What are you doing this month?

[Jesse]

Went to visit my allotment this week but couldn't find much to do. I still have to build a compost bin from pallets and this week I got my seed order in. A few weeds have started to pop through so will need to hoe them out, can I hoe when the ground is damp or will I end up making things worse? I really want to get stuck in but there's not much to do at this time of year. What is everyone else doing to keep themselves busy at the allotment?

[Jesse]

[Sarah-b]

Having trouble finding time to do all the digging. Some bits are easy to dig, others are very neglected and it takes ages to get out all the weeds.
Am picking sprouts, kale, cabbages, leeks.
Desperate to build 3 cold frames.
But mainly trying to prepare a christmas worthy of my beautiful family...

sb

[Mrs Ava]

Only really going to the plot once of twice a week.  Have plenty of digging to do on plot number 2, altho am way over half way done so plenty of time to finish.  Spend my time an hour or so digging, then an hour or so weeding and edging plot number one.  Then spend the last 20 or 30 minutes picking veggies and packing up to come home.  If it is bitterly cold, then I only really go to check everything is okay, and do some picking.  I get the coldest fingers and toes, even with thermals and gloves and I suffer with terribly cracked dry hands all winter long without fail, attractive I know, so if it is very cold and wet the pain beats me.  :'(  That is it on the plot.  In the garden I am raking leaves, and generally just pottering.  I still have pelagoniums out in pots in full flower and looking stunning!  It is just tidying really, and breathing in the cold fresh air.  Lovely!

[aquilegia]

It's too cold for me to garden, and there's not really much to do, so I've turned my attention indoors and we're redecorating the bathroom instead!

I go in the garden about twice a week to empty the kitchen waste bin into the compost and have a look round (it's now dark when I leave for work and when I get home, so can only go on days off and weekends). But that's about it. Although a week ago I did weed my pond a bit (that duckweed is still spreading!)

[Fingle....]

Not enough digging I can assure you !!

A lot of time is spent in my shed with the woodburner on, contemplating what i will do

still havent bought any seeds !

[djbrenton]

I've got 2 plots dug over and there don't seem to be any weeds wanting to brave the cold. Plans include ercting another greenhouse frame and glazing it( absolute must do as the frame's already lying on the plot ), clearing my 3rd plot, replacing some roof timber on one greenhouse ( not sure I'll get round to it this year ), removing all the piles of ash from on top of various bits of carpet and getting rid of the carpet, moving more of the leaf mould onto my pile, spreading manure for the potato beds, building another raised bed and building a polytunnel on the new plot.
I'm starting to get doubts about finishing all that before the 'busy' season. Added complication that I seem to be working away a lot at the moment.

[mitzzy]

i have not been down for over a week .Will pop over On Wednesday to have a look . Bit too cold now for me and I have been very whezzy this last few weeks .

I have 2 beds dug so I have them ready to plant in about Feb . Then i can quickly do the rest ( i hope )


Mags

[ACE]

Well the allotments dug and ready for planting, but I have prepared a strip of 300metres and the local school had a 'bring a spade day' and we planted it all with hedgerow whips. The plan is, if the kids put them in they will not be so keen to vandalise them. In return I am going to the school next year and help them set up their own school allotment. (start em young).
 My own little nursery has plenty of work to do in the poly with about 8,000 foxgloves to look after for a woodland project I am also currently working on.
 There is also work in progress on a garden make-over which is in one of my favorite types of garden, just a very steep bank which we are terracing with railway sleepers and will be planting with a river of cascading flowers. It is a very sheltered garden so it should lend itself to some hot tropical plants and colours.
 I have just lit my own garden this weekend with some very elegant spotlights kindly donated by a company who would like us to use them in some of our designs. Some of my neighbours think I am very rich with the garden equipment I get to trial for different companies, as I usually get to keep the stuff.
Over Xmas I shall mainly be eating and drinking, with just a few hours taken out to check the nursery.

[derbex]

This month I shall mostly be wearing.........an intoxicated grin ;D

I'm having an apple frenzy this year and am planning to plant 6 or 7 trees, some as cordons and some as bushes -to which end I've been clearing the patch next to me (had a great bonfire at the weekend) and digging planting holes and trenches.

Just a bit worried about the cordon framework being got at by the 2-legged pests mentioned elsewhere.

Jeremy.

[GardnerJ]

same as everyone else really, but my major job is to check my wormery! my little babies have been working hard all summer and now i have to "harvest???" the lovely wormy compost they have left me! i need to wrap them up in their little bin like home so they don't freeze! and give them a steady small supply of grub to see them through the winter! ;D

[muckspreader]

Hi everybody, i am new to your site, just to let you know what i am doing this month. too cold to do anything on the allotment so i have decided to grow exibition onions as advertised by Mr button and His strain of onions. I have no greenhouse so i am using a coldframe put onto a wooden frame with a thermostat and a heater cable in sand,I know it seams early to sow but i will follow his advice and see if it works, the only trouble what i might come up with is either they might end up leggy or die with damping off because if i open the lids to get fresh air in thyey will get chilled so i will let you know how i get on. Allan

[Plottie]

Hi all
Only going to the plot about once a week as we are busy  trying to complete a huge decorating project (hall, stairs and landings of 3 floor house) B4 christmas
Our plot is now dug over, beds edged, onions, cabbages, garlic, calabrese and fruit bushes (gooseberries, raspberries, loganberry, tayberry) are in.  The whole thing - from taking it over as a wilderness to getting it to its current state has taken 6 months. Now looking forward to really getting stuck in in the spring.  Seeds are ordered and we're rareing to go!
Merry Christmas to all and happy gardening in 2005
Plottie
:) :) :-* :) :)

[fairiegardener1]

Hi newbie here only just got the allotment end of November so just digging over the soil for now and trying to figure out what to plant and where.

merry christmas to everyone
:D

[Roy Bham UK]

Hi Fairie and welcome aboard, ;) I like you only recently got my Lottie, all I have done so far is cover some of the ground with black plastic sheets and made a 6ft x 4ft raised bed, ;D  I had the promise of a second hand shed but that looks like it may have been just a dream. >:(

There's a great bunch of knowledable peeps on here, enjoy but first have a MERRY CHRISTMAS

[Kerry]

this month i have been sorting out the electric in the greenhouse, digging in compost and manure and bulb planting-260!
also getting rid of the things that will not stand and look good or are already dead-a surprising amount from a small garden.
admiring the brave garlic shoots, shallots and leeks.
working christmas eve and christmas day, so after that will be sorting out my order for the seed catalogues, if i've got any money left now, which isn't likely..... ::)

[slyfox-mal]

been down the new  lotti again today spent a few hours  burning old wood and bramblesmanaged to cover plot two now with black plastic and  pinned it down with old wood and tin sheeting there is loads  for me to do  at the lotti i ve managed to dig over five beds in the last couple of weeksthe beds are five meters by 4 meters so by my poor calculating ive dug over 100 square meters so far not bad but loads more to dig yet ive decided to  just concentrate on  plot  one for now and leave plot two  covered till this time next yr cant wait till i get a shed on site sumwhere to get out of the worst weather but cant afford one  yet so i guess ill just have to get cold or work harder to keep warm i got snowed off today i decided that two hours in the stuff was quite enough for one day  ive been doing loads of reading up on the net about allsorts of stuff from keeping  hens to making a  large wormery i guess im filling my head with info on allsorts of  stuff but i guess its all needed

[Sarah-b]

Hi Slyfox - sounds like you're really getting on with it - well done! Good idea to save some for next year. So long as it's covered, you can just not worry about it. Then when you come to dig it next year, it should be really easy-going.
And 100 sq metres isn't a bad size for a veg garden is it?

A friend of mine has built an amazing "shelter" from pallets. He hasn't taken them apart, just sort of constructed a 3-sided shed thing. With wood-burning stove too - lovely - and all on the cheap. I did notice that his pallets were those where the slats are really close together.

Sarah.