Autumn light

The plots looked beautiful at the weekend, inbetween showers...

Mistletoe Experiment

I have always wanted my very own colony of mistletoe and finally got round to buying a bunch for the sole purposes of smearing our apple tree with it's berries. On Christmas Eve, we went to the plot to gather a few winter veggies for Christmas dinner (leeks, kale, cabbage, parsnips etc). I also bought a few sorry looking bunches of mistletoe from my local greengrocers. Picking off the berries, I rubbed them into the bark. I tried to get them in the cracks but remembered Monty on Gardeners World found it growing from relatively young bark, not necessarily the rough stuff. Anyway, I know it looks gross but I thought you might like to see the first experimental stage of this unusual parasitic plant.

The photo below shows one of the berries about two weeks later - still hanging on in there.

Snow Pics

How cool is this shed below. It is definately an allotment shed of note. Made from discarded windows and breeze blocks. Nice.

Winter Wonderland

Fledglings are doing well

I keep seeing the young robins all about the place now. They are even able to catch their own grub. About a week ago, they just pecked bits on the ground that looked like food. Now they fill up on all sorts, this one has quite a large worm - I did actually film it trying to swallow the worm but it took 2 minutes and was touch and go for a while there. Normally, the adult birds sort of smear the worms and large insects they catch around the floor, breaking them up a bit, making them easy to eat but this little bird doesn't know that yet.

Springwatch

Yesterday, a great day for wildlife...



The robins have had a second brood of young, there are six chicks, last time only two (well only two survived, not sure how many there were to begin with). They look very newly hatched to me. I think they like this birdbox.



Also, the pond was alive with frogs of all sizes. Tadpoles are getting bigger and last years froglets are about 3cm long in the body.

Spying on you

Bean trench using kitchen waste

Bean Frames

Dug 3 trenches, filled with last years homemade compost and built 3 bean frames, one of which I shall use for the tall peas I'm growing.

Plots at the end of April

Plot 1 or E8a

Plts 2 and 3 or E8 and E7

Homemade compost bean trench

I prepared the ground for climbing beans, dug a trench and filled with the homemade compost from last year. Now, when my seedlings are strong enough, they'll have have place in the world, full of nourishing food.

Fledgling Robin

One of the two babies our resident Robins have produced from the luxury of their birdbox, the first time they've used it, I think its been up for 2 years. Anyway, it has been such a joy watching them feeding their young. Really worth building a nesting box if you have the time.

Also, check this out, I found some bean seed that was covered in little weevils, rather than sqidging them, I let nature take its course..what with two hungry babies to feed..

So sorry about my extremities getting in the shot, please ignore.

Robins feeding

Small but perfectly formed

Discovered this cauliflower, can't quite work out if it's way too early or very late, I think it's probably last years.

Pricking out and potting on

I chose the strongest seedlings and potted on, in small pots, these lovely early purple sprouting broccoli seedlings.

Potatoes

Digging out the Mare's Tail and working in manure and digging trenches - this is brutal work. An excellent workout though.

Spring Flowers

Black hellebores. Amazing.

11th April Plot

Blossom

spring's on its way

Moody view and garlic progress

Frog Spawn

East Finchley Snow Plots

Couldn't get to the plots on Monday when it actually snowed but managed it yesterday and they looked glorious, in the sunlight too, the place was lit up.

Pieces of the clouds fell to earth and landed on me fennel.

gorgeous views of east finchley plots