Today is the first time this year we've come back from the allotment weighed down with produce. It was especially pleasing as our friends came along for the walk and fresh air and went home with a bag of new potatoes, raspberries and lettuce for their tea!
Things still appear to be about 2-3 weeks behind where I'd expect them to be but most plants are now strong and healthy and looking like giving a decent crop. I picked the first handful of French beans today and the runners have loads of pretty red flowers for the bees to pollinate. The courgettes are just starting to bear fruit and we shouldn't need to visit the greengrocer for potatoes or onions again for a long time!
Most exciting for me, the first of my Mammoth pumpkins has set fruit. I have a number of different squashes growing but this is the one that I'm focussing my attentions on. It will have little culinary value, save for supplying a few gallons of pumpkin soup over the winter, with the main aim being to grow as big a pumpkin as I can. I will nurture this first fruit, allow a second to form as a back-up, and then pinch out any further female flowers so the plant can focus its efforts on producing me a whopper! It will be fed weekly with seaweed extract and organic tomato food and be ready for picking some time in early October. I'm not setting any real targets for size, other than I want to carry it off the plot with the help of a wheelbarrow!
Tomorrow I'll be back to the plot to start planting some of the winter veggies. It seems bizarre to be thinking of winter already but they need to go in now to have sufficient time to establish. Musselburgh leeks and some of my sprouts will go in where the broad beans have finished and the Purple Spouting Broccoli will take over from the onions and garlic.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Midsummer update - pigeons and gales!
It's been nearly a month since my last post, namely because I've been incredibly busy with the business. The longest day has been and gone and I should now be in full picking mode. I'm probably a fortnight behind where I'd like to be, but still quite a lot has been happening down at the plot, with most beds now full of plants, so here is a quick resume of the last month or so:
All the tomatoes are in and doing well. They are surrounded by French marigolds and the bed is looking quite pretty. The first flower trusses have appeared and I anticipate a good crop given a half-decent summer.
The courgettes and squashes were planted nearly a month ago and most are doing well. They have sulked a little in the cooler, damper weather of late but a few warm sunny days should see them spread their wings. Unfortunately all of my One Ball courgettes were destroyed by the weekend gales, snapped of at the base, so I've had to pop a few more seeds in and anticipate a late crop.
The various climbing beans have started to wind their way up the supports and the first flowers are setting. They seem to be suffering from the wind, which tends to unravel them, so I've been tying them in with soft twine. I hope for a really good crop of French beans, which seem to be a week or two in adavnce of the runners even at this early stage.
The bl00dy pigeons have decimated my red cabbages, pak choi and kohl rabi. The only survivors are the five or so red cabbages under a cage. I hate using netting, mainly because it's ugly and can also cause problems for birds, but I think it is now a necessity on my plot.
The potatoes are looking really healthy with no signs of blight at this early stage. The first earlies should be ready in a fortnight and then it should be regular cropping until late September, when I'll dig up and store the maincrop.
Finally, the soft fruit is staring to ripen, with strawberries and raspberries leading the charge. The blackbirds have managed more than me so far with just the odd berry ripening, but soon there'll be more than they can eat and I can take over! Looking forward to plenty of fresh fruits then a batch or two of jam.
I've taken a few pictures of the plot so they'll be uploaded when I get the chance. After the pigeon attack and the midsummer gale, here's hoping for some warm sunny weather and a few night time showers to really get things growing. Happy gardening!
All the tomatoes are in and doing well. They are surrounded by French marigolds and the bed is looking quite pretty. The first flower trusses have appeared and I anticipate a good crop given a half-decent summer.
The courgettes and squashes were planted nearly a month ago and most are doing well. They have sulked a little in the cooler, damper weather of late but a few warm sunny days should see them spread their wings. Unfortunately all of my One Ball courgettes were destroyed by the weekend gales, snapped of at the base, so I've had to pop a few more seeds in and anticipate a late crop.
The various climbing beans have started to wind their way up the supports and the first flowers are setting. They seem to be suffering from the wind, which tends to unravel them, so I've been tying them in with soft twine. I hope for a really good crop of French beans, which seem to be a week or two in adavnce of the runners even at this early stage.
The bl00dy pigeons have decimated my red cabbages, pak choi and kohl rabi. The only survivors are the five or so red cabbages under a cage. I hate using netting, mainly because it's ugly and can also cause problems for birds, but I think it is now a necessity on my plot.
The potatoes are looking really healthy with no signs of blight at this early stage. The first earlies should be ready in a fortnight and then it should be regular cropping until late September, when I'll dig up and store the maincrop.
Finally, the soft fruit is staring to ripen, with strawberries and raspberries leading the charge. The blackbirds have managed more than me so far with just the odd berry ripening, but soon there'll be more than they can eat and I can take over! Looking forward to plenty of fresh fruits then a batch or two of jam.
I've taken a few pictures of the plot so they'll be uploaded when I get the chance. After the pigeon attack and the midsummer gale, here's hoping for some warm sunny weather and a few night time showers to really get things growing. Happy gardening!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Bank Holiday update - beans a plenty?
Around about the late May bank holiday is usually the earliest I would consider to plant out my tender crops. This year we had typical bank holiday weather - three days of grey, cold, cloudy weather with a strong easterly wind more reminiscent of March than late May. Not the ideal weather to plant out beans, courgettes and pumpkins, which were basking in the relative shelter of my plastic greenhouse, but something had to give. Being incredibly busy with work, my visits to the allotment are currently of the fleeting variety, so when a free hour or so became available yesterday afternoon, I had to make use of the time. It was the beans - Polestar, Borlotti, Cobra & Purple Teepee - which went in, probably much to their annoyance, but they were far too large for the greenhouse anyway and some had started to wrap around each other, as climbing beans without anything to climb up tend to do.
I choose to grow mine up wigwams of 5 canes, basically because it makes best use of the space available and also because, unlike many fellow plot holders, I see no need for a 10m double row of runner beans. 5 plants of each type are more than sufficient for us and a few friends and neighbours - after all, there's only so many runner beans you can eat! Also, as I don't have a permanent, dedicated bean trench, I can move my five canes to a space in any bed to fit around my other crop rotations. It is flexible and works for me.
So in they went, with some chicken manure pellets for company and some soft twine to encourage them to climb the canes in the face of a force 8 gale. They were well watered in, although I needn't have bothered as it has rained here ever since! I'll check on them at the weekend, when if it's mild and benign, I might consider putting in a few tomatoes and courgettes. The cucumbers will have to wait at least another couple of weeks as they still look too fragile.
I choose to grow mine up wigwams of 5 canes, basically because it makes best use of the space available and also because, unlike many fellow plot holders, I see no need for a 10m double row of runner beans. 5 plants of each type are more than sufficient for us and a few friends and neighbours - after all, there's only so many runner beans you can eat! Also, as I don't have a permanent, dedicated bean trench, I can move my five canes to a space in any bed to fit around my other crop rotations. It is flexible and works for me.
So in they went, with some chicken manure pellets for company and some soft twine to encourage them to climb the canes in the face of a force 8 gale. They were well watered in, although I needn't have bothered as it has rained here ever since! I'll check on them at the weekend, when if it's mild and benign, I might consider putting in a few tomatoes and courgettes. The cucumbers will have to wait at least another couple of weeks as they still look too fragile.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
The Darling Buds of May
It's amazing what plenty of rain followed by some warm, sunny weather can do. After a cool early spring, trees, shrubs and hedges are now wearing their bright new green leaves and everywhere is bursting with life.
At the plot, after a frantic few weeks, all the seeds for this year have now been sown, most have germinated, and a hardy few are taking advantage of the current sunny and warm weather.
I have, in no particular order:
Tomatoes - Sungold F1, Gardener's Delight, Golden Sunrise, Alicante.
Chilli - Cayenne Pepper
Cucmbers - Burpless Tasty Green and Crystal Apple.
Courgettes - Kojak F1 and One Ball F1
Squashes and Pumpkins - Cobnut, Mammoth, Gold Nugget, Baby Bear, Jack O' Lantern.
Beans - Cobra, Barlotti 'Lingua di Fuoco', Polestar, Purple Teepee.
The last to emerge will be the Sweetcorn Honey Bantam F1, which currently reside on my window sill in their toilet roll tubes - they only went in last night!
Thanks to a recent decking job I have finished off the last of the raised beds at the allotment. I hope to be down there this weekend to cull the dandelions and get on top of the profusion of weeds before the above plants go in after the late May bank holiday. I plan to take a few pictures and upload them to the blog as I am proud of my efforts this year and there are some lovely sights. 'Best of plot' at the moment must be the fruit trees - the bramley and the morello cherry are full of blossom and the bees are busily working away on the flowers. I anticipate a great crop this year, provided there are no late frosts and I can net the cherries before the blackbird gets them.
We've also picked the first two crops of asparagus - enormous fat spears - and steamed them only an hour or so after picking. They tasted great, but it does make your wee smell funny :-)
Finally, before signing off, a word of warning for anyone who might be tempted to tackle nettles with a strimmer. Make sure your skin is completely covered before trying this. Nettles may sting when you touch them, but boy does it hurt when you are showered with tiny fragments of nettle being blasted by a strimmer. Ouch!
At the plot, after a frantic few weeks, all the seeds for this year have now been sown, most have germinated, and a hardy few are taking advantage of the current sunny and warm weather.
I have, in no particular order:
Tomatoes - Sungold F1, Gardener's Delight, Golden Sunrise, Alicante.
Chilli - Cayenne Pepper
Cucmbers - Burpless Tasty Green and Crystal Apple.
Courgettes - Kojak F1 and One Ball F1
Squashes and Pumpkins - Cobnut, Mammoth, Gold Nugget, Baby Bear, Jack O' Lantern.
Beans - Cobra, Barlotti 'Lingua di Fuoco', Polestar, Purple Teepee.
The last to emerge will be the Sweetcorn Honey Bantam F1, which currently reside on my window sill in their toilet roll tubes - they only went in last night!
Thanks to a recent decking job I have finished off the last of the raised beds at the allotment. I hope to be down there this weekend to cull the dandelions and get on top of the profusion of weeds before the above plants go in after the late May bank holiday. I plan to take a few pictures and upload them to the blog as I am proud of my efforts this year and there are some lovely sights. 'Best of plot' at the moment must be the fruit trees - the bramley and the morello cherry are full of blossom and the bees are busily working away on the flowers. I anticipate a great crop this year, provided there are no late frosts and I can net the cherries before the blackbird gets them.
We've also picked the first two crops of asparagus - enormous fat spears - and steamed them only an hour or so after picking. They tasted great, but it does make your wee smell funny :-)
Finally, before signing off, a word of warning for anyone who might be tempted to tackle nettles with a strimmer. Make sure your skin is completely covered before trying this. Nettles may sting when you touch them, but boy does it hurt when you are showered with tiny fragments of nettle being blasted by a strimmer. Ouch!
Monday, March 24, 2008
A few more seeds planted...
Having already planted a wide variety of hardy vegetables, such as early peas and broad beans, which are now just about sprouting in my cold frame, today it was the turn of some of the more tender summer crops. Many people start their tomatoes and chillis far earlier than late March, but the truth is that I haven't the space to keep them going once they've germinated. Try as I might, I cannot find enough places with enough daylight to prevent early sowings from going long and leggy well before they can be safely relocated to the cold frame or plastic greenhouse.
This time of year is early enough so that the plants do not fruit too late in the season, but late enough to allow me to take advantage of the increasing daylight and (allegedly) improving weather. Things like courgettes, pumpkins and squashes, and my French and runner beans, will wait another month yet. I find no benefit in starting them this early and late April/ early May is ample time to get them growing strongly in the cold frame for planting out after the last frosts (after being caught out a year or so back, this is now the first week in June for me).
Today I sowed Gardener's Delight, Sungold, Alicante and Golden Sunrise tomatoes, Cayenne Pepper chillis, sweet peppers, and the Cape Gooseberries (Physalis edulus). I expect the first to germinate within about 7-10 days, so by my next post I should have something to report...I'm already getting impatient!
This time of year is early enough so that the plants do not fruit too late in the season, but late enough to allow me to take advantage of the increasing daylight and (allegedly) improving weather. Things like courgettes, pumpkins and squashes, and my French and runner beans, will wait another month yet. I find no benefit in starting them this early and late April/ early May is ample time to get them growing strongly in the cold frame for planting out after the last frosts (after being caught out a year or so back, this is now the first week in June for me).
Today I sowed Gardener's Delight, Sungold, Alicante and Golden Sunrise tomatoes, Cayenne Pepper chillis, sweet peppers, and the Cape Gooseberries (Physalis edulus). I expect the first to germinate within about 7-10 days, so by my next post I should have something to report...I'm already getting impatient!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
The Sap is Rising...
It's been a long time since my one and only post last year, but that's not to say that the allotment has received no attention at all over the winter period. This is intended as a brief update, but hopefully there will be more regular contributions to follow, including some pictures of my handywork over the past few months. The days are getting longer, the buds are fattening, and after sowing a whole host of seeds this past weekend, I'm full of optimism for a good growing season ahead. The sap is rising...now roll on summer!!!
Produce:
We're still harvesting leeks (Musselburgh) and parsnips, but it's fair to say there will be a 'hungry gap' this year between the last of the winter veg and the first of the new season's produce. That's mainly because all the brassicas were nibbled to oblivion by a plague of woodpigeons, after the foxes managed to destroy the protective netting!
The Plot:
The main work on the plot has involved creating more permanent raised beds from leftover deck boards, creating a new path using recycled paving slabs, and building a permanent asparagus bed with some ropetop edging salavaged from a landscaping job. I also built a new compost bin from some old pallets and deck boards.
New Arrivals:
I have now added a further gooseberry bush (Invicta), a blackcurrant (Ben Lomond), and two new fruit trees that I bought recently from Aldi for £3.99 each - a peach and an apricot. They currently reside in 70 litre planting bags I recycled from a tree planting job over the winter, with a view to getting a good root system developed before they either a) go in the ground, or b) become permanent container specimens.
New for this year:
I bought my seed potatoes from the Nottingham Organic Society Potato Day and they are chitting nicely in the attic. Varieties include Lady Christl, Charlotte, King Edward and Cara. The seeds arrived from Dobies just before Christmas, and new varieties to try this year include Physalis edulus (Cape Gooseberries), Kohl Rabi and Pak Choi. I have seeds growing on window sills everywhere and the plastic greenhouse out back is full to bursting with small pots of compost. I'll give more details on this year's crops in a future post.
Produce:
We're still harvesting leeks (Musselburgh) and parsnips, but it's fair to say there will be a 'hungry gap' this year between the last of the winter veg and the first of the new season's produce. That's mainly because all the brassicas were nibbled to oblivion by a plague of woodpigeons, after the foxes managed to destroy the protective netting!
The Plot:
The main work on the plot has involved creating more permanent raised beds from leftover deck boards, creating a new path using recycled paving slabs, and building a permanent asparagus bed with some ropetop edging salavaged from a landscaping job. I also built a new compost bin from some old pallets and deck boards.
New Arrivals:
I have now added a further gooseberry bush (Invicta), a blackcurrant (Ben Lomond), and two new fruit trees that I bought recently from Aldi for £3.99 each - a peach and an apricot. They currently reside in 70 litre planting bags I recycled from a tree planting job over the winter, with a view to getting a good root system developed before they either a) go in the ground, or b) become permanent container specimens.
New for this year:
I bought my seed potatoes from the Nottingham Organic Society Potato Day and they are chitting nicely in the attic. Varieties include Lady Christl, Charlotte, King Edward and Cara. The seeds arrived from Dobies just before Christmas, and new varieties to try this year include Physalis edulus (Cape Gooseberries), Kohl Rabi and Pak Choi. I have seeds growing on window sills everywhere and the plastic greenhouse out back is full to bursting with small pots of compost. I'll give more details on this year's crops in a future post.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
The Year So Far...
This year has been tricky for all allotmenteers due to the changeable and often extreme weather we have experienced. April was unseasonably warm, sunny and dry, May was warm, sunny then wet, it rained for most of June and July and by August it was a case of making the best of a bad situation. Woodthorpe Allotments was flooded in its lower areas after the heavy rains in July, with a number of springs emerging from some of the lower plots. Fortunately, my plot is located mid-way down the hill and I came out of the deluge relatively unscathed. That said, the potatoes were all ruined by blight, as were the outdoor tomatoes. Pumpkins and squashes were also decimated. The courgettes (One Ball) faired much better and we had a regular supply for us and our friends throughtout the late summer and well into October. Beans and peas did well and the sweetcorn was fantastic!
I will soon be commenting on the successes and failures of my various crops in more detail and will tell you more about my plans for next year - I have the new Dobies catalogue in front of me and I will be placing my seed order imminently. Please keep reading as the blog develops over the next few weeks and months and hopefully I'll be able to provide you with a regular account of progress at Woodthorpe Allotments.
I will soon be commenting on the successes and failures of my various crops in more detail and will tell you more about my plans for next year - I have the new Dobies catalogue in front of me and I will be placing my seed order imminently. Please keep reading as the blog develops over the next few weeks and months and hopefully I'll be able to provide you with a regular account of progress at Woodthorpe Allotments.
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