Tales from Area 52

Home
United Kingdom
Bierley
Tales from Area 52

We are a leading supplier of hanging baskets to domestic and business customers in the Bradford area

29/10/2026

Ey up everyone, the huge manure pile that I recently gained access to will soon be gone as it’s due to be spread on the fields. As a result I was there early on this morning filling my boots while I have the chance and tomorrow I’ll take it over to Area 52.
Back at home I’ve been cutting back in the spring woodland border and replanting a few Hellebores. I was actually surprised to find a couple of these plants already flowering which is rather unusual for the time of year,
This part of the garden was heavily mulched with shredded bark last autumn and over those 12 months it has rotted down, adding nutrition to the soil which is never dug. Once the remainder of this border is finished the whole area will be mulched again.

26/10/2026

Ey up everyone, I have a good idea of the vegetables and flowers that I’ll be growing next year, but between them all there’s one particular beggar that keeps beating me, and that’s the Meconopsis. Better known as the Himalayan Poppy, this plant is much admired due to its blue flowers, for as we all know, blue is the colour. I’ve tried on several occasions to grow this plant from seed and each time I’ve failed. However, I’m not one to give up as I’d love to have these in the garden.

26/10/2026

Ey up everyone, the Garlic I planted in cell trays a few weeks ago has grown sufficiently enough to be planted outside and that will be one of my tasks at Area 52 tomorrow.
A bed has already been semi-prepared, all I have to do is add a fresh layer of soil on top of the manure before planting the individual cloves. Drainage is important when growing Garlic as it doesn’t like to sit in wet ground and I have added grit under the manure. What Garlic really needs over the autumn/winter period is cold weather which encourages the bulb to split into sections as it grows.

18/10/2026

Ey up everyone, a couple of years ago I came across a locally bred Echinacea which was named ‘absolutely fabulous’, a dreadful comedy programme that I found about as funny as running out of lavatory paper.
The Echinacea has flourished in the large pot where it lives and it has flowered beautifully all summer. However, it’s gone over for the year and the dead flower heads have produced plenty of viable seed.
Rather than let the seed go to waste I’ve collected a fair of it and once it’s completely dry it will be stored, prior to sowing in the spring.

16/10/2026

Ey up everyone, early this morning I was just up the road filling my 70 Ltr tubs with well rotted farmyard manure that is very kindly produced by the horses belonging to a very good friend of ours. From there it was over to Area 52 to get the manure into some more of the raised beds. As in a previous post, half of the soil was removed from 3 more beds, a thick layer of manure added, the soil put back and the surface dressed with another layer of manure.
8 raised beds await a similar treatment and I hope to get them sorted before a local contractor arrives to spread the remainder of the manure heap on the fields.
All of this preparatory work will be of huge benefit next year given the range of vegetables I plan to grow. The deeper layer of manure will act as a slow release fertiliser and add structure and beneficial bacteria to the soil. The surface layer of manure will be worked in during the autumn and winter by both the worms and the weather.
Intensive farming is hugely damaging to soil, soil, not helped by the constant use of artificial fertilisers and research is showing that plants are taking up 20% less in essential nutrients due to their use. I’m happy to stick with the principle of producing organic fruit and vegetables that taste so much better than supermarket produce.

13/10/2026

Ey up everyone, a stint at Area 52 has seen me doing some preparation on the raised beds for next years crops.
Despite the recent rains the soil in the beds below 4 inches (10 cm) is still quite dry and testament to the weather conditions this summer. Therefore I’ve started to dig over a foot of soil (30 cm) out of the deeper beds and then placing a 6 inch deep (15 cm) layer of well rotted horse manure at the bottom. Then it’s a case of putting the removed topsoil back before mulching with another layer of manure.
The top mulch will be worked into the upper layer of soil by the weather and worms, although I am planning to cover these beds over the winter with sheets of plain brown cardboard that will keep weeds down. Such cardboard is rich in carbon, and as it rots down the carbon is added to the soil.
The thick layer of manure under these upper layers will act as a slow release fertiliser and also a sponge next year, just in case we have a similar summer.

09/10/2026

Ey up everyone, Squashes were one of our successes this year despite the hot weather.
These are greedy plants, requiring plenty of food and water and had I been better prepared I could have grown a wider range and got a better crop. As a result I’ve earmarked three of the deepest raised beds at Area 52 for next years plants.
I got all excited on Wednesday morning when I gained access to a massive pile of well rotted horse manure and I transported a van load over to Area 52 today. The plan over the next week, apart from going back for more is to remove half of the soil in the selected beds, put in a generous layer of manure at least a foot thick and then put the soil back on top.
Once the roots get into this layer of manure there is a continuous supply of food and the manure also acts as a sponge, which means plenty of liquid to drink.
Apart from the usual suspects I plan to try a couple of extra varieties such as ‘Jeane et Vert’ a heirloom Patty Pan Squash that is white skinned with attractive green stripes.
Then there’s ‘Goosebumps’ that should lend itself well to Halloween.

07/10/2026

Ey up everyone, last night saw me at the Saville Arms in Hunsworth Village judging the Leeks & Onions for the Hunsworth Allotment Group. The first Tuesday in October is the culmination of a year’s work for the Group as they faithfully tend to the vegetable seedlings that I grow for them every year.
Last year I was pleasantly surprised by the standard they had achieved given how warm the summer had been, but the conditions this year have been so much hotter, certainly not conducive for growing exhibition vegetables and every one of the entrants must be congratulated for their efforts.
However, they managed to easily surpass last year’s exhibits and I have to say it was by far the hardest show to judge as so many of the exhibits were so close to the major prizes on offer. Fortunately there was a fellow judge to assist in the deliberations and we were both thankful that we weren’t judging this solo.
Although the members are keen, it’s all taken in great fun on the night and they are a lovely group of people. It all starts again on 26th December, Boxing Day being the traditional day for sowing exhibition Onion seeds.

05/10/2026

Ey up everyone, the recent weather has helped to speed up the ripening process as we continue to harvest our fruit and vegetables.
The skins on the various Squashes have now hardened sufficiently for them to be stored in a cool dry place until they are required for the kitchen.
Apples can be eaten now, but the Pears will have to wait a little longer as this particular fruit does not ripen on the tree. A gentle manipulation of each fruit determines if they are ready for picking as they come away from the branches very easily. They will now be left on a sunny shelf to ripen until ready to eat. I also suspect that some of them are destined for Angela’s Butternut Squash and Pear soup.

04/10/2026

Ey up everyone, once the Garlic was planted it was on with the Onion sets, the variety being Senshyu Yellow. I followed the same procedure in planting them as I did with the Garlic, in cell trays of 6.
Senshyu is a Japanese bred Onion that can be planted out in autumn and can cope with temperatures as low as -18 degrees Celsius.
They will be covered now and again with horticultural fleece and all being well they will provide a crop in early summer next year before the main crop is ready for harvest.

Address

Waggon House Farm, Shetcliffe Lane
Bierley
BD46QJ

Website

http://www.hangingbasketsbradford.co.uk/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Tales from Area 52 posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.