TheBaileyLife

Check out our Pumpkins!!!!

2006-07-10T20:40:00.000+01:00

Saturday 8th July & Sunday 9th July 2006

2006-07-10T20:31:00.000+01:00

A whole weekend down the plot and the battle of the weeds is nearly over... just got to keep at them and soon they will return no more... fingers crossed.

We are really pleased with how our crops are doing... carrots are looking good, tomatoes on their way, cucumbers starting to take and the corn is getting bigger.

This ones for Sharon!!!!

2006-07-10T20:20:00.000+01:00

My very good friend Sharon (still a regular visitor to TheBaileyLife.. but losing faith)! has kept on at me to update our blog and to be fair I have been a bit lazy with it,but those days are behind us now... we have battled the weeds and are winning and we are really moving into a great harvest period.

Just look at our crops and how much they have grown....

We've been away.. but now we're back!!!!

2006-07-10T20:17:00.000+01:00

Sorry for being a bit rubbish recently in updating our blog...not excuse apart from being busy with other things.

Just look at all the weeds that have grown.. Arghhhhhhhhhh!

Wednesday 14th June 2006

2006-06-14T13:05:00.000+01:00

Sorry to all those BaileyLife visitors for the recent lack of updates, especially to my good friend Sharon (who is also into growing...she's having a baby)!

The Bailey's have been quite busy away from the plot recently, but have still managed to get down there to do weeding, plant some Sweet Peas and Sunflowers and generally check on our crops.

We are especially please with the progress of our Pumpkins, Carrots and the plants in our Pond garden.

There are a few more pictures in the album.. so go check them out and we promise to get back on track with the regular updates

Thanks

Sunday 4th June 2006

2006-06-04T17:46:00.000+01:00

Another warm sunny day.. great for Operation Pond Garden.

We spent the whole day down the plot concentrating on our Pond/Wildlife garden.

The pond is in and we have planted some interesting plant varieties around the edges.

Once the pond water settles down and the floating plants start to oxygenate the water we are going to get some Goldfish...cool

Saturday 3rd June 2006

2006-06-04T10:36:00.000+01:00

What a glorious day...The sun is shining and the sky is blue...A perfect day for some allotment fun.

We spent the day planning our wildlife garden and just generally pottering.

Our lettuce and radish are ready to thin out and harvest. This will be our first taste of all our hard work and effort... Looks delicious

Wednesday 31st May 2006

2006-05-31T21:58:00.000+01:00

The Bailey's have bounced back from their Cucumber disaster today and taken advantage of a beautiful sunny evening to get down to Plot13.

While Poppy and Karen (from next doors plot) went on a wildlife hunt; Debs and I propogated some Sunflower & Sweetpea seeds, sowed some Beetroot & Italian Mixed Salad seeds and we even tasted our first Radish of the year..YUMMY

Poppy and Karen returned with some surprising (but sad) wildlife in the shape of a dead mole.. We gave him a proper burial (in the shed foundations) R.I.P Rolly Mole

Our crops are growing well (NEW pics in the Gallery) and we are looking forward to a nice weekend of sun and fun down the allotment

Tuesday 30th May 2006... a sad day

2006-05-31T13:28:00.000+01:00

Its a sad day today... we grabbed an hour down at the plot late yesterday afternoon and we are sad to announce that ALL our cucumbers are dead! A total cucumber massacre! They were probably still too weak to be planted out... a lesson learned for next years crop!

Thursday 25th May - Monday 29th May 2006

2006-05-31T13:22:00.000+01:00

We haven't really had much of a chance to get down the plot over the Bank Holiday weekend due to bad weather and other commitments. The time we have managed was spent planting out our Cucumbers.

We have used a small poly-tunnel to give them some extra protection for their first few days outside... fingers crossed

Wednesday 24th May 2006

2006-05-24T21:54:00.000+01:00

Another wet, damp day... surprise, surprise!!!

But a break in the weather this evening gave us just enough time to pop down the plot and get the last of the Sweetcorn in.

Our other crops are coming on nicely at their own individual rate... so rain must be good for some things!

The first bit of bright Summer colour has also appeared on Plot13 and lucky for us its...Poppies!

Tuesday 23rd May 2006

2006-05-24T13:27:00.000+01:00

Another wet and miserable day (well it was when I got home from work) so have been unable to get down to the plot.

Chelsea Flower Show starts today and it looks like it DIDN'T bring the good weather!

The RHS has a great website for the show, well worth a browse...

http://www.rhs.org.uk/chelsea/2006/index.asp

Hopefully tomorrow will be a brighter day

Saturday 20th May 2006

2006-05-21T13:08:00.000+01:00

Mum & Dad came over today for a visit and we all went to the Essex Garden Show.
They had some great stands and exhibits, you could spend a fortune at those things!

We took the folks down to the plot in the afternoon and they got stuck straight in. Dad gave me a hand repairing our bean wigwam's (knocked over by the windy weather) and Mum and Deb planted out the sweetcorn.

Friday 19th May 2006

2006-05-19T20:28:00.000+01:00

Checked out a new garden centre today and got some real bargains.

Some Sweetcorn seedlings ready to plant out, some Onion sets and a handsome Beef Tomato plant.

Straight down the plot for some digging, planting and general weeding

! GOOD NEWS !

2006-05-18T11:32:00.000+01:00

TheBaileyLife now has a Guest Book (see Links) where you can leave comments, thoughts, ideas, etc.

We look foward to reading what people think of TheBaileyLife

Thanks for visiting

Wednesday 17th May 2006

2006-05-17T21:16:00.000+01:00

A spot of rain this evening is not going to stop the Bailey's

Down the plot after work to get our new Tomato plants in. A useful tip Deb read is that Marigolds planted near tomatos are a good "partner", attracting the bugs away from the tomatos; so we put some of those between the canes...COOL

Our other crops are coming on nicely... see TheBaileyLife Photo Album for new pictures.

I'm most impressed with our Dwarf & Runner beans...going to be huge!

Tuesday 16th May 2006

2006-05-16T19:57:00.000+01:00

Got a great deal on some Tomato plants down the market near work.. 50p each!

They are Golden Sunrise variety, a type of cherry tomato... YUMMY!

They are just about ready to be planted out, so one evening this week(weather permitting) we are going to get them down to the plot and into one of our borders.

Sunday 14th May 2006

2006-05-14T21:26:00.000+01:00

Just a quick visit to the plot today got a surprise 40th Birthday to go to.

Last nights heavy rain has done the crops a good turn and at long last our carrots are showing...COOL!

Took a few pics of yesterdays work aswell.. Enjoy

Saturday 13th May 2006

2006-05-13T21:11:00.000+01:00

Great sunny day today (so much for the weather men)!

Spent a good 6 hours down the plot today...bliss

Unfortunately I forgot my camera, so you will all have to wait until tomorrows entry to see just how much we've done.

So until tomorrow.....

Friday 12th May 2006 - PM

2006-05-12T21:38:00.000+01:00

This evening it has grown a bit overcast, but there is still some work to do.
Whilst Debs got to work preparing the Cucumber bed, Poppy and I concentrated on finding our new Compost bin a suitable home.
It was the first time I'd seen our Radish, Lettuce, Runner/Dwarf Bean & Herb beds really starting to grow and it made me really proud.. great feeling

There are more pics in TheBaileyLife Photo Album... enjoy

Friday 12th May 2006 - AM

2006-05-12T21:31:00.000+01:00

We woke to another gloriously sunny day.. Our first bit of news is that our Burpless cucumber seedlings are going to need a bigger propergator!!! They are growing so,so fast.

I went off to work and Deb's hit the plot and there were even more surprises....
Our Runner & Dwarf beans have at last shown themselves.. Excellent

Wednesday 10th May 2006

2006-05-10T21:23:00.000+01:00

What a great day today....
First our Cucumber seedlings have started to sprout and they all look strong and loving the propogator life.
Then our long awaited Compost bin got delivered, all 330 litres of compost containing magic!
Then finally when we got down the plot this evening after a couple of days off due to heavy rain and other commitments everything has gone mad!
The mixed herb containers are all sprouting, the radishes and lettuce beds are sprouting and even Poppys flower baskets are leaping to life.
Good old mother nature and its refreshing rain and warm sunshine... EXCELLENT!

! SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT !

2006-05-10T10:31:00.000+01:00

The Bailey's are pleased to announce that at 7.48am this morning we became the proud harvesters of 11 Cucumber seedlings!
They all appear fine and we are anxiously awaiting the sprouting of the remaining 9 seeds.
Unfortunately we are unable to show you any photos as we are holding out for a lucrative photo deal with Gardeners World magazine!!!
More updates on their progress as and when they happen..

Sunday 7th May 2006

2006-05-07T19:02:00.000+01:00

Sunday.. a day of rest.. but not for the Bailey's!
We have been propergating today... F1 Burpless Tasty Green cucumbers to be precise.
In some small peat pots we have sown some seeds.. 20 to be precise, 1 in each pot; cover with rich compost and water in. There placed in our newly aquired propergater and in about 7-10 days they should germinate. Once we have plants with about 3-4 leaves they will be ready to harden off and plant out in Plot13... cool... as a cucumber!

Saturday 6th May 2006

2006-05-06T20:10:00.000+01:00

A wet, thundery day...not!

The Bailey family were down to Plot13 early with plenty to do.
Joe has started work on a Hedgehog house, Poppy is in charge of watering the crops.. and herself!
Debs worked over the rest of the mixed lettuce bed and sowed a number of varities.
Me... I just sat around giving orders!!!.. only joking! I done some more work on the shed foundations, bedding down the soil ready for the hardcore. I re-layed the main path running up the plot and got started on some of the other paths. Its amazing the things you can do with a plain old wooden pallet.
Rain stopped play about 4pm but we were very happy with our work.

Friday 5th May 2006

2006-05-05T21:57:00.000+01:00

So the weather forcast said rain... but it didn't! Good old weather men!
Down to Plot13 after work...spot of watering... some more work on the shed foundations and most importantly some more sowing.
Karen from the plot next door gave Poppy some Pumkin seeds so they have been planted..roll on Halloween said Poppy.
Our first row of Lettuce has also gone in and the bed is nearly ready for the other varieties to go in over the weekend.

Thursday 4th May 2006

2006-05-04T21:19:00.000+01:00

A warm sunny day today, or least thats what Debs tells me...I was in the office all day!
Down to Plot13 in the evening for a spot of much needed watering.
The mint that Chris gave us has given up and wilted (probably transplanted a bit late) so Debs worked over the area and has sown some Radish instead.
I made a start on our lettuce bed, marking out the area and turning over the soil. I added some poultry manure to improve the nutrients in the soil and just need to rake it through and remove stones and bits ready for sowing at the weekend.

Wednesday 3rd May 2006

2006-05-03T21:39:00.000+01:00

A nice warm, dry day today and our crops are thirsty.
Down to Plot 13 after work for a couple of hours. Enough time to sow some Autumn King carrots and some Marlborough leeks, do a spot of weeding, extend the raspberry cane wires and most importantly water the crops.

! IMPORTANT INFORMATION !

2006-05-03T13:57:00.000+01:00

A photo gallery is now available for TheBaileyLife and can be accessed via the link on the right hand side of this page.
Come and browse through many more photos taken on Plot13... Enjoy

Monday 1st May 2006

2006-05-01T21:35:00.000+01:00

Bank Holiday Monday and in true weather tradition... its raining!
Early afternoon and we've got sunshine over Plot13 and some serious work to get done.

Debs gets to work on some much needed weeding and laying out the paths

I've got some major shed foundation digging to do at the other end of the plot.

Our neighbours, Gareth & Karen are working hard on their plot and its coming on great.
Chris is kind enough to give us some Mint for our Herb Garden and then finds some abandoned Strawberry plants which we quickly rescue and get them straight in the ground..Good bloke is Chris.

Sunday 30th April 2006

2006-05-01T21:24:00.000+01:00

Debs and I are back from our relaxing and most enjoyable break in Edinburgh and keen to get down to Plot13 and see if anything has started to grow?
There's been a bit of rain during the week and you can already see some wild flower shoots coming through..cool
We waste no time and put in some runner beans & dwarf beans complete with their own climbing net.

Wednesday 26th April 2006

2006-04-26T09:01:00.000+01:00

Debs and I are off to Edinburgh for a few days R&R without the rest of the Bailey clan!
But we will be back at the weekend and down to Plot13 for a Bank Holiday planting, sowing, building frenzy

Sunday 23rd April 2006

2006-04-24T20:28:00.000+01:00

Woke up this morning and its the first time its rained since we took on Plot13...!
But a little rain or even a lot of rain is NOT going to stop the Bailey's!
First we visited a couple of new garden centres for ideas and to get some seeds.
Then its down to Plot13 to sow in some wild flowers, poppies and foxgloves in front of the new fence... a nice welcome to us and others in the coming Summer months.
Oh... and we also put a number 13 on our gate..just in case the postman needs to find us..Ha-ha

Saturday 22nd April 2006

2006-04-22T22:18:00.000+01:00

The sun is shining and the sky is blue and the Bailey's are off down to Plot13 for the day, and what a day it was.....!
The jobs for today are getting the fence put back up at the bottom end (Deb's found an old gate we're going to use) and maybe just maybe putting something in the ground!
We met Chris (the truck driver) and George (the allotment guru) today. They were full of helpful tips and tricks and really got us started in the right direction.
By the end of the day(thanks to George)we've sorted the fence and (thanks to Chris) got Raspberries, Garlic and Brussell sprouts in the ground.
We left Plot13 today really buzzing with excitement and some grand plans

Thursday 20th April 2006

2006-04-22T22:13:00.000+01:00

Harry (The Farmer) has been back again today and rotivated the whole plot (good bloke)!
Now it really is ready for the Bailey's to take over and start planting

Wednesday 19th April 2006

2006-04-20T13:22:00.000+01:00

The farmer (Harry) has been down to Plot 13 today with his tractor and cultivator. He's given the ground a good going over and pulled out a lot of the brambles and deep-rooted weeds.. He'll be back tomorrow to rotivate it and then the fun really begins

Monday 17th April 2006

2006-04-20T13:17:00.000+01:00

Our first day down at Plot 13.....
Poppy got herself some kiddies garden tools and is keen to start digging. Joe is looking forward to setting up his own little area to grow stuff.
It's back breaking work but at the end of a hard day Debs and I feel we have made a start and soon Plot 13 will be looking great

Sunday 16th April 2006

2006-04-20T13:14:00.000+01:00

We are doing a Car Boot sale today to raise cash for allotment supplies... mainly a shed!

Debs found a great website this evening and we have ordered our Compost Bin. A great bargain from the Essex & Suffolk Water Authority - http://trycomposting.peppercart.net/escc/index.htm

Saturday 15th April 2006

2006-04-20T13:11:00.000+01:00

Went shopping for some garden tools and came up trumps with a Spade and Fork for under a £10!!
They will be OK to start the big clearout job we have ahead of us

Wednesday 12th Apri 2006

2006-04-17T20:25:00.000+01:00

We chose our allotment today... Plot 13.. lucky!
Its going to need alot of work, but Debs and I agreed
that was part of the fun!
Can't wait to get started