The 2015 Allotment / Veg Patch Thread Part 2

[agoodbook]

the previous thread is just about full, - well done spotted so welcome to everyone interested in growing their own veg!

Previous thread is here
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/gardening/2282529-The-2015-Allotment-Veg-Patch-Thread-its-here?msgid=53650520

yes to cover potatoes with compost - you can do that 2-3 times and you should get more potatoes that way ( or fleece if no room at the top) at the allotment, just draw up more soil around the stems to make ridges - I think another frost is forecast Thursday night, so they need protecting
Its been hailing here, and then gorgeous sunshine....

Yes, just cover up the leaves (ha! I actually know something! Result! (don't get used to it, this will be the last time for a while...))

Oh the joy of a free hoe

Careful now, Linksi ^waves to Tragically

silver you bloody heroine you! Inspirational digging at 36 weeks! I need to get out to my plot. No more excuses!

I had problems with pigeons on my plot. They ate ALL my onion setts. ALL OF EM! And then they tore my cabbages and caulis to shreds. Lesson learned: I have to net everything.

Zebra - I am jealous of your potatoes. There is no sign of mine yet, and no sign of asparagus either. I have this child-like urge to dig a hole and just see how they are doing under there! Must. Resist.

And no cloches in my Aldi today either. I did get a waterbutt, though

You're jealous of my potatoes, Shove ?? I AM JEALOUS OF YOUR GREENHOUSE! I've just read of your Aldi haul on the cheap deals thread. Is the water butt for your new greenhouse? I know the feeling of wanting to have a poke about to see how things are doing. Of my 12 runner beans sown about 6 days ago, 8 are up, 1 is about 15cm high already. And I really want to have a rummage to see what the others are doing. In other bean news, the borlotti sown in loo rolls are starting to pop up after 3 days.

Thanks all for the spud info. Glad that I have retained my position at the 'not a clue' end of the thread! I am fine with my ignorance actually, everything is new, and exciting, and amazing! I have had frosts for the past 2 nights, and I think my next one is forecast on Fri night now. I must get up to plot to check on my spuds there, to make sure that they're in no danger of frosting. I did plant them quite deep ish I think - using the bulb planter technique rather than ridges, but adapting it due to a) prevailing quagmire conditions at the time and b) me getting a bit fed up towards the end.

Talking of frost, I've become a bit addicted to the weather site www.wunderground.com . Well worth a look if you've not seen it as you can get quite detailed weather info for your area.

I'm hoping I've posted a photo of the roots

Can I siddle into this thread?
Just been having a read through and everybody sounds very industrious.

Hello, welcome everyone, hope you like it here as much as I do, there is a lot of knowledge and they are very friendly
My beans and peas have done nothing (the weather is awful, hail and cold wind) so there's also a lot to be envious of spur me into action.

Another disappointed Aldi no cloche getter here. Humph. Did get some nice organic seeds from a little shop near us though. Love sowing seeds soooo much

Wow, Violet, that's really rooty!

Welcome, Rooster. Yes, some of them are industrious, aren't they?* And then there is me. I mostly daydream. And sow seeds, then carry seedlings about. But my planties are looking very lovely.

• I feel I should make some comment here about just needing true grit...

LinkDat for your clochelessness. But Yay for your seeds. What did you buy? Have you started courgettes etc yet? I feel i should, and I really want to, but I have truly run out of room. I may sneak some seedlings on smallest child's windowsill, if I can trust him not to touch them. I am definitely at peak seedling.

Welcome everyone! How likely is it that my spuds which were not showing last week when I was there have made the mistake of appearing this week when I haven't had time to see to them? Can't believe that this time last week it was so warm and now we're shivering again! On the positive side at least we've had some rain.

I'm hoping that the carrots and lettuce seeds will be tucked up nicely in the ground and it won't put them off.

shovetheholly bad luck re the pigeons. The ones at my allotment don't seem to be interested in the onions (or not so far I may be tempting fate). Blackbirds or sparrows often pull them out when first planted and then you have put them back in. I've just eaten some fresh asparagus courtesy of my parents who grow it in their allotment. We're in the South East - does feel a little bit early.

It's a good idea about plug plants, etc rather than sowing seeds. I might see if I can get some cabbage plants as my daughter is keen to grow it but we haven't sown the seeds yet.

Luckily for me DH has true grit when it comes to doing all the heavy work.

I get to sow and plant. This year I'm determined to do more successional sowing, I usually start well but forget to resow, or I overplant so we have a glut.

I'm the same rooster re succession sowing. Always full of good intentions.

I feel v lucky compared to all those here who have solid clay. My veg plot is at the end of the garden (on what was an old allotment, and then a kind of dumping ground for motorbike mechanics) and we had to clear it last year of thick brambles and nettles which was hard work, but the actual soil itself is easy to work. We're still pulling up bits of bramble and nettle root etc, but don't have the backbreaking digging that some have

I too am very lucky re my veg garden, we have three quarters of an acre garden and DH has turned a quarter of that into a veg garden. He built raised beds and has spent the last five years improving the soil for me (parts of it were very poor)

The biggest weed problems we've had are buttercup (was previously a pony field) and bindweed.
I also have masses of ground elder, but luckily not in the veg beds.
He's put in masses of homemade compost - and added topsoil so my veg beds are a pleasure to use.

I can't say the same about the flower beds, but that's something to work on in the future.

I've got a greenhouse and potting shed, but I still manage to fill the conservatory with plants.
I realise that by being able to grow veg in the garden rather than having an allotment I'm really lucky because it means I can spend every nice evening pottering and gardening.

Oh zebra don't do it. Windowsills with seedlings on are like a toddler hand magnet. All my lovingly grown baby corn ruuuuiiined by inquisitive interfering toddler this end today...

Got some perpetual spinach btw. Ooo should I be starting with the courgettes already? Can't believe where the time goes.

Oh no, ruined corn? What is it about corn that looks so inviting? My smallie seems drawn to my corn seedlings too...

Hmm, in seed sowing dilemma. I really really really want to sow more stuff - courgettes and squash - but I don't have anywhere else to put them. I have perpetual spinach seedlings too. They're probably ready to be planted out, just waiting to get over this cold snap. So Saturday onwards? That will free up some space in the outside grow house thing (like a polycarbonate cupboard), but no other inside seedlings are ready to stay out there at night really. Ooh, my broccoli raab is desperate to be planted out, it's starting to get a head on it. I need to master/remember successional sowing too, I may start with that, as that can be an outside seed.

Musical chairs. But with seedlings.

Musical chairs. But with seedlings.

I agree wholeheartedly Zebra!!

You lot have given me the Fear now - I planted out my little corn seedlings yesterday

i have reached max saturation with seedlings too

My broccoli seedlings (sown outside as my very first thing planted) are beginning to poke their leaves above soil! And the cauliflower probably a day behind. This is very exciting. I'm hoping to see some sign of the carrots in the next week, and then I may believe that this whole allotment thingy actually works...

I love this time of year when new seedlings are starting to show. Later on I can get overwhelmed by it all but at the start of the growing season I'm always relentlessly optimistic!

My cauliflowers have just germinated, lots of peas on the go, cabbage, kale, lettuce, rocket, courgettes, tomatoes, spinach, broadband, corn, radishes.

No sign of my carrots though - I've direct sown but after 3 weeks nothings happening so I might wait until the weather warms up a but and resow.

And Ive just realised no French Beans, might have to plant some more.

You're growing broadband?! See what Sky have driven us to.

I have emerging growth too! My plot potatoes, a few of them have shown leaves above ground. I googled and googled so I'd recognise be able to discern potato from weed. I think I got it right... I've earthed up, in a fashion.

And some turnip seeds have come up too, both some under the plastic cloche, and some in bare ground. I guess I'll need to thin them out, as there are clusters of seedlings, very close together. Jolly exciting!

Arf at broadband

Well I went to allotment but spent most of it sitting in car being battered by hail.

I rehomed some b n q reduced to clear broad beans. My direct sown are not doing well.
Very little sign of either of 2 sowings of peas or the mange tout. I fear massacre.

Tatties are showing. Caulis are doing fine.

Sowed chinese broccoli, half row of lettuce- alwats get too much. And chop suey greens. 2 of those are J wong names i.e. made up names you pay more for. The latter is shinjuku i think- edible chrysanths. Were quite tasty last year. Then popular with insects.

Saw one solitary, tiny beetroot seedling. Not sure if it is a pioneer or a sole survivor.

Globe artichokes are looking super (3rd season).

O also rehomed some b n q chillis and pepper straggler. Looking supwr with their great big chillis. Sure with a bit o tlc they will recover. But that meant the courgette seedlings have gone out to harden off. May bring them in tonight. May just let them go for it.

And I have also put nlack wed sheet o er my turf squash mound. Will put the squash in under cloche in a week.

^ black weed sheet not nlack wed.

Turf mound is about 2.5 feet high o should probably have put some wee on it before covering it to get it to heat up.