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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Weeds and not much else

I have just planted Beetroot that I grew at home since the seeds at the allotment just didn't grow, nor the carrots though they did get hoed! The broad beans are doing well, quite healthy. Also planted peas from B&Q these are petit pois.  The peas I planted directly are just coming up and look quite healthy, though smaller than the ones planted at home on window sill.  Only two of six actually grew.  Also 2 sugar snap peas in next to the broad beans.

Earlier in the week I planted courgettes - 8 plants in total, mixed types. However 3 were so small I am not very optimistic. I marked these with a ring of stones. I planted my runner beans against their wigwam, about 10 plants. The ones I grew on the window sill are a little wispy whilst those sown in a pot outside were much sturdier. 

Next to the broad beans I planted six cucumber plants, all look quite healthy. Then I planted 3 Butternut squash and six sad looking Autumn crown squash, marked weak ones with a ring of stone.  All of these I protect with a pet friendly slug pellets used sparingly. All lovingly watered in by R after he repaired the shed.  The hasp was broken off the shed but nothing was taken, nothing much to take!

Petit pois:

Peas : Ambassador

Sugar snap : 

Beetroot :

Cucumber :

Courgette : All Green Bush

Courgette : Defender F1

Butternut Squash :  Butternut Squash

Moving into May

This weekend we earthed up the potatoes and planted some broad bean plants we got from bandq. I put up another net for these to be supported against and put a few organic slug pellets down to keep the beasts at bay.r mowed and hoed the onions between rows.  R may have inadvertently hoed a half row of carrots at the top, oh well.

At home the runner bean plants are hardening off as well as the first courgettes.  (I think the plain coir needs nutrients to grow seeds effectively.) I hope to plant out runner beans, courgettes and peas before we go away.  The cucumbers are looking good litho ugh 3 have died back after looking very healthy.

Broad Beans.  :    The Sutton    17 plants in total

Hot and. ..... The weeds are coming

I have just got back from the allotment, wow it's hot. I just went to put up the bean frame and a net for the peas. Put some bean seeds in for beans and peas on the west side of the pea net, to help replace those that will be eaten by slugs.  The plants at home are ok though some of the leaves seem misshapen.

The potato area is now looking rather green.  Too many weeds pushing up! I need to earth them up.

More digging, some optimism

The final section is now half dug after three hours of hard work. I took a break to sow a row of Beetroot and Carrot.  Interestingly the bottom row of raspberry canes is definitely behind the main row in green shoot development. Is it colder lower down? Nothing is growing but possibly the first seedlings are germinating.

Yellow onions :   

Carrots :      Long Red Surrey 

Beetroot :    Cylindra

The tap is seriously dripping, we have told the warden. 

At home I have planted a variety of seeds.  Inspired by a neighbour I am attempting to grow cucumbers. Also Calabrese and peas. As well as the usual courgettes, runner beans and two types of squash.

Courgettes :  All Green Bush and  Defender F1

Squash : Butternut and Autumn Crown

Runner Beans :   Kelvedon marvel 

Peas  : Ambassador

Sugar snap peas : Sugar Ann

Cucumber :  Long Green Maraicher

Calabrese :  Waltham

I am planning on sowing seeds for flowers in the back corner of the allotment. Along with some green manure crop, whose name escapes me at the moment.

After another weekend R has finished all of the digging and the old strawberry bed is looking a little clearer. We have started a new compost area. R is impatient to get plants in and the seedlings at home are not growing fast enough for him.  Next weekend hope to get  peas and beans up against frames. Some parsnips may be coming up but the early carrots and beetroot must have died. Transplanted one raspberry cane, I wonder if it will grow from such a small root. The tap is no longer dripping but running! Still little growth from the onions or potatoes, fingers crossed. The weather has been quite mixed but with warmth and rain.

Hubby comes through

We are feeling ahead of the curve, or at least not behind it as is more usual. R has been the driving force and we have now planted two different onion sets, one red one yellow.  There must have been over 150 onions in each bag.  My back is a little on the complaining side. R planted some but I planted most of them. R thinks I plant them too close together but I try to work out a regular number for not too many rows.

As an experiment the two rows of yellow onions at the bottom of the allotment are planted according to each persons technique although I covered both rows. When I cover them it is just a sprinkling to help protect them from the birds.  Not sure it really works but I've never not done it. It's supposed to be sand but I have soil to hand!

Top Row : R slightly pushed in and about 8" apart

Bottom Row : G gently placed and closer maybe 4" apart

Is it Spring?

Finally the weather feels just a pinch warmer. R and I got our red onions in. Six rows in total, I tried to keep them shallow. We knelt on a plank when planting to try and keep the soil loose. Still the golden onions to plant, and finding a space for them as we used more than half that set aside for onions.

Red Onions : Red Baron

Earlier (Saturday) R got his mower out and mowed for the first time this year, also strimmed the edges while I weeded a rather desperate looking strawberry patch. The wet and snowy winter has left the plants almost non-existent in both areas. The original patch needs weeding further. The new patch with plants my mum gave me has lost 50% of the plants as far as I can see.

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Refurbished Shed (no window anymore)

From the shed - R mowing
 
 

2013 - Trying to get motivated

After last year I am finding it hard to be enthusiastic about the allotment. Enter R, who doesn't seem to have taken to heart last year's dismal results but has taken on the challenge of doing better this year. He has been up digging several times on his own when I just felt too tired. Now we have spent Easter weekend repairing the shed, painting it and planting the potatoes. Previously I had sown some parsnips, beetroot and carrots, not sure of varieties.

First Earlies : Pentland Javelin 39 tubers
Maincrop : Isle of Jura 33 tubers
Parsnips : White King 2 mini rows
Radish : Cherry Belle interspersed in parsnips
Beetroot : Boltardy. 1/2 mini row
Carrots : Long Surrey 1/2 mini row

When I take my camera to the allotment I will post pictures, the shed is very bright and cheerful.

I have just looked at someone else's blog with a recipe for Gooseberry tart, it sounded fantastic and I can't wait for my gooseberry bush to produce this year so I can try it. Whoever it was thank you.

After the season

I didn't find time to write or much time for the allotment. The season was ok but going away during the summer for any length of time is frustrating. The beans were OK but the french beans were interesting and definitely need to be grown away from each other. Cross pollination was an issue. I also think my pumpkins were cross pollinated as the resulting pumpkin from saved seed were not great tasting. I would liken them to marrows!

We had manure delivered and have dug it in to two areas and around the new blackcurrant bushes. I hope to spread some around my strawberries. I planted a new row of raspberries at the bottom, I hope they take as this year my two rows were not great. We grew some parsnips and celeriac(from B&Q) for winter, still to taste. Onions good, must try just drying on soil not bringing home.

Looking forward to next year.

After the rain!

We had some rain! Not much but .. it has been so unusually sunny - hot and dry in April!

We spent all of Sunday weeding the onions, digging and erecting the bean wigwams. I sowed the seeds directly into the soil and wished I had done it earlier as other peoples beans are now starting up their poles. Only two broad bean plants germinated which is pretty poor. I put a row of carrot seeds in the runner bean wigwam (12 seeds planted, 2 either side of each the first 3 pole pairs). The other poles have climbing French Beans []. Not sure why I bought these seeds so I hope they are tasty.

I weeded the parsnips, beetroot and sugar snaps at the bottom part of the allotment. Also might be some carrots too. The redcurrants and strawberries need netting to prevent the birds stealing the lot again.

April - Very dry

I planted the 144 onions[sturon] and the shallots[] on the 18th with the help of T doing some more of the digging. We only watered them on 24th, I hope they will be OK. We haven't had any rain for about six weeks. Before then I had started weeding the strawberry bed and on 24th it looked brilliant with the strawberries flowering and the plants looking very healthy. The seeds at the bottom of the plot are not doing too well. The radishes are ok but no parsnips to speak off and the carrots have disappeared and the beetroot look weedy. The peas are however doing well. The potatoes are coming through and I have earthed up the first earlies. This year I am going to earth them up in stages rather than earthing them up when I plant them. I hope this will increase the crop.

We have watered quite a lot for this time of year, seriously on the 24th.

2011 - So far

I have been quite busy, I started my digging in January. Having been so cold in December the ground was really satisfying to dig and Robert and I finished preparing the potato patch and I put the first two potato crops in by the start of March [Maris Bard and Cosmos]. The main crop [Valor] went in on the 26th March. Also sown is a row of Parsnips[] and Radishes[B&Q basics], 2 half rows of carrots[ and a half row of beetroot. Also at the back I have sown a half row of peas [Sugar Ann] agaist some netting threaded over some bamboo canes. I finished digging the top section for the onions and R made a fantastic repair to the tap at the top, laying a small 9 brick patio. At home I have leeks [Musselburgh], Broad Beans [Aquadulce Claudia]. and Beetroot[Boltardy] seeds coming up and Broccoli[Waltham], Tomato[Zuckertraube] and Peas[Sugar Ann] sown.

To Summarise ...

Well, I haven't written much but ... I shall give my summary for the record

The weather was very dry in the eraly part of the summer.

• Early potatoes - v.poor - no produce.
• Maincrop potatoes- after some belated watering 2 bags of potatoes were dug, small crop.
• Red Onions - v.small, planted late and insufficient water.
• Yellow Onions - good crop, must plant on the surface next year, cover with sand.
• Courgettes(green)
• Courgettes(patty pan)
  
• Pumpkins
• Butternut Squash
• Munchkin pumpkin - 5 good sized ones
  
• Tomatoes
• Carrots - poor, plant earlier and thin more firmly
  
• Beetroot - do not plant around courgettes but do try sowing a deep box early at home as fellow allotmenter did.
• Parsnips - poor germination, sow in well prepared area, and weed well.
  
• Redcurrant - poor, must cover with netting
• Raspberries
• Strawberries - poor must cover with netting.
  
• 
  

A little disappointed

Squash seed orientation is important, I planted pointed end down and this is the worst. According to this forum the best way is flat sideup to give strong healthy shoots. So now I know!
I went up today to dig over the top section where I am going to plant my squash family plants. I had dug some of it last weekend with the help of Mark so I continued and planted (from right to left) 2 pumpkin, 2 courgette [all green bush] and 2 more courgette[Nero di Milan]. Lucky for me another allotmenteer gave me about 20 beetroot plants they had grown at home so I planted those in around the pumpkin and courgette.

The potatoes and onions are disappointing (v.little) as are the parsnips which do not appear to have germinated but at least they are not engulfed in weeds so maybe I just need to be more patient. I think it has probably been to dry for them. I watered but it is hard to know how long to give them when it doesn't seem to go much below the surface. I even gave the raspberries a water. The redcurrants look good as do the strawberries. The runner beans look OK so maybe things will be OK. Mark's peas have not come up, they may have been past germination. The radishes sown with the parsnip 2nd row are small but delicious I must plant more next year.