No, elephant droppings are just grass/hay nothing in there to help. Good idea about the weeds though they would compost down very well. Are you offering to come out here and pick them competing with the hippos and the crocs?
We do OK with cow and goat.
Re: Allotment
Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2019 2:31 pm
by Ex-Ascot
Just taken the temperature of the sand/soil in our plot. 51 Degrees. Do not think that we are going to have a frost problem.
Re: Allotment
Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2019 11:26 am
by Ex-Ascot
107 bananas harvested today. Our staff and friends will be very happy. Lots of rain but the plants do not look very happy. I am sure that i told 'erbert to fertilise them weeks ago. Must check to see if the fertiliser is still in the shed.
The rape is doing incredibly well. Every time you pick it, more grows. Our housekeeper is taking armfuls twice a week. We had a spare bed and asked her what she wanted us to grow for her, it was her suggestion. Good one. We are having a rice and rape dish for lunch today. Apart from the initial preparation of the bed with cow droppings and garden compost we have put nothing else on it.
Re: Allotment
Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 11:16 pm
by Flintstone
People eat rape? I thought it was turned into oil and cow food.
People eat rape? I thought it was turned into oil and cow food.
Re: Allotment
Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2019 11:56 am
by Ex-Ascot
No, you guys are thinking of Brassica Napus which you see fields full of of the yellow flowers in the UK. That indeed I believe is mainly for cattle feed and oil.
This is Brassica Rapa. It is very much like spinach but not as bitter. As you pick the leaves, more grow. You can crop it for three months and down here grow it 365 days a year. We have been cropping the below for nearly two months and our staff get a good armful a week.
The allotment AGM is taking place on Saturday, I am hoping that I can finalise my agreement for the second plot, negotiations to date make Brexit look pretty straight forward, I am trying for a piece of wasteland covered in plastic not too far away from my current plot.
Have earlies chitting, cabbages, lettuces, brussels, cucumbers, courgettes are in seed trays and peeping out of the soil, the plot is dug over ready. I have several sacks of horse manure ready to go into the new plot.
Painted the shed with preservative this afternoon, beautiful day in shirtsleeves, can't wait to get cracking.
Re: Allotment
Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2019 1:26 pm
by Ex-Ascot
OM if you think that your negotiations are difficult, do not try to get land here. To get our fruit and veg plot made official took 5 years. It is only half an acre. We attended two Land Board meetings. The board visited us twice. We had to lead them here as they didn't know where it was even though they had a GPS and the coordinates. We took them to a tribunal three times. That is the short version. Then the chief here held a village meeting. I gave a presentation and the land overseers, the Chief and the tribe agreed that we could use it. We do not own it but they allowed us to attach it to our estate for our use. We have a letter stating this
Took a soil sample for analysis today Had to dig down 30 cms to take a sample from each corner of the estate and one in the middle. Mix it all up, pull out all stones (none) and roots and box up 1 kg for analysis in S.A. The owner of the agricultural supply place has already told us what the result will be. He says it is all the same PH around here. Trying to ascertain why our lawns are sick in patches.
No not animals. We are using four different types of grass depending on the area and are doing much better than the previous owners. We win in one area and six months later it all dies again but another area picks up. We have mole crickets, ants, clover and some sort of bug which lays small white eggs in the roots all of which we spray for. The below is our worst area at the moment. This was like this 12 months ago but picked up. It all died back again a month ago. Wot we need is a 'growing a lawn in the desert' expert.
Wot we need is a 'growing a lawn in the desert' expert.
Or Astroturf . . .
Re: Allotment
Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2019 6:07 pm
by om15
Ex A, one of my allotment neighbours specialises in growing golf courses in the desert, he is always rushing off to Dubai or Oman to apply mulch, chemicals or some such, I will ask him for advice on Saturday at the AGM if I get the chance.
My port hand is playing up after the carpel tunnel operation carried out on Christmas Eve, it looks ok from the outside buts hurts like buggery on the inside, have an hour physio in the morning, I am anxious that it may interfere with my digging plans.
Ex A, one of my allotment neighbours specialises in growing golf courses in the desert, he is always rushing off to Dubai or Oman to apply mulch, chemicals or some such, I will ask him for advice on Saturday at the AGM if I get the chance.
Ask him if he fancies a 3 month detachment to somewhere 'ot & sandy to practice his skills.
Ex A, one of my allotment neighbours specialises in growing golf courses in the desert, he is always rushing off to Dubai or Oman to apply mulch, chemicals or some such, I will ask him for advice on Saturday at the AGM if I get the chance.
My port hand is playing up after the carpel tunnel operation carried out on Christmas Eve, it looks ok from the outside buts hurts like buggery on the inside, have an hour physio in the morning, I am anxious that it may interfere with my digging plans.
Hope you port paw recovers. We have a good friend in Greece who had both hands operated on successfully for this.
Yes indeed it would be good if you could put me in contact with your desert golf course chap. Most people here give up but we are determined. Put our soil sample in for analysis this morning. We should have the results in a month. And, as Ian says if he want to come here to live rent free and work on it for three months he is very welcome. No golf course though only a croquet lawn. That is actually mostly OK it is the smaller lawns that seem to be a problem.
Re: Allotment
Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2019 6:11 pm
by om15
I have secured another small plot right next to my current plot, very pleased with it, I pealed back the plastic and gave it a good digging, removed all the junk and dug in several sacks of Fergus droppings.
The soil is very good, jet black, some time ago the local thatcher used these plots to burn unwanted or old thatch, which left the soil black with ash, I have earmarked this for spuds and am digging trenches to fill with compost before planting, first and second earlies chitting in the shed.
Hand is much better, I am being physioed by a young lady, which is nice, I can now ride my motorbike and dig my allotment without any problems, but dusting, drying up and putting out washing makes it flare up.
There is an allotment "working day" next Saturday, this involves plot holders assembling to carry out rostered duties such as strimming plots not in use, clearing up rubbish and trimming hedges, also drinking tea, from what I gather this is normally carried out with great acrimony and much criticism is levelled towards anyone displaying initiative or wishing to change anything.
Seedlings are coming along, did some potting today, should start planting on in a few weeks.
Re: Allotment
Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2019 8:35 pm
by Fox3WheresMyBanana
My little garden is now under only a foot of snow. Even tales of seedlings are two months off yet, so I appreciate the entertainment and erudition provided by the rest of you.
Re: Allotment
Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2019 8:41 pm
by G-CPTN
Living in Denmark, there was no new growth until 1st May when everything burst into life and soon caught up with 'spring' in England.
Re: Allotment
Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2019 7:00 pm
by om15
Allotment "working" day today, on parade at 1000, around 15 or so people assembled with the aim of taming a large area of wilderness adjacent to our main allotment area, the idea to strim to the ground and put plastic sheeting over the ground, weighed down with old stones and bags of earth. I arrived with strimmer, but was casually asked to "cut that tree down" with the communal chain saw, no problem, ( I should at that point have been alerted.)
This wilderness area backs on to the rear gardens of a row of council houses noted for it's ferocious inhabitants, no sooner had I fired up the chain saw and got stuck in to the tree then the back door flew open and a pack of wild slaving insane dogs hurled themselves at the fence, barking and gnashing their teeth, they were joined by a man in a vest bellowing objections, apparently he didn't like being woken by my chain saw, claimed ownership of the tree, was distressed at the allotmentiers and my presence in particular. I completed the task, attention was then diverted to the bonfire, a massive pile of sodden pallets, branches, cuttings and general rubbish that had a can of petrol thrown over it and then ignited. This resulted in choking grey smoke and high flames being blown across the rear gardens, eventually peace was restored.
It was quite good fun to use strimmers, chainsaws and uncontrolled bonfires with no safety precautions, small children and toddlers enthusiastically joined in, splashing petrol about and jumping around the strimmer cables.
A vast load of well rotted horse manure has been delivered to the allotments, I am lining trenches with it ready for spuds to go in, have earlies, second earlies and main crop chitting in the shed, hopefully will be ready for planting in a couple of weeks, last years spuds that I missed in the final dig are sprouting up all over the place.
