Just a quick update from yesterday. 15 pre-potted up onion sets are ready for the allotment either tomorrow or over the weekend. Also ready will be the cabbage and broccoli plants into ready prepared deep beds.
14 pots of Roi des Conserves climbing peas (with 3 or 4 peas per pot) are now in the greenhouse and if they successfully germinate they can be grown on a little until being put into the allotment where a prepared bed is waiting for them.
Thursday, 21 April 2016
Wednesday, 20 April 2016
Sunny 20th April!
After what has seemed like endless rain for the past few weeks, finally today was dry and sunny.
This was a great opportunity to check the raised beds and sieve a couple of them and apply manure to the other two.
In one of the freshly sieved beds I planted 3 rows of beetroot, 2 rows of parsnips and 1 row of radishes. They are all mini rows around 3 feet long but once (if) these seeds germinate, it'll be time to sow more beetroot elsewhere and possibly more parsnips.
I'm ready with fleece in case the night-time temperatures drop too much - something distinctly possible judging by current forecasts.
Next to reach the plot will be pre-planted red onion sets and some brassica plants with everything having had a head start.
This was a great opportunity to check the raised beds and sieve a couple of them and apply manure to the other two.
In one of the freshly sieved beds I planted 3 rows of beetroot, 2 rows of parsnips and 1 row of radishes. They are all mini rows around 3 feet long but once (if) these seeds germinate, it'll be time to sow more beetroot elsewhere and possibly more parsnips.
I'm ready with fleece in case the night-time temperatures drop too much - something distinctly possible judging by current forecasts.
Next to reach the plot will be pre-planted red onion sets and some brassica plants with everything having had a head start.
Wednesday, 6 April 2016
October 2015 update
I'll add some photos soon - especially of the chilli crop so far (Long Slim Cayenne and Ring o' Fire, both from the greenhouse) the grape crop at the allotment, and the few squash plants which made it to maturity before the plants just seemed to wither away.
The Winter brassicas are really thriving and with the protection of the new fruit cages and a good dose of slug pellets we hope they'll remain healthy until they're ready to eat.
We've been enjoying the leeks already, and the remaining ones should continue to grow a while longer before reaching their potential.
Martin and Paul gave me a big hand yesterday with a load of manure which Martin had fetched in a trailer from the place where Kay's sister keeps her horse. We've never had such a good consignment of manure so I'll make every effort to prepare the ground and spread the manure over it before winter comes.
The Winter brassicas are really thriving and with the protection of the new fruit cages and a good dose of slug pellets we hope they'll remain healthy until they're ready to eat.
We've been enjoying the leeks already, and the remaining ones should continue to grow a while longer before reaching their potential.
Martin and Paul gave me a big hand yesterday with a load of manure which Martin had fetched in a trailer from the place where Kay's sister keeps her horse. We've never had such a good consignment of manure so I'll make every effort to prepare the ground and spread the manure over it before winter comes.
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| Long Slim Cayenne (left) and Ring o' Fire (right |
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| Butternut squash, yellow courgette and Lord Lambourne apples |
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| Black grapes - maybe Black Hamburg |
2016 here we come!
Very belatedly here's an overview of work on the allotment so far this year.
Most preparation of the ground has been done at the allotment although the soil is very heavy in places after regular periods of heavy rain. Linda and I also have a plan for most parts of the plot so we'll try to stick to that as the year progresses.
First things into the plot - today, 6th April - were 8 x Arran Pilot First Early potatoes and 10 x Swift First Early potatoes. 8 to 12 weeks from now we should see some lovely new potatoes - fingers crossed. The remaining 16 x Charlotte potatoes will be planted within the next two weeks, weather permitting.
In the cold frame I have planted 15 Sutton broad beans which should be germinating any time now. In the greenhouse there are some Gardeners Delight tomato seedlings which were germinated in our own heated propagator, along with some chilli seedlings.
In the greenhouse we have red onion sets planted up in small pots to give them a protected head start before putting them in the soil.
Also in the greenhouse, two types of sweet peas are just germinating, as are some sunflowers. The brassica plug plants from DT Brown's are all thriving having been potted on in the greenhouse: 10 x Broccolli Stromboli, 10 x Cabbage Regency, 10 x Cauliflower Helsinki. Using deep beds and lime in the soil preparation, and covered with enviromesh I'll do my best to produce reasonable crops although good cauliflowers would be a super bonus! 4 x Romanesco green courgettes and 4 x yellow courgette seeds are also in the greenhouse and should germinate within the next 10 days.
Most preparation of the ground has been done at the allotment although the soil is very heavy in places after regular periods of heavy rain. Linda and I also have a plan for most parts of the plot so we'll try to stick to that as the year progresses.
First things into the plot - today, 6th April - were 8 x Arran Pilot First Early potatoes and 10 x Swift First Early potatoes. 8 to 12 weeks from now we should see some lovely new potatoes - fingers crossed. The remaining 16 x Charlotte potatoes will be planted within the next two weeks, weather permitting.
In the cold frame I have planted 15 Sutton broad beans which should be germinating any time now. In the greenhouse there are some Gardeners Delight tomato seedlings which were germinated in our own heated propagator, along with some chilli seedlings.
In the greenhouse we have red onion sets planted up in small pots to give them a protected head start before putting them in the soil.
Also in the greenhouse, two types of sweet peas are just germinating, as are some sunflowers. The brassica plug plants from DT Brown's are all thriving having been potted on in the greenhouse: 10 x Broccolli Stromboli, 10 x Cabbage Regency, 10 x Cauliflower Helsinki. Using deep beds and lime in the soil preparation, and covered with enviromesh I'll do my best to produce reasonable crops although good cauliflowers would be a super bonus! 4 x Romanesco green courgettes and 4 x yellow courgette seeds are also in the greenhouse and should germinate within the next 10 days.
Thursday, 27 August 2015
New winter brassica plants
Courtesy of DT Brown's both Mick and I bought 20 winter brassica plug plants each to try to keep the produce growing into Autumn and even Winter:.
The arrangement on our plot is as follows, starting with the smaller plant cage towards the back of the plot:
5 broccoli Rudolph purple sprouting plants + 2 cauliflower Amsterdam
In the larger plant cage adjacent to the path:
5 kale Reflex + 3 cauliflower Amsterdam + 5 cabbage Tundra
Planted with growmore raked into re-dug and firmed soil, with many slug pellets, here's hoping to some winter brassicas!
The arrangement on our plot is as follows, starting with the smaller plant cage towards the back of the plot:
5 broccoli Rudolph purple sprouting plants + 2 cauliflower Amsterdam
In the larger plant cage adjacent to the path:
5 kale Reflex + 3 cauliflower Amsterdam + 5 cabbage Tundra
Planted with growmore raked into re-dug and firmed soil, with many slug pellets, here's hoping to some winter brassicas!
Monday, 24 August 2015
August already!
This entry will be an attempt at a big catch-up over the past couple of months.
All the potatoes are now dug up and were a big success.
The tomatoes, both in the ground and in the greenhouse, have been very slow this year due to a lack of real heat and sunshine in August and late July. However, they look like they'll soon be producing red fruits, as will the chilli plants in the greenhouse as well as at the allotment.
The cucumbers are steadily producing fruits but we're not really eating so many.
Both the green and yellow courgette plants are producing plenty of fruit, especially the yellow variety, so as ever it's a question of how many we can eat and how we cook them.
The chard established itself well and hopefully will grow right until the end of the year if not longer, but the Cavalo Nero isn't looking as healthy as last year - perhaps due to less successful netting against insects and butterflies. That problem might be solved from now on thanks to Marilyn's suggestion that EnviroMesh was the thing to use. We've bought some and currently have some in use over new brassica cages (thanks to Kay's mother!) where we have planted 20 brassica plug plants from DT Brown's and which ought to mature in Autumn - we have 5 of each of Kale, cabbage, cauliflower and purple sprouting broccoli and have our fingers crossed that all the plants will survive and thrive.
The broad beans were very successful but finished first. It's hard to plant enough to really produce huge crops but what we did grow were delicious.
The climbing French beans are in full flow now and have been for two or three weeks - once again there are more than we can eat so some of them have gone to the Foodbank and others have been frozen. It'll be interesting to see how they are when we come to eat them. They will be the next bean to exhaust themselves but they are truly delicious.
The runner beans are also in full flow now and will be the latest producing beans of the three. It's the first time we've grown runner beans, perhaps never having appreciated how nice they can be, and they're not disappointing. Linda bought a bean slicer last year (to cut off any stringiness and prepare nice thin bean slices. It definitely helps make them a really nice bean.
The leaks in one of the deep beds really look like they'll be good this year. They already look sturdy and are growing well so we'll look forward to those in not too long.
The onions also are far better than in previous years. I didn't plant many as I was doubtful if they'd grow, but ought to have risked some more.
Similarly the garlic is looking good. Amazingly, it is all over-wintered bulbs which I missed last year when I was harvesting it then. We don't eat much of it but it's encouraging to know that we can grow it successfully.
Our Lord Lambourne apple tree is still a small tree but its small branches are bent over with apples and we're looking forward to them ripening and tasting nice. There are around 30 fruits at the moment.
The Victoria plum tree also seems to be thriving and has a lot of fruit again this year. It still amazes me how tall the tree is. I think there must have been a mistake over its description when we bought it as I'm sure we'd have insisted on a more dwarfing rootstock but we'll need to be careful when we prune it that we don't harm its prospects of fruiting again next year.
The Worcester Berry hedge is as prolific as ever it was last year and we've picked a lot of fruit already - stewing and eating it and also freezing some too. The blackcurrant bush has also provided a lot of fruit so far, and the raspberry canes, logan berries andmore recently the blackberries have also grown well.
All the potatoes are now dug up and were a big success.
The tomatoes, both in the ground and in the greenhouse, have been very slow this year due to a lack of real heat and sunshine in August and late July. However, they look like they'll soon be producing red fruits, as will the chilli plants in the greenhouse as well as at the allotment.
The cucumbers are steadily producing fruits but we're not really eating so many.
Both the green and yellow courgette plants are producing plenty of fruit, especially the yellow variety, so as ever it's a question of how many we can eat and how we cook them.
The chard established itself well and hopefully will grow right until the end of the year if not longer, but the Cavalo Nero isn't looking as healthy as last year - perhaps due to less successful netting against insects and butterflies. That problem might be solved from now on thanks to Marilyn's suggestion that EnviroMesh was the thing to use. We've bought some and currently have some in use over new brassica cages (thanks to Kay's mother!) where we have planted 20 brassica plug plants from DT Brown's and which ought to mature in Autumn - we have 5 of each of Kale, cabbage, cauliflower and purple sprouting broccoli and have our fingers crossed that all the plants will survive and thrive.
The broad beans were very successful but finished first. It's hard to plant enough to really produce huge crops but what we did grow were delicious.
The climbing French beans are in full flow now and have been for two or three weeks - once again there are more than we can eat so some of them have gone to the Foodbank and others have been frozen. It'll be interesting to see how they are when we come to eat them. They will be the next bean to exhaust themselves but they are truly delicious.
The runner beans are also in full flow now and will be the latest producing beans of the three. It's the first time we've grown runner beans, perhaps never having appreciated how nice they can be, and they're not disappointing. Linda bought a bean slicer last year (to cut off any stringiness and prepare nice thin bean slices. It definitely helps make them a really nice bean.
The leaks in one of the deep beds really look like they'll be good this year. They already look sturdy and are growing well so we'll look forward to those in not too long.
The onions also are far better than in previous years. I didn't plant many as I was doubtful if they'd grow, but ought to have risked some more.
Similarly the garlic is looking good. Amazingly, it is all over-wintered bulbs which I missed last year when I was harvesting it then. We don't eat much of it but it's encouraging to know that we can grow it successfully.
Our Lord Lambourne apple tree is still a small tree but its small branches are bent over with apples and we're looking forward to them ripening and tasting nice. There are around 30 fruits at the moment.
The Victoria plum tree also seems to be thriving and has a lot of fruit again this year. It still amazes me how tall the tree is. I think there must have been a mistake over its description when we bought it as I'm sure we'd have insisted on a more dwarfing rootstock but we'll need to be careful when we prune it that we don't harm its prospects of fruiting again next year.
The Worcester Berry hedge is as prolific as ever it was last year and we've picked a lot of fruit already - stewing and eating it and also freezing some too. The blackcurrant bush has also provided a lot of fruit so far, and the raspberry canes, logan berries andmore recently the blackberries have also grown well.
Sunday, 3 May 2015
Sunday 3rd May
A busy day, especially in the garden and greenhouse.
At the allotment, I planted out around 15 Roi des Conserves climbing peas against a framework made from re-cycled goal netting from Kryssie a few years ago. I'll put a photo of it on the blog soon.
Today, after heavy rain in the morning made it seem unlikely, Linda planted out most of the plants which we got yesterday from our favourite garden centre.
In the greenhouse I planted 3 different flower seeds, to start off in the propagator, as well as potted on some cucumbers, courgettes, tomatoes and chillies. Gradually it will be possible to move things from the greenhouse to the cold frame and then into the open ground, and it will be a busy time for the next few weeks.
The rain today will make it easier to dig the remaining part of the allotment which is still uncultivated, or at least in need of a good dig, Tomorrow might be a possibility, or certainly over the next few days.
At the allotment, I planted out around 15 Roi des Conserves climbing peas against a framework made from re-cycled goal netting from Kryssie a few years ago. I'll put a photo of it on the blog soon.
Today, after heavy rain in the morning made it seem unlikely, Linda planted out most of the plants which we got yesterday from our favourite garden centre.
In the greenhouse I planted 3 different flower seeds, to start off in the propagator, as well as potted on some cucumbers, courgettes, tomatoes and chillies. Gradually it will be possible to move things from the greenhouse to the cold frame and then into the open ground, and it will be a busy time for the next few weeks.
The rain today will make it easier to dig the remaining part of the allotment which is still uncultivated, or at least in need of a good dig, Tomorrow might be a possibility, or certainly over the next few days.
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