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

My peas are through (does little dance) and after moving them around a bit, courgettes like it on the Rayburn mantelpiece and they are coming up as well.
The weather has been so miserable that we've done nothing else, but my enthusiasm is now renewed.

I put one of my inca berries out. It died.
In car at allotment watching the rain. Kids are in a tent. Were having a great time on the sun. Hope they shut the door now the rain is on.

I made squash mountain today- pic later.
Planted my heap of caulis and sprouts.
And now the weeding and bed prepping continues.

Found a flat worm boak

RIP inca berry

These are my cucamelons at c. 5wks post sprouting. I had to check my diary to see when I sowed them - it was 21st March

Stupid phone

Your cucamelons look in great nick, Hap !

mink poor Inca berry. Did it die from cold do you think? I've got 3 seedlings from this year, still in the conservatory. But I also have 1 plant that I 'overwintered' ie I kept it in a bundle of other stuff, and covered it in fleece. I thought it was d end for ages, but it is in growth again. Maybe they need to be established plants to be hardy? I say established, it was a huge triffid but I got no fruit from it last year. This year will be bounteous, I can feel it!

What's a flat worm. Dare I Google?

Hurrah for peas, Violet keeps you going, doesn't it?

Just googled. Yuck.

My cucamelons and my slow worms

Aww, slow worms are lovely. As is the cucamelon!
I really really really want to see one. I've just googled to see where they live and they're pretty widespread so no reason why I haven't. Maybe this will be my year...!

Evening gardeners! I planted more seeds today, and I'd like to plant more (germination rates etc) but I'm running out of space! I have a spare bedroom upstairs which gets a lot of sunlight. Do you think they'd be OK up there? They are on kitchen windowsill at the moment. Saying it, I can't imagine why not... But thought I best ask!

I'm sure your seedlings will love a room of their own honeysuckle, mine won't even have windowspace soon if the builders get a move on,.
Does anyone know how big celery has to be before I can put it outside? (tis tiny atm, just thinking ahead)

I'm sure they'll be fine up there, as long as you don't forget them (mind you, dp tells me off for "seedling-bothering" so a bit of neglect would probably be a good thing)

Flatworms, I just Googled, the most bizarre sex life ever

Thank you! I shall set it up tomorrow

I went up to then allotment today just to see how my plants were doing that I put in last week. My courgettes under a net tunnel had been nibbled, not sure by what and so had my calabrese. Would it be mice? And How do I stop the little buggers? I did see am I use there one day. And, my two rows of lettuce that had just come up have all disappeared completely! What happened!

Slugs happened (probably )

It's gutting when your stuff gets eaten, isn't it?
I used that sheep wool stuff the other day, obviously I can't tell but I don't think it worked super well.

I jeed to find the sheeps wool for my peas. BAg of it somewhere. And get more nematodes.

Flat worms are grim. Second one I have found in 3 years so not a massive issue but disgusting. And right enough the earth worm count has been a bit low

Attached (hopefully) squash mountain.
Upturned turf from the garden revamp, under weed sheet with its own little personal tent on top.

Sloping to the south so hopefully it will get nice and hot and there will be pumpkins. Think it was quite random sqyash seeds so don't know what to expect.

There are now fewer weeds than in the pic as I gave the strawbs a weeding. The bed behind is ny very weedy saffron bed. With stuff dumped in it. That is next on the list.

Also v belated pic of my garden post revamp. There are plants in there honest. They are finally starting to bed in and spread out.

That is impressive stuff!

I love the mountain, it's making me smile in a bet the slugs struggle to get up that assault course kind of way. It has something of the spaceship about it, how do you stop the top bit blowing away?

I love the watering chute too

The pop up greenhouse (poundland!) Is held down with tent pegs (also poundland).

afternoon!
mink - a real live pyramid- impressive

a busy day here...
This morning at the allotment I planted my perpetual spinach, about 30 plug beetroot and the carrots I bought - I always forget how long these things take and ran out of time to plant my sunflowers - ah well.
1st row of peas - the leaves just slightly nibbled around the edges - it seems to happen every year with the pea weevil, but they are looking okay, so should be fine, fingers crossed, 2nd row of peas all out and looking good. Swede and beetroot direct sown looking okay as well, but no sign yet on parsnips.
Asparagus survived the cold, and is looking remarkably ready to start eating again :)
This afternoon at home - everything turfed out of the greenhouse, a good sweep and tidy, and the tomatoes all planted up into their grow bags for the summer, then back in with everything else - it looks nice and tidy at the moment, but not for long. I sowed basil and coriander, and sorted out my seed box. And realised I hadn't actually got any of the early sprouting broccoli we love - every other variety we have in abundance as I was gifted a 4 variety packet - so sowed some of that as well. Potted up to bigger pots my two little pepper plants - growing really well now. Aubergines are up and just about ready to prick out - I sowed 5 , and I have 5 seedlings. I only need 2 ...
My garden is looking a bit like a plant sale at the moment - trays of seedlings everywhere.....

I've just bought 4 poly tunnel cloches at pound land!! They are 150cm x 45cm x 42cm obvs 4 quid for the lot. I have also bought a couple of packs of weed control fabric and a lovely scarecrow . BUT STILL NO PLOT KEYS!! I'm going to ring on Monday to see what is happening. On a more positive note My seedlings are growing a storm and seem very pleased with their place in the back room windowsill.

I did one hour of digging on Saturday morning, then DH called to say that DD2 had fallen over and put her teeth through her bottom lip and the rest of the day was spent hanging around hospitals squeezing her onto the maxillofacial surgery list. I really need no more disasters over the next 48 hours so that I can get caught up and have somewhere to put the plug plants my mother's bringing on Wednesday...