Worthing and District Allotments and Gardens Association

Friday, 26th March

That sunshine's been a bit deceptive, hasn't it? I've been to the allotment a few times this week and it's been bloomin' cold. I'm not sure the soil's all that warm yet either although the groundsel seems to like it; it's all over the place. Then, when you start digging, the soil's still very wet and heavy. Mind you, it makes it easier to remove some of those pernicious weeds as things like dandelion, thistle and dock and any other long-rooted stuff tend to come out whole instead of breaking and leaving lots of little root bits behind to start new plants. When I've removed them I put them in what I call my Sunday heap - they might just rot down in a month of Sundays. What else can I do with them? I can't just bung them in my compost heap as they take tool long to rot down; the council has removed the bin service so I can't sling them; they won't burn and anyway I'm only allowed a bonfire in November. So on to the Sunday heap they go with the couch grass and others until such time as I'm sure they're dead enough to go in the ordinary compost heap. Bindweed has it's own special heap. Well, it's just a plastic bag really where it can try and rot down in the dark but eventually I hope to drown it when I've cleared my blue plastic barrel which at present houses my Sunday heap. Yes, it's a long term project.

Actually just getting to the allotment took a fair time this morning. For the second day running I couldn't park my car anywhere in Bolsover Road (my plot is near the Bolsover Road gate) or in Melrose Avenue because of all the sixth form college kids' cars. What are they transporting for Heaven's sake that they have to come in a car? And most of them just one to a car. Surely their books aren't that heavy. Self-righteous me, I only take the car because I have a load of gear like forks and spades and stuff which is a bit cumbersome to carry through the streets. Anyway I had to drive round to the Ringmer Road entrance, which I suppose is no big deal except it's further from my plot, but this morning someone was having a driving lesson and I was behind them. It took them a long time to turn right out of Strathmore into Terringes Avenue! I parked in Ringmer, several yards from the gates, which I then went to unlock. As I walked back to my car a couple in a 4x4 just drove straight in. "If they get the last parking spot I'll kill them," I thought. Luckily they went to the car park at the far end so I just used my spade for digging. Like I said, it was slow and heavy going so I'm not putting anything in the ground yet although my spuds will be getting impatient. My onion sets I've started off in trays and I'll plant them out later when my soil's less sticky. Soon be time to start mowing the lawn too so I'd better get my brand new mower out of the box and attempt to assemble it. Job for a wet afternoon, I think.

Sunday, 21st March

Come in. That'll be 70p, please. Each!

Just as I started to feel better on Friday the weather turned and we were back to rain. Typical! Yesterday I did venture out - as far as the Worthing Horticultural Society's Spring Show which was good value for 70p. (Pictures on News page) It was good to see Les on the cake and tea stall as he always cuts decent sized wedges of cake. It was also good to see - and smell - so many Spring flowers as they are rather late this year; so far in my garden I have 2 daffodils in flower. I saw other familiar faces too and enjoyed several little chats. I also splashed out £1 on a book about pigs - not that I'm thinking of keeping any - it's a present for someone who already does.

This morning I did eventually get to the allotment if somewhat later than originally planned. I had gone armed with several wooden stakes and a mallet to make a few adjustments to the frame containing my raspberries. I'd also taken a half-moon, a spade, secateurs, a trowel and a small fork but didn't get very far as there'd been a delivery of manure so I spent a little time wheeling a few barrowloads from down by the stores to my allotment. Doesn't matter which end of the site they deliver it to I still have a trek as I'm near the middle but not near the path that runs through the site. It's pretty fresh stuff but I have somewhere to stack it apart from on top of my rhubarb. (Old joke: Do you put manure on your rhubarb? Oh, we put custard on ours. Boom! Boom!) It's officially Spring today and I did spot signs on the allotment other than my rhubarb shooting up: a butterfly and a bumble bee to be precise.

At home I have now finished pruning two errant blackberry bushes, so just one to go then it'll be the roses and the buddleia amongst other things. My onion seedlings are now staying out all night and I'll have to get round to putting in my sets soon. I've also got tomatoes, peppers and fibrous rooted begonias that need pricking out or spacing apart. Things are beginning to shift.

Wednesday, 17th March

A second successive gloriously sunny morning and here I am stuck inside with the dreaded lurgy, all activities - horticultural, social and otherwise - curtailed. Oh, it's just a cold (probably man-flu) but I'm staying indoors where it's warm because I feel cold and anyway I'd feel an idiot walking around with a great box of man-size tissues everywhere. I just can't stop sneezing and my nose is getting rather sore. Luckily it only hit me full whack today so I was able to get to the allotment yesterday. The bit of sunshine had brought out several members of the committee to their plots and a full compliment of overseers, so if you had any problems West Tarring site was the place to be yesterday. Just to prove it here's a few pictures:

          
Members of your committee at work

I was just tending to my bean trench, filling it in before somebody fell in it and sued me. I was going to finish it today but at least it's safe now. Then in the afternoon I started giving a very severe haircut to a rather unruly, overgrown blackberry thicket in my back garden. I haven't quite finished as it's putting up a good fight and giving a stern test to my new secateurs and thorn-proof gloves. The onion seedlings are now going out into the greenhouse in the daytime but coming back into the house at night as it's still getting rather cold at night. They have promised some milder weather (Yippee!) but it will be wet (Boo!).

Monday, 15th March

Another lovely weekend, another weekend away from the allotment and garden. Yes, I was skiving again, this time to a posh hotel in Betchworth, near Dorking for a Mothers' Day getaway - but just the 2 of us, without our mothers and without the kids. (They all live miles away anyway) Apart form that it was the only weekend they had rooms free on the newspaper voucher deal we had. The purpose of the break was to visit the National Trust property, house and grounds, of Polesden Lacey - very impressive, massive opulent house and over 1,000 acres. In the gardens they had an old potting shed with racks of old pots, head gardener's office and other items of historical interest. I have to admit, however, it was not the best of times for visiting the rose gardens.

We also went for a 5-mile hike round Box Hill on the Sunday, with everyone else it seemed, except when we got lost and there was no one to be seen. They just vanished. Then when we got back th the centre they'd no sandwiches so we had to make do with a cup of tea and a piece of treacle tart. We decided to eat in a local carvery after unpacking at home but of course it was Mothers' Day so the place was heaving to the gunnels with families taking their mothers out for a meal, tables heaving with Yorkshire Puddings, fizzy lager, bouquets of flowers and boxes of Cadbury's Roses and Ferrero Rocher chocolates. Still, I enjoyed it.

Then this morning I woke up with a stinking cold and definitely not feeling like venturing outside although it does look lovely out there. I did get as far as transferring my onion seedlings to the greenhouse from the spare bedroom but I can't go far in any case as I'm waiting for a telephone call; if I'm in when the electrician rings he'll come round and finish a little job straight away - if I'm not, who knows? Bound to ring if I step outside! I think I'll go and make a cup of tea or a Lemsip.

Thursday, 11th March

I did go and listen to Peter Webb giving his talk on vegetable growing on Monday night at the WHS AGM and very interesting it was too. (Report on our News page) I can't see me ever going to such lengths to get perfect results for showing but the general cultivation hints will come in handy and it was a bit of an eye-opener, a glimpse into the world of the devoted show grower.
Not done much gardening myself although I have finished digging my runner bean trench on the allotment and started filling it with compost. I forked over the bottom which is solid clay and there were actually worms in there. Get to it, little fellows! Work that compost in! I'm still hacking things in the back garden. I got rid of the last lot by bagging it and taking it to the tip but there always seems to be another load. I shall be starting on the hedges and the roses next, I expect.

Last night I went with Mrs N to hear Kathryn Jenkins singing at the Brighton Centre. I couldn't have afforded the tickets myself but they were a Christmas present from our eldest. And what a show it was! Spectacular! She's certainly come on since I saw her in Worthing a few years back when she was the back-up to some singing group. She would top the bill anywhere now. I could sit and look at her voice for hours - well, I did. And the back-up acts were brill too, especially the chap on the ropes. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves until it was time to try and get out of the car park to come home. Pandemonium. Still, it was worth it, even better than listening to Peter Webb talking about long carrots.

Monday, 8th March

A bright, sunny, dry weekend and were was I? Nowhere to be seen. Well, obviously I was seen somewhere but nowhere near the allotment as I was away from Worthing for some family get-together birthday bash. Very nice it was too. Then today - another bright day - I'm staying in for a workman which I bet turns out to be a futile exercise. Still, I've not wasted my time entirely as I've been pricking out 80 tomato seedlings, so that's the last I'll see of them probably. Then tonight I'm off to Worthing Horticultural Society's AGM. Not that I'm a member but Peter Webb is giving a talk there on growing vegetables for showing and entry is free to Association members. (7.30pm Offington Park Methodist Church Hall). Could be biscuits too!

While I was away I came across a new Range store so I thought I'd take a look as I believe we could be getting one in Worthing in the old MFI buildings in East Worthing by the Chesswood allotments site. It looks rather like Homebase to me. I had a look round the gardening section and picked up a couple of packets of flower seeds as our stores don't do flowers any more but even on a special half-price promotion they were still about twice as dear as seeds at our stores on average. Talking of seeds, my peppers are now up too so it looks like the new propagator (and the bag of Humax compost) was a good buy. Could be bad news for our kitchen windowsill though which risks getting rather crowded over the next month or so. I can't put them in the greenhouse as I have no electric in there and they keep promising night frosts. Still, I'm sure Mrs N will understand (?)

Friday, 5th March

Perhaps Spring is underway at last: the snow has gone, crocuses and daffodils are out and birds are chirping. A spell of dry weather has even had me digging on the allotment at last. My soil is still very heavy but no longer sticky so I have been able to dig my bean trench. I can't say it was pleasant because although the sun was shining the biting wind blew very cold on our exposed site. A lazy wind, I think they call it - it can't be bothered to go round you so it goes through you. Didn't stop me going for an hour's walk on Wednesday afternoon but I was very grateful for the cup of tea at the end of the walk. A glutton for punishment, I would have gone to the allotment again this morning but I had an SOS call and a five-minute job took 2 hours. Always the way, isn't it? Then this afternoon I had to go up to Tesco's. Have you been yet? Sure it's a big store but the car park seems inadequate and there are always people driving round looking for somewhere to park. Luckily we arrived just as someone was vacating a space. Think I'll try a different day next week.

Tomorrow is the Hobbies Fair in the Assembly Hall in the Town Hall buildings and our Association will have a stand there. Come along and have a look. If you're not a member you can sign up for a fiver and enjoy our reduced prices there and then as we shall have some stock there.

Monday, 1st March

"Rabbits!" I exclaimed this morning and gave my wife a nip and a punch for the first of the month - don't often get an excuse like that. Up North we just used to say "Rabbits!" on the 1st March; I only learnt this First of the Month thing after I'd migrated South. Anyway after I'd picked myself up off the floor I looked out of the bedroom window and was surprised to see it was white over. I know they said it was going to be cold last night but I thought they said the coastal strip would miss any frost and I didn't put on the greenhouse heater. Never mind,eh?
Yesterday I was expecting loads of rain from what they said so when there was a bit of sunshine on Saturday I nipped to the allotment and finished pruning my raspberries. I also did some pruning in the back garden - I've now got 9 bags worth to take to the tip and that doesn't include the raspberry canes from the allotment. I've got to find some way of getting rid of them too as there's no longer any bin service there. Then it didn't chuck it down all day after all, did it? I went to the plot again this morning and got the last barrowload of a weekend delivery of manure. I thought I'd make a start on my bean trench - oh, dear, very heavy and squelchy! Still perhaps I'll be able to do a bit more tomorrow and the day after as they've promised as little run of dry weather. While I was there I dug a few more parsnips and a couple of beetroot. How long can you leave them in before they go woody?

In the new propagator a few seeds are up now - the tomatoes are an inch or so high and onions and leeks are poking through. No sign of the peppers yet. The seed potatoes are sprutting merrily in the spare bedroom and the sun is shining outside so I think I'll get out there. Bye, Bye!