Slow and Steady Wins the Race

It would appear that other members of PAMELA are currently streets ahead in terms of the size of the veg. I know where I have gone wrong and am looking forward to next year already. Still there is still a ray of hope for this year, she is still growing an inch a day in all directions.

maybe I will start singing to it?

Gourd Lord (oh there's more...)

A recent phone call to the BBC has rectified any misunderstandings. I am now growing pumpkins (not marrows) and I am entered into the nation pumpkin show.
I heard Terry Wogan and friends the other day on Radio 2 discussing how much they were looking forward to the show next year. If I was n't nervous enough about showing my wares to the nation but now I have images of Tezza at home with a sherry squaking eurovision style japes at me puny pumpkin.
Since my last post I have severed all the weaker and smaller pumpkins, a kind of ethnic cleansing, to gear all the power to into the one remaining uber pumpkin.
Anyway here are some recent pictures (notice the giant not included to keep the fellow competitors guessing).

A sleeping giant

Off with their heads

Pump it up

Here is a quick glimse at the world champion pumpkin when she was just an infant.



" the triffid"

Epiphany

Its July and the sun is shining. I just recorded 34 degrees C in the garden. These are the days of milk and honey for us allotmenteers, or at least they would be if I had planted more stuff. I am rueing the lack of planning and I am already looking into next year to maximise the yeild and minimise the workload.. The guy in the next plot seems to turn up now and again, whisper a few words of advice, and everything knows exactly what to do. Whereas I am battling with weeds and cursing mother earth. With this in mind next year I plan to see the allotment as more of a way of life rather than a project.
Still I am pleased with everthing I have grown. This week I am dining on courgettes in my pasta, onions in my spag bol and roast pumpkin with the sunday lunch. Mmm.

This is not just a courgette, this is an organically grown hand picked courgette.

This is just an onion

Mary Pumpkins - Chim Chim Cheroo

My Nan took care of allotment while I was away for a week in Sorrento, Itlay for my sisters wedding. She very kindly left me a diary:

Friday 30th June 2006
8 watering cans used - went between 6 & 7pm.

Saturday 1st July 2006
VERY, VERY HOT DAY - Another 8 watering cans used. Spoke to lady who has a squash and she says there is no need to water everyday (but I bet she is n't growing fat squashes - OC) . All OK i think. I am Knackered

Sunday 2nd July 2006
Extremely hot am - thunderstorm in the afternoon.

Monday 3rd July 2006
Hotter than ever - 8 cans used. Pumpkin taking over the allotment. I wish I knew what to do with it. Everything else OK.

Tuesday 4th July 2006
Had my monthly blood test 12 noon. Still unbearably hot and feel very sick and faint. Only 4 cans today but every thing looks OK. Pumpkin looks like something from "Day of the Triffids".

Wednesday 5th July 2006
Cooler today, spits of rain in the morning and quite heavy in the afternoon. Did n't go to the allotment. Will go tomorrow.

Thursday 6th July 2006
Cool again. Watered the seedlings and generally looked after the pumpkin. Won't be coming tomorrow.

Sounds like the pumpkin is doing well but my Nan may be wilting.

Thanks Nanny Taylor

What's the marrow with my pumpkin?

There has been a catastrophic error made somewhere that has sent waves of confusion and resentment through the PAMELA community. The once pumpkin is now possibly a marrow??? Reports have come in from AOL (Allotment of Chumps) that Woody has handed out only marrows which would mean I have been made to look a little daft (see www.griffin147.blogspot.com for more details).

These pictures were taken a week ago, since then two more tendrils have emerged to span nearly a third of the plot.

Gulp, its like "Honey I Shrunk the Craggle" down there.

From 20 metres away...

...and this Picture was taken from a helicopter

Grumble Weeds

The allotment took a beating during the latter weeks of spring. The rain came down for 19 days and 19 nights and the weeds grew 'til my fodder was no longer visible to the human eye. But with a 3 days working like an ox I managed to pull it back.
I am visiting the allotment twice daily at the moment to water the pumpkin that is growing 10% by the day. The rhubarb has been harvested and doled out to a few freinds, the strawberries are due for picking and the onions and lettuce could feed a vegatarian army.
The competetion for best newcomer looms so I am keeping my fingers crossed for an award. The Allotment BBQ night is nearly upon us and promises to be a fine evening

Listen here fools

A message to all those who compete against me -

Listen here fools, did you not consider the magic and might of brave Organic Craggle and his lumpsome gorge of gargantuan marra's.

"Beware he who is not wary of a man who plants under the cycle of the moons"
OC - 2006

Also the Allotment of Champions could n't grow a toenail between them

Back down to earth

This week I planted 32 onions. Next week I am planting 10 lettuce.
I will also sow my carrots, parsnips and spinach. The pumpkin seeds are going into the propagater tonight...

...still living the dream

"Living the Dream"

Last night the B.B.C. arrived at Woody "the Pea's" house to get the first dose of footage of P.A.M.E.L.A. Woody was interviewed first in the garden followed by a group interview with Ste and Gavin (Allotment of Champions) , and me. A series of quickfire questions were aimed at us which we skillfully answered with some quick witted replies (I wish). The truth was that I crumbled at the first hurlde on my route to stardom. Amongst the garbled comments "cumpkins" and " h-h-hortic-c-culture" I managed to say "I was on the first rung to LIVING THE DREAM to becoming self sufficient." I really hope these comments don't make it past the edit room floor.
Apart from that I think we did a pretty good job.
The new B.B.C. programme The National Village Show will be aired some time in 2007. The idea is that they follow people throughout the growing process right through to a national competition.

"Watch this space, here come the Brummies"

Auntie gets a look in

It has been a very exciting month in the Organic Craggle Calender. Firstly the allotment is coming along very well. I have planted the raspberries, tidied the strawberries, discovered some mystery rhubarb and prepared the soil to a fine tilt. When last down there I got chatting to a kind old lady who regaled me with details of a 'Best Newcomer Award' that I was eligible for. Time to double the efforts.
In the garden I have dressed the place with hanging baskets, potted plants and a rather lavish patio chimney. Also I have bought a new BBQ and outdoor lights in anticipation of some summer evening parties.
The studying is going well and I can now bore my friends and collegues with classification and nomaclature of the Plant Kingdom and I can draw a plant cell from memory. Good skills even if I do say so myself. As part of my teaching course I am hoping to observe a horticulural session at the college where I work to get a taste of what might be my future vocation.
The "fattest pumpkin competion" has now become the "fattest marrow competion" and the union of vegetable growing brothers has been born - P.A.M.E.L.A. (Pumpkins And Marrows Extra Large Association).
Which leads me to the most mouth watering news of all. The B.B.C. has got wind of all this marlarchy, through Brother Woody (national pumkin champion two thousand and something). They have approached my learned friend this morning to help them out with a programme they are making on large vegetables. He kindly spoke of the competition and gave forward our names to be interviewed and filmed. Time to treble the efforts.

Lettuce Pray

I returned from my travels on Friday to some sad news. The once plentiful crop of lettuce has been withered to a mere fourteen. I am not sure the remaining will pull through unless I do something quickly. If they don't make I will have to put it down to lack of experience and learn from it.
The carrots look good though!
I have forked out on some eight foot wooden stakes to bash into the ground to support the raspberries. I will mallet them in just as soon as I am sure this snow has cleared.

One Man and his hoe...

I went down the allotment on Sunday morning and raked and dug and stuff. I now have four main plots in which to plant my seedlings. Each plot in 5 x 1.5m with a 0.75m wide path between them.

The Lettuce is in overdrive, a little ahead of schedule, and I have a litter of around 60-70 two leaved veggelings ready to move to the next stage - 9cm pots. The carrots are peeping through and should be ready in about a week.

Other news is that I am applying for a distance learning course in horticulture see http://www.hccollege.co.uk/courses.asp for information.

P.S

Mrs Craggle - Please remember to water the seedlings while I am away.

Dawning of a new age

So last night, under the light of a waxing Moon, me and the wife sowed our first seeds into propagators. According to hippies, for millennia people have planted and harvested according to the phases of the Moon. The Moon-watching gardener's rule of thumb is to plant crops that grow above the ground during a waxing Moon and to plant those seeds that produce crops under the ground during a waning Moon.
So the lettuce should be ready to be "pricked on" in 7-14 days and the carrots some time in the week after that. Pricking on is the term used when moving the plant into its own habitat after the initial growth has produced a two leaved seedling. Then "planting out"into the ground once five leaves are present.
There is some work to be done on the allotment this weeking in preparation for planting out. On Saturday I will be picking up some well rotted horse manure from flower fairy (see www.pink-flower-fairy.blogspot.com), raking it in and clearing stones.

Genesis

A lot has happened in the last 2 weeks. I have acquired a 17.8m by 5m allotment patch at the sum of £21 pounds a year. On my first arrival on site I was pleased to find some remanance of the previous lodger's work remained. Raspberry canes, strawberries and goos-gooses (gooseberries) were already growing although they will need some work.
I have obtained my tools and tidied my workshop (at home)
and I am now ready to pot my first seeds. I have decided to grow carrots, lettuce, spinach and of course pumpkin. Apparently, according to gingerbeardy fellow at the garden centre, if I follow the instuctions on the seed packets this growing business is a doddle. I'm not so sure however, I have taken a few precautionary measures to ensure my first years crop yield is a success.
I have purchased some special seedling compo to ensure a good healthy start and although it's not strictly organic I will endevour to find an alternative for next year. I have also dismantled some wooden pallets to build a composter to place on site.
I have taken some photos and I will publish them just as soon as I have figured out how to do it.

Orange Organics

Check out the competition www.griffin147.blogspot.com

History

Some time towards the end of last year (2005) the usual people were sat around a table in the Bulls Head, Hall Green having a discussion. Ideas such as go-kart racing, becoming detectives and flying helicopters were being banded around but one topic struck a chord with me. It began by laying down the rules to the "growing the fattest pumpkin competion". All present were eager to take part and shook hands on it. The drinking continued and the idea was probably forgotten by most.
That night lying in bed the notion came back to me and it struck me that without a garden that I did not stand a chance of winning. I would have to rent me some land.
Since the decision was made to commit to allotment patch I have likend to the idea of becoming semi-self sufficient and creating a totally organic world and finely tune the science of nature without the use for chemicals.