After some stunningly glorious March weather, with wall to wall sunshine and temperatures miles above average for the time of year, I'm getting a bit concerned about the possible April backlash. Nature has a way of evening things out and it is highly likely we'll be shivering rather than sunbathing over the Easter weekend. We could certainly do with some rain, but cold and frosty (and snowy?) weather could have a devastating impact on the allotment.
The problem is that the generally mild winter and recent very warm weather means the fruit trees and bushes are so far advanced to the point where the blossom is already about to burst. This will be a lovely sight but a couple of sharp frosts could do for the whole potential fruit harvest later in the year. It may also check the seedlings that are sprouting in the greenhouse and polytunnel. I'm less concerned about the seedlings as they could easily be replaced. The fruit, on the otherhand, has one chance to flower, be pollinated and set for the year. Fingers crossed the cooling trend means the flowers will stay tightly closed and not appear again until the risk of frost has passed. It may be too late for some of the early flowering plums but I hope the apples and pears hold on a few weeks more. If the blossom does appear and is not damaged by frost, there's still the risk of damp and cold weather impacting on bee activity and pollination may suffer. It will be a testing few weeks to come...
I sowed some tomatoes and peppers on Monday and was surprised to see action by Friday. It always amazes me how viable seed simply wants to grow given the right conditions. I have Sungold, Apero, San Marzano, Tigerella and Golden Sunrise all showing now with only San Pedro (bought from Lanzarote about three years ago) reluctant to germinate. If the weather does turn cold for a while I may start to struggle as they'll have to stay indoors for longer than I had hoped. These were supposed to be passed on to the polytunnel at the plot to make way for the second batch of tomatoes and other tender crops. As my wife tells me every year, I may have started them off too soon!
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
A busy weekend in the garden at home and on the allotment.
Seed Sowing
To be honest I'm probably a bit behind where I'd like to be at this stage in the year. Saturday saw me attempt to make amends by planting crimson flowered and 'Stereo' broad beans and purple podded and 'Kelvedon Wonder' peas. I hope the respective purple types do well as they are from seed I saved from heritage varieties grown last year. I made a conscious decision to try and save seed from them to help expand their stock and will pass some on to fellow allotment holders. Last year I also saved runner, French and Borlotti bean seeds from the most productive plants and also saved the seeds from a couple of salsify and scorzonera flowers. Time will tell if this is good practice or a false economy.
I made a start with some longer-term crops by sowing the first batch of Musselburgh leeks. My experience with leeks over the past couple of years is as follows: sown too late, transplanted too late = weedy leeks. This year I hope to do two batches: one now for planting out in June; and another later in spring for planting later in summer time. Hopefully that will spread the crop with some ready early winter and others standing in the ground until next spring.
The final seed was some lettuce 'Little Gem' sown indoors. They'll be pricked out when large enough, grown on singly and then planted in the cold frame for the earliest crop I can achieve. Later sowings will go direct into the ground once it has warmed sufficiently in April.
Potatoes are chitting nicely in the attic. This year I have Juliette, which I have grown for the past two years instead of the similar Charlotte. Juliette produces yellow, waxy, kidney shaped tubers in profusion and they are very tasty. I am also trying Rooster and Picasso maincrop potatoes to see if I can store enough to keep us going over the winter. Already in pots in the polytunnel I have Anya. These are really tasty as baby new potatoes and will be ready just before I start digging the Juliettes from the open ground.
Down at the plot
This weekend was one of hard graft and labour. The main job was to expand the growing space by shifting round some paving flags and relaying a path. I broke the back of the job on Saturday with the hard landscaping. Today I was required to dig the newly reclaimed area over, which was less straightforward than anticipated due to the heavy overnight rain. Eventually I got the job done and I transplanted two fruit trees (Denniston's Superb gage and Morello cherry) from large pots into the open ground. I had wanted to keep them in pots just in case I ever move on. However, when in full leaf they require daily watering and it's a job I can do without. They have gone into the open ground in very good soil and with a good mulch of well rotted manure. Any fruit this year will be a bonus but I hope they get well established and provide a crop for years to come. I've not yet decided if the remaining ground I've cleared will be the home for my Rooster potatoes or the courgette and pumpkin patch. The soil is good, the area large and it will suit either crop well. Decisions, decisions...
Seed Sowing
To be honest I'm probably a bit behind where I'd like to be at this stage in the year. Saturday saw me attempt to make amends by planting crimson flowered and 'Stereo' broad beans and purple podded and 'Kelvedon Wonder' peas. I hope the respective purple types do well as they are from seed I saved from heritage varieties grown last year. I made a conscious decision to try and save seed from them to help expand their stock and will pass some on to fellow allotment holders. Last year I also saved runner, French and Borlotti bean seeds from the most productive plants and also saved the seeds from a couple of salsify and scorzonera flowers. Time will tell if this is good practice or a false economy.
I made a start with some longer-term crops by sowing the first batch of Musselburgh leeks. My experience with leeks over the past couple of years is as follows: sown too late, transplanted too late = weedy leeks. This year I hope to do two batches: one now for planting out in June; and another later in spring for planting later in summer time. Hopefully that will spread the crop with some ready early winter and others standing in the ground until next spring.
The final seed was some lettuce 'Little Gem' sown indoors. They'll be pricked out when large enough, grown on singly and then planted in the cold frame for the earliest crop I can achieve. Later sowings will go direct into the ground once it has warmed sufficiently in April.
Potatoes are chitting nicely in the attic. This year I have Juliette, which I have grown for the past two years instead of the similar Charlotte. Juliette produces yellow, waxy, kidney shaped tubers in profusion and they are very tasty. I am also trying Rooster and Picasso maincrop potatoes to see if I can store enough to keep us going over the winter. Already in pots in the polytunnel I have Anya. These are really tasty as baby new potatoes and will be ready just before I start digging the Juliettes from the open ground.
Down at the plot
This weekend was one of hard graft and labour. The main job was to expand the growing space by shifting round some paving flags and relaying a path. I broke the back of the job on Saturday with the hard landscaping. Today I was required to dig the newly reclaimed area over, which was less straightforward than anticipated due to the heavy overnight rain. Eventually I got the job done and I transplanted two fruit trees (Denniston's Superb gage and Morello cherry) from large pots into the open ground. I had wanted to keep them in pots just in case I ever move on. However, when in full leaf they require daily watering and it's a job I can do without. They have gone into the open ground in very good soil and with a good mulch of well rotted manure. Any fruit this year will be a bonus but I hope they get well established and provide a crop for years to come. I've not yet decided if the remaining ground I've cleared will be the home for my Rooster potatoes or the courgette and pumpkin patch. The soil is good, the area large and it will suit either crop well. Decisions, decisions...
Monday, March 12, 2012
I'm back!
After a silence of over two years I have been inspired to start writing again. I'm not quite sure why I stopped updating the blog with progress down at the plot. I'm pretty sure a lack of time was an early factor as I changed jobs and found I was spending 2 hours + each day sat in a car travelling up and down the M1. I guess after a period of time it then became a bit tricky to work out how best to start writing again. What will be the route back in? How do I account for the gap? Does anyone actually care?
I think the answer to this last question has been a key factor in my desire to start posting again. Whilst I'm sure someone out there might occasionally stumble on this blog, equally my words may go unread forever. I can live with that, because I've realised that the major beneficiary of my writing is actually me!
I'll try and elaborate on that.
I would love the idea of many people following this blog, sharing my experiences of allotment gardening and becoming inspired to do the same. Being somewhat more realistic, the occasional visitor flicking through my posts and enjoying what they read is a more likely outcome.
However, re-reading my blog from start to finish has enabled me to relive many moments which may otherwise have been forgotten. Little events at the allotment which, at the time, did not seem overly significant but have been recorded forever in history and help to create fond memories of time and place. I guess the fact that I'm becoming ever more forgetful (probably age-related!) means the opportunity to record my thoughts and the feelings they create is not to be missed.
Through my posting I will give myself the chance to reflect on past experiences. I will look back with a rueful and knowing smile at my previous naivety, curse the pigeons and slugs, or cherish the feelings of the seasons' first harvest of new potatoes.
If someone is reading and my words make them smile or simply help cheer their otherwise disappointing day, I will be over the moon. If I am merely recording my thoughts for future personal review, I can live with that too!
So, my commitment is to post regularly and to record my plot's progress in both words and pictures. Over the past two years my allotment has been a constant whilst a myriad of personal and professional things have changed around me. The pleasure I derive from growing vegetables and fruit at Woodthorpe is something I feel privileged to share with whoever wants to listen :-)
Friday, January 15, 2010
2009 in review and looking forward to 2010...
Well it's a slightly belated Happy New Year from me, namely because I'm a lazy so-and-so and haven't been bothered to write anything, even though work has been impossible in recent weeks and I've been pretty much at a loose end since I took down the tree and polished off the last of the Christmas fayre. A fortnight on, the wintry blast has receeded somewhat, to be replaced in traditional English fashion with a horrible wet, slightly less cold but thoroughly miserable day.
I can take this no longer, so to cheer myself up I've decided to look back at last year's successes and failures and place my seed order for 2010.
A review of 2009
This was an interesting year weather-wise as we had cold and snow early on, a mild dry spring, a rubbish summer, a very dry and mild early autumn, a very wet November and then a hard cold snap in the lead up to Christmas.
In general I've been very satisfied with the variety and amount of produce from the plot this year, taking a regular harvest of fresh fruit and veg. to keep us going right up to the end of December. I've finally got the hang of (although by no means have I mastered) planning a succession of crops to avoid gluts and famines. It takes a bit of time and thought but sowing regularly and often and having an idea of what you want to grow next and what it will replace resulted in very little unused or fallow growing space at the plot.
Of course variety in the winter months is limited, with brassicas and root vegetables the mainstay, but I've produced and stored enough to keep us going in parnsips, swede, scorzonera, beetroot, potatoes, leeks and cabbages. I still have the white sprouting broccoli to look forward to in spring and there are still leeks and root vegetables in the ground that I might be able to use if the soil thaws a bit more. I've also got some over-wintering onions, shallots and broad beans in the ground so that should also help to bring forward this coming year's harvest.
Plus Points for 2009
Most root crops, apart from carrots...
Sweetcorn
Runner, French and Borlotti beans
Potatoes
Courgettes
Leeks
Most soft fruit
My first ever home-grown apricots!
Must do better
Tomatoes - blight again
Chillies - loads of flowers, not much fruit
Melons - loads of flowers, no fruit
Asparagus - waste of space?
Top fruit - after a promising start the trees delivered very little
Carrots - still not mastered them
Squashes - not a bad crop but I've done better in other years
Looking forward to 2010
The 'giant Kelsae onion project' is already underway. About half have germinated and they'll be nurtured in a special way to ensure they become monsters by the summer. Beyond that I won't be sowing anything for a while but my fruit rees and bushes should arrive soon after a delay due to the weather. I'm looking forward to my first attempt at grafting apples - the chosen varieties for this experiment will be James Grieve and Howgate Wonder and I'll provide regular updates with progress.
My seed order is pretty small this year as I want to use what I already have first. If the old seed doesn't germinate I'll buy some new. The list includes an extortionate variety of mini cucumber - £3.15 for 4 seeds! That said, one plant will do as I'm the only one who eats them and they sound prolific.
I've also splashed out on some fresh tomato seed - Tumbling Tom yellow for baskets, Fantasio F1 is meant to be blight resistant, and I've bought some more Sungold F1 as I think they're my favourite. I'll grow them outside and the polytunnel will be reserved for a second attempt at melons, some chillies, and maybe a few beefsteak tomatoes. Honey Bantam F1 is my preferred variety of sweetcorn and I've ordered two packs. The idea is to sow early and late so I can spread the harvest over a longer period of time. I've also chosen a striped variety of courgette - San Pasquale - as it looks interesting.
As for parsnips, I'm going to try a germination test with some of my old seed to see what happens. Conventional wisdom is that parnsip seed doesn't store well and you need fresh every year. I'm not sure how much truth there is in this or whether it's just a ruse to get us buying new seed each year... If they don't germinate on some damp tissue paper indoors, I'll run to the shops, tail well and truly between my legs, to buy some fresh seeds!
So there you have it. That was 2009 and this is 2010. As ever the new year is filled with fresh optimism for a long and successful growing season ahead. I've got a few jobs planned before the work really picks up - I'm moving the polytunnel to create space for my fruit bushes and also so it gets more sun and there is a new path to lay around the shed - which I'll get on with when conditions allow. There'll be regular posts from me as and when there's something to say, so I hope you keep popping back from time to time to see how things are progressing on my plot at the beautiful Woodthorpe Allotments.
I can take this no longer, so to cheer myself up I've decided to look back at last year's successes and failures and place my seed order for 2010.
A review of 2009
This was an interesting year weather-wise as we had cold and snow early on, a mild dry spring, a rubbish summer, a very dry and mild early autumn, a very wet November and then a hard cold snap in the lead up to Christmas.
In general I've been very satisfied with the variety and amount of produce from the plot this year, taking a regular harvest of fresh fruit and veg. to keep us going right up to the end of December. I've finally got the hang of (although by no means have I mastered) planning a succession of crops to avoid gluts and famines. It takes a bit of time and thought but sowing regularly and often and having an idea of what you want to grow next and what it will replace resulted in very little unused or fallow growing space at the plot.
Of course variety in the winter months is limited, with brassicas and root vegetables the mainstay, but I've produced and stored enough to keep us going in parnsips, swede, scorzonera, beetroot, potatoes, leeks and cabbages. I still have the white sprouting broccoli to look forward to in spring and there are still leeks and root vegetables in the ground that I might be able to use if the soil thaws a bit more. I've also got some over-wintering onions, shallots and broad beans in the ground so that should also help to bring forward this coming year's harvest.
Plus Points for 2009
Most root crops, apart from carrots...
Sweetcorn
Runner, French and Borlotti beans
Potatoes
Courgettes
Leeks
Most soft fruit
My first ever home-grown apricots!
Must do better
Tomatoes - blight again
Chillies - loads of flowers, not much fruit
Melons - loads of flowers, no fruit
Asparagus - waste of space?
Top fruit - after a promising start the trees delivered very little
Carrots - still not mastered them
Squashes - not a bad crop but I've done better in other years
Looking forward to 2010
The 'giant Kelsae onion project' is already underway. About half have germinated and they'll be nurtured in a special way to ensure they become monsters by the summer. Beyond that I won't be sowing anything for a while but my fruit rees and bushes should arrive soon after a delay due to the weather. I'm looking forward to my first attempt at grafting apples - the chosen varieties for this experiment will be James Grieve and Howgate Wonder and I'll provide regular updates with progress.
My seed order is pretty small this year as I want to use what I already have first. If the old seed doesn't germinate I'll buy some new. The list includes an extortionate variety of mini cucumber - £3.15 for 4 seeds! That said, one plant will do as I'm the only one who eats them and they sound prolific.
I've also splashed out on some fresh tomato seed - Tumbling Tom yellow for baskets, Fantasio F1 is meant to be blight resistant, and I've bought some more Sungold F1 as I think they're my favourite. I'll grow them outside and the polytunnel will be reserved for a second attempt at melons, some chillies, and maybe a few beefsteak tomatoes. Honey Bantam F1 is my preferred variety of sweetcorn and I've ordered two packs. The idea is to sow early and late so I can spread the harvest over a longer period of time. I've also chosen a striped variety of courgette - San Pasquale - as it looks interesting.
As for parsnips, I'm going to try a germination test with some of my old seed to see what happens. Conventional wisdom is that parnsip seed doesn't store well and you need fresh every year. I'm not sure how much truth there is in this or whether it's just a ruse to get us buying new seed each year... If they don't germinate on some damp tissue paper indoors, I'll run to the shops, tail well and truly between my legs, to buy some fresh seeds!
So there you have it. That was 2009 and this is 2010. As ever the new year is filled with fresh optimism for a long and successful growing season ahead. I've got a few jobs planned before the work really picks up - I'm moving the polytunnel to create space for my fruit bushes and also so it gets more sun and there is a new path to lay around the shed - which I'll get on with when conditions allow. There'll be regular posts from me as and when there's something to say, so I hope you keep popping back from time to time to see how things are progressing on my plot at the beautiful Woodthorpe Allotments.
Friday, December 25, 2009
It's Chriiiistmaaaaas!
It's been two months since my last post, namely because not much has happened that's been worthy of mention. I've been to the allotment on the odd occasion to pick a few bits and to tidy up plants as they've died back, but other than that there's been nothing to report. However, after a long and mild autumn, winter proper has arrived with a bang just in time for the festive period and I've been to the plot over the past few days to pick some veg for today's feast and to take some pictures of the pre-Christmas snow. Here's how it looked a couple of days ago.
The really cold weather set in on Thursday 17th December and since then the temperature has barely risen above freezing. It is suggested that parsnips taste better after a bit of frost but I was worried they would be frozen solid in the ground! However, after some tough digging, I managed to extract plenty of good sized roots after breaking through the frozen top layer of soil. I've also managed to produce sprouts, carrots, swede, scorzonera, cauliflower and leeks for the next few days of non-stop eating, not to mention the king edwards and butternut squash stored in the garage, so I'm well pleased that all the veg for my Christmas dinner will be home grown!
On a walk up to the plot this week I stopped by at the local Wilkos store for some bird feeders and various fat-based food. There is a wide range of birdlife at the allotment, with tits, blackbirds and robins all common visitors, together with the odd thrush and sometimes even a sparrowhawk. With the cold and frosty weather they've needed a bit of help recently so I placed feeders in the big old bramley apple tree and within only a few minutes they were visited by a bluetit. The robin prefers its food at ground level so I scattered a fatball on the ground and hoped for the best that the local cats wouldn't make an appearance... I'm hoping this festive kindness on my part will be returned in the summer when the birds make a large dent in the aphid and caterpillar population!
With all the recent cold weather and long, dark nights it's easy to forget that thoughts will soon turn to spring and the growing season ahead. The winter solstice has passed and, although imperceptible at first, the days will be getting longer from now until 21st June! Admittedly I won't be doing much digging at the plot any time soon, but on Boxing Day I'll be sowing the first batch of Kelsae onion seed indoors in anticipation of a large crop in the summer. I'll also be placing my seed order in early January and visiting a potato day at the end of the month to buy the seed potatoes for next year's crop. Nothing stands still for long at the plot, and although I'm enjoying the lack of urgency that comes with one of the coldest periods of weather we've had for quite some time, I'll no doubt soon be itching for longer days, slightly warmer weather, getting out there and 'doing something' and looking for signs of the first green shoots of spring.
Have a very Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year and a successful growing season in 2010!
The really cold weather set in on Thursday 17th December and since then the temperature has barely risen above freezing. It is suggested that parsnips taste better after a bit of frost but I was worried they would be frozen solid in the ground! However, after some tough digging, I managed to extract plenty of good sized roots after breaking through the frozen top layer of soil. I've also managed to produce sprouts, carrots, swede, scorzonera, cauliflower and leeks for the next few days of non-stop eating, not to mention the king edwards and butternut squash stored in the garage, so I'm well pleased that all the veg for my Christmas dinner will be home grown!
On a walk up to the plot this week I stopped by at the local Wilkos store for some bird feeders and various fat-based food. There is a wide range of birdlife at the allotment, with tits, blackbirds and robins all common visitors, together with the odd thrush and sometimes even a sparrowhawk. With the cold and frosty weather they've needed a bit of help recently so I placed feeders in the big old bramley apple tree and within only a few minutes they were visited by a bluetit. The robin prefers its food at ground level so I scattered a fatball on the ground and hoped for the best that the local cats wouldn't make an appearance... I'm hoping this festive kindness on my part will be returned in the summer when the birds make a large dent in the aphid and caterpillar population!
With all the recent cold weather and long, dark nights it's easy to forget that thoughts will soon turn to spring and the growing season ahead. The winter solstice has passed and, although imperceptible at first, the days will be getting longer from now until 21st June! Admittedly I won't be doing much digging at the plot any time soon, but on Boxing Day I'll be sowing the first batch of Kelsae onion seed indoors in anticipation of a large crop in the summer. I'll also be placing my seed order in early January and visiting a potato day at the end of the month to buy the seed potatoes for next year's crop. Nothing stands still for long at the plot, and although I'm enjoying the lack of urgency that comes with one of the coldest periods of weather we've had for quite some time, I'll no doubt soon be itching for longer days, slightly warmer weather, getting out there and 'doing something' and looking for signs of the first green shoots of spring.
Have a very Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year and a successful growing season in 2010!
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Autumn is here!
The amount of leaf sweeping I've been doing over the past couple of weeks confirms to me that autumn is well and truly here. After a slow start, the trees are now shedding their leaves in profusion and have given a pretty decent show of colour to boot. It hasn't been particularly cold yet and the couple of predicted frosty nights a fortnight or so back didn't really materialise here in Nottingham - the lowest temperature I recorded was 4.8C, which was chilly enough to see the last of my cucumber plants on its way but not what I would consider unduly cold for mid October.
Down at the plot its clear to see that preparations are in order for the forthcoming winter slumber. Many plotholders had their summer crops cleared weeks ago and have dug their ground ready for it to be broken down by winter frost. I'm never that keen to start clearing too early, namely because if the weather stays mild it's possible to continue cropping far longer than might seem likely. For example, I picked my last Burpless Tasty Green cucumber during the first full week of October, the chilli plants are still in flower and going strong, a few tomatoes are still ripening at home and I've helped myself to a few portions of late runner beans. A visit yesterday, however, signalled that it was time to start clearing and the pictures below show how the plot looked as of Friday 23rd October.
It's not all doom and gloom though. I've been really pleased with how my planning has provided a plentiful supply of crops for late autumn and winter use. I've started picking the first of my parsnips, swede, celeriac and scorzonera more out of curiosity than need, and the results are exciting. The parsnips in particular are long, thin and tapering (with the odd stumpy one thrown in for good measure!) and there'll be plenty of them after most of the double row I sowed germinated first time. Here's a picture of some parsnips and scorzonera from yesterday - for scale the 'perfect' parsnip root is about 40cms long.
I also have some crops growing that will stand the cold and provide a crop early next year. The brassicas I've previously shown have really grown on well in the mild weather and I may yet get to pick some sprouts for Christmas dinner. The caulis and spring cabbage are also progressing nicely and should provide some goodness through the lean times of late winter and early spring. My white sprouting broccoli is also strong and healthy and I'm looking forward to these helping to fill the 'hungry gap' next year. This is how the plants looked yesterday, the ruby chard in the foreground and the white sprouting broccoli protected from pigeons by their cage.
Allotmenteers are always thinking ahead and as one season progresses we're always mindful about those to come. Taking advantage of the still warm soil I've planted my overwintering Japanese onion sets (Senshyu Yellow) and shallots (Jermor) and also some dwarf 'The Sutton' broad beans. I've never before tried to overwinter broad beans on the plot so it will be interesting to see how they fare. I've tried to time the sowing right so that they'll germinate and become sturdy little plants to cope with winter weather without becoming too big and floppy so that they aren't able to stand the cold and wet. Only time will tell...
I've also ordered a few extra fruit trees and bushes that will be delivered bare root at the end of November/ early December. I have a maiden Denniston's Superb plum to replace the Marjorie's Seedling that died, a red and white currant, and two M9 apple rootstocks that will become my first foray into grafting next year. There are some highly productive trees on the site so I'm hoping to be able to blag a couple of cuttings and see whether I can propagate my own trees - how exciting!
Keep watching for future updates, when I'll review how things went this year and what I'll be growing next year. I have the seed catalogues in front of me so I'll sit down one evening with a nice bottle or two of beer and plan my attack for 2010. Until then, enjoy the rest of the autumn and the Halloween and Bonfire Night festivities if you're doing anything to celebrate them.
Down at the plot its clear to see that preparations are in order for the forthcoming winter slumber. Many plotholders had their summer crops cleared weeks ago and have dug their ground ready for it to be broken down by winter frost. I'm never that keen to start clearing too early, namely because if the weather stays mild it's possible to continue cropping far longer than might seem likely. For example, I picked my last Burpless Tasty Green cucumber during the first full week of October, the chilli plants are still in flower and going strong, a few tomatoes are still ripening at home and I've helped myself to a few portions of late runner beans. A visit yesterday, however, signalled that it was time to start clearing and the pictures below show how the plot looked as of Friday 23rd October.
It's not all doom and gloom though. I've been really pleased with how my planning has provided a plentiful supply of crops for late autumn and winter use. I've started picking the first of my parsnips, swede, celeriac and scorzonera more out of curiosity than need, and the results are exciting. The parsnips in particular are long, thin and tapering (with the odd stumpy one thrown in for good measure!) and there'll be plenty of them after most of the double row I sowed germinated first time. Here's a picture of some parsnips and scorzonera from yesterday - for scale the 'perfect' parsnip root is about 40cms long.
I also have some crops growing that will stand the cold and provide a crop early next year. The brassicas I've previously shown have really grown on well in the mild weather and I may yet get to pick some sprouts for Christmas dinner. The caulis and spring cabbage are also progressing nicely and should provide some goodness through the lean times of late winter and early spring. My white sprouting broccoli is also strong and healthy and I'm looking forward to these helping to fill the 'hungry gap' next year. This is how the plants looked yesterday, the ruby chard in the foreground and the white sprouting broccoli protected from pigeons by their cage.
Allotmenteers are always thinking ahead and as one season progresses we're always mindful about those to come. Taking advantage of the still warm soil I've planted my overwintering Japanese onion sets (Senshyu Yellow) and shallots (Jermor) and also some dwarf 'The Sutton' broad beans. I've never before tried to overwinter broad beans on the plot so it will be interesting to see how they fare. I've tried to time the sowing right so that they'll germinate and become sturdy little plants to cope with winter weather without becoming too big and floppy so that they aren't able to stand the cold and wet. Only time will tell...
I've also ordered a few extra fruit trees and bushes that will be delivered bare root at the end of November/ early December. I have a maiden Denniston's Superb plum to replace the Marjorie's Seedling that died, a red and white currant, and two M9 apple rootstocks that will become my first foray into grafting next year. There are some highly productive trees on the site so I'm hoping to be able to blag a couple of cuttings and see whether I can propagate my own trees - how exciting!
Keep watching for future updates, when I'll review how things went this year and what I'll be growing next year. I have the seed catalogues in front of me so I'll sit down one evening with a nice bottle or two of beer and plan my attack for 2010. Until then, enjoy the rest of the autumn and the Halloween and Bonfire Night festivities if you're doing anything to celebrate them.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Reaping the harvest
There hasn't been that much of excitement to report over the past month or so, with little activity taking place at the plot other than picking fruit and veg! We're finally enjoying an extended period of dry, sunny and relatively warm weather for the time of year. This has prolonged the harvest of summer crops such as beans, courgettes, luscious sweetcorn and some monster cucumbers and has helped ripen and sweeten the pears, plums and apples that have been produced in profusion this year. Here's a few photos to show the harvest of recent weeks.
Atlantic Giant pumpkin - one of three - up against my Pear 'Beth'. It's currently about beach ball size!
Winter brassicas in their 'Heath Robinson' pigeon and butterfly proof home. Rustic but effective!
Scorzonera in flower.
A belated photo of the apricots before picking in late July/ early August.
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"Sow early for a harvest this year..." said the seed packet. Sown in March, here's the evidence that confirms the statement. The first of my artichokes, picked and eaten a fortnight ago, boiled and then dipped in an oil and balsamic dressing.
Atlantic Giant pumpkin - one of three - up against my Pear 'Beth'. It's currently about beach ball size!
Winter brassicas in their 'Heath Robinson' pigeon and butterfly proof home. Rustic but effective!
Beautiful pods of Borlotto 'Lingua di Fuoco'.
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A sea of nasturtiums across the plot!
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