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

Trowels, well - if you are breaking or bending them then you need to up your quality or you are using the wrong tool. I only ever use them to dig out surface plants/weeds or to make holes in relatively loose ground. Anything harder [like my clay in the summer] I use a bulb planter, one of the long handled ones made of thick steel. Or a spade.

I've been to the allotment today, took a brisk walk with my solar radio with the headphones listening to the David Bowie love-in on 6 music. Turned the compost, took fresh kitchen scraps and then dug out some couch grass and came home. So wet!

Evening!
Its rained so much here as well Spotted, but we do get a half day here and there when it doesn't. I'm on chalk, so it drains well, but I have tried very hard not to walk on any of it- though the grass paths have been really squelchy which is very unusual here.
I got on very well with the joint tenant, but he just seemed to lose heart - we had a lot of problems with rabbits, and basically he threw in the towel. He was often there just sitting in the sun reading, and I did wonder if it was a bit of a refuge. So I offered to be a joint tenant with him so the plot didn't go to wrack and ruin really. I didn't want loads of weeds next to mine. I thought I would be helping out, but he only came a couple of times, not even to harvest his artichokes and soft fruit. When I saw him on Saturday, he just handed it over, after 5 years of hard work and lots of stuff being bought. Though he did offer to water for me if I went away on holiday! I can now redesign , move and get rid of things I have no wish for- I have another load of strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, blackcurrants, rhubarb , so I need to get that sorted this year :)

Ooh, Book - I didn't RTFT and missed the bit about you acquiring your neighbouring plot. How exciting!

Re trowels, I think my old ones have all been of the cheap variety, next time I'm at a big garden centre I will go and have a good look at them all. Long-handled may be the way to go. When I bought my first house about 20 years ago my DF bought me a long handled fork, which I use to this day and it is the best tool I have ever had, the leverage you get with it is amazing, it has a pole handle which comes up to my shoulder.

I hear you on the quality of tools, Doreen. One mistake I made as a novice gardener was proudly equipping myself with a set of the most useless implements ever (made of plastic!) from the cheap range in Asda.

That long-handled fork sounds amazing, whoknows.

Sorry you're still bogged in Zebra - it's pretty bad here, too, though I don't think I'm as waterlogged as your site. Interesting that you're on chalk, book - I hadn't realised that. Do you think it affects what you can grow at all?

Hallo! Can I join you? Is that okay? I got an allotment in November and am ridiculously excited. I'm in London so it's only small (15ft by 30ft) but I was lucky that it was left in a good state, so I've already dug it all over and manured it (lots - clay soil) ready for the planting season. I love it so much I'm already creeping up the waiting list for one of the coveted bigger plots!

I planted some garlic in November which is doing well and there are also some beautiful globe artichokes. I got my broad beans in too but a mouse attack got half of them (grrr) so I've now got some more going in my plastic greenhouse thingy, in the hope they catch up.

Now I'm impatient for Spring!

Welcome, arti - how exciting! Were you on the waiting list long? How lucky to inherit some artichokes.

I'm on clay too, and my allotment (that I've had for a year almost!) is also small, but I managed to pack a lot in. What will you be growing, have you decided?

Ge you with your posh Asda trowel, Shove I think I went Poundland! At first, when I wasn't sure that he gardening wasn't a fleeting fad. Actually my mum rang me yesterday, saying that she was just back from Poundland and they had heir gardening stuff in. I had some of their potato bags last year and I want more, as I am only doing a few container spuds this year.

Gosh, booky what a lot of spare fruit you have! If only I lived closer, I'd be right over to help you tidy up'...! Nice that your ex-joint tenant offered to help you water! Maybe he's just looking for somewhere to get away from thing, where he can read in peace?

Hi Zebra Considering I live in London, I was on the waiting list for the embarrassingly short time of six weeks! Our plots got lottery funding a couple of years ago to regenerate neighbouring land into about 70 new plots. They all got snapped up but then obviously lots of people dropped out/moved away so lots became available.

I have been obsessively planning what I will grow! I've been growing things in my tiny garden (tomatoes, courgettes, salad etc.) but want to get some roots in the allotment, as they never do well in pots for me (beetroot, carrots, parsnips). This weekend I dug over the last strip to put down Jerusalem artichokes. And then, probably, potatoes, onions, beans, kale, chard and purple sprouting. My friends have a large plot there so we are also planning a big block of sweetcorn. And then I've probably run out of room already...

Morning!
Welcome arti - everyone is welcome here, even if they only have a window box :)
That sounds lovely, especially as it has been kept nice. Is the waiting list long for a bigger plot? I only ask, as we got our first quarter plot after waiting 5 years . You were supposed to show commitment, and then offered a half plot. By the time we were offered a half plot, (6 months later) we had spent so much time and effort ( as it was badly neglected) that I didn't want to leave it. Luckily for us, the quarter plot next to us came up , and they let us have that, so the same resulting half plot. Now we have attached half plots!

If you get the vegetable growing bug, you just need more space ! I too had my overwintering broad beans sabotaged by mice last year. I resowed in pots, and popped some more in direct. And this year I think the weather has done for them as well, so I too have sown into pots in my greenhouse. Better that than no broad beans.
shove - I don't seem to have too many problems on the chalk at the plot ( more at home really). Its been an allotment site for many years, and basically well tended, so we have a decent depth of soil from years of manuring and mulching. Just every now and then when digging deep for bindweed, I realise we are down to a stony rubble in about a spit/spit and a half. So carrots have been a problem - but the chanteney I grew last year were lovely, so its a case of adapting varieties. I think I grow a reasonable cross section - certainly haven't made any conscious decisions to not grow things (apart from things we don't like anyway! ) Maybe thats why the celeriac is doing well this year - lovely and wet for it! Not had any success before this year :)

Welcome arti- how exciting for you! Is your allotment far from your home? I’ve never had an allotment as I’m lucky enough to have a veggie patch at home, but I do feel I miss out on the “community” side of things sometimes. My veggie patch is 15 foot square (ish) so half the size of yours, I can pack quite a lot in. I do have a separate fruit bed (about 8 foot square) and greenhouse for toms etc, I find that’s enough space for me.

I’ve been mulling over what to do with the veggie patch this year. I’m finding this pregnancy much harder than last time round so don’t want to over stretch myself, so I don’t want anything too faffy. I might drop the brassicas this year, and stick with stuff that grows easily here – so potatoes, parsnips, leeks, beetroot and hopefully some beans . Oh and my toms in the greenhouse of course!

I still have one of my sungold plants in the greenhouse. It’s not growing much but also not dying, so I’m really hoping it will survive long enough for me to take cuttings in the spring. No idea if it’ll work but worth a go I reckon!

Shove I have to say I’m a little disappointed – you’ve not been bring the new members up to speed on Bokashi!

Thanks for the welcome everyone!

bookbook - No, I don't think the waiting list is long at all but, like you, I have just got my plot in a nice state, all reading for planting, so wouldn't want to give it up just yet. The turnover tends to happen in October so it would be sensible for me to 'prove myself' this growing season and then hopefully get one next winter. I would love extra space for fruit...

Cupcakes - congrats on the pregnancy, at least your veg patch is within pottering distance, that will make it easier. My DSs are 3 and 7 and luckily friends with the kids of my friends there - so we give them all biscuits and they go off and hit each other happily with sticks for a while whilst we chat work. The allotments are a 5 minute drive or 10 mins on my wobbly bike, so perfect really. My DP went mad with me when he found out I'd got a plot as he said we were already too busy but I'm lucky to work freelance from home, so can whizz something off to a client, pop to the plot for an hour or so and then whizz back. And DP quite likes it all now and even helps to dig

Bokashi is the compost stuff, right? We have a wormery but they don't manage it all.

cupcakes I thought I might leave the bokashi hazing ceremony until they are all lulled into a false sense of security by how lovely you guys all are. Then I will unleash the power of the AWESOME ANAEROBIC COMPOSTING SYSTEM at level 2, when we are all so muddy that it seems normal.

Basically, it's like induction to a cult. I am chanting as I type.

Sorry to hear that you've not been feeling great with this pregnancy, btw. I hope it passes and you feel more on top of things soon. I definitely think an easy year sounds like a great plan.

Evening!
*Cupcakes) - dont beat yourself up at not being able to do/want to do stuff- you are going to have quite an intensive growing season of your own :) How about growing pumpkins/squash this year - great ground cover and apart from watering, basically trouble free, with produce at the end.
well, I managed to get down to the plot and finish mulching the asparagus, just in time before the frosts come ( tomorrow night?) . It was going well, until blow me it starting raining again .

Who wants to recommend me a plum tomato? I know I said I might not bother, but, well, tomatoes.

It will be grown outside, bucks/Northants border where it doesn't really get much in the way of weather (apart from daily rain recently). My soil is clay but I might grow some in pots too. We do get blight. Other toms will be grown also.

I did Roma last year but it wasn't that amazing so not sure it has guaranteed itself a place into 2016. That may be because I panicked at the first sign of blight and picked everything so much of it was picked unripe after the no-show of summer.

Not sure I can help Spotted - mine are in the greenhouse up here . I grew Roma last year - great harvest, but not as good a flavour as I would wish for, but that may have been due to the rubbish summer we had. I have my seeds ready for this year, but they are in my seed box in the shed, so will look tomorrow to see what I decided on. I just want a good tasting cooker. In my gift of seeds the other day, I have a packet of 'Cossack"- (an earlier fruiting Money Maker type of exceptional flavour !!) and a packet of 'Country Taste" , ( meaty and tasty with huge fruits !!) so may give those a go...it can't hurt if I have the space :)

Zebra - oh Queen of the tomatoes, I found this article by Sarah Raven that recommends varieties. (Note that she also gives a glowing write up to Black Krim, which you recommended to me last year for my colder site - I've got seeds on order!)

www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/howtogrow/9885561/The-best-seeds-for-totally-tasty-tomatoes.html

And this one, by a tomato man who has a book out called Epic Tomatoes (great title) about different varieties

www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/howtogrow/fruitandvegetables/11499631/Meet-the-tomato-expert-who-knows-the-best-varieties-for-you.html

Has anyone tried grafting tomatoes to either potatoes or aubergines? Thompson and Morgan are selling both - but I wondered about giving it a go at home, out of curiosity.

Zebra, san marzano is good and did well on my London heavy clay soil. For a cooler weather tomato could you try an amish paste tomato.
I haven't tried that myself but have heard they are a good plum tomato for cooler wetter climates.
Here's my question: has anyone seen any borlotti bean seeds (not dwarf) in the shops. I have got everything I need so don't want to pay pp fees getting them online.

Oh, I love San Marzano, but gave up after 2 years of the slugs finding them . Very late cropping for me.
ethel those Amish paste tomatoes are a real possibility for next year for me.
Thompson and Morgan do the borlotti beans - our local garden centre always has a big stand of Thomson and Morgan, but haven't looked so far this year, as I ordered mine via the allotment society

Ooh thanks for tomato reccos. I shall have a lovely peruse of them later on. I do really like reading about tomatoes. Also, talking about them, growing them, eating them...

ethel I was in b&q the other day and they had borlotti, but still it would be cheaper to buy from somewhere like premier seeds on ebay- www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CLIMBING-BORLOTTO-BEAN-LINGUA-DI-FUOCO-2-100-SEEDS-/370899427657?hash=item565b542149

Shove Thanks too for links. I really hope you like Black Krim - as you know, it is my favourite (thus far). I was watching re - runs of Jamie at Home the other day, and Jamie O's gardening chap was also recommending Black Krim.

I have my eye on some Black Krim too - they were in Kitchen Garden this month. When I visited my allotment last Sept-ish, someone had managed to grow lots of those big, ugly tomatoes that you get everywhere in Italy - so similar. I'd really like to give it a go this year. Have any of you had success growing big beefy varieties outdoors?

Zebra has had success growing all kinds of tomatoes. She had a glut so big it was practically equivalent to the tomato surplus of a small European nation. I am because mine were utterly, utterly crap last year.

Seeds - I don't know if you guys have allotment associations? We don't (site is too new), but my Dad does. There is a special catalogue for King's Seeds that goes out to allotments and it is about half the price of the retail ones. And then you get an discount of another 40% of something crazy for being part of a bulk order too. I buy my seeds this way and I rarely pay more than about 90p a packet, and there's a really good choice of varieties. It saves me ££££.

I'm keeping my beady eye on Aldi at the moment, because I reckon that the greenhouse stuff/propagating kits will be in any minute. I will sound the allotment klaxon if I see it come in!!

Here in Melbourne, I 've found that the rogue cherry tomatoes from the compost bin are alway more productive than the precious special seeds.
Having said that, a rogue heirloom tomato of the Kardashian bum variety has appeared, so let's see how it goes.

As for aubergines, we always grow the Lebanese variety because they don't become coarse.

Evening!
you lot are terrible! I did not need any more tomato seeds.
I was out today shopping and... Black Russian seeds have now been purchased (not Black Krim, which I presume are different).
Moved my squashes in from the greenhouse to the spare bedroom, just in case...
Maybe snow tomorrow shove ?

Tomato recommendations - well where do we start.

I've grown hundreds of varieties; this one pictured is Hoy, bred by a chap in the USA and swapped as part of one of my international trades. Tasted lush, 750g the biggest one. Lovely. Last year's crop.

What you really need is a tomato that is open pollinated and locally grown; many of the seeds you can usually get packeted up have been grown in ideal situations and thus when they get to the UK, they tend to not produce so well. Franchi/Seeds of Italy - Real Seeds - Heritage Seed Library - these are the people to look at if you want UK seeds. Franchi grow a fair amount in the UK or ship them from Italy where the climate is so similar they grow really well. Their plum tomatoes are fab. Their San Marzanos are fab. Also, Real Seeds' Amish Paste - a really meaty low seed tomato. HSL only offer a range each year so if you want proper UK seeds, then join up and make your choice.

The rule is the larger the fruit the less you will get; so I tend to go for taste and then for use. My all time favourites are F1 Sungold [no seed saving here] or a variety that a chum of mine bred in Leicester Piglet Willie's French Black - such a good tomato.

I have around 250 different varieties in my collection. I know people with over 1000. I'd hold off any sowing for a fair while yet though.