sure do - they make commercial versions now for TWTs

 

[abominable_scouse_monster]

I sure do - they make commercial versions now for TWTs

You have to provide a link to that mate.

 

[British Red]

Google "BCS Two wheeled tractors". They make a whole range of cool stuff - even a "walk behind" mini hay bailer

 

[tommy the cat]

Mary there's soooo much ivy I certainly will easily leave some for the critters!!!

This is just a mess!!!

I will pm both you and BR.
No rush as its slow

progress!!
Dave