Autumn 2014

 So far, so good this autumn. I have dug three of my four plots as the weather has been much as expected for this time of year, ie not nearly as wet as last year! The lower picture shows that I am still harvesting - in this case swedes and parsnips, although the neighbouring bed has leeks, cabbages and Brussels sprouts, which will stand over winter. That is the one that I have not been able to dig so far - it will be done in the spring.

Plot 4

Plot 1

For those that have not read this blog before, I have four small plots, each about 4.5 x 4m, ie 18 square metres each, which are surrounded individually by a green mesh fence/windbreak, plus a long strip down one side in which I have apples and rhubarb, and in which I plant courgettes each year.I follow a crop rotation based on that recommended by Alan Titchmarsh. Thus, plot 1 had 16 barrowloads of manure and 16 bags of compost spread on it before digging. It will also be fertilised next spring. This will be for potatoes, squash and French beans.
Plot 2 has not been manured for two years. When the brassicas come out, it will be dug and fertilised, and used for onions, carrots, beetroot and leeks - it already has some garlic in, which I planted in October and is now about 20cm tall.
Plot 3 has had 8 bags of compost added, but no manure, and has been dug. The compost is to lighten the soil, which was of course originally heavy clay, with plenty of flints, which are removed each year during digging - but there still seem to be as many as ever! In the spring it will be limed, ready for cabbages, swedes and Brussels sprouts.
Plot 4 has had 16 barrowloads of manure and 16 bags of compost spread on it before digging, for the second year in succession. In the spring it will be lightly fertilised. It will be used for lettuces, runner beans, sweetcorn, peas, broad beans and perhaps a courgette in between the sweetcorn.
Next year, everything moves round by one. Plot 1 will be manured/composted/fertilised and used for lettuces etc. Plot 2 will be manured/composted/fertilised and used for potatoes etc. Plot 3 will be fertilised and used for onions etc. Plot 4 will be composted/limed and used for brassicas. So over the course of 4 years, everything gets manured twice, limed once and used for all kinds of crops.
The narrow strip will be manured/composted and dug, then fertilised in spring.

Hopefully, with this rotation, soil pests and diseases will not build up to unmanageable proportions, so I will be able to garden organically, and each crop will have the soil conditions that suit it. I shall also be covering plot 3 (brassicas) with a fine mesh to keep off the butterflies (don't they just love cabbages!) and plot 4 with a coarse mesh to keep off the birds.

.... and some fell on stony ground....

That's the trouble with our allotments - the soil. The clay is very fertile - this parsnip would feed 3 or 4 people - but the texture of clay and flint makes it very difficult to grow root crops. Hence, every winter, I have to dig in soil improvers. I have already started, with a dozen wheelbarrow loads of manure on one plot (there will be more when the plot is finally emptied) which is then raked flat, and a dozen big bags of compost are put on top. After raking this flat as well, it is dug and allowed to stand over the winter. By the way, this parsnip was grown in ground that had not been manured for 2 years, so that wasn't the reason for the multiplicity of roots. Each year I manure 2 of my 4 plots, and they grow legumes, sweetcorn and the like. On the third, I dig and add some lime for brassicas, and on the fourth I add some general purpose fertiliser, dig and grow onions, parsnips etc. By rotating the plots each year, over a 4 year period everything gets manured twice, and the soil structure is slowly improved. Well, that's the theory anyway!

The Autumn Show

We had our friendly local autumn show on Saturday. This was my rope of onions, which I am pleased to say won first prize. All of the onions were of a good size, and properly ripened with firm necks, which means that they should keep well. I also won the allotment category for 6 fruit or veg (mine were all veg) in a basket. The biggest joke however were my French beans. I have not picked any for a month - I'm letting them set seed for next year - but I managed to find 6 reasonable specimens, which won! I managed to find two red cabbages, each weighing over 6lb, but the slugs had been at them over the last few days, so they only took second prize in a class of one entry - mine! There are other sections of course, like the Domestic section, where there is always a 'men only' class. This year it was rock buns, where to my eternal shame I only managed 3rd place, behind my arch-rival who took 2nd.

I am of course still picking runner beans. Despite giving many away, making chutney with some, freezing some and eating them nearly every day, there is still a big bag in the fridge. We also have lots of courgettes, sweetcorn, beetroot, cabbages and butternut squash. My potatoes have however been very disappointing. Small crops, and many of them nibbled by slugs. Parsnips are fat but very short, a reflection of our hard ground. Never mind, they will be very good roasted, especially after a frost. Perhaps next year I will have more time (and decent weather) to prepare the ground .... but perhaps not!

Yet more beans

We have had continuous rain for the last couple of days - more than a month's worth in fact - and it has been very cold. Bank Holiday Monday was the coldest on record. Nevertheless, many things have continued to do well. These are a few of my beans, together with the seeds that I kept from last year. I have no idea what variety they are, but they have red and white flowers, and have been extremely prolific. I have been picking them whilst they are young and tender, but even so the longest was 34cm, well over 13".As you can see, none of the pods was at all 'beany' or stringy. There are plenty of flowers on them still, and (depending on the weather) we should have beans for at least the next month, which is excellent as we love beans. There have been so many that I made a double batch of bean and courgette chutney, which was delicious, and will be even better once it has matured. The recipe came from The Preserving Book, by Lynda Brown, and a single batch , which makes 3 jars, is as follows :-
600g (1 lb 5 oz) runner beans, finely sliced
4 courgettes, thinly sliced (if they are large, use fewer but cut them into 2 or 4)
350g (12 oz) cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped
These weights are of the unprepared vegetables. I thought that they were weights of prepared vegetables, so my double batch made 12 jars - yummy!
2 medium onions, finely chopped
450g (1 lb) soft brown sugar
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
600ml (1 pt) cider vinegar

Put everything in a pan and stir. Heat with stirring until all of the sugar is dissolved, then cook at a rolling boil for 10 minutes. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 1 1/2 hours, uncovered, stirring from time to time. Stir continuously towards the end of cooking so the chutney does not stick to the bottom of the pan. It is done when only a small amount of liquid remains. The beans and courgette will retain most of their crunch, and will not go down into a pulp. Then ladle into warm sterilized jars, and cap with non-metallic or vinegar-proof lids.Allow the chutney to mature for a month (I didn't) and keep in the fridge after opening. Keeps for at least 9 months.

Apart from beans, lots of other things are coming on and/or being harvested. Our friendly show is on September 13, by when there will probably be no sweetcorn left (can't resist them!) or beetroot, but there should be some beans, of course. Plus perhaps a butternut squash, something I have never grown before, in the 'One specimen vegetable' class. The largest one is about 8" long. Which reminds me - I must go and put it on something to keep it off the earth - cheerio!

Earlibird

The eighth of August. That's when I picked my first sweetcorn of the year - and they were DEE-licious. It's usually well into September before they are ready, so next year I will plant some Earlibird and some of another variety, so that we have a succession.
It's wet today, and we had a significant amount of rain a few days ago, so no watering required - excellent.
My French beans have finished - just growing a few on for seeds for next year - but runner beans are coming thick and fast. We are giving away more than we are eating. Also beetroot, lettuce and potatoes of course, and courgettes, and I finished harvesting my white onions the other day, although the red onions are still growing. I have also planted some lettuce and Swiss chard seeds (some of the plants bolted in the hot dry conditions). The chard should stand the winter, and there are plenty of leeks, Brussels sprouts, winter cabbage, parsnips and swedes coming on. And I should be pulling my row of garlic soon. They have not got as large as I hoped, but they were planted in the spring, which is very late, as they should have gone in last autumn.

More to harvest

You can only have so many pictures of beans, so this is one of a few of my onions. I have pulled up those whose tops were dry and brown, and those where the tops were bending over, and they are now drying in the greenhouse. These were the onions from sets - the onions from seeds are still growing strongly. The size is good, and they all look healthy. It's a mark of how early the season is that, not only have I started harvesting onions, but the sweetcorn are nearly ready.
 The peas and broad beans have of course now finished, but I am picking lots of French beans and runner beans, as well as beetroot, potatoes and courgettes. (If I had room, I would make successional sowings of the peas and broad beans, but this is not possible.) The French beans are all being cut up, blanched and put in the freezer as they freeze so well, and are a delight during the dark days of winter. The runners do not freeze well though, so we are eating them fresh and giving loads away. The potatoes (Kestrel, second early) - a small harvest, because of the weather? - are super baked or roast, not so good boiled as the skins come off and the potato tends to break up. But they are at least slug resistant. My butternut squash have gone mad - one now has runners ten feet long - which is I suppose a reflection on the weather, which has been hot and sunny - and dry. I have to water every 2 or 3 days. We had some rain the week before last, but none since, and the days have consistently been in the mid 20s C, with nights in the high teens.

'Knee high by the fourth of July'

There is an old American saying that sweetcorn should be 'knee high by the fourth of July'. This is mine - and it is knee high. I have planted lettuces in between, plus one spare courgette plant. All of these should be ready before they are overshadowed by the sweetcorn.

I am still picking broad beans and peas - enough to eat every day, plus quite a lot for the freezer. Also carrots, beetroot, lettuce, cabbage and new potatoes. The latter are a bit disappointing. The yields are small (mind you, I am digging them very young) but there is no slug damage as Kestrel are slug resistant. However, there is a little scab on some, and if you boil them for more than 15 minutes - barely enough to soften them - the skins come off. The flavour is good though! The broad beans only require 4 or 5 minutes, and the peas no more than a minute, if you cook them at all, as they are delicious raw.

Still to come are onions (sets and seed) which are looking good, courgettes, French beans and runner beans - both nearly ready - Swiss chard, and lots of autumn/winter veg - leeks, Brussels sprouts, swedes, parsnips. And of course the sweetcorn, which I am looking forward to eagerly!

Harvest time

This is an example of what I am harvesting every day now. It's grown for flavour rather than uniformity or maturing at the same time, so is quite unlike what is available in the shops. Some is frozen, but most is eaten on the same day that it is picked. I am also picking lettuce, carrots, beetroot, cabbage and the first of my second early Kestrel potatoes - delicious!

Of course, apart from picking things, there is still lots to do - watering, feeding, weeding etc - but things are definitely better this year than last. At this time in 2013 I had not picked any peas or beetroot.

My new project

No, it's not the start of a refugee camp, but my latest attempt to keep the dreaded cabbage white butterflies off my brassicas.

This is inside the 'tent'. There are two vertical poles with a crosspiece, and the fine netting is draped over this and sewn to the top of the green fence. It's about 6' high in the middle, and at the moment contains cabbages - pointed, round and red, all at various stages - and Brussels sprouts. It will also contain my leeks, when I get round to planting them out. Quite apart from keeping off the butterflies, it means that I can put down slug pellets - very important! In the end I shall put up another tent, but both will have to come down in the winter in case there is snow, and because of the crop rotation, one will have to be put up over another plot next year.
I have also planted out some lettuce seedlings between my sweetcorn as a 'catch crop'. They should be ready long before the sweetcorn shade them too much. And a row of swede seeds. Oh, and I've planted out a couple of butternut squash in the only other room there was - just squashed them in, you might say.

The not-so-lazy days of summer

Nearly everything is planted now. Runner beans and sweetcorn were the last, together with courgettes, which are just behind the netting. All are coming on OK.
I am picking beetroot and carrots, plus of course cabbages (below) and lettuce leaves. All delicious. I grew some beetroot in a tray and have just planted those out, so there should be a succession. And lettuce seed between the sweetcorn. It's been raining today, but is still warm, so with the long days everything is growing very quickly.


I've just bought some more netting, which will go over a whole plot, so my next job will be to fix up two vertical poles with a long pole on top, and put the netting on that. Hopefully, then, for the cabbages etc at least, there will be no caterpillar attacks! Always something to do, and never enough time to do it all!

My favourite time of year

Joy! at putting together this bench - and two large picnic tables - at the allotments. These were done between the showers, which included hail, and they must now be screwed down to concrete blocks or they will 'walk'. They, and several others, will be part of the 'Community Garden' in front of our containers, available for anyone - not just allotmenteers - to come and enjoy the view.

   I planted out a few sweetcorn yesterday, and they seem OK despite the hail. I have also planted out runner beans, French beans and courgettes. All of these are quite tender, but I am hoping that we will have no more cold weather before summer really starts. There are more courgettes and sweetcorn to go in, and I have also been planting cabbages (both green and red) and onions, which are quite hardy. We had a touch of frost at the end of last month (we were away on holiday, so could not do anything about it) which caught the tops of some of the potatoes, but they have all recovered well. In fact everything (weeds especially) is growing madly, a reflection of the warm, wet weather and longer days. Unless I go to the allotments every day - and needless to say I am too busy to do that - it all rather gets away. So I am now NOT nearly up to date! There is a lot of weeding to be done, plus replacing the Swiss chard that have now bolted, plus much more planting of seeds and plants.

Nearly up to date

Not much to see here, but for once in my life I'm almost up to date with the plot. All is dug (with manure and compost, or lime, or blood, fish and bone meal). I have put in my onion sets and some of the onions that I have grown from seed. Also in this plot is a row of garlic, and rows of beetroot and carrot seeds

This is my new cold frame, with lettuce, beetroot and carrots growing strongly from seed, and a row of spring onion seeds. (The carrots are in bottomless modules, two carrots to each space, so I don't have to thin them.)
I have also planted potatoes (the earlies (Kestrel) are ridged up and the leaves are coming through, but the maincrops (Cara) have still to show) and parsnip seed. On other plots I have planted out some Brussels sprouts and a few early cabbage, and there are some red cabbages coming along nicely from seed. My bean seeds (both runner and French, and both saved from last year) are in pots in the greenhouse and have just come through, and I have today planted sweetcorn, which are now in the propagator as they like some heat to germinate, and courgette seeds. Although I try to maintain a fairly strict 4-plot rotation, the sweetcorn will have to go in where they were last year, as there is insufficient room in the potato plot.
I have also planted some Swiss chard seed, to replace the plants that have stood over the winter, from which I am picking plenty of leaves. They will of course bolt soon.

Spring

Today is cold and wet, but the last few weeks have been much better, which has enabled me to catch up somewhat. I've planted out broad bean seedlings and onion sets which I had started in modules in the greenhouse, also some cabbage seedlings, and there are some sprout seedlings ready to go in too! Some onion seeds planted in modules have germinated (as have leeks) and I've put some more seeds in. I will be planting out pea seedlings in the next day or so, but will have to keep them covered, at least initially, as we may have a frost. In the next couple of weeks I intend to sow runner beans and French beans, then courgettes and sweetcorn in a heated propagator, and I must sow parsnip seeds into the ground. All this as well as digging (that of course was delayed by the weather) and putting loads of chippings (kindly supplied by our local tree surgeon) onto the paths round the plot. Plus successional sowings of carrots, beetroot and lettuce. And maincrop potatoes - it's all go at this time of year!
We have been picking purple sprouting broccoli regularly, also swedes and the odd leek, plus the first of the pointed spring cabbage. But now I need the room, so the swedes, leeks and purple sprouting will have to come out. Never mind - they have been great.

Dry at last

This is my new cold frame, installed at last. It has been dry now for a couple of weeks after a record wet winter, so the plot is beginning to dry out. Some is still too wet to dig though.  So far, I've put some lettuce, carrots and beetroot seeds into the frame, and hopefully I'll get some early crops. I've also planted some potatoes today (Kestrel) and some garlic cloves, although these should have gone in last autumn.

We had a very interesting talk the other evening from a very keen local gardener. When I say keen, I mean KEEN. He has 6 full sized allotments (each 10 square rods : a rod is 5 1/4 yards, so 10 square rods = 275 square yards or 220 square meters) as opposed to my one 10m x 10m plot. Plus of course his garden. Apart from all his vegetables, he grows 600 sweet peas and lots of dahlias. He had lots of 'spare' plants to give away, including cabbages, sprouts, onions, sweet peas, herbs, dahlias, potatoes etc. And everyone was green with envy. Never mind, it's just a gentle hobby for me, not an obsession!

Yet more rain!

 It's now been two months since I wrote a blog, and what has been happening since then? Rain! The plots are flooded, and as they are on clay, nothing is running away. I would like to install a cold frame, which I have made, but it has just been too wet. It will go in the hole shown left, but as you can see, it's full of water. When it dries out, I will put in the frame with a few barrow loads of manure in it, then top it with soil and put a glass lid (old secondary double glazing units) on top.

Everything is looking a bit sad now. I have just pulled up the last of my sprouts and cabbages, together with a couple of swedes, and have dug some parsnips - a cold, wet, dirty job! The purple sprouting broccoli is coming on well, and depending on weather should be ready in a couple of weeks. This winter has been warm - very little frost and no snow (unlike last winter) but with a huge amount of rain.
The digging will just have to wait....