Allotment /Veg patch thread 4 "Lettuce and Peppers and Pears OH MY!"

[agoodbook]

as per Cupcakes :)
come and join in the harvest !

previous thread here
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/gardening/2386388-The-2015-Allotment-Veg-Patch-Thread-Part-3-already?msgid=55842529

Shove or if your MIL bought you a subscription as a surprise Christmas present . their FB page is useful too.

Book - how were the kale chips? I'm the only one that eats celery here too but I figured I can harvest one a week and get through it in my lunchbox salads, it can stay in the ground for now. I need to check whether it's frost hardy or not though.

Not much gardening likely this week, DS has started secondary school and we're driving him this week, so out and about a lot more than usual (we also have DD to get to local primary). DS starts school transport next week so it should get easier.

Morning morning, plotters!

booky your plot does look beautiful - and so so neat! Talking of neat, my very tidy plot neighbours have started taking everything out, as if they're shutting down for winter. It can't be neatly time can it? I still have loads of things to ripen!

In the past 2 days I've been quite busy, managed to get my home strawbs out and my rasps in, and at the plot, one area dug and manured, and some rasps in and a blackcurrant too. They'll be joined by more of the same when it's time to move them from elsewhere on the plot. So for once, I have very few (F&V) pots at home - only blueberries basically. My plant buying fingers are twitching...

I don't have much to go in now for winter. I had grand plans of doing oriental veg, and I had trays of healthy seedlings, but suddenly they got overwhelmed by aphids and I chucked the lot. That was a couple of weeks ago actually, but I think I forgot to say on here. So now am wondering if I ought to d some more, or whether to leave it as is for now. For winter, I have a ton of cavolo nero (recommended), as well as perpetual spinach and chard. Also a few leeks, and some donated cabbage ,cauli and Brussels, which aren't growing well at all, alas. Maybe I'll do some more raab. I should probably try to draw out what would go where, and what will be covered over for winter.

We had an electrician come round last week and we talked about tomatoes, and allotments. I said I was going to cover with card and manure etc, and he gave me... a load of cardboard from his van! The good stuff, brown with scant ink and no shiny bits! I was surprisingly chuffed and gave him some tomatoes. I'm giving everyone tomatoes. And kale, but no one wants that.

I'm not on the mailing list for any seed catalogues. Maybe I need to change that, and get some seed porn going? On my never again list is: cucamelon (!), inca berries, callaloo. All the James Wong stuff, basically.

Asparagus peas! Never, ever again.

Morning!
I grew sarpo miro potatoes about 3 years ago, after a previous year blight. They grew well, but wasn't impressed with the flavour. Picasso was nice though.
AsTime - the kale crisps were okay but I dont think I shall do them again. They took a lot longer to crisp up than it said - I did them with olive oil , salt and parmesan. and even though I thought I had done quite a good job of getting rid of the leaf ribs, there were a lot with hard little sticks attached!
I must admit to thinking about celery - you can't make a good ragu without it :)
Spotted - I know what you mean about shutting up for winter- my NDN are digging stuff up - half the plot is empty now, and he comes and hoes it regularly- I asked if they were putting something in, and it was - no - just keeping it tidy. Mine is still full apart from the areas I am going to be planting my overwintering stuff. How mad is it not to keep harvesting while you can?
And I have quite a few things for all through winter ( I am usually by myself in proper winter going to pick stuff and try and get areas ready for next year)
and on asparagus pea
You may find the brassicas just quietly get on with it- come the cold weather they seem to thrive, after all the caterpillar depredation.
shove - I completely forgot to say about squashes and covering. I never have so far, I think I will just chance my arm, and the run down if there is risk of frost. They need the sun on them really. I am starting to remove leaves from around the crown prince to help them ripen/harden., and leaving the butternuts alone for as long as I dare.

Time - YES, yes, that's it. I just happened to read it on her coffee table. looks shifty

Blanched loads and loads of beans last night (runner, broad). Freezer is now full and I haven't even begun on the bramley apples . It may be time to eat all the ice cream I have stored in there. I mean, it's a hard job, but someone has to do it.

I'm off to New Lanark to do some research later today! Then going up the road to Little Sparta (Ian Hamilton Findlay's garden), which I have always wanted to see. Hooray! It does mean I won't get up to my plot this weekend, though.

Oh and book - thanks for the squash advice. I will take off a few leaves and hope.

Oh, and that reminds me - James Wong was tweeting yesterday NOT to take all the leaves off tomato plants. Something about them producing the sugars, and affecting the taste. He said a bit of defoliation was good, but not all of them. Which is directly opposite to Monty Don's advice, so now I am confused.

Oooh Shove you've mentioned Little Sparta before, haven't you? How lovely that you get to go! Have a most excellent time.

I think that this time of year, when the trees are full of apples and some plums, is possibly the most beautiful time of year. I can try and read deeper meaning into it, but I think that having trees full of food appeals to the gutso in me. I think tha the site looks amazing at the moment, so it seems nonsensical that my neighbours are shutting down. Having said that though, it is of course their prerogative to garden as they like. And they have been doing so for decades, and clearly know what they're doing.

My plot apple is sort of ripe now. It's quite a sour eater, and actually nicer cooked. I've not frozen any, I really have no room. And no room for a chest freezer, unless I have a big reorganisation at home.

booky I think I will just leave the brassicas to be, and hope that they get a motor on. They might regenerate, like my magnificent kale did, you never know...!

Shove re tomatoes, I have taken off most of the leaves at the plot, and lots of he leaves at home. I'm tougher at the plot, not sure why. So that's a half way ground between monty and James. It's funny, after Gardener's World aired, all the tomatoes at he plot were suddenly shorn. We clearly all heed Monty's every word.

I've not tried kale chips -maybe I'll leave it now. My cavolo nero is mostly rib anyway. I did do those courgette brownies that book recommended and they were amazing, so thanks so much for the recco.

Ooh - I think I have a leaf miner on a small ie patio - sized cherry. Do I need to do anything about it, or will it come right?

toms: I also take most of the leaves off. basically starting from the bottom going up removing the foliage below the trusses when the fruit has set.

We grew cabbages in the back garden a couple of years ago and they got eaten but I left them in and they did regenerate over the winter and we were able to eat them in the spring.

Its going to be a beautiful day its a pity I have to work.
I'm growing a winter green manure in my spare patches. And the phalecia ? not sure that that is right at all! has beautiful pale lilac flowers with a scent and the bees like it so I shall be growing more as a summer green manure next year as it fills in the gaps if nothing else.

Evening!
busy 2 days, so no plot sadly, so have to get up there tomorrow and see what has been happening while my back has been turned :) and before all the rain forecast for Saturday
I was looking after DGS today, so with help (! ) I did start to tidy up my greenhouse. Took out the aubergine plant with no aubergines, and the cucumber plants - ( I took the last 3 fruit off,) and some more leaves off the tomatoes.
Spotted - at this time of year/harvest I think I would pick the leaves off and bin
Cedar - I have mustard seed to use as a green manure this year, as I don't think I will have enough manure to mulch everything as I have done in previous years

First harvest yesterday evening from that late sowing of dwarf french beans, that I gap filled with. I do like the lack of straight lines on my plot! Picked more tomatoes. The Losetto are ripening quickly now, but it's a sprawly bush plant, and one is being chomped bu something so I am only picking the higher fruits.

I've not really picked many borlotti yet. I'm growing them to dry, and I'm not really sure when to pick. I read that I pick when the beans are rattling inside the pod, and they're not yet. But the articles also inferred that I'd be picking throughout the season.

Thanks (again!) for cherry advice booky, I shall pick the badly affected leaves and bin.

I had an unfortunate encounter with green caterpillars on weds - inside my fridge . Lots of them. I am blaming the donated broccoli, which I had thought I had washed quite thoroughly, but I guess I didn't dislodge the eggs, which went on to hatch.

The fridge is now scrubbed.

Zebra to make you feel better I put some houseplants out to enjoy the summer and rescued them from the excessive rain when we came back from holiday and put them back on the kitchen window sill. I have since found 2 slugs lurking in my kitchen! I'd take caterpillars over slugs myself.

I haven't grown borlotti so I don't know for sure but maybe if the weather had been a bit warmer and drier they would have dried out over the season. I think my friend who is growing them has picked hers and is drying them out at home.

Evening!
well, managed an hour - mostly picking runner beans,and french beans, a couple of cabbages and!! - my first proper pot of autumn raspberries ( eaten already.... :) )
also did not enough weeding.
All of a sudden, the leaves on my crown prince squashes are nearly dead - cold nights have done for them I think.
At home I have sown some spinach in a large pot to hopefully pick over autumn /winter to add to tomato sauces residing in the freezer.
Spotted - I am growing borlotti beans for keeping- last time I grew them I waited until the pods were very brittle and thin, starting to peel open, harvested , then podded them ( the beans were sort of half - dried ) and open froze them. Worked well, so will be doing that - mine still look good and healthy at the moment, but will be keeping an eye on them from now on. And eurghh at caterpillars in the fridge - I do get slugs in the sink when I am washing greens, but oh dear!

Well, whilst idley browsing, I came across these heirloom plants....!

www.aliexpress.com/item/New-100pcs-set-Seeds-Fruit-Breast-melon-Garden-Organic-Heirloom-Fruit-Vegetable-Plant/32230633992.html?spm=2114.01020208.3.131.7k72eT&ws_ab_test=201407_4,201444_6,201409_1

Don't forget to look at the pics....

I await your thoughts!

I always grow 1/2 a row of the Sarpo mira as a backstop crop - most years I end up giving them away, but they will crop and give baking sized spuds even in the worst blight year. I grow Orla in the main though - the plants die off relatively early but to date (4 or 5 years) they've not failed me and I've had a good harvest of nice big tubers.

Evening!
Been at work , no plot, but it rained all morning, so I guess the digging will be easy tomorrow.
Pirates - a scam I guess !
Sadik - welcome (I'm assuming its not just a namechange :). ) Not grown Orla - will have to have a look.

I've been up today too...picked a load of runner beans, and made a little path across one of my very large beds. I've also covered a bed with weed membrane and I am going to plant my two types of garlic in there, just slitting crosses in the membrane where I plant. Hopefully that will work and keep weeds down.
One of my runner beans was rather fat and I have taken out the beans. Can you eat the beans when they are big and fat? Or are they just for planting? They look just like the large beans I planted.

Hi Pirates - I have used the beans in the past, better to cook them I seem to think :)

Interesting to read views about people shutting their plots down for winter, that is exactly what I'm going to be doing and fairly soon. Evenings and the odd hour on weekdays (about once a fortnight) and at weekends are the only times I can generally get up there, so not much choice really. Also my degree course starts up again shortly (OU, so v.part time, but I have two jobs and two pre-teen children with hectic social lives and SENs to factor in as well). I'll do a bit, but I am gradually clearing out and covering with black membrane.

Our site is a mixture at the moment, there are lots of amazing flowers and pumpkins, and the sunlight has a real intensity about it at this time of year. But there are a lot of blighted and mildewy plants around, the verges are all overgrown and in many ways it looks quite down at heel, unlike a month or so back when it was absolutely brimming with life.

Managed half an hour up there with DD today. Frustratingly this is the first time she's agreed to come up all year, but just as I am winding down she's full of great ideas and plans. Hope she'll come with me again soon, it's great to have a bit of company and she was asking so many questions today.

Time I hope you don't think I was being judgy about people shutting down for winter? It's just that I've really loved my first proper growing season, and I don't want it to end! I still have all my corn to ripen, and quite a few tomatoes still on the vine, and my autumn raspberries yet to happen. I still hold out hope for amazing harvests to come!

There is a lot of mildew on my plot too. I'm not really sure what to do for the best with it. I was sort of hacking off the worst of the mildewed leaves yesterday, but I don't know if that is for the best or not. But I felt I was doing something.

Lovely that your DD was interested. Maybe she can plan a bit for next year, pick a new thing to grow and figure out how to do it? How old is she?

Morning!
AsTime - also like Spotted - I hope I didn't come across as judgy either.-How anyone with children does an allotment as well needs a medal!
I just meant that for me, its sad to not keep plants growing and harvesting into autumn when they are still productive.
A lot of mine will come to the natural end soon enough and when the frosts come, and they will be dug out, and the area mulched. But I do have quite a lot very deliberately planted to harvest over winter.
I don't have a lot of mildew on mine , though my last row of peas (which are just podding up nicely) have some. I think I will just leave them and harvest a bit early
And now I am off to dig up my potatoes, and sow some green manure :)

Hi bookbook - yes, I'm a post List namechanger - but haven't been around for ages anyway.

I've got lots of mildew on my squashes and courgettes, they've pretty much collapsed, whereas I'd usually expect them to go on into October. But then not a spot on my peas which usually give up the ghost by now. So swings and roundabouts where we are, I guess.

For once I've actually succeeded with a lot of my undersowing, so fingers crossed I'll have a good coverage of clover/trefoil as most things come out. Rye/vetch everywhere else for the winter apart from garlic and overwintering brassicas and maybe some autumn sown beans (though the mice tend to get the seed so I might just module plant and overwinter them in a cold frame).

No, not at all judgey, I just wanted to say that for some of us it's not really possible to do much at the plot through the winter, I would love to be able to but dark evenings are a major problem. Even now it's tricky. I will definitely still be doing a little work (and posting on here!)

evening!
AsTime - we all have such different lifestyles. I seriously doff my hat to you- up to 2 years ago, I also had 2 jobs , but at least I had grown up children. Now I can go to the plot during the day rather than at night, thank goodness.
well, managed to get a row of potatoes up, not a bad crop, but small to middling size rather than middling to big, but at least they are (mostly) hole and disease free.
Picked 2 courgettes - 2 plants still going well, but the other seems to have thrown in the towel Also got to sow the mustard seed, and pick a lovely bunch of sweetpeas - they are still going strong :).
I would just like the weather to be consistent. Lovely today, rain forecast tomorrow -pah! I didn't get anywhere near enough done today - it was a chatty day today- everyone was there as it was nice, and most wanted to stop and natter - nice though :)