A New Coldframe, Harvesting the Last Leeks

Busy Weekend But Not Too Much Time On The Plot

Saturday started with great plans to get down to the site but everyone decided to email or phone me so that before I knew it the clock struck 4pm. It hardly seemed worth going down to the plot but I had a coldframe from TwoWests delivered a few days ago so decided to put that together.

New Coldframe

Now I am not the most mechanically adept person but I thought I could have it assembled in about half an hour or three quarters, tops.

By 7pm it was finished, you do the math.

Now I’d promised to send a photo back to TwoWests so Sunday morning the coldframe was set up in various parts of the garden but just didn’t look right.  Eventually it was shot in front of the greenhouse – I hope it’s OK for them.

You may recall my other coldframe had suffered a brick through the glass in the storms and it seemed like the right time to put the replacement glass in. Unfortunately I discovered that one of the aluminium bars that holds the glass was bent beyond straightening so that’s for another day when I get a replacement.

Down to the plot with the car since I’d got the coldframe, the deep bed it sits on, the packaging, two pieces of carpet for the compost heaps and some lime in the boot, half of which belongs to Larry. The lime was a gift from an NVS member and I’ve been meaning to take it round for ages.

The cardboard got rolled and slipped into the pallets that form the sides of my compost beds, free bio-degradable insulation. The carpet was just popped on top of the heaps and then the coldframe and bed went into the greenhouse. I know that sounds daft, but I’m not sure where to put it yet. My favoured spot has a few tonnes of compost sitting on it so that’s the best place to keep things safe until I’m ready.

Last of the Leeks.

I’d still got a few leeks standing but they’re destined for a leek and potato pie and up they came. Since the patch was clear, I dug it over and the entire bed on plot 29 is now dug over.

Next a bit of weeding on the onion and garlic bed. The weeds have managed to keep growing all winter, it seems.

One of the plotholders “lost the plot” as I now know them was building some brilliant deep beds and burning some scrap wood in an incinerator bin. Well after they left I thought it was getting a little cold so I rounded up some more scrap wood and played bonfires for a bit. Yes, my arsonist side is coming to the front.