Competition time

The Bank Holiday weekend of 23-26 August saw my first foray into horticulture competitions - and rather successful it was too! I have threatened to enter a show or two for a while now but things generally conspired against me. I could find no reasonable excuses this year so I took the plunge and entered the Sheffield Horticultural Show which forms part of the annual Sheffield Fayre.

I have attended many a show and viewed lots of produce on display. My feelings have generally been mixed towards the entries. Sometimes it's 'wow, I'd love to grow x like that'. Often it has been 'I could do better/ have better than that on my plot'. The old adage rings true - if you don't by a ticket, you can't win the raffle. You may have a bigger marrow than the prizewinning specimen, but if it's on your plot instead of on the judging table it's a meaningless statement.

So, show schedule in hand, I leafed through the classes and decided at very late notice what I could enter based on what I was growing on the plot. At this early stage I'll say that this approach paid off, but certainly more due to luck than judgement. I would advise anybody interested in showing their produce to get hold of the schedule very early and grow with that category in mind. At the 'interested amateur' level it is unnecessary to go to the same extraordinary lengths as some of the seasonal professionals but it certainly does help to know what you want to show and how it should be displayed if you want to stand half a chance of winning.

The number of entries had doubled this year. I'm not sure if this was indicative of more general interest in the show or because it had been such a better growing season compared to the last. What this meant was more competition and a generally good (not great) standard of entry. Entries were required in advance, with no entry on the day, so it was a case of paying your money (25p a go) and taking your chance.

Staging took place on Saturday afternoon so I spent Friday evening and early Saturday morning picking pretty much everything I could and then preparing them for show. I learned at this early stage that a large amount of produce is required to find the three or so specimens required in any class. There are far more rejects than contenders! Take potatoes as an example. Show growers have buckets of them in clear compost and still reject the majority. Try digging up a few rows of Charlottes from the open ground and finding three identical! Ditto the tomatoes. I had loads of ripe ones, but could I find six of equal size and ripeness worthy of my name on the show bench?

Anyhow, vegetable stress aside, I harvested enough reasonable quality fruit, veg and flowers to enter and score in the categories below. Beginners luck? Maybe. I'd like to think it was part beginners luck and part the fact that I know what I'm doing when it comes to growing. I produce crops to eat, not display, but I've always taken pride in the way I grow my plants and the aesthetics of my allotment. I know what my plants need to be productive and give me the highest yield possible. I understand soil preparation, plant propagation and growing on, watering and feeding regimes, pruning and thinning, etc. This good crop husbandry means I grow produce to good average size and quality, despite focussing more on my stomach, which stands up well to showing at an amateur level.

Did I enjoy the experience? Overwhelmingly yes! Winning a few categories certainly helped but it was more than that. It was fun and I got to meet a few people and learn a few tips and techniques to take away and try for next year. There were lots of whingers and sore losers, which actually surprised me, but most people took pride in the wider displays and the fact that people still wanted to show off what they had grown. I may have caught the bug. I will strive to do better next year and really put a youthful cat amongst the old boy pigeons! Now where can I source some giant onion seed..?

Classes entered and result:

• Cabbage (one) - third prize for my red cabbage
• Tomatoes (three red) - second prize
• Six runner beans (*novice category) - FIRST PRIZE
• Longest runner bean - FIRST PRIZE
• Celery - third prize
• Any other vegetable - FIRST PRIZE for my luminous green chilli pepper
• Four vegetables on a tray - FIRST PRIZE for my combination of aubergine, green pepper, yellow courgette and beefsteak tomato
• Three apples - second prize
• 12 blackberries - third prize
• Half bottle liqueur - FIRST PRIZE - judge obviously liked it and most of bottle gone!
• Vase annual flowers - FIRST PRIZE - for my white cosmos
• One large marrow - FIRST PRIZE
• Marrow <40cms -="" li="" prize="" third="">
• Three white potatoes - second prize
• One vegetable, one flower spike - no prize
• Three coloured potatoes - no prize
• Three beetroot - no prize
• Six runner beans (main category) - no prize

*open to anyone who had previously won a vegetable class

That's a pretty good effort leaving plenty of room for improvement. I'm sure I can compete in some of the categories I did not enter this year. I need to score in onions, leeks, cauliflowers, runner beans, cucumbers and tomatoes to have a chance of lifting the Memorial Cup for the most overall points scored. Roll on 2014!

August in review - the perfect summer?

The end of August brings to a close the meteorological summer. Of course we will continue to experience summer-like weather for many weeks to come, but 1st September heralds a new season - autumn. Looking back on the combined summer months of June, July and August it has been perfect for growing. Admittedly June was quite cold and grey for long periods, but this then changed to a prolonged period of hot, dry weather during most of July. Given recent years, many people thought we'd pay for this with a damp, cool August but nothing could be further from the truth. It certainly hasn't been as hot and sunny as July, and the days start to shorten noticeably from mid-month, but temperatures have remained reasonably high both day and night, sun has shone and sufficient rain has fallen to keep things moving nicely. Importantly, prolonged dry weather has kept blight at bay. Most plot holders have harvested a good crop of spuds and this is the first for many years where it has been possible to obtain a reasonable return from outdoor tomatoes.

I have managed regular, if fleeting, visits to the plot to pick produce and water crops, but I've not done any real weeding or plot husbandry for a while now. I'll try and make amends over coming weeks now that I'm harvesting and clearing crops. It's also work that won't be undone after a week or so's neglect because the weeds generally stop growing at this time of year. It means you can clear some ground without fear that they'll be back as soon as your back is turned...

So what has happened over the past six weeks or so?

The greenhouse has come on leaps and bounds with more tomatoes than I know what to do with. Watering has been a regular requirement during the warm weather - at least every two days - and I have been rewarded with plenty of ripe, flavoursome fruits. The cherry tomatoes started first (one Sungold in June but more to follow from early July) and it took a while for the larger toms to catch up. Since mid August I've harvested some stonking San Marzano plums and huge Beefsteaks.
The cucumber has been a bit more feast and famine and this is something I'll watch for next year. Once  established, the plant produce about 10 huge fruits within a short space of time. I picked them as required but then the plant stopped altogether. The leaves yellowed and it looked spent and hungry. Watering and feeding has given it a second wind but that meant a fallow period when I should have been cropping. Maybe next year I'll grow two plants, or possibly encourage a more regular supply by thinning fruits when too many form at once.

Peppers have started to produce now and I have a bountiful crop of aubergines. Ophelia F1 is definitely productive and the plants are huge and strong - one to grow again for sure although seed is expensive. I have also managed a reasonable supply of okra but I'm not sure I'll bother next year. It's one of those novelty crops I wanted to try because I could. In reality, you need a lot of plants to harvest enough for a decent feed at any one time because they produce the pods so sparingly. It's far easier (and cheaper) to nip to a local Asian supermarket and buy a bag full given the time and effort required to raise the plants from seed. Finally, I have at last succeeded with a melon worthy of the name! Last year's effort showed I could grow them to at least produce a fruit. This year I have one melon, still yet to ripen, that is the equal of ones you buy in the shops. Will I bother again next year? Possibly. Like the okra, it's a lot of hassle for very little return other than the kudos of saying you've done it. Wait long enough and you can buy perfectly tasty melons for a pound a throw - this one fruit has probably cost at least a fiver in seed, compost and feed! I may try again next year to see if I can obtain multiple fruits and thus help spread the cost.

In the open ground I have been picking French and runner beans at will. The runners were shy to crop, despite loads of flowers, as a 'robber bee' was present on site. I hadn't really been aware of these until I noticed the cheeky blighter piercing the flowers at the back to rob the nectar. It was stealing the nectar without performing the act of pollination, so despite the flowers the initial bean set was poor. This balance has been redressed now and I should be picking for weeks to come.

Courgettes have been pumped out at will but it's interesting to note the variation in productivity. I have one plant of yellow 'Taxi F1' which has produced more than the Kojak and San Pasquale combined. That is a lot of yellow courgettes and they're still coming!

The potato harvest has been mixed but no blight has been present and haulms have grown strongly. I was very disappointed with the yield from the Red Duke of York. Very tasty spuds but hardly worth the effort. I will seek out something more productive for my first earlies next year. In comparison, the Charlotte has produced a bumper crop from the same number of tubers. I returned to this variety after flirting with Juliette for a while. I am now firmly back in the Charlotte camp - tastier and more productive, although less uniform in size and shape I have found. I am part way through harvesting the Roosters. Yield appears good from what is a productive maincrop variety but they are badly damaged by keeled slugs. Not a blemish on the Charlotte next door but I would estimate 60% holed potatoes from the Roosters. Interesting to learn whether it's skin colour (do slugs prefer reds?), skin thickness, or simply taste.

The squash patch has done its job admirably. Once the plants became established they romped around the area and swamped any weeds. Between the various squashes and the cosmos flowers I have benefitted from 100% soil cover so that is one bed that will be easy to prepare for next year. The downside has been too much foliage at the expense of fruit. I'll reserve judgement until the final harvest but I think the amount of shade caused by too many plants has resulted in them not fruiting productively. Only once they ran towards the light did they start producing female flowers so I now have a late crop of butternuts and pumpkins. Given the prolonged warm weather it should have been a great year for them. Next year I'll try fewer plants and accept some extra weeding if it means more productivity.

One plant to buck this trend was the marrow. Putting it bluntly it has gone bonkers! Maybe better suited to early English summer conditions than its fair-weather cousins, it ran amuck and has produced almost a dozen large fruits (more on this later) and is still going strong.

Other crops of note are the football-esque red cabbages, which are now ready to harvest, some good looking celeriac and celery and future crop of calabrese. Poor returns this year from the broad beans, onions, shallots and garlic - maybe the prolonged cold spring and cool early summer did for them?

Fruit wise the strawberries stopped producing after mid summer and the raspberries never really got going. This year they were productive but fruit quality was very poor. There was a huge yield from the gooseberries and I received an unexpected harvest of red currants as the birds seemed to leave one bush alone, concealed amongst the weeds of my summer neglect. They have been converted into 10 jars of redcurrant jelly! There is a fantastic blackberry crop to be had as I write.

I picked and ate some lovely early Beauty of Bath apples in August and I have a bumper crop of later apples and pears to be harvested from mid September. I was lucky to catch a dozen lovely Denniston's Superb gages before the wasps got them but the pigeons bagged every single cherry.

So that's the summer in review. A bountiful time with a range of vegetables and fruit to create or accompany every meal if desired. Makes it all worthwhile!

Mid July update

Popped to the plot first thing this morning to do some watering and weeding. It was much cooler and fresher than recent days although still perfectly pleasant. I'd not been able to water the greenhouse for a couple of days due to work and home commitments but some very kind allotment colleagues helped me out. This is one of the wonderful things about the allotment community in general - always willing to help. Their kindness will always be returned, as it has in the past, with offers to water when they are on holiday and to provide them with some form of edible present. It would generally be frowned upon to repay such kindness with a courgette at this stage in the season, but a cucumber or a punnet of strawberries is usually well received. It's this kind of camaraderie that builds an allotment community and keeps sites vibrant. I am very lucky.

I thought it might be interesting to provide a few photos - albeit of dubious quality as they are taken on my Blackberry - to demonstrate how things have progressed. It is exactly one month since I uploaded some photos taken on 20th June and it is clear how everything has responded to the warm conditions since then.

My how you've grown - red cabbages. Note typical F1 hybrid uniformity

Many cucumbers (Aurelia F1) - several harvested already

Truss of tomatoes in greenhouse - I think it's 'Sweet Olive' but I have lost the label!

Melon pollinated by hand earlier in the week



Aubergine 'Ophelia F1' in flower

Peppers in flower and San Marzano tomatoes in background

Peppers, tomatoes and aubergines in greenhouse - all have shot up in the past month

Raspberries - one for me, three for the pot, three for next week!

Courgettes and nasturtiums



The squash patch, bean wigwams and Cosmos 'Purity' in flower

I also came home laden with produce. More courgettes than we can reasonably eat, a few Red Duke of York spuds (disappointing yield from two plants), a handful of tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers and raspberries. The first runner beans have now set so they should be ready for picking within the next week or so. The plants are actually covered in blackfly and have been for a few weeks but I also noticed hundreds of ladybird larvae working their way through them so I am leaving well alone and nature will restore balance.

Tasks for the weekend include continued picking, a bit more weeding, clearing out around the fruit trees in preparation for their summer pruning and water for the greenhouse crops, celery and celeriac. I think I have a date with the plot on Sunday morning - will keep you updated how I get on.

High Summer

This has been the best spell of weather I can remember for many a year. Apart from a rather cool, grey and miserable Wednesday it has been pretty much wall to wall sunshine and warm temperatures both day and night for well over a week.

On the plot there are many plants benefitting from the sunshine and warmth, although it has to be said that some do not like the heat and prefer cooler, damper conditions. In general I go heavy on true 'summer' crops - courgettes, various squashes and pumpkins, beans, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and the like. They love this weather provided I can keep them watered when they really need it.

My philosophy on watering is simple - tough love! As I have mentioned before, our site does not benefit from a mains water supply. There is a water course (not worthy of naming it a stream) running down one side which provides dipping points for murky brown wet stuff. The bulk of our water comes from that we collect from sheds and other structures into a series of water butts and vessels. The key thing here is trying to keep the still water sweet when temperatures rise as it often starts to green up and smell stagnant. I use natural charcoal and straw bales from aquatic supply shops. Other people put a small capful of bleach in their water butt or buy a proprietary disinfectant sold for this purpose but I'm not sure about either of these...

Anyway, plants in the open ground go into well manured and improved soil appropriate for their needs. They get a good soak to start, followed by a good soak a week later and maybe one more if they show signs of stress. That is pretty much it from me and they get the rest from the ground and whatever falls from the sky. It generally works and avoids excessive lush growth at the expense of what I really want - crops. The only things I really continue to water are celery and celeriac and any recently planted fruit trees.

The greenhouse is another matter. The plants in here are entirely dependent on me for their needs. They are usually the more thirsty crops anyway, exacerbated by them growing in not much soil at all really - bottom 10 or 15L pots into growbags. In this hot weather the tomatoes get a drink every other day, the cucumber seems to need water like it's going out of fashion, whereas the peppers, aubergines and okra tend to need it less often. This puts pressure on visiting the plot regularly and I tend to do it very early or very late. This avoids the heat of the day and minimises loss through evaporation. It also means I can spend the daytime doing something more productive, like sitting in the shade drinking lemonade!

For some crops it is too hot/ dry at present. The lettuce and chard seem to wilt in the sun although they do perk up later in the day. The broad beans don't like the heat and I think the brassicas in general would prefer cooler and damper weather. My beetroot also seems less happy at present - same family as the colourful chard and the heat has the same effect. I think it might make the roots a bit tougher too - we'll see.

Fruit wise I've been picking at least a punnet of strawberries every visit with still more to come. The raspberries are ripening now with more and more ready to pick. They'll soon take over from the strawberries. Gooseberries are fattening and becoming more translucent as they sweeten and should be quite pleasant even raw. The cherries started to turn and got gobbled by pigeons and/ or blackbirds, ditto the redcurrants. I'm leaving the rhubarb to recuperate in time for a good crop next spring. I'm also anticipating a fine harvest of apples and pears with most trees loaded. I even have a few plums on the new-ish trees, which is a welcome bonus.

Finally, you may remember that I set myself the target of a ripe tomato by the end of June. I'm pleased to say that this milestone was achieved. Throughout the last week of June one Sungold started to turn and was picked, fully ripe, on the thirtieth and final day of the month. Here's the evidence.

Mission accomplished, although a somewhat hollow victory as it was only yesterday when I started picking further ripe tomatoes, a full 12 days later. I should now have a steady stream of ripe tomatoes and cucumbers for summer salads, which is just in time as they still cost a fortune in the shops even though they're bang in season. Not sure what happened to seasonal crops being cheap and plentiful, but that's a discussion for another day.

Enjoy the sunshine!

A few pictures

Nipped back to the plot for a quick hour of weeding yesterday whilst my wife and new baby were fast asleep. The main job was to uncover various crops that had been left to fend for themselves for a bit too long. In terms of 'weeds' I was actually clearing away a carpet of self-set English marigolds. I generally leave them to grow away peacefully around the edges of beds as I like the colour they bring to the plot. When they start to swamp crops and take over a whole bed is the time to step in. Given the soil conditions and lovely warm weather it was a most enjoyable task and I uncovered a fine developing crop of onions and shallots as a result!

I also took the opportunity to take a few pictures from around the plot.


Red cabbages within brassica cage and block of celery 'Loretta' outside.

Developing gooseberry crop - time to thin them out.



View of mini orchard and potager-style planting: a mix of edibles and flowers.

 

Potager close-up: chives in bloom, lettuce 'Little Gem', broad beans, rhubarb, cosmos and cowslips.

Squash patch with bean wigwams and courgettes. Cold frame will house melon in due course.

Ripening strawberry safely netted from squirrels and pigeons. Many more to come.

San Marzano tomatoes and sweet peppers.

A sea of tomatoes - yes, they are too closely planted...

Squashes planted

Took advantage of some relatively benign weather to visit the plot for an hour or two yesterday. I'm currently on paternity leave, which means some very intense periods of activity at home - usually involving nappies - followed by spells where my wife and baby are resting. After finishing all the chores at home the plot offered an opportunity to grab some fresh air to stave off mid-afternoon tiredness. So, pots washed, washing hung, hovering finished, baby and wife peacefully sleeping = quick trip to the allotment.

After some quite heavy recent rains and milder weather the soil was in perfect condition for my various squashes to finally go out. They were strong, robust plants but exhibiting the signs of having exhausted the energy reserves in their compost - slight yellowing of leaves namely - and needed to be planted asap.

I haven't employed a particularly sophisticated approach to squash planting this year, given the time restraints, it being more a case of 'bung them in and leave them to it'! My idea was to create a low maintenance squash/ pumpkin patch to cover ground, smother weeds and provide a harvest that can be stored for late autumn and early winter use - just round about the time baby might be sampling pureed food for the first time. This should minimise weeding requirements over the summer and the plants can be left to their own devices save for the odd glug of water in very dry spells.

The patch in question had received a thick cover of mushroom compost the previous autumn and was generally in very good condition. I dug the soil in the immediate area where the plants would be set (planting in pockets as opposed to full cultivation of the land), added some rough compost and chicken manure pellets and made an approximate circular bowl 60cms in diameter. The plants were set in the middle of this bowl with a handful of chicken manure pellets underneath them for good measure. Cane in the ground to mark the centre of the plant (for future watering requirements), a good drink followed by a mulch of rough compost.

In reality, the area is probably over-planted but I know from experience that vines can be wound round in circles and they'll happily scramble over each other. Just need some warm days and nights, a bit of steady rain to keep the soil moist, and I'll have a pumpkin patch that will be the envy of my fellow plot holders... Varieties include marrow Long Green Trailing, Atlantic Giant and Jack O' Lantern pumpkin, Butternut 'Hawk', mixed 'sunshine' squashes and 'Autumn Crown' - a cross between Butternut and Crown Prince squashes.

No other major activity to report other than a successional sowing of lettuce now the first batch is ready to harvest. I also sowed some mixed radishes and spring onions in drills between the celeriac, scattered some swede seed in the brassica cage and sowed some calabrese and mini caulis in modules for planting out in about a month.

I think I will soon start to reap the first meaningful harvest from the plot. Little gem lettuce, Anya potatoes in pots, strawberries and gooseberries are all now there for the taking. Let the good times roll!

May - monthly review

The allotment has really kicked on this month. The weather has been changeable, with some warm and sunny days followed by wet, windy and particularly cold spells. One thing that has been a constant is the ever increasing light - not always bright sunshine, but noticeably longer days spurring on growth.

At the plot the blossom came out in force during the month. There was a period, round about the second week of May, when pretty much every fruit tree was in flower! It was a lovely sight and one I've not witnessed before. There's normally a staggered effect of plums first, pears, cherries then apples. This year, May simply went 'boom' due to the delayed spring. I'm estimating a pretty good fruit crop this year. The blossom received enough dry and warm weather for the bees to do their thing and the wet and windy weather meant conditions were cool but, importantly, not frosty. No damage to blossom = good potential harvest.


Cherry - Stella

Pear (Doyenne du Comice) and Apple (Bramley)

Bramley Apple blossom close-up

Cluster of pear blossom - Doyenne du Comice

The fruit bushes have really progressed too. The various currants and gooseberries came into flower and now display plenty of immature fruit. The strigs of currants are there for all to see, including the fat wood pigeons, so I'll have to get busy with some netting before there's any sign of colour. I know from experience that birds will take very unripe berries showing the merest sign of colour. They would be unpalatable to us for weeks but that doesn't stop the greedy pigeons and blackbirds. The only way to ensure a harvest is to cover with well-secured netting. 

Redcurrant in flower

The gooseberries also become a target as they swell. I don't really net these as I have enough to go round. What I normally do is pick every other immature fruit to coincide with the elder flowering and make a batch of lovely jam. I expect this to be from mid June this year. The remaining fruit has more room to grow and ripen for use in fools and crumbles from July. If the pigeons take a few so be it - I'm the only one in our household who really likes gooseberries so I can spare a few!

The final fruit-related update is that the strawberries and raspberries are really moving.  I gave the strawberry bed a tidy up, dressed with chicken manure pellets and covered with a good mulch. As soon as we had some rain, followed by a bit of warmth, the plants really responded well. I expect a good crop - again to be netted from birds and squirrels. The raspberries are yet to flower but the buds are formed and it looks like a decent show. Hopefully a bit more sunshine and less rain than last year will make them tastier and less insipid.

This May has really brought home the benefit of my new greenhouse. Without it I'd be many weeks behind, or simply buying lots of plants to make up for those I'd have lost. The protection of glass means I have tomatoes in flower and various other tender crops growing away nicely. I have set myself the target of picking a ripe tomato by the end of June. There are plenty of flowers and the first truss on one of my Sungold plants has set fruit. The earliest I've ever picked tomatoes is about the third week of July so, in this very cold year to date, I'd be delighted to achieve this minor milestone.

Throughout the month I have pricked out and potted on a range of tender subjects. The melon and cucumbers have sulked a little but are strong and well. The courgettes have pushed on nicely and I planted three out yesterday as they looked ready to go and a decent weekend is forecast. The other cucurbits are a couple of weeks away from their final homes yet. There is plenty of time and they'll benefit from warmer soil and becoming stronger plants in the relative comfort of the cold frame. The okra and aubergines, firsts for me this year, seem fine and will be set in bottomless pots on growbags by mid month. I think the only exotics which are not best pleased are the peppers. They are ok, but haven't pushed on as much as I'd hoped given that they were sown back in early March. I think it's just been a bit too cool for them, even under glass, and the night time temperatures in particular need to lift a degree or two to make them truly happy.

In the open ground, there is still more bare earth than lush foliage. The spuds are all through now and the recent rain has really suited them. I have planted 16 red cabbages to mature in late summer. The germination of direct sown seeds has been patchy - I have one row of mixed beetroot and one very poor row of parsnips. Carrots all germinated but were hoovered up by slugs. Note to self - must work out a way of growing decent carrots next year. Leek seedlings have been sown and resemble blades of grass. They'll fatten up and replace the first early potatoes from July. The one thing I need to push on with is sowing the brassicas for autumn and winter. Plenty of time for calabrese broccoli but the purple sprouting form needs to get going soon. I also need to sow some sprouts asap and it's time for a row of two of swedes.

So, there you have it. A whole month condensed into a few paragraphs. I'm really pleased with progress during May. Admittedly it's been slim pickings in terms of harvest - the last leeks, rhubarb and some spring greens - but by the end of June there should be much more on offer and I can also look forward to a bumper summer harvest. Little gem lettuce is a week or two away, the baby gooseberries are ready for a dose of sugar, the first strawberries will kick in if we have some sunshine and that elusive June tomato could be mine for the eating...

April - monthly review

Due to being very busy with work I've not had time to update as regularly as planned so this is a potted history of the past five weeks.

In general, April has been a good month down on the plot. I estimate that I'm about four weeks behind a normal season, apart from in the greenhouse where I'm pretty much on track. There has been a growth spurt over the past fortnight, meaning the plot has definitely 'greened up' and there is plenty of blossom about now. As of Tuesday my plums and gages were in full bloom and the pears were just about to break. I can see the potential of this year's apple crop now but the buds are still tightly shut and I don't expect to see them open for at least another week. My two cherry trees (Morello and Stella) are covered in blossom clusters but these too refused to open by month end.

On my last trip to the plot it was a warm and still evening and it was pleasing to see all types of insect activity. In particular there was a steady procession of bumble and honey bees working the emergent flowers on my currant and gooseberry bushes. These are also carrying a good potential crop after some careful pruning over the winter so I am hopeful of an abundant, if slightly late, harvest of gooseberries, red, black and white currants.

It has been slim pickings in terms of produce. The hungry gap has been extended by my inability to generate any early crops from this year's sowings. I still have the last of the leeks and we've enjoyed several helpings of purple sprouting broccoli. I picked some forced rhubarb a fortnight ago and the plants grown in the open ground are now big and strong enough to harvest.

The main activity over the past three weeks has been sowing and planting in earnest to try and catch up on lost time. April remained cold to begin with but, importantly, it has been a very dry and windy month generally. This helped the soil to become workable and make planting outside viable. Spuds were planted during the weekend 13/14 April - first earlies, second earlies and maincrop all at the same time. Nothing has emerged yet and I don't expect a harvest before early July. I also set some Anya tubers in large pots in the greenhouse. The extra warmth and protection saw them grow quickly and they'll receive their final earthing up over the weekend before being left to produce some nice salad spuds for June. Onions, shallots and garlic have all been transplanted and I have created a new potager style section of my plot with a mix of dwarf fruit trees, herbaceous perennials and vegetables - broad beans currently the only edible part of said potager until the French beans and salads can be set out.  The only seeds I have sown direct are carrots, beetroot and parsnips. This was towards month end and thus far no signs.

The investment of blood, sweat and tears (literally) in my greenhouse has paid dividends. I think my tomato plants are more advanced than I've ever had them at this stage in the year and the Sungolds are now ready to be set in their final positions. I have lots of San Marzano catching them up with a later sown batch of Moneymaker, Fantasio and Yellow Brandywine about three weeks behind. The first courgettes were sown in April and emerged about a week ago; ditto some early French beans. Pumpkins and squashes have been set and last weekend I planted melons (Sherbet Orange), marrows (why?) and cucumbers (Burpless Tasty Green and Aurelia F1). The greenhouse has also helped me to bring on more hardy veg and give it a real kick-start before transplanting. I hope this means lost time in the open ground will be regained by giving them a boost in their protected indoor environment. I have a strong tray of red cabbages and the same number of little gem lettuce. I also set my leeks a fortnight ago and these have germinated in good numbers. At home I have some strong pepper plants and approx. 30 small celery Lorretta in biodegradable pots. Finally, I have sown quite a few ornamentals to mix with the veg across the plot. These include Zinnia, Cosmos, Sunflower and Cerinthe.

So that was April. A busy month of planning and preparing for future harvests. Optimism abounds now that I can guestimate my potential future harvests. Hopefully May will bring warm sunny days, mild evenings and overnight rain. Tasks will include sowing sweetcorn and beans and planting out the greenhouse with its summer residents. I'll let you know how I get on!

What a difference a year makes!

Looking back through last year's gardening diary the Marches of 2012 and 2013 could not be more different. Last year was a steady procession of seed sowing and ground preparation as the sun shone ever warmer towards month end. My peach tree was in blossom by mid month, I had sown numerous hardy and semi-hardy crops and my spuds were already planted into the bone dry earth. The temperature exceeded 20C on many days and the biggest concern was the lack of winter rains. In fact, the water companies had just declared drought status over large swathes of eastern England with hosepipe bans introduced. Of course it all fell apart only weeks later, but March 2012 was excpetionally warm, dry and perfect for spring gardening.

Roll on 12 months and it is a completeley different story. As we reach the (albeit early) Easter weekend, often a trigger for some serious gardening thanks to the two days off work, the past month seems like it will be the coldest March since 1962!

It has been a persistently cold month with more snow falling than I can ever recall. By Sunday 24th March it had snowed pretty much non-stop for 48 hours. I visited the allotment to feed the birds and found the snow deeper than I have ever experienced on this plot. The sheer volume of snow required some serious clearance from the brassica tunnel, which was in danger of collapsing.

Photos taken Sunday 24th March

Snowy view from the top gate

Brassica cage groaning under the weight of snow

Looking back across the plot through the mini orchard

Raspberry canes and the greenhouse - dreaming of summer!

So what does this mean for the allotment now? Well, the prolonged wintry weather means not much has happened. There are signs of spring everywhere - swelling buds on fruit bushes and trees, emergent dandelions, etc. - but there has been no discernible progress for several weeks. The ground has been unworkably wet and cold or covered by thick snow! Last year I was worried that early blossom would be damaged by late frosts - which it was. This year the fruit buds are nowhere near ready to come into blossom. I actually see this as a good thing. That's not to say that they cannot be damaged by a very late frost again in 2013, but given that the apples are unlikely to be in bloom until late April/ early May they do stand a chance of coming through unscathed.

I guess this is one positive thing to come from a cold early spring. Last year the problem was an exceptional and unseasonably warm and dry spell, triggering premature growth, followed by prolonged cold and rain. The March we are experiencing in 2013 is not exactly seasonal but I'd much rather cold now to be replaced by better, stable weather in April and May than the other way round. Nature has a way of catching up, provided April is a more benign month and doesn't send the country back into the freezer again...

I think my biggest concern is the delay the weather will have on what I would consider to to be traditional allotment progress at this stage in the year. The ground is cold - possibly still frozen - and very wet. I should soon be planting potatoes and sowing peas, beans, parsnips and alliums direct. This will now have to wait at least a fortnight, if not longer, as they'd just sit in cold, wet ground and sulk or rot. The soil will not be warm enough for beetroot, carrots and similar allotment staples for several weeks yet. The hungry gap will be longer in 2013 than previous years.

I have tomato seedlings at home that have been potted on once and sit on windowledges straining for light. Even inside they look cold! I don't want them to get too drawn and leggy but there is no chance they can go outside for ages yet. They could be potted on once more before I run out of window space so it's not quite time to throw in the towel... I also have sweet peppers that now need pricking out and potting on. Aubergines (Ophelia F1) and Okra (Clemson's Spineless) have been sown but are yet to emerge. Within the relative protection of the cold greenehouse, the broad beans and onions I sowed a long time ago have germinated. Protected from the harshest weather, they'll be fine until conditions improve enough for them to be planted in the open ground.

So, 2013 has got off to a very slow start. If we now have a normal run of seasonal weather I am hopeful that everything will catch up over the next few weeks and months. If it stays cold we'll have a much condensed growing season and it will be another tough year for allotment holders up and down the country. Roll on spring proper!

The first day of spring

The meteorological winter is now over. Today is the first day of spring! It's starting to feel a bit more springlike too. It will be a while yet before the hedgerows green over but there are catkins on the hazel, the buds are bursting on the hawthorn and the blackthorn looks like it will soon be in flower. My rhubarb crowns have also woken up and one is now covered by a terracotta pot to force some tender pink stems.

The allotment remains just about in its winter stasis, although I'm certain the annual weeds will soon start to germinate. I'm about on track - just - and another dry weekend should see everything ready at the plot for the next few weeks of frantic digging and sowing.

I took delivery of my four newest fruit trees in February and they are now planted and tied in. Three apples grown as oblique cordons on MM106 rootstock (Scrumptious, Pitmasten Pineapple and Christmas Pippin) and Pear Concorde on Quince A rootstock. The pear is to be grown (hopefully) as a three-tiered espalier. It is currently a twig about 45 cms tall, which is dwarfed by the post and wire support against which it is planted, and is a long way from the elaborate framework of laterals and spurs I hope to create. I intend to track its progress on camera and show how an espalier tree can be created quite easily with a bit of time and know-how.

I've also completed the greenhouse glazing and it now houses the first sowings of the year. I have put one of those mini greenhouse frames inside and replaced the ususal plastic cover with fleece. I have two types of broad bean (Stereo and Crimson Flowered), onions (Santero and Lilia) and the first sowing of leeks (Musselburgh) in module trays. It has been quite grey and cold with limited sunshine but I'm hoping their coccoon of fleece, within a larger greenhouse, should keep the temperature just about warm enough for germination. Nothing was showing after a week so I'll check again tomorrow.

My potatoes are chitting nicely indoors - Anya, Red Duke of York, Charlotte and Rooster - and I might try a few Anya in pots in the greenhouse soon. That way I should have some small salad spuds by June and before I am ready to lift the Red Duke of York from the outside beds. As ever, timing is critical to ensure that the indoor crops get a head start and can then be put outside or harvested before the space is required for more tender subjects.

The final update is that I have now converted my old poly frame into a brassica cage. I had already netted it bar one end. This enabled the pigeons to fly in and gobble some savoy cabbages. They are now fully enclosed by pigeon-proof netting and I hope the damage is just cosmetic. In the next few weeks they should heart-up and give us some tasty greens.

Bit chilly out there!

Not much chance to make any further progress with the greenhouse this weekend. We've retained a covering of snow since last Sunday and there was a further fall on Friday evening. It was that really powdery, squeaky snow that you don't often get in this country - makes everything look beautiful, doesn't wet you but rubbish for snowballs.

Walking in a winter wonderland

View from the bottom path up the site.



My plot from the main path. Note the collapsed netting over the brassicas.

Me by the shed - I estimated about 10cms level snow on Saturday.

The ground was still frozen and covered by about 7cms snow on Sunday so no chance of any winter digging. It's too cold to prune and too early to plant any seeds, particularly given the prevailing conditions. One job I did invent was to fill my recently acquired IBC (International Bulk Container) with snow. It was more for something to do rather than for any real purpose, although there was a bit of logic behind this tomfoolery.

Essentially snow is frozen water. My site lacks a mains water supply so I rely on what falls out of the sky. When the snow melts it will turn into liquid and soak into the ground but out of my grasp. Whilst it is in frozen form it is easy to collect and store in a watertight vessel to await its melting. There's a saying 'pure as the driven snow' so I can assume it's clean - apart from the yellow snow! - and will help me fill the 1500 litre container that will see my plants through the dry spells of summer. I've no idea how much liquid will result from the quantity of snow collected but I spent half an hour shovelling. Even if it's only a couple of watering cans full it was worth the effort.

IBC about one fifth full so far (four fifths full of snow now!). Holds 1500 litres.

Until I manage to hook the container up to a shed roof I'll be gathering water in my butts by the shed and then lugging it across to fill the IBC. I'll put in some charcoal or straw to try and keep the water sweet and clear of algae in the summer.

One of the other reasons for making a couple of trips to the plot was to keep my feathered friends warm and well fed. There is a good mix of bird life at the allotment and on the adjacent park. In harsh winter weather the small birds need all the help they can get to find food and keep warm. It's no longer 'tuppence a bag' but a mixed offering of seeds, fat balls and mealworms doesn't cost the earth and is greedily accepted by flocks of tits, chaffinches, robins, dunnocks and blackbirds. I spread the food around on various upturned plant pots, purpose made feeding stations and hanging from the bramley apple tree as birds feed in many different ways. The tits are acrobatic and hang from the feeder, the robin feeds off a platform and the dunnock and blackbird like to feed off the ground, hoovering up what the others have spilled.

Mealworms, suet pellets and mixed seeds - tasty if you're a bird.

Not the clearest picture - Mr Robin helping himself to a mealworm.

A winter wonderland it may be, but hopefully I'll be able to crack on with my greenhouse frame next week provided the snow melts and the ground thaws.

You've been framed!

A cold one today, with a light dusting of snow to greet me this morning as I looked out of the window. Today had always been highlighted as my best opportunity to make progress with the greenhouse, so I wasn't going to let a bit of snow and frost dampen my enthusiasm. In fact, it turned out to be a lovely day with some bright winter sunshine. Admittedly my hands and feet were frozen when I eventually called it a day at about 2.45pm, but I made a lot of progress and it felt good to be out there.

This was the scene at the allotment round about 11am.

Frozen brassicas and a motly collection of structures

Looking back from the shed through the Denniston's Superb gage. You can see the bags of mushroom compost (bottom right) that I started spreading last week.

View from my shed

 

My main task today was to attempt to raise a greenhouse from the heap of aluminium that littered the ground following a gale before Christmas. I had bought a bag of universal nuts and bolts from Wilko's and brought along a selection of spanners and pliers but I wasn't that sure of what I was doing and how things would end up.

 

Although the frame had essentially fallen apart there was enough information left within the crumpled heap of aluminium pieces and connectors to at least fathom some idea of what needed to be done. A bit like a giant jigsaw but with just a couple of pieces already fitted together. The biggest problem was the cold and the impact it had on my fingers when trying to tighten nuts and bolts. Lots of blowing and delving of hands into deep, warm pockets did the trick and once the sun got above the tree line my fingers thawed out enough to make progress.

 

I wish I'd taken a close-up photo of the connectors as it would be a good reference for anyone else trying to piece together a greenhouse frame from scratch. Essentially there were a series of holes on one piece of aluminium with seemingly no corresponding hole through which to slide the bolt and tighten a nut...

 

I eventually worked out that the bolt head slotted into a channel within the frame, the piece of frame with the hole was then slipped over the thread of the bolt, and the pieces fixed together by tightening the nut until it would turn no more. Now seasoned greenhouse erectors may find this obvious but it was a revelation to me. Once I'd figured it out I flew round the frame and got the whole thing fixed together. By the end of my session I was left with a sturdy frame that was bolted together more strongly than it had been for at least the past twenty years!

 

You've been framed!

 

As an aside, I did some research on the manufacturer of my greenhouse, just in case I needed some spares. I knew it was old as the phone number beneath the manufacturer's name had the telltale signs of being well before the change in dialling codes. It's a good job I didn't need spares as it appears they went bump in 1980 and it is no longer possible to get any. Universal bits and pieces may fit but it is very much in the lap of the gods. Thankfully I was able to twist any damaged bits of frame back into shape and it appeared that nothing had actually broken but had simply fallen apart/ loosened.

 

So, after a cold but enjoyable winter's day at the plot I now have a greenhouse frame up and standing firm. Next time round I'm going to fix some wooden battons to act as a base and I'll then be ready to buy and fit the glass. The target is to have the greenhouse operational by mid February, at which point I hope to benefit from the increasing day length and warmth of the late winter sun to sow the first hardy crops of the year under glass. Exciting times ahead!