Bucketfuls of Dandelions
Spring’s definitely here, and so are the dandelions 
How do you handle your dandelions?
Read MoreFirst Sowing of 2011
Lazyitis has been the biggest feature of this blog, that and digging up weeds! Here’s hoping that 2011 will be known for lots of plot action and plentiful harvests! Today was such a beautiful day – chilly, but the sun was shining, birds were tweeting and no wind at all… perfect for digging and actually SOWING! We have packets and packets of old seeds, no idea if they’ll come to anything, but in went a short row of leeks (Lyon 2 Prizetaker) and two short rows of onions (Ailsa Craig and Red Pearl). Also weeded around the composters and stuck some Marigold seeds in – bit early really, but you never know! So we actually have stuff growing now, stuff that’s not weeds that is! We’ve still got the old groundsheets down that we...
Read MoreNew weeds for 2008!
Although we aspire to need and tidy rows of gorgeous looking veg, neatly trimmed herbs and abundant fruit bushes, we just haven’t got that!! So here are some of our perfectly cultivated weeds!! Groundsel (Senecio sylvaticus) is everywhere – we have some fine specimens, all grow naturally in rows straighter than anything we grow on purpose! It seems to be easy to remove, so we don’t get so angry with these! These pretty pinks ones are popping up all over the place too… not sure what they are, the leaves are almost nettle-like, but variegated with red blotched leaves. And last, but certainly not least, thistles… nightmare – we just can’t get rid of them. Last year we spent so much time digging the roots out, but they seem...
Read MoreBloody Dandelions!
We were told off today because our dandelions are getting out of hand – well, told off in an allotment it-has-been-mentioned would-you-kindly kind of a way! (Aren’t allotment manners are just fabulous?!) And rightly so. The bloody things are everywhere, loads of them, at every stage of growth – buds, flowers, seed-heads and blown away. There was no spade to hand (we have no shed) so the ones we couldn’t pull out we dead-headed instead. At every turn a new clump that couldn’t possibly have been there before(?) appeared. Quite how we’re going to keep them away is anyone’s...
Read MoreOur weeds…
This is what we were up against yesterday! Not too bad as most of it was that annoying ground covering tangly stuff and the half-dead weeds pulled up quite easily! In the foreground are our leeks – now lifted and mostly eaten (Chicken & Leek Pie and Roasted Veg) – and our courgette ‘Ambassador’, which produced another whopper! We do have a question though, when a courgette becomes a whopper is it a baby marrow??
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