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

Hi
Cupcakes - I usually spread it pretty thick as I when I took over the plot , it was sad and exhausted soil. Usually about 4" thick. And a bit more where the squashes go . It will be a bit less this year, as I shared my load with a NDN ( bad move it turns out!) but I have compost and some green manure. The weeds do come through a bit - just annuals germinating while it is warmish, but not many. We have quite cold winters and snow up here, so they are usually gone by the time I go to dig it in , in springtime. I am still doing a good weed/dig when crops come out and it is going to be bare - there is still lots of bindweed and couch, which I am trying to slowly get rid of if that is even possible :)
I am going to be moving fruit bushes in about 3-4 weeks time - they still have leaves on at the moment. They are just a bit too close to one another at the moment, so need a bit more air space around them , so am taking out 3 bushes, moving another, and planting a new white currant, so I have 4 bushes altogether in my fruit cage , instead of 6.
Could you ask your NDN that you will happily supply bin bags for her to put the leaves in, and you will take them away? That way, she still gets to suck them up to her satisfaction?

x post with shove - I looked to see what there was, but no possibility of going sadly _ I would have loved it.

Ahhhh, shame! Still, a good excuse for a weekend away down there in early summer next year? (I know a good Airbnb place!! )

oh shove - yes please for recommendation - we will hopefully be back next year. Heard of airbnb , but not used it :)
Well, both DH and I got down to the plot today - took up all the borlotti beans, (so watching University Challenge while shelling is tonights joy :) )
Picked leeks and sprouting broccoli for tea.
Tidied up in the brassica cage while I was in there -lots of shed lower leaves-and the first variety of sprouts are just about ready to pick.
Dug and weeded some more. DH dismantled some decrepit/ancient metal pole work right at the end of the whole plot. (Its been driving him mad since we took over the other bit).
But didn't get to dig up the rhubarb .

tonights joy - they took a lot longer to shell than I ever thought ! Pretty beans I always think - about 3-4 kg there - winter casseroles here we come :)

www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/1251756

This was the place - it was very sweet! But it is on the wrong side of Ipswich for the gardens and it does have slightly steep stairs. However, there are loads and loads of gorgeous Airbnb places in that part of the world. If you choose one with loads of positive reviews, you'll be in good hands.

You'll love Beth Chatto's place. Place for Plants, which is just up the road, is really great too (and both have wonderful nurseries where you can buy lots of lovely unusual things). RHS Hyde Hall isn't far either!!

Those beans look LOVELY!! And that's a big bowlful - will be a proper treat when the weather gets colder. It's been pretty mild here- winter is going to come as a shock when it starts, for me as well as the plants. I had guests last weekend, so I'm now really behind - desperately want to get a full day at the plot this weekend to get in some broad beans and clear some beds!

Look at all those beans! How do you store them?

Ddog had a rough day yesterday and was up a lot in the night but seems better this morning. Bit of a rollercoaster this.

I have started making enquiries about manure. Not easy to find well-rotted stuff though!

I'm desperate to get out in the garden but DS has just dropped his nap, and is tired and grumpy (but not tired and grumpy enough to actually sleep) so my garden time is limited. No chance of getting out in the evening, either!

evening!
shove - that looks absolutely lovely, sadly need to be within walking distance of the marina . But I'm sure I can find something by next year.
Cupcakes - I open freeze mine, but if dried some more , they will keep in airtight containers. They were the climbing ones, not the dwarf ones ( I grew those 3 years ago, and they got very muddy).
If you have space, could you pile some manure up to rot down for next year? I think it was shove who recommended finding a nearby riding stables :)
I know what grumpy toddlers are like - my DGS is getting this way as well - if he doesn't have a nap, he is virtually eating his tea with his eyes closed !
No plot today, and tomorrow is looking wet Pah. so it will be Saturday before I can next get down.
Will give me a chance to catch up on cooking/preserving at least - its pear and lemon jam making tonight :)
btw - if anyone is interested in a competition for seeds and equipment, here is one - you need to enter before 30th October
www.ukherewegrow.com/kings-competition

cupcakes - for you. It's very tiring having a sick pet and a small person to care for. I hope you're able to get some down time for yourself, though I fear this isn't always practically possible for Mums. Take care of yourself.

YY to riding stables! A lot of them can't get rid of the stuff fast enough. At the one we go to, there is a POO MOUNTAIN! It's about 20ft x 20ft!! And because there is so much, you can dig down a bit and get to stuff that is already well rotted.

At some point, I know I am going to fall over in it and get covered It is an inevitability.

My favourite trick is to use Ikea bags - the 40p blue ones that you get from the store to put your stuff in. I have about ten and they are fantastic in the garden. I use them to bag up hedge clippings to take to the tip as well - because they are quite open at the top, you can tip the stuff out really easily without it getting all caught up. And they are reusable for years, so they are way, way cheaper than garden rubbish sacks and more eco-friendly too.

book - I'll keep my ear to the ground and if I hear of a place I will let you know!!

Cupcakes hope your dog is still doing OK. I remember the days of grumpy toddlers. I'm just putting up with an 8 year old behaving like a teenager some days.

bookbook impressive number of beans. A friend grew borlotti this year but didn't get anywhere near your number of beans.

Not much gardening here as its half term so we've either been busy or its rained. Hope to get up there for a bit though and get some more digging done. My green manure doesn't have too many weeds within it so far (or not since I last looked). The summer one definitely saved me weeding the bare patches of earth.

Afternoon!
Cupcakes - hope things are still okay.
Cedar - having loads more room this year, I grew quite a few more borlottis (up wigwams )- if I can remember right, I had about 16 plants . I am so pleased with the crop though, should see us through winter :)
Well, also won out today - it wasn't raining this morning, so I dashed down to the plot to pick raspberries, also some sprouting broccoli, then as it still didn't rain , I took down all the runner beans and french beans and tidied up around them, so managed about an hour and a half, which was a big plus.
Just about sorted and ready to put in the overwintering broad beans and peas now.
Oooh, and my overwintering shallots have sprouted :)

Hello hello! Not much plotting for me recently, until today when I got a good few hours in, chopping things down. Down came my climbing squash, and the remnants of my cucamelons. Down came the last of my borlotti, to be podded (by DS. He really really enjoys it?!), and dried. Down came the tomatillo. And I was gifted a massive bag, which was as much as I could carry, of Bramleys, which I have been assured, should store well.The apples from my tree - eaters - have proved to be delicious.

Ooh, I also picked a few more raspberries at the plot. And some more strawbs at home. Odd, as we have had out first frost now - have you all had frost? This morning I met my mum at a different garden centre, and I finally found raspberries, hurrah! I bought more fallgold, and some polka too. Shove thanks for that link. I'll probably buy some more from them, as I can use/multiply tesco vouchers there I think... And I also got a jostaberry, even though I've not actually tasted one. 2016 Year of Fruit will become a reality!

Cupcakes sorry things are so tough for you at the moment. I hope today has been easier than yesterday.

Evening!
rained all day, no plotting
Spotted glad you managed to find some raspberries. We had our first jostaberry harvest this year- we have had it 2 years, last year we only had about 20 berries, this year enough to taste in a crumble. Its like a not so sharp blackcurrant, but a bigger berry - its nice :) and a borlotti bean podderer(?) - thats a bonus. If you wrap the apples individually in newspaper, and store in a box in the cool, they will keep. How is the tomato glut doing?

I'm really liking the idea of 2016: Year Of Fruit. 2015 was pretty much the Year of Slugs, so fruit would be better.

I was nearly invaded by an ENORMOUS hedgehog last night. I opened the door to let DDog out for the billionth time and it was sitting on the doorstep staring at me. I asked why it hadn't been eating the slugs. DDog barked at it and ran away. He scuttled off and hid somewhere.

Managed to do a bit of tidying today. I've rehomed the blackcurrants and debating if the jostaberry is movable (it's HUGE).

Do you like my pumpkin? I feel it's acceptable to post here as it's home grown.

WOOF to the pumpkin, Cupcakes, it is AMAZING! Did you carve it too? It's massive, what variety is it?

Yes, I had a very sluggy year too,a nd you're right to question the hog. Did you get much of a reply? I had a thread elsewhere on here this week as I'd spotted a hedgehog out at midday, in the sun, for a few days running. And he was a titchy one too so probably wouldn't survive the winter. Amazingly the thread was found my MN's resident hedgehog expert /rescuer who gave me great advice so i was all set to catch it and take it to a local rescuer. But I've not seen it since

Join me in 2016 Year of Fruit! Did you like the jostaberry? Please say yes. I want to move some of my currants but I know that that will impact on the harvest. And I need it to be bounteous. So I'm mildly fretting and may end up doubling up.

I did indeed carve it - but I can't really take the credit as I used a template. No idea of the variety - it's whatever the Aldi ones were! They did really well, bargain at 39p a pack.

No reply from the hedgehog, sadly. I think he'll be OK because (a) it was 3am so normal hedgehog activity time and (b) he was the size of a Jack Russell Terrier. Well done for rescuing the little hedgehog though, hope he's OK.

I liked my jostaberry very much. It had ONE berry on it. One. Hoping for a bit more in 2016 TYOF.

Evening!
Just recovering after a day entertaining DGS :)
Off to plot tomorrow - bet its wet, it poured most of this morning.
Cupcakes - Love the pumpkin ! And you lucky things having a hedgehog -we used to have one who lived under our shed, but haven't seen him this year at all. Good luck with moving stuff - I moved a big blackcurrant about 3 years ago, and it thrived, but took a couple of years to really start fruiting again.
I always think fruit is well worth the growing - its so expensive in the shops. A tiny plastic box of something like redcurrants cost a fortune (I got loads this year- of course its the picking that ratchets up the cost up I suppose)
so good luck to you and Spotted in 2016 year of fruit . Here we do like jostaberry

Just dropping in to say hello, I haven't done much gardening this week due to weather and half term stuff, managed an hour or so of weeding on Tuesday and planted out all my strawberries. I have pickled all my smaller onions though and have also been carving pumpkins today, not homegrown though, love yours Cupcakes.

I also bagged up two sacks of horse chestnut leaves for leaf mould, nice and light to carry to the allotment. When it stops raining I will do a few more as there is no shortage of them here at all. Problem is storage space, they seem to take two years to rot down so I've still got all last year's stashed up there, I'm thinking of digging them in anyway.

So, yesterday I waited until the rain had abated, then hotfooted it to the lottie with a huge bag of shredded paper and the kitchen composting bin [as I can't get to my garden dalek due to the grass seed everywhere], and was merrily away pitchforking my chopped compost in layers with the fresh shredded paper/kitchen waste and I heard an 'oi'.

Now, in my village I am often beset by men telling me all about what it is that I do wrong. So I merrily ignored the 'oi' and carried on pitchforking my compost, in layers, into a dalek.

I heard a shout then, and looked up and it was the old bloke at the end of the allotments, the one who is there all day every day, who has not one weed because he annihilates his plot with weedkiller and who has diseased and pest ridden plums - he stood there and said 'you do more in the winter than when you should'. So I responded 'who says when you should and shouldn't do stuff on an allotment?'. He stood there looking slightly baffled and mouthed the words 'you do more in the winter than when you should' like a rabbit in the headlights. I don't think he was expecting me to throw it back at him. I said 'that's the point, if you do the hard work in the winter, you barely have to do any during the summer'. He shook his head and walked away.

Knobber. Get back to your spraying and stay away from my plot.

Afternoon!

the first proper Saturday off since retiring.
I have been weeding at the plot this morning, pottering a bit at home with spring pots and now (total decadence) am going to watch gymnastics and knit. DH is out until about 10.30 - so no tea to make :)
WhoKnows yes, my leaves are taking their time as well , though this year the horse chestnut hasn't started to shed yet, though today I noticed the crab apple beginning to fall in quantity.
Doreen it is just so weird isn't it- everyone seems to know better. I've stopped taking much notice of most of them. My plot is a patchwork of Heath Robinson bits and pieces, doesn't look tidy or beautiful, but it grows things well, and its all done with my own digging and compost along with manure. I like to think everything I pick and eat is free of weedkiller/slug pellets and such, and I get crops I am really happy with, that taste great.
And I am often the only one there in winter :)

Aye - I also take huge advantage of bit sports events to spent time there without being disturbed - but winter is the prime time for me.

I once spent all Christmas morning there coppicing a hawthorn. Bloody marvellous it was.

Afternoon!
foggy and warmish today - weird!
sowed overwintering broad beans and peas today - hope the mice don't find them this year
hoed around the spring cabbages and only chopped off one - so that was a result :) and dug up all my remaining carrots.
Dug around a great big part of the rhubarb to give to man across from me - he came and heaved it out , so that saved me a bit of work.
raspberries picked, but they are starting to crumble into little berries, perfectly good to make into a crumble with some apples I have :) but won't last much longer I think

Took all yesterday's leaves to the allotment for the leaf mould bin.

Tidied the greenhouse and potted on all the herb cuttings that had taken - quite a few and two of my rare Italian mint so very happy about that.

Potted up a parsley outside the back door for winter soups and stuff.

Put an Apple mint and some strawbs in the huge pot next to the back door so I can brush against it each time I leave the house [obsessed].

Put some Walking Onions and a random Southernwood in the front garden.

Went down to the garden to pick off the remaining sweetpea seed pods, and lo and behold, there were sweetpeas still flowering so some are now in the kitchen. And still smell fab.

I am really, really missing my garden; I kind of forget just how many times I go down there [it is a short walk from the actual courtyard garden] and not going down there is quite painful...it's only when its not there that you realise how much you love it...I hope that grass seed germinates soon so that I can go down there again.

Kale, spinach, chard, tomatoes, apples, sweetcorn, kohl rabi, celeriac, fennel, squash. All picked on Saturday! And I got a big old bag of borlottis too (just a few on the picture) which I have now shelled. I'm thinking of freezing rather than drying as I just don't have space in my tiny house!

The back end of the season is longer than you think!

And big raspberries to interfering/patronising allotmenteers. One of the few bonuses of having a completely new site is that they aren't around! (I find the insistence on straight lines and every chemical under the sun distinctly odd, too). I absolutely agree about the helpfulness of getting completely on top of everything during winter. I've got a long list of jobs I need to do in order to hit the ground running next spring!

This time of year is when I get most of my jobs done! Tidying up, repairing and so on. Much easier when there aren't as many plants in the way!

DS is going to my mum's for a couple of nights on Thursday so I'm hoping to get a bit done in the garden. If it doesn't rain too much between now and then I want to dig over the veggie patch. Otherwise I'll be pottering in the greenhouse.

I made pumpkin soup yesterday, really simple recipe from BBC good food. Really tasty!