The 2015 Allotment / Veg Patch Thread - it's here!

[TheSpottedZebra]

Yes, it's the thread you've all been waiting for, a place to chit chat about your allotment or fruit and veg patch - however big it may be. Even if it currently only imaginary or no bigger than a pot of growing basil from the supermarket.

Come discuss your plans, your seeds, your learnings from previous years and your goals for this year. All levels of knowledge welcome, from absolute beginner, to enthusiastic 2nd year-er (me!), to anyone else.

Oh no, poor greenhouse, poor beans!

pirates I concur, lost post earlier, I wouldn't dig v wet soil either. Gqt say it can takes years to regain lost structure.

But a cold snap would work in your favour. If the ground freezes you can walk on it to either put down boards for digging and /or you can hoe/scythe of the couch above ground. Then cover over to dig once you are ready to plant. Worked well when i got my lot at this time of yr and was raring to go. (Mine looked very like yours at the start and I had it all up and cleared far more easily than I expected. I think planting lots of potatoes on worst bits helped clear the ground.)

Now, less excited, I just wait for it to get nicer lax gardening.

I also dug trenches on my lot where I wanted paths and them threw all the stones I dug out into them. That way you have paths, drains and somewhere to put stones all in one go. You cannot move them v easily later though so am saying that is what I did but it is a theory rather than a tried and tested practice.

I sorted through my seeds one night last week - I have enough older ones to start off with but will need fresh seed for some stuff. But then it was too busy to sow on Saturday, and snowing yesterday. (So probably just as well I hadn't popped in a few things!).

Hopefully one night later this week, or next weekend. I should have Saturday afternoon to myself to get a move on. My immediate plans are broad beans, peas, mange tout, spring onions, salad leaves, spinach and a pot of leeks (for planting out later).

Last year's leeks are nearly big enough to eat now, so I may do something with those over the weekend. But they are ok to stay put for another few weeks as that will be for a second flush of peas.

I can't put any compost on that bed this year as it's already overflowing onto stoned area (divider is too short). But DH is promising to move the old sandpit and I can have space there too - and put lots of nice fresh compost there too. Once he gets organized.

gardeners' world is back on friday!

I am attempting to grow asparagus in my wonderful new raised beds - planted on Saturday and covered with cloches on Sunday. Is this the right thing to do? Does asparagus prefer to be uncloched?

Also, my rhubarb is starting to unfurl its first leaf - tres exciting!

Oral movement of weeds?

plumping - my rhubarb thug is sprouting too - about 6" tall stalks. The other 2 varieties I have wait for a bit of warmth.
I have an asparagus bed , I've never bothered with a cloche, but I do put a lot of top dressing on before they start to come up- I did this at the weekend, (but I dont suppose a cloche could hurt.?) I am keeping my fingers crossed this year, as I can start to properly harvest them - its been a long 3 years wait..... :)
its been snowing on and off all day, so time to sit and re -tweak (again) the plans for where everything will go.

Stuck inside today, waiting for a delivery and the weather is not obeying the forecast, but being all sunny and lovely . I'm hoping it arrives soon so I can bury my head in the garden for a while and investigate rhubarb for growth!

can I join you, we took on a plot last spring - but mainly just shoved stuff in and kept it ticking over (we got married and had extended periods away so no time to really get into it) this year im hoping it will be different and am currently full of plans - although im 35wks pregnant so im not getting much done (although im good at supervising DH, DD & DS )

today I managed to source a trailer load of free woodchips for the paths of my allotment.

Ooh, where did you get your free wood chip from?!

I googled tree services for my area, and sent a do you have/price?/and can you deliver email, fully expecting to pay. Got an almost instant response asking where my plot was and if I leave somewhere for him to tip easily then next time hes passing he will dump some for free.............im quite excited by my free woodchip :-)

stainless - isn't that always the case? the weather is good when you can't get there, and when you have the time it horrible. Its a joy though when it works. How is your new plot coming along - all planned out?
I'm hoping to get an hour in tomorrow if I'm lucky/organised :)
I have finally managed to get my shallots ordered, so I think thats all my buying done.
Just waiting to plant and sow now , and get on with my weeding the new bit of plot...

Checking back in, I haven't posted for a couple of weeks.

Nightshade - that's great about the woodchips. Isn't your site locked? We have to keep our gates padlocked at all times, so we can't get stuff delivered unless we are there, and most plots you can't get a car up to them anyway, it's a real PITA.

DH has done a bit of work on ours this weekend (I do all the skilled stuff, he does the heavy stuff). I had chopped down some very old, woody fruit bushes last week, he got the roots out, strimmered all the grassy bits, shifted two old compost bins that came with the plot (one to the tip, it had no hatch to get the compost out of, and the other to a much better position), emptied their contents over a grassy bit and voila we have a lot more space available, albeit mostly it is so heavily grassed over that it is effectively lawn. Meanwhile DD and I are starting our own Great Allotment Challenge, we both planted sugar snaps, garden peas and broad beans in pots at home, mine are in an incubator on the windowsill, DD's are outside (at her insistence). Our rhubarb hasn't emerged yet, but I noticed it was later than everyone else's seemed to be last year.

At home I cut back the buddleia and lavatera, which has opened up the garden nicely (it's long and narrow and they curve outwards into the middle).

whoknows no our site is open, and my plot is right at the end next to the track so easy access for deliveries.

blue skies and sunshine here, would make a lovely day down at the plot. unfortunately not being able to reach my boot laces is a hindrance at the moment so I will content myself with making/painting a new plot sign and planning jobs for the weekend. I have additional slaves helpers this weekend in the form of my sister and her partner who quite handily work for cake

Thanks goodbook, I am excited about my asparagus

General question: can you grow an avocado tree from a shop-bought avocado pit? There's one on my windowsill, tempting me.

I'm planning a not digging day at my plot tomorrow. Will lay down some plastic over the cleared bed, and wait a couple of weeks before I plant out my onion sets. Read today that they don't like being put into fresh manure, so that's a good excuse not to dig any in!

Then some general clearing, rather than weeding. So tackle the disaster that are the compost bins (thanks for the inspiration whoknows!) and see what is lurking at the back of the shed.

Finally, a good stand back and figure out where to put soft fruit and rhubarb. Mine is sprouting away, some stems looking almost ready to eat! I think I know which beds I'll use for strawberries and potatoes, all the other ones I'll plant where and when I can - sowed a few seeds today, all old packets, so germination may be a bit hit and miss, but that will give me time to clear more weeds.

I wrote a really long, detailed - and if I may say so, witty - post last night. It contained a welcome to nightshade, details of my lovely day at the plot yesterday, a pun, and photos of my rhubarb. And the post was lost! So I signed off MN in a huff.

I had a lovely few hours there again today too. The sun was shining, enough to make me forget that it was blowing a hoolie. I've now finished weeding 2 beds, and started on another. I REALLY need to get my big bed covered with the veg waste / cardboard / manure / membrane combo that I've decided upon, but it was way too windy. I also really need to get my fruit plants and bushes planted out asap. It's frosty tonight I think but then jot for a good week, so any time after tomorrow lunch should be fine I think...

Avocados- yes. I had one for years. Nice green leaves but not that exciting. You can do it in one of those bulb carafe things or else stick cocktail sticks in and balance on a jar of water until it roots, then pot.

Oh and my first seeds are mostly coming along. I've pricked some out, and yesterday pricked out a few more. But like a pratt I have managed to totally mix up my cavolo nero and my broccoli raab seedlings. I have no idea how. I had to take them out of the module tray in the heated propagator as they all germinated really quickly and risked getting leggy, so i pricked them into another big seed tray. All of t them, together. And now I am hoping that they will start to look quite noticeably different so that I can sort them out again...

I'm jealous Spotted and Stainless - the best laid plans - no trip today to allotment. Hope its nice on Sunday!
But I have thinned my tiny celeriac seedlings to one per plug, and they now have proper leaves coming through, my potatoes are chitting nicely, lounging on the spare bed :)

oh Spotted - I think you will be able to tell the difference between raab and cavalo nero - different colour leaf. I grew raab 60 a couple of years ago, but didn't get a great crop so haven't bothered since.

Cute picture upthread of the lamb!
I am thinking of an asparagus bed for next year. H loves eating it (I know it takes a couple of years to establish). When do you plant it?
Avocados are easy to grow but won't fruit. They're a nice looking houseplant if you have the space.
Did a couple of hours at the plot today. Weather was lovely. Took over some leaf mould from the gardrn which covered about half a metre! Need to get to the garden centre and get some manure and sharp sand to help the clay.

cedar - asparagus is ready for planting now - I'm sure you will still be able to get some. I shared 18 plants with another newbie allotmenter when I bought mine - it was a selection of 6 plants each of 3 varieties early, middle and late. I think thats not quite enough in hindsight, but I now have another bed in the other half plot, but 2 years behind mine for harvesting.:).
The 3 were
Gijnlim -early
Pacific 2000 - middle
Stewarts Purple - late
We just took 1 spear of each plant last year, and the top taste was the Stewarts Purple - so tender!
I am so hoping to get down tomorrow morning - fingers crossed the weather is okay and Mr next door has moved his portion of the manure :)
I want to cover a bit of land to warm it up so I can get some peas planted in a couple of weeks, and Sunday may just sow some leeks.

Best laid plans and all that .... didn't get to allotment this morning, so at least I know what I've got to do tomorrow! Please carry on talking about asparagus: I hate the stuff, so I won't get tempted to rush out and buy any!

I didn't make it to the allotment either. But I did make it to Lidl's gardening special thingy. And them with my new loppers and I did some tidy up in the garden.

I too want to have a really good bash at the lot to tomorrow. I really really really need to get my fruit plants bushes planted out...

Stainless - that is sacrilege- you hate asparagus?? its nectar of the gods and expensive ! mind you - I don't like chard :)
Spotted - its going to be nice this weekend I think, so you can spend time digging some nice big holes for those fruit bushes :)