I had 11 canes to plant and at a spacing of 18″ between each that meant I was looking to clear about 16 feet of ground. Well after about 3 and a half hours work I had only managed to clear 12ft so managed to get 8 of the plants added. The plants come as stubby little sticks (scientific name) with bare roots and mine already showed signs of new shoots. The advice is usually to cut the canes down to a couple of inches above ground level as soon as they are planted to promote new shoots.

I bought 2 different varieties of raspberry, Glen Moy which is a summer variety and Autumn Bliss which, of course, is an autumn variety and should mean a good few months of harvesting. Later on in the year I will need to install some supports and wires to tie the canes in to but that is a job for another day.

Before leaving I covered some of the area that I have not yet had a chance to clear with carpet to kill off the vegetation and make digging over easier in a few months. It is important that natural fibre carpets with hessian backing are used and not the synthetic foam backed stuff. Having a carpet fitter as a neighbour has advantages.

Just before leaving the allotment I noticed a few parsnips poking out of the ground that I had missed. They were a little bit ropey but will be good for a soup or something.

It is not a proper greenhouse, just one of those walk-in plastic efforts, commonly known as a “blowaway” due to their propensity to take off in strong winds. I have the walk-in one and a smaller 3 tier one and am happy to say that neither have yet lived up to their reputation.

I am sure the more organised gardener would do this job at the end of a growing year rather than at the beginning of one but oh well, who said I was organised? Over the winter the walk-in has become a storage area for all sorts on stuff such as worktops for my allotment shed which needed moving out to a new home.

First thing to do was to sort through the remainder of last year’s onions, shallots and garlic, salvaging what was usable and bagging up for compost anything that was looking iffy of felt a bit soft. I also came across a couple of bags containing leftovers from last year’s potato crop. These had been busy chitting away and sending out roots all over the place which had matted and joined them all together. I also stumbled across the amusingly shaped potato that I posted a picture of last year and it had chitted nicely so I thing I will pop that in the ground again this year and see what becomes of it.

Lots of planning to do now, getting seedlings started and deciding what is to go where on the allotment. I have a lot of seeds lef over from last year as well as some new varieties that I want to try. I was really pleased with the few squash I grew last year so this year will definitely involve some experimentation with different varieties. Also tomatoes did really well so have bought a few more varieties to try.

Related articles

• Gardening Expert Views on To Chit or Not To Chit (bakestraw.co.uk)
• Vegetable Gardening 101: Part 1-Gather Your Supplies. (plowinginpearls.com)
• Chitting Seed Potatoes (thegardensmallholder.wordpress.com)

As you can see from the photos I also came home with a butternut squash, some parsnips (not ready until after first frost but I had to pull a couple up to see how they are going), apples, a giant beetroot and some corn. Unfortunately my neglect of the plot during the summer due to jury service and working away meant that the corn did not get enough water and many of the cobs are dried out. I think that could also be the cause of my sorry looking leeks.

So I now have left some parsnips, squash, leeks, broccoli and sprouts left growing. The plan now is to concentrate on getting the plot cleared and ready for spring. I am going to go down the raised beds route and I think it will be more practical and manageable for me and will also be trying the no dig method.

Industrialised Expeditions (demo) by hakonmcevilly7

Fran came with me and while I was digging up potatoes she made a start at clearing paths and also any veg that had gone past it’s best such as the swiss chard and lettuce that had gone to seed.

The potatoes I harvested were the two remaining varieties of the six I had planted, Desiree and Cara. I think the Cara could have stayed in a while more but we got some great sized potatoes.

Also harvested were the remainder of the beetroot and carrots.

I still have sweetcorn, broccoli, brussel sprouts, leeks and squash growing but will not be planting any more until I get some of the plot cleared and some raised beds installed.

The cards were made in 1934 by a company called Liebig and given away with their “Meat Extract” product.

A mix of acoustic rock, hard rock, and folk, Jordan puts forth a powerful lyrical message with equally impactful music to educate and entertain simultaneously. He embodies the protesting spirit of Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Steve Earle and Eddie Vedder before him, which is so rare in music today. Speaking truth to power in song, Jordan has raised his voice against Corporate Fraud and misguided Government policies with the hopes of activating a new generation to social conscience and peaceful political protest. Like his forebears, Jordan seeks to change society and the world for the better through his words and his music. He empowers his audience by letting them know that the real revolution begins with the individual.

http://jordanpagemusic.com/

It is all too easy to make excuses; the police were undermanned and over-stretched etc, but this is becoming an all too familiar pattern, not just in the UK but internationally. Remember Seattle, where the police allowed “anarchists” free rein to smash up the place? This was then used as an excuse to use violence against the peaceful protesters who were beaten with batons and covered in pepper spray. The exact same thing happened in Toronto and London during the G20 summits, London this Spring and in Quebec in 2007 and Athens 2008 cops were caught posing as anarchists trying to incite trouble. News footage showed police standing idly by whilst “anarchists” committed various acts of violence and criminal damage. Very convenient are these “anarchists”.

Following a couple of days of riots and relative inactivity from the police the public outcries grew; “Something must be done!”, “The police should shoot them”, “We need rubber bullets and water cannon!”.  Enter David Cameron with pronouncements that the water cannon and rubber bullets would be made available to the police on request. The people cheer and say “about time too!” and they think the government has finally listened to them.

Of course what the people do not realise is that all they have done is given the government the excuse to do what they had wanted to do anyway. It is a concept known as Problem – Reaction – Solution; create, encourage or facilitate a problem, sit back and wait for a reaction, then conveniently provide the solution. I am not saying that the killing of Mark Duggan was a part of some master plan but the aftermath certainly allowed the government to do what governments like to do best, find ways to increase their control over the populace. Now there is talk about the Public Order Act granting special powers which, like most special powers, will soon get used in situations for which they were never intended. In the UK we had the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act which was designed to allow authorities to intercept phone and e-mail data and use CCTV to spy on suspected criminals, particularly terrorists, but was soon used to prosecute people for not putting their litter in the correct bin.

The question arises, why would the government want an excuse to make water cannon and rubber bullets acceptable to the public? Not to tackle a bunch of opportunistic thugs who, as we saw, were dealt with perfectly well once proper policing was applied. No, what really scares those in power is the thought of the proper working class (those who actually work, not the underclass who claim that title) and middle classes taking to the streets which, according to many reports, is a likely outcome of the current financial disaster created by our rulers and their banker friends. Any measures bought in to deal with inner city low life will be available for use when middle England finally and justifiably says enough is enough and takes to the streets.

Further info:

Related articles

• Is it time to send in the Army? Or will water cannon be enough? (blogs.telegraph.co.uk)
• London riots: send in water cannon to clear streets, Theresa May told (telegraph.co.uk)
• Cameron: Police can use water cannon (guardian.co.uk)
• UK rioters might turn to guns – political analyst (rt.com)
• What next to tackle the riots? Curfew? Water cannon? Army? (guardian.co.uk)
• Cameron Pledges Riot ‘Fightback’ as Water Cannons Readied (businessweek.com)
• London riots: water cannons to be used on ‘sick society’ (telegraph.co.uk)
• London riots: Britain weighs personal freedoms against need to keep order – Washington Post (news.google.com)

Now do you see it?

The Honda motorcycle rider was travelling at approximately 85mph.
The VW driver was talking on a cell phone when she pulled out from a side street, apparently not seeing the motorcycle. The rider’s reaction time was not sufficient enough to avoid this accident.

The car had two passengers and the bike rider was found INSIDE the car with them.
The Volkswagen actually flipped over from the force of impact and landed 20 feet from where the collision took place.

All three involved (two in the car and the bike rider) were killed instantly.

This graphic demonstration was placed at the Motorcycle Fair by the Police and Road Safety Department..

Pass this on to car drivers or soon to be new drivers, or new motorcycle owners AND ESPECIALLY EVERYONE YOU KNOW WHO HAS A MOBILE PHONE!

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Save a life!

Stop talking on mobile phones and texting while trying to drive.

The life you save may be your own….. or mine…