Rhubarb, rhubarb ......

Last week we got a new rhubarb plant from 'Col's Car Boot' so we have fingers crossed that we'll finally get an established plant. This new one looks already pretty large and healthy and a big bargain at £4.

Today I concentrated on planting the final batch of onion sets - a mixed batch of red, yellow and white onions. A final digging and a good quantity of chicken manure will hopefully give the sets every chance of developing well.

The weather has continued to be warm and dry but the coming week could be cooler (some frosts at night) and possibly a little wetter.

The greenhouse looks good and virtually everything is off to a good start with the exception of the tomatoes and chillies which I covered with vermiculite. So much for good advice? There are plenty of alternative tomato seeds but I used the whole of a very small packet of hot chilli seeds so may have to track down some more very quickly and plant them more conventionally.

The brassica seedlings look good and will need potting on soon, as did the nasturtium seedlings which now have their own individual pots and can grow on protected by the greenhouse before they can be planted out.

The broad beans are growing well in their pots as are the two trays of cut-and-come-again lettuce. I need to keep sowing new trays though to keep a continuity going through the year.

During the week I'll try to get the final batch of Charlotte potatoes in and the Picasso maincrop variety. I'll get it done anyway at the weekend and we're still on a very good schedule.

A lot happening at the allotment

With the weather unbelievably warm and dry there was no excuse not to get a lot done at the allotment.

Specifically, the First Early potatoes (Lady Christl) are planted in 2 x 10 next to the asparagus beds.

I've replanted several of the wallflowers towards the front of the plot for some early colour and brought many back for our garden and for Kay and Mick.

We'll have a salad crop strip on the far left side as you look at the plot with over-wintered Veneziana lettuce leading the way and newly planted beetroot and radish salad close behind. The spinach and chard from last year still look good, as do the over-wintered garlic and red onions. I've ordered more so hope we can cope with the quantity.

The fruit trees are starting to grow, as are the raspberry canes and red and black currant bushes from last year. Even the strawberry plants under the soon-to-be-moved fruit cage look pretty good so I think the answer this year is just LOTS of water.

Over the next day or two I'll finish planting the potatoes and hope that it won't be too long before the greenhouse-based broad beans can be moved outside. Seeds recently planted include sweet corn, cabbage, purple sprouting, sprouts, courgette (green and yellow) tomatoes, chillies and I'll try to keep up with sowings of whatever can be sown over the next week or two (in pots or directly outside).

Here are a few photos showing partial glimpses of the somewhat bare plot and a man leaning awkwardly against an almond tree!

Potato varieties

For a couple of weeks we've had the seed potatoes chitting in the conservatory. We've bought them from Thompson & Morgan which will make them a bit more expensive but they do offer a big range and good descriptions in their catalogues and on-line.

First early = Lady Christl
Salad potato = Charlotte
Early maincrop = Picasso

I've nearly got all the green manure dug in now and the ground should be ready for the potatoes when the time comes. Judging by last year I had planted them all by the end of the 1st week of April and I'm expecting it to be very similar this year.

Spring round the corner

There's definitely a feeling that Spring is fast approaching now. I've sown broad beans, sweet peas and nasturtiums in pots for the greenhouse and will plan carefully for the next few weeks to get other crops underway.

The garlic and onion sets in pots near the greenhouse all look pretty healthy and have got off to a great start before I plant them in the allotment. The onions and garlic which over-wintered there also look good so I'm hoping for more productive results than last year. The more I think about it I think the disappointment was largely down to under-watering, which also had a very adverse effect on the beans amongst other things.

I've made a good start on chopping down the green manure and getting it dug in. I'll try to get that finished in the next week because it will then take a month before seeds can be sown direct, though there's plenty of other ground which did not have green manure on it which can be used in the meantime.

Then there's the matter of moving the 'fruit cage' which I'll get Stu to give me a hand with shortly.

Parsnips and chillis

With the garlic (Vallelado) and onion sets (Electric Red) planted on the allotment, the over-wintering lettuces thriving under the fleece and the Hungarian Rye green mature growing really well, the plot is still looking good and productive.

The parsnips are quite small but look and taste good, as do the chilis though the larger ones (Rokita) are definitely not the hot ones (Ring o' Fire).

End of season update

After last week's Indian Summer it is beginning to look like Autumn is not far off now.

Still in the ground are leeks, chard, beetroot, squash and one or two courgettes.  To overwinter I've planted garlic (red onions to follow next week) and some winter lettuce which were grown from seed in trays and hopefully (under plastic hoops and fleece) will survive the winter and thrive in early spring.

Also, I've sown Hungarian Rye Grass as green manure in the remaining parts of the allotment but am hoping to get some horse manure too thanks to our next door neighbour whose sister happens to own a horse! I'll borrow a trailer for the weekend soon and we'll get a couple of loads, one each, or even more if we have the energy.  It'll certainly be worthwhile and all we have to do is choose a weekend when we're both free and when the weather is likely to be fine.

busy bird bath