Given the horrible weather over the past couple of weekends, and the fact I now have to work for a living during the week, this was the first chance I've had to get the garlic and onions in the ground. A couple of bags of manure from the garden centre (expensive but convenient) got dug in to most of the beds and then the garlic (elephant and Monte Christo) and onions (red) went in.
The leeks still aren't ready (again) so the next lot I plant will have a load of manure in the bottom of the trench in case they aren't getting fed enough.
Spinach as ever is still running wild so got a number 1 all over to keep it in check ;-)
Back in front of the fire now as it's not getting above freezing out there for the foreseeable future :(
Saturday, 29 November 2008
Monday, 1 September 2008
Spuds ahoy
The second bed of spuds I planted (and didn't water with weedkiller apparently) fared much better than the first set. Two spud plants gave me a plantpot full which is what I got out of two six foot rows in the other bed. These are pink fir apples I think (well.. they're pink).
I also managed to rescue a handful of radishes from the slugs/rabbits who have been tucking into them like mad.
Tomatoes are coming along well too with plum, cherry, and big 'uns all looking like good chutney material.
The courgettes are doing less well with only one or two on each plant.
The garlic that flowered finally started shrivelling up so I dug it up to find individual bulbs, or very small clusters. Definately not as good as the first bed which at least formed recognisable bulbs. All of them are now in the coldframe drying as we haven't had a day without rain for ages.
And as per usual, several more barrow loads of weeds but the end is in sight with them now I've laid down some more woodchips and weed membrane to stop them coming back again a week later.
I also managed to rescue a handful of radishes from the slugs/rabbits who have been tucking into them like mad.
Tomatoes are coming along well too with plum, cherry, and big 'uns all looking like good chutney material.
The courgettes are doing less well with only one or two on each plant.
The garlic that flowered finally started shrivelling up so I dug it up to find individual bulbs, or very small clusters. Definately not as good as the first bed which at least formed recognisable bulbs. All of them are now in the coldframe drying as we haven't had a day without rain for ages.
And as per usual, several more barrow loads of weeds but the end is in sight with them now I've laid down some more woodchips and weed membrane to stop them coming back again a week later.
Monday, 11 August 2008
Bean feast
Yet more weeding, and an ideal demonstration of just how fast spinach grows. I cut the bed down almost to the ground just over a week ago, and came back today to find this:-
It had all started going to seed so I cut it all back again to give some fresh spinach in another few days.
The French beans also gave me a few more than last years dismal harvest.
The spud harvest was rubbish though. All the tops died off which is a sign that they are ready, but on digging them up I ended up with less than I planted in the first place which isn't the best.
I reckon the weedkiller killed off the plants before most of them started making spuds. The other bed looks a bit healthier so I'm hoping they turn out a bit better.
The joint bean and pea experiment over on Louises plot is coming on great guns.
It had all started going to seed so I cut it all back again to give some fresh spinach in another few days.
The French beans also gave me a few more than last years dismal harvest.
The spud harvest was rubbish though. All the tops died off which is a sign that they are ready, but on digging them up I ended up with less than I planted in the first place which isn't the best.
I reckon the weedkiller killed off the plants before most of them started making spuds. The other bed looks a bit healthier so I'm hoping they turn out a bit better.
The joint bean and pea experiment over on Louises plot is coming on great guns.
Sunday, 13 July 2008
Cabbages and more cabbages
The radish seeds that I planted a couple of weeks are all starting to sprout so will need to be thinned out in a week or so. The spring onions I planted next to them however have not come up at all so I planted some cabbages (Ormskirk Late) which should really be planted last month, but were the only thing I had to hand. Some more cabbages (tundra) went into a seed tray in the back garden so at least if the lot on the plot die off like all the other seeds have, I may get a crop at home.
The fruit bushes (black and red currants) at the end of the plot have done really well and are covered in berries.
There are enough for severally ice-cream laden puddings of these which I'll be tucking into over the next week or so.
The garlic has died off now so I've dug one bed of it out and laid the bulbs out to dry in the sun (forecast for the whole of the next week). When I've removed the weeds from the bed, I'll pop some turnips in there to keep me in soupy staples over winter.
The tomato plants sourced by the ever resourceful Louise are coming on really well and bulking up ready to supply me with copious quantities of chutney ingredients over the summer.
Finally, the French beans that were hit by weedkiller are recovering a little and have been joined by some peas from the coldframe which I hope do better than last years harvest.
The fruit bushes (black and red currants) at the end of the plot have done really well and are covered in berries.
There are enough for severally ice-cream laden puddings of these which I'll be tucking into over the next week or so.
The garlic has died off now so I've dug one bed of it out and laid the bulbs out to dry in the sun (forecast for the whole of the next week). When I've removed the weeds from the bed, I'll pop some turnips in there to keep me in soupy staples over winter.
The tomato plants sourced by the ever resourceful Louise are coming on really well and bulking up ready to supply me with copious quantities of chutney ingredients over the summer.
Finally, the French beans that were hit by weedkiller are recovering a little and have been joined by some peas from the coldframe which I hope do better than last years harvest.
Tuesday, 24 June 2008
Absolutely Radishing
Everything that I planted on the plot recently appears to have died, coinciding with all the grass on the plot next to me being killed off.
Coincidence? Who knows. Anyhoo, today was spent replanting some stuff in order to get something off my plot this year.
A line of radishes and another of spring onions went in at the front of the plot in a trench filled with John Innes compost to give them a fighting chance of getting out of the ground.
Another load of carrots also went in to replace the lot that didn't even germinate the first time round.
The fruit bushes at the end of the plot are coming on in leaps an bounds.
These are blackcurrants. The little ribena men did a runner as I got close so these are just the ones that where asleep.
These are the redcurrants next to them
And finally the raspberries that I planted and promptly died last year have come good.
The garlic is almost cooked as well. I picked some last weekend and roasted them as per Mr H.F. Wittingstalls instructions. Sweet as a nut !!!!
The rest will be pulled over the next couple of weeks, some for fresh, some to dry to keep the vampires away on the dark winter nights.
I also cut down another couple of barrow loads of weeds. I've got a cracking crop this year!
Coincidence? Who knows. Anyhoo, today was spent replanting some stuff in order to get something off my plot this year.
A line of radishes and another of spring onions went in at the front of the plot in a trench filled with John Innes compost to give them a fighting chance of getting out of the ground.
Another load of carrots also went in to replace the lot that didn't even germinate the first time round.
The fruit bushes at the end of the plot are coming on in leaps an bounds.
These are blackcurrants. The little ribena men did a runner as I got close so these are just the ones that where asleep.
These are the redcurrants next to them
And finally the raspberries that I planted and promptly died last year have come good.
The garlic is almost cooked as well. I picked some last weekend and roasted them as per Mr H.F. Wittingstalls instructions. Sweet as a nut !!!!
The rest will be pulled over the next couple of weeks, some for fresh, some to dry to keep the vampires away on the dark winter nights.
I also cut down another couple of barrow loads of weeds. I've got a cracking crop this year!
Saturday, 31 May 2008
Baking hot spuds
The spuds are making cracking progress on the allotment now so today was spent earthing them up as per the recipe book.
These are the early crop and there's another bed of later ones which are not quite so well developed but should keep me in mash, chips, and other spuddy delights later on in the year.
The onions that went in at the bag end of last year have now done their stuff and half of them turned into leeks which makes me thinks they may not have been onions in the first place. The red onions are left out on the bed drying out so they will keep better, and the leeks will be cooked up with a bit of butter for my tea.
The second lot of seeds planted in the coldframe and protected by swathes of slug pellets have come good, and another few snails went to meet their maker. Top left are dwarf beans, top right are courgettes, and left middle are beetroots. Bottom left are sliverskin onions which are taking a bit longer but are just poking their heads above the soil, and the tray on the right is leeks, again a bit slower to start.
The rasberry canes that went in last year and promptly died also seem to be making a good recovery and should give me enough for a mr kipling style individual fruit pie.
The salsify has finally flowered and matches the pictures on the web so I'll have a go at harvesting it shortly. With a root that is 3ft long it may take some doing though!!!
After all that hard work, I retired home for a well earned greasy spoon.
These are the early crop and there's another bed of later ones which are not quite so well developed but should keep me in mash, chips, and other spuddy delights later on in the year.
The onions that went in at the bag end of last year have now done their stuff and half of them turned into leeks which makes me thinks they may not have been onions in the first place. The red onions are left out on the bed drying out so they will keep better, and the leeks will be cooked up with a bit of butter for my tea.
The second lot of seeds planted in the coldframe and protected by swathes of slug pellets have come good, and another few snails went to meet their maker. Top left are dwarf beans, top right are courgettes, and left middle are beetroots. Bottom left are sliverskin onions which are taking a bit longer but are just poking their heads above the soil, and the tray on the right is leeks, again a bit slower to start.
The rasberry canes that went in last year and promptly died also seem to be making a good recovery and should give me enough for a mr kipling style individual fruit pie.
The salsify has finally flowered and matches the pictures on the web so I'll have a go at harvesting it shortly. With a root that is 3ft long it may take some doing though!!!
After all that hard work, I retired home for a well earned greasy spoon.
Sunday, 25 May 2008
The rain in spain falls mainly on my allotment
The rain has set in for the day but rather bizarrely I had to wander up to water the plants (the ones in the cold frame not getting the benefit of all this water). I had replanted all of the things that got nicked out of there previously and sprinkled a goodly proportion of slug pellets all over the area. This appears to have caught the culprits which were loads of snails who came back for seconds and didn't make it home.
I dug all the small leeks out of the plot as they didn't get any bigger and processed them into leek/potato and ham soup which was scrummy.
All of the plots are now weeded so it's custard creams all the way to the finish line now :)
I dug all the small leeks out of the plot as they didn't get any bigger and processed them into leek/potato and ham soup which was scrummy.
All of the plots are now weeded so it's custard creams all the way to the finish line now :)
Monday, 5 May 2008
A day without rain
A bank holiday and the sun is out. The weather really has gone screwy!!!
Another load of weeding today and more seeds in the ground.
The onion patch was supplemented by two rows of spring onions from Louise's mega seed collection, varieties to be confirmed when I don't leave the seed packets up in the shed.
The broccoli/cabbage patch produced a grand total of no cabbages and no broccoli (it went to seed) so all that came out and a row of petit pois was slipped in.
The peas and beans in my cold frame have not fared too well.
The module tray at the top did contain peas and beans, but as you can see something came in and nicked the lot. As the cold frame was sealed I suspect mice have somehow tunneled in and nabbed the lot. I'll have to plant another batch in the spare room and get them to grow on a bit to defeat the little blighters.
A bed of parsnips and carrots also went in next to the cold frame once an enormous number of weeds was removed from the bed.
The beds with stuff in them are still growing well.
Despite this being a bit overgrown, the bits on the left that look like spring onions are garlic. The bits in the middle that have long flat leaves are salsify (or weeds... one of the two). And the purple thing on the right is Kale which has gone to seed. D'oh.
And this is another bed full of different types of garlic, and a few weeds which I'll get to in time.
The last thing that is still doing OK is the spinach bed which I keep cutting back but it carries on growing like mad.
Later this week more weeding, and an investigation of the cold frame to find and block up charlie tunnel.
Another load of weeding today and more seeds in the ground.
The onion patch was supplemented by two rows of spring onions from Louise's mega seed collection, varieties to be confirmed when I don't leave the seed packets up in the shed.
The broccoli/cabbage patch produced a grand total of no cabbages and no broccoli (it went to seed) so all that came out and a row of petit pois was slipped in.
The peas and beans in my cold frame have not fared too well.
The module tray at the top did contain peas and beans, but as you can see something came in and nicked the lot. As the cold frame was sealed I suspect mice have somehow tunneled in and nabbed the lot. I'll have to plant another batch in the spare room and get them to grow on a bit to defeat the little blighters.
A bed of parsnips and carrots also went in next to the cold frame once an enormous number of weeds was removed from the bed.
The beds with stuff in them are still growing well.
Despite this being a bit overgrown, the bits on the left that look like spring onions are garlic. The bits in the middle that have long flat leaves are salsify (or weeds... one of the two). And the purple thing on the right is Kale which has gone to seed. D'oh.
And this is another bed full of different types of garlic, and a few weeds which I'll get to in time.
The last thing that is still doing OK is the spinach bed which I keep cutting back but it carries on growing like mad.
Later this week more weeding, and an investigation of the cold frame to find and block up charlie tunnel.
Thursday, 24 April 2008
Good old english weather
Due to the forecast for the day being rather nice the plan so cunning etc etc was to spend some time on the allotment weeding the beds. However, when the hailstones started I realised that the weatherman was a little bit out with his prediction so spent the afternoon in the garage listening to Planet Rock and planting seeds that can't go straight in the ground.
In the propagator are such diverse elements as:-
Tomatoes - Super Marmande, Golden Sunrise, Ailsa Craig, Gardner's Delight.
Brussel Sprouts - Bitesize
Savoy Cabbage - Resolution.
In the seed trays which will go up in the cold frame on the allotment are:-
French Climbing Beans - Sultana
Cauliflower - Igloo, Romanesco, Trevi
Rhubarb - Early Red.
Peas - Misc
The peas are the ones I dried from the plot last year which, so the word on the street goes, work with that particular sort of soil as they've grown there once already. If that doesn't prove to be the case then Louise's custard cream ration will have to be re-evaluated ;-)
Directly into the ground will go carrots, parsnips, onions (spring and otherwise) and any other seeds I have left over in my secret stash.
Now for a large jam scone to replenish all those calories sat in the comfy chair in the garage. It's a hard life... it really is.
In the propagator are such diverse elements as:-
Tomatoes - Super Marmande, Golden Sunrise, Ailsa Craig, Gardner's Delight.
Brussel Sprouts - Bitesize
Savoy Cabbage - Resolution.
In the seed trays which will go up in the cold frame on the allotment are:-
French Climbing Beans - Sultana
Cauliflower - Igloo, Romanesco, Trevi
Rhubarb - Early Red.
Peas - Misc
The peas are the ones I dried from the plot last year which, so the word on the street goes, work with that particular sort of soil as they've grown there once already. If that doesn't prove to be the case then Louise's custard cream ration will have to be re-evaluated ;-)
Directly into the ground will go carrots, parsnips, onions (spring and otherwise) and any other seeds I have left over in my secret stash.
Now for a large jam scone to replenish all those calories sat in the comfy chair in the garage. It's a hard life... it really is.
Saturday, 19 April 2008
Get in there.... you spuddy beauties
A few days without rain so headed up the the allotment to get the spuds into the ground at last. This year I have Pink Fir Apples, Lady Balfour, Juliette, and Epicure which should give me spuds over a few months.
I also started weeding the plot which has been over run with grass while I've not been looking. The spinach bed, which is typical of the others which have gone wild looks like this:-
The onion bed which I have just worked over did look the same (but with onions in place of the spinach obviously) and now is much neater.
My garlic bed is also coming on a treat and got another helping of chicken poo pellets. Louise traded some of her rhubarb for some chicken poo on her garlic as well. I think I got the tastier end of that bargain :)
The leeks are not doing a cotton picking thing so I picked the biggest ones for my tea and will turn the rest into soup or equivalent.
The jersualem artichokes I forgot about don't seem to have done much at all so I'm leaving them in the ground to give a bigger crop next year. They should provide a decent windbreak at least for the rest of the plot.
I also started weeding the plot which has been over run with grass while I've not been looking. The spinach bed, which is typical of the others which have gone wild looks like this:-
The onion bed which I have just worked over did look the same (but with onions in place of the spinach obviously) and now is much neater.
My garlic bed is also coming on a treat and got another helping of chicken poo pellets. Louise traded some of her rhubarb for some chicken poo on her garlic as well. I think I got the tastier end of that bargain :)
The leeks are not doing a cotton picking thing so I picked the biggest ones for my tea and will turn the rest into soup or equivalent.
The jersualem artichokes I forgot about don't seem to have done much at all so I'm leaving them in the ground to give a bigger crop next year. They should provide a decent windbreak at least for the rest of the plot.
Friday, 21 March 2008
March Madness
First visit in a while to the plot as it's been either very cold or very wet for ages. The soil was still waterlogged so I stuck it out for an hour or so turning over some plots to put the wet stuff on the top and the dry stuff underneath.
Too cold ( and snow forcast!!!) to pop the spuds in yet so took a few snaps to show where the plot starts after a year of work on it.
This is the plot from the road. Compared to last year, all the beds are formed, all the paths are in, there's a coldframe for raising things that are a bit fragile, and there is a coffee table and chairs for those custard cream moments.
The garlic bed is coming on a treat, now being the size it was at the end of last season, with another 6 months growth in it yet. Should keep the vampires at bay (there were none on the plot so it's obviously working.
The leeks are still failing to bulk up, despite the ones on my neighbours plot coming on in leaps and bounds when planted at the same time. This year I'll plant them in another bed and make sure there's plenty of pork pies dug in to feed em well and make them bulk up. Well it's worked with me ;-)
Seeds to sort out this weekend ready for planting in april when they shouldn't get killed off by the nasty frost.
Too cold ( and snow forcast!!!) to pop the spuds in yet so took a few snaps to show where the plot starts after a year of work on it.
This is the plot from the road. Compared to last year, all the beds are formed, all the paths are in, there's a coldframe for raising things that are a bit fragile, and there is a coffee table and chairs for those custard cream moments.
The garlic bed is coming on a treat, now being the size it was at the end of last season, with another 6 months growth in it yet. Should keep the vampires at bay (there were none on the plot so it's obviously working.
The leeks are still failing to bulk up, despite the ones on my neighbours plot coming on in leaps and bounds when planted at the same time. This year I'll plant them in another bed and make sure there's plenty of pork pies dug in to feed em well and make them bulk up. Well it's worked with me ;-)
Seeds to sort out this weekend ready for planting in april when they shouldn't get killed off by the nasty frost.
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