Another New Garden Season~ January Update

/ Sue Dreamwalker

The lane we walk once inside the Allotment gates down to our plot.  One the left you can see the water cisterns which are at intervals along the lane.

Well Christmas has come and gone, and already we are halfway through January. And even though the picture below shows early morning frost, this image was taken on the 20th December of last year, as we were up early collecting our sprouts for the Christmas Dinner.. We have had loads of rain and everywhere is quite soggy. 

In the Autumn Hubby moved both of our Apple trees..  While we got some apples off of one tree, the other was covered in scab.. A good site to find out how to care for your apples, how to plant, store and treat diseases is here. https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/essential-apple-care-guide  As we do not like to use any type of pesticides or chemicals on any of our produce.. We just take pot luck and find alternative treatments for problems..   Ten tips on Homemade Organic Pesticides can be found at this site, The Global Healing Centre or you can listen to the short two minute video telling you how to mix them on the link.   

Our neighbouring allotments plums which over hung where the apple trees were also diseased.. So we took the decision and replanted our apple trees to their new position, pruning them back hard.. It means we may not get much fruit this coming year.. But it will give the roots a chance to grow and hopefully they will like it better where they now have been planted..

Apple Trees.. A Cooker and a lovely sweet rosy eating apple… I confess I forgot what varieties they were..

The Kidney beans are now pulled up.. We still have plenty of sprouts and about a row of parsnips left.. I will be sad when these are finished I have enjoyed them roasted several times a week.. 

Our Manure arrived on Saturday, a huge tractor trailer load full.. The heap is bigger than me. Today is the first decent day to get some of it moved.. And we have hardly made a dent in it. 

( if you hover your mouse over the below photo’s you will see the captions )

Don’t just stand there smiling, there is work to be done!..
That’s better put your back into it.

You can see I am wearing one of my knitted hats and my snood/scarf in the photo, a closer look at another one I knitted for a Christmas present is below

Hand Knitted Beret.

Remember the tuba’s of the Dahlia’s drying in the greenhouse, well here they are stored nicely in the shed. 

Dahlia Tubas in straw.

Well that is all from the Plot this month.. I hope you all have a wonderful 2020 and have a great growing season. 

Happy Gardening

Until Next Time

64 thoughts on “Another New Garden Season~ January Update”

  1. I hear you guys had a bit of wild rain over your way Sue. It’s trying to rain here finally but it is very light at the moment. It has dropped some inland with storms but they are predicting heavier falls over the next two days. May it be so 😀 ❤️ 🙏🏽 🦋 🦘

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  2. Have shoveled a lot of manure in my lifetime. Our garden area is tilled, but so wet from rain there is no hope of doing anything in it right now. Take it easy and don’t work yourself to death. It is suppose to be 70 degrees here today, but in the 30s next week. The daffodils are up and the trees trying to bud. Happens every year. Enjoy your outside time.

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    • Haha… Yes Peggy We shovel a lot during our life time lol.. I didn’t do much today but I brought back some wallflowers which I had neglected to bring to my home garden in the Autumn, You really they are quite big plants, so I dug them in here and there in the home garden and they should if they flower, they are a bit spindly give a bit of colour in the Spring..
      As to the weather, yes its up and down all over the place…
      Lovely to have to in the plot Peggy, you too take care.. And Always love my time outside. ❤ 🙂

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  3. Oh, Sue, do I ever know how hard that work is!! Just distributing the manure into the gardens is back breaking work. I give you and hubby so much credit for what you are doing. We don’t like using pesticides either but our one and only Sugar Maple Tree this past year began to die and immediately insects invaded. We had no choice but to spray or loose our tree. We’ve been seeing an increase of voracious insects that nothing seems to effect. Makes it so very difficult for gardeners! Good luck this year!!

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    • It is but we are both taking it in our strides… It will not get spread all at one as hubby will dig some straight into trenches with certain crops.. I hope your Sugar Maple makes a good recovery.. The problem is lots of bugs are getting resistant to many of the commercial sprays being used.. But I always think about the poor bees.. Many thanks for your kind words and visit here Amy and for your well wishes.. Gardening is not a chore, and like you, we spend a great deal of energy looking after it.. ❤

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    • Indeed Frank, we have already planned where our rotation of crops are going this year. and the seeds were ordered and arrived along with the already saved seeds etc.. I plan to dig a load of muck along where we pulled up the loganberries from and that is where my SweetPea flowers will go this year.. Have a great weekend, ‘Walking the beach’ 🙂

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  7. I like your way of using only natural treatment in your garden, Sue. Then you also know, what you intake later. It is hard work to spread the manure and work with it.
    I’m looking forward to see your garden in the coming months, as it use to be so beautiful 😀
    Much love to you ❤

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  9. I love your beret, Sue and the captions on your photos! Here’s to lovely, productive and contented times in nature during this revolution around the sun. Huge hugs and much love to you both. ❤ xxxxx ❤

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  10. Snow covers our garden this January morning, and it is bitter cold out. I feel safe in saying I will not be out there gardening today in any shape or form. I’ll spend the day thinking about gardening, how’s that? 🙂

    That is one big pile of sh _ ! Jurassic Park? Remember? I’ll be laughing all day long over those pictures.
    Have a brilliant Wednesday, my friend.

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    • Snow is something I thought we would have had by now too Bill, but our clement weather is still up and down with rain and wind, though we keep getting told we are due a wintry spell at the end of the month.. So we will see.. I would think Bill you are pleased just to be ‘Thinking’ instead of ‘Doing’ for a change my friend. lol, and yes its a big pile.. Straight from the farm.. lol.. Not a Dinosaur in sight! 🙂 You too have a great Evening and weekend to come 🙂

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    • BIG smiles Robbie, yes it is huge, we buy from the farm a full trailer load.. But its needed.. And thank you so much about my knitting.. Skills, I surprise myself as I try out new patterns. Have a wonderful weekend to come my friend.. ❤ And thank you for taking time out to call by the plot, I appreciate it 🙂 knowing how busy you get.. ❤

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  12. I remember when I saw the first photos of your garden. All the difficulties you had with the weather and the earth. Now it is much larger and with more crops than before. Great progress although the weather does not help much. Greetings Sue.

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  13. You are off to a good start, my friend. Putting down your foundation so your plants will grow and thrive is of course paramount and why you always have such a beautiful garden. I look forward to seeing how it progresses. Remember the studio I told you I joined (to go to when I am not working in mine…still am not due to weather (snow on the ground the last couple of days now). Well, I am signed up to go to what she is calling Open Studio on Saturday. You can either begin something or bring something you have started to work on. (This is all very new to me…introvert that I am). I now have my ideas and brought a canvas inside the house to begin sketching. I have heaters running in my studio with hopes it will warm enough so I can begin to put on some paint later today..We will see. Joining the studio is my first attempt in meeting people, which I am never very good at, nor do I feel confident in. Of course, once I do meet a person it gets better but I am one of those with a few close friends and just many acquaintances. Life is like that. My sister, on the other hand, has an easier time meeting people as she is always out and about. But it’s all good. A step for me to have a more independent and meaningful life. Hope all is well with you. I love your knitted cap. Keep warm. xoxo

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    • I hope the weather allows you to go dear Renee, and please do not worry about meeting others.. I am sure others too get nervous.. I do when joining something new.. But once you do and make new Acquaintance, and you begin to share and learn new things together with your art.. You will soon forget that shyness my friend.
      This month is I am told a very good month with all the planets, within the Zodiac which is encouraging NEW Beginnings my friend.. So I am pleased you are doing something for YOU..
      You need at last to put yourself first a little and pursue the pleasures that interest you.. I hope you managed to put a little paint on your canvas and your Studio got warmed up enough for you to sit a while..
      Sending lots of love Renee… And All the Best for Saturday… ❤ 🙂

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  14. Hey Sue,

    When you mentioned muck-spreading, I really hadn’t expected the manure heap to be so big! Good grief Sue! And I thought I had a big job shifting compost. Good luck getting it dug in: you know all your hard work will be worth it.

    I must say the allotment looks in good condition already and the soil rich and dark. When will you start planting for spring/summer?

    Thanks for the links you’ve included, I’ll be interested in taking a peek at both sites. Like you, we don’t use chemicals/insecticides here as we’ve pets – dogs and cats roaming the grounds – but it’d be great to find one or two alternative treatments we could use for blackfly, aphids, and wasps.

    I’d also be interested in seeing how the apple-trees get on now they’ve been moved and cut-back. I’m hopeful we might get some new growth on our tree this year after lopping limbs and hard pruning but I’m not so sure it will. I think its apple days are over and might decide to dig up what is left. We’ll see how it goes.

    Thanks for the update, keep them coming. Good to see you doing some work – or at least posing with the fork – whilst hubby takes a well-earned break to take the photo! 😀

    DN

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    • Haha.. Dewin.. well we don’t do things by halves lol as the saying goes.. 🙂 Its good rotted Manure too.. We were worried it may full of straw… But are very happy with our pile of … Muck.. hehe..
      I hope you find a few solutions suited to your needs on those links Dewin… I discovered a few new ones myself there.. And yes when you have pets around you need to find alternatives..
      And I am sure your apple tree will recover, like ours it may not bare much fruit this coming year, but it may surprise you.. Keep talking to it.. lol… You will find me often having a conversation with my plants.. 🙂

      Haha. to the posing…. that is exactly what hubby said… 🙂 🤣😁🤣
      Have a great weekend when it arrives Dewin.. Take care and thank you very much for your kind comment and appreciation.. 🙂

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      • 😀 Curious you should mention talking to the plants and trees Sue – I’ve just finished repairing and repainting two garden gnomes and placed them next to the apple-tree to keep it company. Now I know I’m no expert on gnomes but I do recall once reading they were earth-folk and had a natural inclination for nurturing Nature. The tree needs all the help it can get and I thought the gnomes would be perfect. Mind you, one of the gnomes is asleep and the other sat atop a giant mushroom contemplating a snail. Not sure that bodes well at all, but perhaps they weave their magic by moonlight, in which case we might get some new growth on the tree after-all. Only time will tell! 😀

        Enjoy the latter part of the week Sue. Happy spreading! 😀

        DN

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        • There is much to be said for those Nature Spirits who weave their magic by the light of the Moon Dewin.. And I am sure with all of that lovely additional attention your apple tree will deliver in the spring a few blossoms of thanks… Have faith.. And as my hubby says never give up on anything, 🙂 So yes, Time will Tell. 🙂
          You too Enjoy! and thank you

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  15. Oh my, another year of gardening fast approaching. Your allotment looks nice barren or grown into. That is one load of manure. More than I can handle from one person at a time. lol It has been snowing here the last two days and we got just under two feet of snow. Unusual for us. It will snow overnight changing to freezing rain and then rain. Pretty to look at on the trees but it can go anytime.

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    • Thank you Joseph, yes the plot looks pretty baron at the moment, but as soon as the muck is dug in and we get cracking it will be all systems go…
      We have yet more rain today Joseph although its been said we could get a colder snap at the end of the month.. I think we could do with a good dose of snow and lower temperatures to rid us of some of the virus bugs doing their rounds… This damp weather is not doing any one any good with chest complaints.. And everyone you speak too is or has been ill with it..
      And I love snow, so long as I am not having to drive in it like I used to have to when working in Support…
      I hope you enjoy the snow while its looking pretty on the trees lol.. Not much fun when its turning to ice-rain and freezes though.. Have a great rest of the week.. 🙂 Hugs..

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  16. we gave up our allotment/plot last year, it was far too much trouble for the measily amount of produce we got from it, yours always looks amazing and i bet the food taste great, we get some organic stuff from one of the gardens we tend, and loads of apples, plums and a few pears too., Good luck with the pile sue, that sure is a lot of dudu..

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    • I would let Mr C take care of the plot until the weather improves and you feel more like engaging in nature Mrs C.
      Lovely to see you. Sending huge hugs and well wishes and healing thoughts Mrs C.
      💖💚💖

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        • Sorry I have taken an age in getting to answer comments here on my garden blog Mrs C.. You and others were pending that hadn’t showed up for me to respond to..
          Yes we have sown some onions from seed, they are like little blades of grass at the moment and growing far too fast now on our windowsill at home so hubby transferred them only yesterday to the greenhouse to slow them back down a little.. We have our shallots and onion sets now purchased, and got on well with some digging on the dryer milder days..
          Spring always to look forward to as we look forward to planting seeds…
          Sending HUGE hugs your way.. Have a peaceful weekend.. Much love and thoughts your way Mrs C.. ❤

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