Why have I used a whole page for these stages of the design?
Because I spend a fair bit of time up the allotment and enjoy observing its changes and seems like an opportunity to keep tabs on how the site is improving after all my efforts! (However my record-keeping and organisation of records seemed more thorough in 2014 than 2012 and 2013).
Because I spend a fair bit of time up the allotment and enjoy observing its changes and seems like an opportunity to keep tabs on how the site is improving after all my efforts! (However my record-keeping and organisation of records seemed more thorough in 2014 than 2012 and 2013).
Observations 2012 and 2013
Evaluations and observations 2014
February 2014
- Red Quince in flower :)
- mustard still thriving
- globe artichoke re-growing
- comfrey not returned yet
- tulips poking through
- garlic doing well
- some cuttings have buds, don't remember what they are!
- Usual calendula
- slugs eating autumn sown peas
- physalis survived
- very warm in sun
March 2014
Moved big black bin to corner where soil particularly poor.
Chucked Strulch on bare bits.
Sowed rocket and lettuce seeds where compost bin used to be, high up on plot under apple tree.
Sowed nasturtium by quince and willow hedge and parsely in AKB next to mustard.
Coir soil on AKB (only 99p for 10 L from pound shop).
Did a bit of sketchiing and sunbathing.
(Noticed clover growing out of a log :)).
Next steps....
Decided to keep chucking seeds (nay, broadcasting!) at bare soil, see what wants to grow and what doesn't.
Chucked Strulch on bare bits.
Sowed rocket and lettuce seeds where compost bin used to be, high up on plot under apple tree.
Sowed nasturtium by quince and willow hedge and parsely in AKB next to mustard.
Coir soil on AKB (only 99p for 10 L from pound shop).
Did a bit of sketchiing and sunbathing.
(Noticed clover growing out of a log :)).
Next steps....
Decided to keep chucking seeds (nay, broadcasting!) at bare soil, see what wants to grow and what doesn't.
April 2014
As well as using the 4 Action Learning questions to monitor what was happening on the plot I also applied Observe and Interact (see below ; the interactions if any are in red)
Observing and interacting...
April weather a bit colder than some of warm March days
parsley seedlings very small and dry
watered them
New zealand spinach thriving (Jame Wong book I've been reading says they are drought tolerant).
tasted them, did n't really enjoy (make throat feel rough) so chopped their leaves for mulch
peas outgrowing their pea sticks
gave them some taller sticks
tayberry, raspberry, white raspberry, Japanese wineberry thriving
four different colour tulips! admired them
April weather a bit colder than some of warm March days
parsley seedlings very small and dry
watered them
New zealand spinach thriving (Jame Wong book I've been reading says they are drought tolerant).
tasted them, did n't really enjoy (make throat feel rough) so chopped their leaves for mulch
peas outgrowing their pea sticks
gave them some taller sticks
tayberry, raspberry, white raspberry, Japanese wineberry thriving
four different colour tulips! admired them
see also grass, plaintain, teasel and clover on paths
chopped with scissors for mulch
wild rose spreading
pruned and tied in to trellis
currants and strawberries flowering
potatoes showing through (see photo below)
watered well
birds' foot trefoil
nasturtium seedlings
watered well
hops regrowing
May 2014
What's going well?
1. plenty of comfrey, even in compost bin
2. a yield of peas! (grown overwinter - Meteor).
3. a row of potatoes (Shetland Black to look forward to). Used garden waste, Strulch and dug out clay to earth up.
4. Garlic mustard in 2 sites, hopefully will self seed.
5. Plenty of Calendula inbetween plantings
6. Bird's foot trefoil as ground cover and nitrogen fixer and bee forage.
1. plenty of comfrey, even in compost bin
2. a yield of peas! (grown overwinter - Meteor).
3. a row of potatoes (Shetland Black to look forward to). Used garden waste, Strulch and dug out clay to earth up.
4. Garlic mustard in 2 sites, hopefully will self seed.
5. Plenty of Calendula inbetween plantings
6. Bird's foot trefoil as ground cover and nitrogen fixer and bee forage.
7. Alpine strawberries ready to harvest, surpisingly delicious.
8. Physalis survived the winter.
9. Fruit in fruit beds ripening.
10. neighbour happy to loan hose for watering
8. Physalis survived the winter.
9. Fruit in fruit beds ripening.
10. neighbour happy to loan hose for watering
What could be better?
1. Shed rain water run off could be fixed. 2. Holes in Water butts also could be fixed. 3. A bit more variety in yield and higher yield 4. Martin, long term fellow plotholder advises Desiree pots grow well on this site, slugs tend to leave them alone |
Hopes and dreams
1. a productive plot! ultimately with friable soil 2. some potatoes to eat soon 3. even less weeding of grassy paths Next achievable steps 1. woodchip paths 2. fix rainwater run off 3. keep mulching the bare bits! 4. keep throwing seeds at African Keyhole bed to see what works |
Beneficial relationships
I thought I would check that I was helping to create beneficial relationships on the site so have come up with the following that I have gleaned from visits to Organiclea in 2011, magazines, books and other gardens.
- sweet peas sown round the base of fruit bushes which provide them with support. Sweet peas fix nitrogen into soil and provide some shade and maybe disguise berries from birds
- garlic in fruit beds for eating, cleaning soil, deterring pests
- calendula in fruit beds for deterring pests, encouraging bees and to cut as mulch
- comfrey near fruit bushes to draw up nutrients, for cutting as mulch and to feed the bees
- bird's foot trefoil (or something very similar) to feed bees, keep soil from eroding on slope, nitrogen fix and ground cover