Seaweed and Jeruslaem Artichokes.
Something different today as we took delivery of a load of seaweed from a processing company – seaweed is a good source of nitrogen and potash and helps build up the humus in the soil. Some was a dry powder and some still recognisable as seaweed. Some of the dried seaweed was added to the compost bins to help the rotting down and we shall use the rest for the potatoes and hope to get the good crops the Ayrshire farmers got, who traditionally used it on their fields. We’ll do a trial of with and without for the potatoes and see if there is a noticeable difference.
The damson tree was planted finally. A wide and deep hole was dug and backfilled with a mixture of soil, compost and some manure before the tree was planted, heeled in and watered.
The netting on the brassicas was checked and the dead leaves removed.
Jerusalem artichokes grow well in a dark corner of the plot with no attention from us and by this time of the season are a good size. A bucketful was dug up for sharing with those who came to the pruning workshop on Sunday.
The wire fencing was put up to support the new willow/hazel windbreak.
And finally, thanks to Ian and his grandson, the noticeboard was repaired. The front cover was breaking up and it is now firmly secured, so we can continue to advertise Caley events and list what we have done each week on the allotment.
Jobs for next week
- Finish the winter pruning.
- Start weaving in the willow/hazels into the windbreaks.
- Finish pruning the hazels.
- If the soil is dry enough, start forking over the beds, and adding manure.
