Paraffin for the Greenhouse Heater and Ailsa Craig Onions

To the Allotment Shop

The recent cold weather has been making my paraffin heater work overtime, so down to the allotment shop for another two gallons. I think my plants will have to put up with slightly colder conditions because a fiver a week is a bit much!

I mentioned the shortfall in the potatoes from last week and was given a kilo of Arran Pilot in compensation. Good for them. I also officially joined the association – realised I’ve never actually joined although I’ve been attending the monthly meetings.

I bought a couple of pounds worth of shallots – I always think of them as ‘the posh onion’. They do tend to keep really well though.

Another 75 Onions

Transplanted about half of the Ailsa Craig seedling onions into modules. This gave me a problem in the greenhouse. Where to fit them? So, the brassicas move into the coldframe and the garlic moves out of the coldframe here to the coldframe on the plot.

This involved fixing the coldframe lid, again. I bought it off ebay. You can buy them in the shops for around ?50.00 but I think I’d be wild if I’d paid that much for it.

Despite being treated with Cuprinol the wood has warped so that the polycarbonate has sprung. Still, it’s providing shelter for the garlic in pots and hopefully getting them ahead of the curve.

To the plot

When I took the garlic down to the plot, I noticed my neighbours have put up the most amazing scarecrow. Lucky the camera was in the car. I don’t normally take the car to the plot being as it is more trouble than walking the 200 yards, but it is easier when you’ve a load of pots than making six journeys.

More covers

Val returned from the shops with a dozen clear plastic lids for seedtrays – bit more padding for my baby onions now the heating is being turned down.