Allotment/Veg Patch Thread 9 - Spring is sprung, its getting really busy!

[bookbook]

Well, the last thread filled up quickly - maybe due to the horrid weather . Its time to battle slugs, snails and weeds !
Last Thread HERE

[didireallysaythat]

I have a fantastic half plot of dandelions. I've discovered what I'm good at and I'm sticking to it.

[Pestilentialone]

Don't mention the slugs. It is Friday night, they are drowning in beer.

[Pestilentialone]

didisay

[elephantoverthehill]

When it eventually rains in these parts I will become a ruthless exterminator. I will up my game 300%.

[Wh0Kn0wsWhereTheTimeGoes]

Rain? What's that?

[Pestilentialone]

Rain is like hail but soft, wet and warm.

[GnomeDePlume]

Well, I am girding my loins (okay, drinking wine) in preparation for a full 3 days on the plot. I have been looking forward to this all week. I don't care if it rains, sleets, snows or showers me with plagues of frogs and locusts. I just want to get out there!

[Wh0Kn0wsWhereTheTimeGoes]

Not had much of either for a long time. Going to be hosepipe bans before we know it .

I had a peaceful half hour at the plot this afternoon, ruthlessly removing bindweed, dandelion heads and long grass - can you tell it's plot inspection time next week? My strawberries got nipped by the frost despite a layer of fine mesh over them. Not much else to report. I realised this week that I haven't sown any French marigolds, I wonder if it's a bit late now?

[elephantoverthehill]

Gnome I will go for frogs. I just went out on my nightly slug and snail cull. I have exterminated over 50 and it hasn't rained. At least frogs would eat them.

[RedBugMug]

don't mention hose pipe bans! remember 2012? when we had a ban only for it to start rain solidly from april to july...

[bookbook]

Feeling better I hope WhoKnows .
We have a not too bad forecast here for the next few days. But we did have proper, very heavy April showers yesterday. The weeds are loving it.
I don't see why it is too late for marigolds - they should just germinate faster !
My nasturtiums have only just popped out - almost the last by a long chalk.
Gnome - a sucker for punishment!

[Wh0Kn0wsWhereTheTimeGoes]

I do remember that Red, it was the year before I got my allotment.

It's as if I was never ill Book. On Wednesday I stayed in bed till 2, had a shower, lay on the sofa till 9 feeling like death warmed up (weak, achey, hot/cold, dehydrated) and went back to bed. Still a bit below par yesterday, completely back to normal today. The immune system is a wonderful thing.

I haven't sown nasturtiums yet either but normally do them directly once the frost risk has passed. Will do marigolds tomorrow.

[Cathpot]

Hello - just jumping into new thread. I've got one nasturtium coming up finally- self seeded from last year, in the middle of dwarf peas but I'm going to leave it there. You lot made me feel mildly ashamed when I opened a jar of pesto from Lidl this evening!

[Pestilentialone]

Relax Cath most of our pesto comes from Aldi.

[PhoenixJasmine]

Hello plotters. Signing in. Have been back to lurking on here recently although lots of exciting stuff happening on my allotment, finding it all a bit overwhelming being my first spring. But I have quite a bit of fruit in - peach, kiwi, pear, plum, cherry, apple, red, white & blackcurrants. Don't know how much I'll get out of them in the first year but at least they're getting started. Herb beds are also filling up nicely. Garlic, elephant garlic and shallots are doing well, broad beans coming along and I've sown French beans, lettuce, beetroot and spinach outside. Pepper, chilli, aubergine and pumpkin seedlings growing happily. Aside from that I feel horribly behind with my seed sowing but now I have the greenhouse up I'm hoping things will germinate quickly! Planning on this weekend being the grand weekend of sowing lots of stuff and finishing the last bit of digging beds over.

As for weeds..... my plot is riddled with bindweed, grass, dandelions AND I have marestail as well. It keeps me busy I suppose!

[GinAndOnIt]

Helloooo! Just checking in. I've got lots to do this weekend. Lots of plants on windowsills that are being booted out now (still a bit risky?!) but they are outgrowing their pots and taking up too much space!

[goodenoughal]

Hello. Just checking in too. Had a day on the plot yesterday, mostly taking accumulated junk to the tip, clearing space for my new, very small, second hand shed to go up next week, I hope. I also cleared what the previous owner had as flower beds ready for some perennials - dozens of very very cheap plugs from Thompson and Morgan

[GrouchyKiwi]

Thanks for new thread, books.

I need to find out what all the weeds you're talking about are. I have no idea.

[Cedar03]

Oooh a new thread! Managed a quick look at my plot yesterday. Weeds and grass are growing well . I think I spotted a beetroot seedling just poking it's head up. No sign of the potatoes, the only thing growing in the potato beds is a blackberry shoot which I'll need to pull out (oh and a bit of horse tail but that's par for the course). Hope to get over there later on if it stays dry.

[bookbook]

Morning!
lovely sunny day, not too cold overnight, so all my seedlings are out basking in the sun :)
Grouchy -
Also hoping to get down to the plot this afternoon , just a tiny bit more prepping for the brassica cage
And, and , and - look what you lot made me do ...

[Wh0Kn0wsWhereTheTimeGoes]

Ooh lovely Book.

A question about PSB. I thought the idea was to cut the stems when very young and let them grow more, but I always find the stems on all but the very first pickings to be really tough and stringy, is this the same for everyone? They are too stringy even for soup.

[bookbook]

When they get old, they get a sort of wiry stem . The side shoots get a bit long and wafty , with a smaller flower head , and I use those, trimming them off the main stem. When those start going a bit stringy I get rid. I would say I get about 4 pickings off each stem - about a week apart to let them get going again. I do have about 4 varieties which crop at different times .

[elephantoverthehill]

Ha ha Book, I knew you wouldn't resist. The wineberries win!

[Beepingdryer]

Not much rain here either, almost killed the plants that are on outside staging because I forgot to water them. The recent cold snap has knocked my peas back a bit, they've gone from lush green to pale green, fingers crossed but I'll sow some more just in case. Today will be spent potting on the plants on the window ledges at home. I'm wondering if my neighbours would rent me some window space.

[IlPorcupinoNilSodomyEst]

My peas that finally came up are looking a bit pale too but I have some more coming up in pots to go out a bit later. The plot is so dry! Watered today but a cm down its like dust ... must water more often though we are due a few hours of rain tomorrow night. My IBC tank on the plot is half empty already.

Thank you redbug I was trying to remember which year it was that we had the early hosepipe ban then it instantly started raining for months on end!