A very sad plot

This is the time of year, when everything is winding down for the winter, that gardens - especially vegetable gardens - look very sad. I have just taken down my beans, both French and runner, together with their supports. I have saved some of the seed for next year, as I know both of these varieties do well here. I have also pulled up my peas, and have started tidying up the strawberries.

It's been 6 weeks since I last wrote a blog - where does the time go? - but I have been up to the plot on several occasions, to pick the last of the beans, plus some strawberries (at least, those that haven't been eaten by the slugs) and also the odd courgette and - with winter coming on - the first of the parsnips, which were delicious but not entirely the right shape! And the sprouting broccoli has been excellent!

Now is the time to do the winter jobs. I shall put manure and compost on two of my plots, and dig it in. The soil structure is already much better than when I started, but this should help it even more. The other two plots in the rotation will be dug and left overwinter, before fertilising and liming as necessary next spring. I have already put in some overwintering onion sets, which have sprouted, and I shall put some more in next spring.  I have also ordered all my seeds for next year.
Next job though is to finish off tidying up the strawberries, and buy some coarse anti-bird netting to go over the frame that I have erected. And of course there are the paths to cover with a layer of tree shreddings - there is always something to do!  

The Autumn Show

Every year, the local horticultural society holds two shows, spring and autumn. There is always a category for 'A vegetable disaster'. No matter how good a grower you are, there are ALWAYS disasters, so I put in a parsnip - in truth, I could probably have put in most of my parsnips, plus many other things, but this one fitted the bill.

In fact, it also had a long root running at right angles to the top, but it was so long I had to cut it off to get the parsnip into the fridge after the show. However, it did not win first prize because, as the judge said, it was at least edible, which the winner - a motheaten cabbage - was certainly not! Actually, it was delicious! It fed 4 people with some left over.
Some of my better vegetables did OK in the show. I've been talking about beans - we have had loads - and both French and runner beans won first prize, as did courgettes and the basket of fruit and vegetables. It's not the prize money (50p for a first) but the bragging rights!
Beans are now tailing off a bit (just as well as the freezer is full) and I shall grow only half as many next year, but other things - sweetcorn, late peas, purple sprouting broccoli, butternut squash - are taking their place. It will soon be time to put the allotment to bed for the winter!!

Onions and sweetcorn

My onions are just about ripe - nearly all the tops have bent over - so now is the time to pull them up and leave them on the soil to dry out. Then I shall cut the roots off, and take off the outer layer of dead brown leaves before laying them out in the greenhouse - ie warm but dry - to dry further so they will keep over winter.As usual, there are some large ones (which should keep the best) and some which have made very little growth, which we will use soon.

Some of my sweetcorn are doing well, but again as usual, some are not. However, I picked the first today - can't wait to eat it!
The late peas that were planted some time ago are just beginning to flower. The late lettuces are all but ready, and the late beetroot are coming on. It's been so dry that I am having to water at least every second day, but most things are doing OK. There are LOTS of beans, both French and runner, so I am freezing many for winter. Also lots of courgettes, so my wife is making courgette and cheese soda bread - nothing better straight out of the oven - apart from anything else.

I like this time of year

A couple of days ago, I picked courgettes, lettuce, beetroot, carrots, garlic, broad beans, French beans, runner beans, cabbage, potatoes and broccoli. This is largely because the weather has been a lot warmer and drier - everything is coming on. The downside of course is that I have had to water frequently. The leeks that I planted out recently have been soaked regularly, and the beans have needed a lot of water. But everything looks well at the moment - let's hope the warm weather continues.
Some of my sweetcorn have started flowering - a very short, early variety which I am pollinating by hand - and the butternut squash have suddenly exploded into life. These are the last couple of things for summer (apart from the onions, which are ripening) - the leeks, some of the cabbages, parsnips and white sprouting broccoli are all for the winter.

Harvest time

The last few weeks have been hectic (even without visiting the plot) hence the lack of blogs. My visits to the plot have been largely fleeting, and mainly to pick up produce. Strawberries have finished now - they were super - and I've started clearing up the strawberry patch and planting runners. I've put these in small pots, set into the ground, and filled with compost. They are still attached to the parent plants, but when they have rooted, they will be detached and the pots moved to where I want them. Since the weather has been dry for the last month (there seems to be no happy medium : either it is continuous rain or we have none at all and the ground develops large cracks) I have had to keep everything watered, especially the small pots of runners.
Otherwise, I have been picking French beans, runner beans, courgettes, potatoes, broad beans, garlic, carrots, beetroot and lettuce, as well as the odd cabbage and broccoli when required. The potatoes have been excellent, with no slug damage at all, and no blight etc, with good yields. They boil very well and are extremely tasty. It's a new variety - Sarpo Mira - and I will certainly be growing them again next year. Peas are now finished and have been pulled up. However, I have just planted some more small plants - I sowed the seed in pots under cover at home - and if we get some decent weather, they should give me a late crop. I have also sown some more beetroot, and have at last planted out my leeks. I dug the ground over for them a month ago, but have not been able to plant them out because it's been so dry. In desperation, I watered the patch very thoroughly, broke up the clods as best I could, then dibbed some holes and planted out the leeks and watered them in. They will have to take their chances!

Not more strawberries!

This is one day's worth of strawberries. They have, as I previously said, been very good this year, although with the amount of rain there has been, many have gone mouldy. However, the flavour is excellent, and I have made jam and compote as well as giving many away and eating lots raw.
I now have four large metal hoop frames, with which I will make  a cover for the strawberries next year. This will be covered with bird netting, so they will be protected but easy to pick.
I recently picked my first (yellow) courgette and have dug a couple of roots of spuds, all of which were very good - no slug damage at all, so I shall be planting that variety (Sarpo Mira) next year. Extremely tasty as well.
Peas have been a little disappointing this year - not so many as last year, but no damage at all - so I have sown some more in pots, hopefully for a late crop, also some more beetroot seeds. We will see - it depends on the weather!

Strawberry time

 I went up to the plot today to pick some strawberries - about a kilo today, but I've been picking 1.5 - 2 kilos every day recently, more when there has been less rain and more sun, ie not many as we have had very heavy showers just about every day. However, there have been plenty for us, and relatives/friends, plus some that I have stewed (only for 3 or 4 minutes) with some sugar - not enough to set the strawberries as jam, but enough to give a lovely rich strawberry syrup with big pieces in, just right for filling cakes etc, and of course it freezes, so we will be having steamed sponge puddings etc in the winter.

The strawberries are of course netted, but the low nets are quite inconvenient, so by next year I plan to put up a taller enclosure that will cover them all, and that I can walk around in. As well as strawberries, I also picked some small broad beans, which we eat 'mange tout', ie pods and all, and peas, carrots and beetroot. The brassicas are also doing well under their tent, and we had a lovely pointed cabbage yesterday, with more broccoli to come and any amount of lettuces.
A few weeks ago, an allotmenteer installed a beehive, after consultation with the plotholders, some of whom were opposed on the grounds that they might get stung. This now has its own colony of bees, but the weather has been so poor that they are being fed with a sugar solution. I have always been interested in beekeeping, which undoubtedly brings great benefits to any gardener, but I was very surprised a few days ago on my birthday to be given a hive, suit/gloves etc and two books on the subject. So all I need now is a swarm, but even this has been promised for September, which will give me time to read the books and go on 'hive days'. I shall not be keeping the bees up at the allotment, if I can find a spot in our garden, unless our neighbours object (very unlikely), but watch this space!

All done - for now

The brassica 'tent' is now repaired, and everything in it has come on well. In fact today I picked my first broccoli - looks smashing, no damage from slugs etc. Also some lettuces, beetroot and carrots. And the weather has at last been good enough to plant out the remainder of my plants - sweetcorn, courgettes, butternut squash and some cabbage seedlings that I had been bringing on in pots. Some of the strawberries are turning red, so they will be ready in a few days (although the weather for the next week looks distinctly 'iffy'). Unfortunately, the straw that I put down must have had a lot of barley seeds in it, as my strawberry patch now resembles an unmown lawn! I have also augmented my French beans with some seedlings that I bought, as the ones I planted out a few weeks ago have been heavily attacked by slugs. I have put down some slug pellets - not really the thing to do as the plot is not covered, but it's them or us!
So all-in-all, things are more or less up to date, but of course everything will need weeding, fertilising, watering (maybe) etc .... a never-ending task!

This is summer?

The last few days have been very wet, very cold, and with a strong northerly wind - not like summer at all!
The picture on the left shows part of my plot, which is flooded. This is not surprising, as the whole site is on clay. Even with deep digging, there is an impermeable layer just under the surface, and even if we get no more rain (unlikely) it will take a week or more to soak in/evaporate.At least I won't have to water in the near future!


The picture on the right shows my fine-meshed,
anti-butterfly 'tent', which has been partly demolished by the wind. This will have to be repaired, but I will wait until the wind reduces. However, it is still butterfly-proof, so all my brassicas look OK.
Of course, what we could do with now is a period of warm, dry weather, to ripen the strawberries, which are coming on well. I wonder ....
Still to plant out (it's been far too cold this week) are courgettes, sweetcorn and butternut squash. Maybe next week?

Strawberries soon!

This is my strawberry patch, which I started last year on my 'fifth' plot, ie a quarter plot adjacent to mine. All are now netted, with straw underneath, and with plenty of slug pellets! The ones in the foreground are young plants, taken from runners last year, so although they will have some fruit - you can see the flowers - it will not be much. However, the older plants in the background have lots of flowers and should, in a couple of weeks, give a lot of fruit. Later on this year, there will be more runners, so I will fill up the plot when they have rooted.


In other places, I have planted out both French and runner bean plants, and also some brassicas - purple sprouting broccoli and cabbages. Still to plant out are the most tender plants - sweetcorn, courgettes and butternut squash. We should be past the chance of frost now, but the soil is still quite cold. However, we have had a couple of nights of rain, and the weather should now be warming up.

getting on

This is my hot bed, with lettuce (ready in a couple of weeks) beetroot and carrots. I have now taken the glass roof off, as there is no frost forecast for the next few days - indeed, it will be very warm and dry, which makes a change!
Elsewhere on the plot, I have planted various seeds, and of course my seed potatoes, which have just started to show above the surface, but so far the parsnip seed does not appear to have done anything.

At home, in the greenhouse, I have planted runner beans and French beans. These have just started to sprout, and should be ready to plant out in June. Now I must plant courgettes, sweetcorn and butternut squash.

Is it spring?

I posed the question 'Spring??' last time, as (despite the date) it had been cold and wet. Well, today I went up to the plot and it snowed! However, I have planted out some pea seedlings, which I have covered with a green mesh cloche (after putting down slug pellets of course!) then with a fine mesh, so they should be OK. Whether they will actually grow is another matter! The broad beans in the background have been in a while, and have made no growth so far.Perhaps next week will be warmer .... I have also sown some beetroot, lettuce and carrot seeds, as a follow-on to those I planted in my hot bed. Those, by the way, are doing quite well. the potatoes have not yet shown above ground - maybe they know something about the weather that I don't!

At home, I have just sown some French bean and runner bean seeds, and in the next couple of weeks will sow sweetcorn and butternut squash. Hopefully it will be very considerably warmer when they are ready to go out.

Spring??

Today is the first time I have been to the plot since my last post! It's been cold and wet (mainly) and I've also been very busy. It started hailing as I left ...

These are a few calabrese (broccoli) seedlings that I was given, and that I planted out today. I put some lime and Blood, fish and bone fertiliser onto the soil, and dug it in, then put in the seedlings very firmly, watered them well, and put some slug pellets round them before covering with a green mesh to keep the birds off.

I also planted some potatoes. These are a slug resistant variety - last year there was a lot of slug damage on my potatoes - called Sarpo Mira. These also apparently have good resistance to blight, and are very tasty. We shall see!

I said last time (19 March) that I had made up my hot bed. Well, I planted some lettuce, beetroot and carrot seed, and these have now come up, hooray! Hopefully, I will be picking some early crops at the end of May or in June. Everything of course depends on the weather ....

Springing into action (well, stumbling really)

I have just planted my parsnip seeds. Germination is usually not very good, and you have to use fresh seed - more than a year old and there will be zero germination. In order to get decent sized roots, I push the end of a crowbar into the soil - the deeper, the better, but a foot is enough, unless you are showing them - and then wiggle it around to give a tapering hole, with the top as large as the top of the parsnip. Then fill the hole with good compost, and put 3 or 4 seeds on top. Cover with an inch of compost, water well and cover with a plank for 3 weeks as they are very slow to germinate. Then remove the plank, and when the seedlings show, thin to 1 parsnip per hole

I have also started off my hot bed. (You may remember that after digging it out, it filled with water. That has now drained away.) I put 4 big bags of fresh manure in the hole, then trampled it down and topped it off with a couple of bags of compost. Then a sheet of glass on top to keep it warm, and in a couple of days I will plant lettuces, beetroot and carrots, hopefully for an early crop.

Too much rain!

It's been 4 months since I wrote a blog - 4 months with LOTS of rain. I have only been to my plot a few times, but have just started resurrecting it for the coming season. So far, I have put chippings on all my paths (when it was too wet to get on my plots!), and put manure and compost on two of the plots. Now I must dig everything.
This is my 'hot-bed', ha ha! I dug it out a little while ago and it immediately filled up with water. When (if!) it drains, I will put in about a foot of horse manure, tread it down, and top it with a few bags of compost. Hopefully it will then warm up (especially with the glass lid on) so I can get some early crops.


This is one of my plots, with manure and compost, but not yet dug of course. It should have all been dug in the autumn, but it was too wet. I started digging it this afternoon, although it was still too wet really - very squelchy underneath. There will be broad beans in here soon - they are planted in pots in my greenhouse - then will come peas, runner beans and sweetcorn. I have also planted some leek seeds, but these will be planted out much later. My potatoes are chitting on a bright windowsill at home, and will go in the next plot, with beetroot, lettuce, French beans and carrots. Then in plot 3 there will be onions (some planted over winter, some a few weeks ago in my greenhouse), garlic, leeks and parsnips. To complete the rotation, plot 4 will have all the brassicas - cabbages, swedes etc. This will be covered with a fine mesh net, to keep the butterflies off. Plot 1 (half of which I dug today) will be covered with a coarse mesh net, to keep off the birds but to allow in the pollinators.