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.

spotted - I am waving flags for you !
It is glorious when its sunny - worth all the effort
The gate is for access once all our netting is up - we have so many rabbits , so next door allotment and us have joined together to net around our 2 plots, with a gate at either end. But we have put a couple of simple gates along our long netted side for extra access - to use for wheelbarrows, and to save legs!
In our usual way, the wood came from dismantling a bed divan which had loads of wooden slats, which DH has magicked into gates , so I had to do the cuprinol stuff to make them less likely to rot :) - only fair really.
Hoping to get an hour in tomorrow and plant the broad beans in pots I have at home - the roots are going beserk through the bottom of the pots and they can join their sisters in the fleece tunnel.
shove my cabbages/sprouts and broccoli got decimated last autumn by rabbits , but most came back, as long as they hadn't eaten the centre. And when I took over the other bit of plot in January I chucked net over the savoys and kale he had left, which had been pecked to death, and they recovered as well.

Thank you, thank you

Shame that you have rabbits, but your protection plan sounds amazing! There were ex-pex - pet rabbits on ours, but they've gone now. Not sure what pests we have, other than bold, giant pigeons.

Horrible pigeons ! we net against those as well :)
and we probably have rats as well as there are a lot of chicken runs with scattered seed around , though I have never seen one......

That's reassuring goodbook. Fingers crossed! The hearts are definitely still there.

I did net them, but then I stupidly took the nets off because the leaves were looking a bit yellowish and I thought they needed more light. I should have left them. Oh well, you live and learn.

The pigeons are a terrible nuisance in our allotments by all accounts. So I will definitely be netting if I get around to planting brassicas.

In the last week I've managed to get on and plant potatoes, onions, half row of beetroot, carrots and leeks. Hopefully some of those will grow well. I'm going to start off some peas and beans in pots I think and thenpot them on.

Wow, Cedar you've been busy!

I have used scaffolding netting on mine all winter - and it has worked just fine. The problem was my stupidity in taking it odd.

The only problem with it is that you have to get a really big needle and some twine and sew up the hole that runs right down the middle, so you don't get loads of fly or cabbage whites in there. It is so very much cheaper than the posh stuff, though, that it's worth it.

shove- you only do it the once though :)
cedar- busy , busy!
my day is a silver lining sort. I was due to go and see DD2 today, but she has a bug, so postponed, so..... allotment it was .
I am going to put up a photo - hopefully you will understand my excitement , thats if you can see them

Asparagus!!!!!

OMG you have asparagus!! To be clear, those faces are envious not boaky.

This is your first year of 'proper harvest', isn't it? So exciting!

Gosh, some of you get loads ddone.i think I just tit about when I'm at the plot. I kid myself that I am working hard, digging and weeding,bbut I suspect the truth is that I am just a bit slow! No plotting today for me, but I did steal a couple of hours in the garden,doing more weeding (yay! !), drilling holes in pots and sowing a few more seeds.

Another wool stasher here .

Well, not much actual gardening done today (been at work) but popped up to the plot this morning to water my onion sets, it was so peaceful and beautiful in the sunshine.

The thread is nearly full! Shall we start a new one?

Is it white asparagus? Wow!!

I have a poorly child, DH's work had a fire so he went in 10pm - 3am last night and consequently I haven't set foot in the garden. Oh well, tomorrow is another day!!

slow is good spotted - best quote I have heard about allotments was -" look at it as a marathon" not a sprint." You have to enjoy it, and not see it as a chore And yes, so excited about the asparagus - karate it is normal green asparagus - the growing tip is a bit purplely, the shoot is white under the ground - it turns green in the light - this is my early variety - Gijnlim.
Seconding to starting a new thread.
I will pop another pic on here ( thats why I had my phone with me today) I thought it may be interesting to show the difference in size of my broad beans - sown direct and under fleece, and the ones sown at the same time in pots in the greenhouse- hope it shows up- the direct sown ones are mainly quite a bit bigger - so hats of to alternative who said it is better!

Slow is good? Yeeeeeesssssss!!!

Ooh you really can see the difference in those pics, agoodbook. I've not put anything in the ground yet, apart from those darned spuds and my fruit bushes. Maybe I'll pop some seed in tomorrow? Beets and turnip perhaps? I have plenty of seed....

This is my first tread that will (probably) go to 1000 posts. We def need another!
Who's doing the next one?

I have planted out my celeriac today as well, but saw that it s going to be chilly tonight - they have been hardening off but sheltered so fingers crossed.
I will be sowing beetroot this weekend and with luck parsnips and swede. I did see turnip on Kew on a Plate - may just find a space :)
Well - def another thread - we haven't even got to proper spring yet! What do we call it ? I don't mind starting it off - only ever done 2 before !

here we go folks - I left it simple!

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/gardening/2350947-The-2015-Allotment-Veg-Patch-Thread-Part-2

Bye

Bye

Old thread.

You took a frustratingly long time to load,

But you have been most excellent, full of info, and

and a lovely start to the 2015 growing season.

We filled you in 13 weeks,

And many of us, me included, went from no plot or patch, to actually having one.

Helped along by lots of lovely advice and encouragement by more experienced owners.

Looking forward to more of the same, but maybe a bit less weeding for me, and more stuff to eat, on our

NEW THREAD