Winter Work

Although it may well be true that the days are getting longer - and goodness me, is that March I see towards the end of the week? - but it ain't half cold still!

We've had a spell of weather for the past couple of weeks which has been dry, not particularly frosty, but with a wind chill factor that puts you in mind of Siberia.  Honestly, no wonder the Russians drink all that vodka - they have to keep warm somehow.

All I did before freezing to the core a couple of weekends ago was dig up a fine couple of parsnips, and this Sunday I didn't hang about long either.  Mind you, I made good use of my time in having a good old tidy up.

I took a huge bag of office shredding to empty into the compost daleks, then filled it up again to take away any broken coloured balls (they sort I use as cane toppers); a couple of split milk containers that have had comfrey tea in them; and miscellaneous litter that I seem to have accumulated on the plot.

I want to dismantle the existing two pallet compost bins which are just a badly constructed hazard and so I  trotted back and forth to the car to load up with three small pallets, a roll of chicken wire which must have walked onto the plot as I didn't damn well put it there and I can do without; ditto a huge sheet or corrugated plastic sheeting which is just in the bloody way.

It's a start, and it made a load ready for the tip, but before I set off up there, I popped into the Clubhouse for a warm up, a swift half and a chat.  We're really lucky to have the clubhouse on site - and not just for the nice loos - the bar sells incredibly well kept beer at fabulously low prices.

Treasurer Mike has recently been encouraging the plot holders to make more use of the Clubhouse - use it or lose it and all that - and pointed out in recent email that only about a third of the plotholders are club members.

I  tapped my membership card smugly at this - I think that it should be compulsory for all plotholders to be members; after all we all have the benefit of the facility.  However, closer examination of my membership card reveals that membership is renewed annually and, on that basis, I have not technically been a member since August 2010.  Ah.

I took a renewal form with me from the clubhouse to fill in and return next weekend with my £13 - it's money well spent.

Playing Catch-up

It's February, and already I can see that the days are getting longer - hurrah!

So once the snow melted last weekend, I thought that I'd better check to make sure that the dalek composters would actually fit into the back of the car so that I could get them to the Hill.

With a bit of a squash, they went in, so I left them there until my next visit (which was today) - although a week in the back of the car means that the bases are are now rather on the oval side as opposed to round.  Nothing to worry about, I'm sure.

Once I had the composters sited to my satisfaction, I set about filling them up - I started with a few bags of manure which I have tucked away by the compost bins, and then cut down the asparagus (a well overdue job) and interspersed the prunings, comfrey and weeds.

I dug enough parsnips up to get a batch of parsnip wine on the go, and the last four potato plants - which should have been dug up weeks ago - which yielded half a bucket of golden wonder potatoes which all look in pretty good shape despite the neglect.

Then I limed this year's bean and pea beds, by which time - lighter nights or not - it was dusk and time to come home.