Sunday 19 April 2015

First seeds

After a two hour stint today I thought I should update my blog. The onions planted last autumn are not brilliant, there are a lot of gaps. I hoed the ones we have today. But want to put on the record, 2 onion sets is definitely one too many, we still have onions coming out of our ears and I have been chucking away plenty of rotten ones. 

We put in some first earlies last week, Maris Bard if I remember correctly. Three rows, the top row earth mounded up a lot, the Middle a bit and the lower one not at all. The strawberries which I transplanted look healthy enough and the ones not moved are starting to flower. So hopefully we could have a reasonable crop. 

The seeds sown today were Ambassador peas next to old raspberry canes, for them to grow up.  Then a half row of Cylindra beetroot, 1/3 row Long Red Surrey carrots and a little bit of home chive seeds.  In the third and final row I sowed Coriander, one seed every two inches and the last 1/3 was Italian salad blend sown quite close together it said 3-4 weeks.  I should go and put some slug pellets as it is right next to the black plastic.  Didn't think of this till now.

Wednesday 25 March 2015

Spring 2015

After last year's potato blight I decided not to grow potatoes this year.  R has decided we should risk new potatoes, so we need to source some.

In the light of all the extra space we decided to move two blackcurrant bushes, and we bought two different type of gooseberry bushes and a blueberry bush.  I have spread the strawberry plants out to be able to give two distinct rows of strawberries. 

I am not feeling terribly motivated but hope that is the tail end of winter blues.

Sunday 1 June 2014

Last of the planting completed, where does the time go?

Friday we planted the courgette plants(4), cucumber plants(2), squash plants (4) - 2 still at home. The week before I planted two pepper plants that I got from B&Q. They looked quite healthy. These are all in the bottom patch near the strawberries (the one's from my mum).

The patch where we planted peas, the compost heap exposed this year, was overrun with weeds. The carrots which I thought successful - disappeared. So we raked it over, bought and planted some plants

Sweet potato
4 dwarf beans - white/yellow
3 chilli pepper plants
A number of sugar sap pea plants against the net.
12 lettuce - Cos I believe
A row of carrots between the lettuces

At the top of the allotment by the leaking tap I have my runner beans which I planted directly in the soil, out of 16 planted there are 4 sturdy plants.  I put new seeds in where there were poles with no bean.

Round the 1st two squash I planted the Beetroot I seeded in a deep meat tray, they weren't very big and they didn't grow much so I thought they would be better in the ground.  I also planted a row after the second pair of squash.

The strawberry plants are looking healthy with a number of strawberries so we netted them. I have not netted the red currants or the black currants but probably should do that next time I am up there as the birds will eat them before they are ripe. The potatoes look healthy as do the onions, R is keeping on top of the weeding.  The Jerusalem artichokes are coming up at the bottom next to the shed.  I did sow some Echinops there but I have no idea what they look like so not sure if many have come up.  I do have some attractive poppies.

Monday 21 April 2014

The Red Baron Onions

Back from a trip to France where incidentally the weather was amazing, we have never been so lucky with the weather.  It was hot and dry the whole week.

We knew we needed to get the red onions in.  They are in 5 rows of about 27 space about 5" apart, these were the good sized set onions. Then two rows of about 40 spaced between 2" and 3" depending on nothing but speed.  These ones were small or a little suspect, we will thin these when necessary and use the thinnings.

The Sturon onions looked pretty good, planted two weeks ago and they are shooting for the most part.  The strawberry plants are looking healthy with flowers just coming.

I put the runner bean frame up, it looks a little ramshackle. I planted two bean seeds next to each of the eight bamboo canes.  Good luck to them versus the slugs.

Having read that a blue crop in France might be Phaecaelia I scattered some seeds (remarkably turned out I had some!) at the base of the new square next to the raspberries.  Also scattered at the bottom of the potatoe area.  Hopefully will not weed them before they flower.


Saturday 5 April 2014

Seeds, Onions and Allotment Pride

This week has seen me getting some homeless strawberry plants housed in bright green pots at home on the wall at the back of my kitchen and some seeds started :

Beetroot Cylindra - in a deep meat tray, no holes
Coriander - in the "jug" from SDL
Cucumber -  2/3 in white pot
Butternut Squash(packet) - 2 x 3 in pot
Butternut Squash(saved seed) - 3 in a pot with shop label
Courgette  All Green Bush, safari, and two others, 2 in each pot
A tray of mixed leaves

Then at the allotment on Saturday I planted 73 baby onions Sturon in 6 rows.  By the end my knees and back were complaining but I was pleased.  Today as I watch it rain I hope they don't get washed away, the soil was quite fluffy.

R has done a fantastic job of digging and preparing the soil and what with the manure, the soil looks brilliant.  We have recovered more allotment than ever and got our composting organised into three width length mounds, two covered in black plastic and one in use.  The strawberries my mum gave me are looking healthy and weed free next to my new row of raspberries (not so weed free). The homeless strawberries mentioned earlier came from the original strawberry plot which I think is beyond rescue so I plan to bring some plants home to have on the wall.

Last year I planted the Jerusalem artichokes in the space to the left of the shed and I scattered a few Echinops seeds there yesterday. They are biennial so I will need to transplant the little plants in the autumn.  To be able to recognise the plants I put 4 seeds in T's Christmas tree pot outside the back door.  I planted the tree seed and it has now been growing for at least two years. My memory is hopeless.

Excuse the change in font but I am having problems with different apps.

2014 The Reckoning posted 30 March

With The Reckoning due on the 30th March all of the allotmenteers have been hard at work after the rain.  R and I had a load of manure from Mr Heard.  I think if I was him I would change the spelling and be selling venison! 

We got the planting underway this weekend on our 8 rod allotment.  We have had it for 15 years and we are in no way experts.  Fifteen years ago it was completely matted with couch grass and brambles with a painful sprinkling of nettles.  This, my record of planting, has been sporadic but I am going to try and maintain it more thoroughly this year.

In the top third we planted this weekend a total of 9 rows of potatoes. The first earlies Home Guard went in on the Saturday, then the two main crops Pentland Crown and King Edward went in. In previous years I have put them in trenches and then made a deeper hole, this year I dug a hole with a trowel about four to six inches deep and then mounded them up.  My purpose was to see if we might get as good a crop whilst preventing them being left in the soil to be found when digging for the new season. 

As we prepared to leave The Reckoning was underway - the allotment inspection.  We feel confident we will not be receiving a letter this year to shape up or ship out.

Weeds, weeds, weeds back in 2013

Nothing interesting to say, just lots of weeds and not much growth from the real plants!  Amazingly the hoed carrots have flourished and now may need thinning.  Found some strawberries under the weeds, must net them before the birds have them all. Broad beans look good, another allotmenteer plants their seeds straight in the soil. Must try come sowing time.