Sunday 25 November 2012

Well despite natures best efforts the allotment hasn't quite blown away yet

What a grey and miserable weekend - here is the view from our upper garden, looking out towards the cemetry & church and then the moors of Door & Totley beyond. In the foreground you can see some of the allotments


The drainpipe peas are looking super - they seem quite happy hanging off our railings, overlooking the lower garden. Not quite decided whether to plant into the beds, or keep in the drainpipes through the winter. I'm a bit worried about their roots freezing in so little soil. Will see if the weather picks up next weekend and try to make decision.


Beans are all present and correct thank goodness. 


Here they are under their pigeon / squirrel proof cages, next to the garlic.


Here is naughty cat no. 3. He always follows me down to the allotment and appears to have discovered that the greenhouse is a warm spot to shelter



My artichokes were being chomped by something, not sure what, so I've moved them to a different bed. I'll be gutted if they don't survive.


I'm disappointed with the progress my onions have made - they were planted early Oct from memory, but it's taken them all this time to make an appearance. The peas are due to go at the end of this bed, but I wonder if it's in a cold spot ? Vic was going to cover the bed in polythene (over his waterpipe hoops) - am thinking this might not be such a bad idea.


The Jerusalem Artichoke bed is looking very sad. The JA's are tiny and not very many of them, possibly as they were left in from the season before. Between me and Vic we've cleared about half the bed.


Vic's crab apples look like bedazzling jewels - he a second variety which is a rich ruby red. Hope he is making some crab apple jelly - they're too good to waste


I forgot to get a photo of the leaf mold store, drat ! It's nearly full - I managed to persuade some of my neighbours to bag up their leaves for me hahah - they probably think I'm a nutter running up and down the street with black bags full of leaves :D

Now I have a question - in the summer I bought an 'olive' tree under the presumption that I would be able to eat the olives, should they ripen. So I tried one a couple of weeks ago and it was about the worst thing I've ever tried (well apart from OH's red rice, but I can't bring myself to recant that tale, I'd need therapy ... again). So are they decorative only and not edible ? Or is it just that they need a long time to ripen ?


I think the only thing in flower at the moment in the garden is the hebe. It has been chopped and chopped this year and still needs some attention in the spring - but just shows how resilient they can be. Hope it survives the winter.

Sunday 18 November 2012

Beautiful weekend, blue skies, lovely winter sunshine ...

...  lets not think about what's ahead !

After much debating I've decided to take the plunge and plant my broadies out in the big wide world.

They are lushiously green and about 4" high ... they've survived the frosts so far, but have had the protection of the house.  Hope I didn't make a bad decision.  The pigeons were gathering as I marked out my bed ... I could hear the dratted things salivating.  I'm relying on Vic's fabulous chicken wire type cage thingy to keep my broadies safe !!!!

Monday 12 November 2012

awsome day out :)

We had a wonderful day out visiting an otter & owl sanctuary - amazing to get so close to wild animals.  We arrived at feeding time - the little yellow chicks were a little grim, at least they were dead.  There were Asian, European & giant Amazon otters. 




All were incredibly playful and the sizes varied quite considerably.






There was a lovely herd of fallow deer - two of them had been hand reared, so you were able to get quite close - very bambi :)