Allotment/Veg Patch Thread 5 - The Diggers Rest !

[bookbook]

Thanks to teacuphalfempty for supplying the title .
so, its the 1st of March, the meteorological spring is here, and it's all systems go for the coming growing season. Let's hope for a good one -no pests and diseases, enough rain overnight and plenty of sunshine. Well, we can dream....

We've had lovely weather today too, though the soil is very waterlogged at the moment after two days of heavy rain. I planted out the seedlings that were ready (and DD2 promptly climbed into my herb wheel and crushed my sage ), moved some broad bean seedlings that were too close together - I now have 14 beautiful BB plants! Have also finally sown my tomato seeds and put on the lovely warm windowsill, planted another lot of flower seeds into little decomposable pots (sweet pea, nasturtium, marigold and cosmos) and also put carrot, nasturtium and marigold seeds straight into the garden. I'll get the rest of the seeds in over the weekend; have plenty in case they don't work in the garden and need to be done in pots instead.

I got some nematodes in the post today so need to work out how to apply them. Really hope they work; the slugs are eating the pretty flowers I put in recently.

DH has agreed about the pond plan, which is exciting, though he said I had to let him have extra nights out to make up for digging a hole! I might have laughed in his face and mentioned that the new baby means we both suffer for the first 3 months at least. (I plan to buy him extra beer instead.) I'd like to do it when I've recovered from the birth instead of leaving it till next year so will make a post about it forthwith!

Glad that the weather has been kinder so everyone can get stuff done.

I received a call this evening to say that a plot has become available at the local allotments. I'm going to have a look at it tomorrow afternoon.
I have never planted anything before, due to an impractical garden, but really want to start growing my own veg etc.

Are there any questions I should ask when I go to the allotment tomorrow?

I'm ridiculously excited! It's a 15 minute walk from my house so very convenient.

Evening!
and welcome Baymax ( an oldie here with a DGS with a Baymax toy !)
How exciting- have you been waiting long?

If you have a choice of plot then
Is it shaded with trees or buildings
Are there a lot of perennial weeds etc ( thistles/dandelions ) and a lot of clearing
has it got things already established that you would like - fruit trees/bushes, rhubarb, asparagus - those sort of things

then useful stuff to know
how big is it
Which direction does the sun come
Do I have access to water
Is there good access to the plot - you end up carting a lot of stuff
Is there a shed/can I have a shed.

I'm using coffee grounds to deter slugs this year. I've read that they are acidic. Can I use them with my brassicas? I've limed the soil - so will this even it out and make it OK? Am I worrying about nothing? Had terrible problems with slugs and cabbages last year - bear traps didn't work.

Morning!
Grouchy - apond this year - thats wonderful , and all for a few bottles of beer! I shall look forward to hearing of it :)
how big are your slugs dreaming ? - bear traps
I mostly have problems with slugs on potatoes - just a few on cabbages and brassicas , and don't use anything. I am looking into organic slug pellets, just for the potatoes, but I am so conflicted with this, I am truly dithering. The nematode thing is so expensive for such a short period of time. I have more of a problem at home in the greenhouse on my tomatoes, and am going to try copper tape this year. I did use traps, but just got a few teeny ones. And I had a frog who hid in the flap of a gro bag in there!
I have also tried crushed egg shells, but no real success.
The best success I had for the last two years was on my strawberry bed- strawing around them worked a treat!

I want to try a bear trap now Do they shout at you from the end of the plot about treading on the plants?
I've used the wool pellets with some success. They stop the slugs eating the plants before they have a chance to get established. They are expensive though. We also use organic slug pellets which are effective.

Welcome Baymax fingers crossed the plot you're being offered has been looked after and isn't in too bad a shape. Definitely all the things bookbook said. I'd also ask about break ins. We don't keep any tools in our shed on the plot because there have been break ins. We just carry them round - but then it's only a short walk from our house. If it's not in good shape try to assess how much is easy weeds - mainly grassed over with the odd dandelion - and how much is harder weeds (all dandelions, perennial weeds or overgrown with brambles). Obviously the second plot will be much harder to work to get into shape and therefore will depend on how much time you can devote to it. Also is there an allotment association of some kind (which can mean cheaper seeds).

Book and Cedar thanks for the suggestions.

I've only been waiting for a few months. I was really surprised to get the 'phone call yesterday.

I can actually see the allotments from my house so when I'm shown the available plot I'll know which way the sun rises etc.

I have been warned that it's a bit of a mess, but I have plenty of free time to work on it every day. I'm not expecting instant results. I was up late last night reading lots of allotment websites and forums.
DH is looking forward to getting stuck in too.

And just in time for the growing season Baymax.
I have gardened for many years, but an allotment is rather different- scale as much as anything.
The Allotment Book by Andi Clevely is my bible
and if you can find the RHS Encyclopedia of Gardening there is a really good section on growing fruit and vegetables

I think when the children are older I'll stop using nematodes for slugs but I have to have something they won't eat. DD2 is particularly fond of sitting in the middle of the garden eating dirt.

Just ordered them both from Amazon, they will be here tomorrow and I can spend all weekend reading

I like the picture GrouchyKiwi

Baymax that's great if you have some free time every day as little and often can help you keep on top of things. This is a good time to start because it is at the beginning of the growing season so you've got time to do a bit of clearing and then get some crops planted. There's nothing like the reward of seeing things starting to grow to keep you motivated!

i think my slugs did as much damage as bears!!

Just popping in to say:
1 book how is your knee?
2 There were four days last week when it didn't rain - but for the rest of the last 2 weeks it's been somewhat soggy.
3 Whilst digging up a 'thicket' of dahlia tubers (in that dry bit last week) I uncovered a salamander. They eat slugs - hoorah!
4 Nothing to do with gardening, but a thunderstorm got rather too close to my house - direct hit in fact - and a couple of things went bang. The electric tripped out but once I'd found the little torch in the pitch black, I got it back on again. Have replaced some of the 'banged' stuff. I'll get a new TV soon - still have the little one from the bedroom. Nothing caught fire so not so bad.
5 A dry day is predicted for Monday. The joys . . . ⛅

Evening!
Baymax - you won't have time to read books you will be hacking away tomorrow, surely? :)
Gorgeous little one Grouchy definitely in tune with the earth!
Thanks teacup - knee is well on the way to normal again, apart from a still impressive, yellow fading bruise.
And a salamander to eat your slugs - and we burble on about frogs.
So does it ever stop raining? :) It sounds like living at the top of a deep vale has its excitements!
My plot today was cutting the grass for the first time this year, thanks to DH , and digging out lots of little dock weeds in a neglected area on my new bit, right at the ned. Thought a bit of time and effort now, will reap rewards later in the year....

A salamander ? They're almost magical! I do love frogs, and get very excited about them. And newts and toads too. But I'm determined to see a slow worm this year even if it means I have a rummage in every compost heap I see I won't do this really. I've never seen one, and it's not fair.

Not much gardening recently - it's teeming down with rain/sleet/hail. Today, yesterday, the day before... A bit of a change tonight as there'll be a frost, probably. I have a half-dug path at the allotment, which will now be just a quagmire. Has anyone had snow ?

The only gardening I've done really is the continued pricking out/potting on of the... tomatoes. There are so so many, I've totally over done it. I'll, need to find people who are in need and who want seedlings, as I'm running out of space. And pots. Thing is, it's too wet to go to the plot, which is where I might find people in want of a tomato!

It's not known as Green Spain up here for nothing - but it looks like it's raining everywhere!

Spotted I do also have slow worms and hedgehogs. Also, I haven't seen them for a couple of years, but there were some little snakes not much longer than the slow worms and a little bit skinnier. And lizards and frogs (no water feature of my own, but there is water about - see above!)

My books arrived and I've had a couple of hours flicking them.
I went to see the plot yesterday. It's a half plot, which I was a bit disappointed with, and it needs clearing.
There's a 2x1 metre patch of nettles at one end but the rest appears to be just grass.
I've sent off the contract and cheque so just waiting for my key then we'll get to work. DH and I are going to measure the plot tomorrow as they don't seem to be standard size. My contract states that my half plot is 5 yards. I'm assuming that's the width and I have no idea what the length is.

Spotted My back garden is in quite a natural state. We cut the grass and occasionally strim around the perimeter, but that's it.
We have several slow worms in our garden. Sadly I've cut two in half with the strimmer over the years.
We also had hedgehogs for the last 4 years. They used to walk down the garden path at dusk to go under our gate and out to the grass bank at the front of our house. They slept under a large bush at the end of the garden. Unfortunately there has been a lot of building work going on around us and I think they've moved on now.
We often have toads appear in the summer. I don't think any of our neighbours have a pond so no idea where they come from

Evening!
was out all day today - coming home in the car, the little snowflake temp thing came on.... So have moved all my tomatoes/peppers/aubergines inside.
No snow, but rain, hail and icy wind here today.
Baymax - I think a half a plot can be pretty good, depending on how big that is - sounds a bit confusing, saying 5 yards- wide, long or what. Our half plots are pretty big here, and they are a more manageable size for many.

A couple of hours at the plot this afternoon, no snow, but it was very cold, the sun finally came out around 4.30 which was nice. The ground is SO wet though, and with it being clay that's not good, so I'm adding in a lot of compost and manure as I work. General tidying today, plus planting out broad beans, sweet peas and more onion sets.

I have got loads of slow worms. I bought a very cheap plastic tool bench in my first year and it got trashed in a storm within weeks. I kept the side panels as kneeling/stepping sheets and have the black base dumped kept permanently as a wildlife habitat in a sunny spot in front of my raspberry canes, there are masses of slow worms under there, they must ike the heat and shelter, usually at least 4, sometimes a dozen.

Baymax - my plot is a whole one and is 10x7m, not huge but plenty for me. Mine is about 7 mins walk from my house which is SO handy (and right next to DD's school. I am very much a little and often gardener, I rarely manage more than two hours and often pop in on my way home from school or the shops for 10 mins to do a little tidying, picking and sitting on my bench relaxing. I do keep all my tools up there (not locked but nothing valuable just hand tools) but theft is very rare at ours.

Teacup - that's a bit scary about the thunder, glad the damage wasn't any worse.

Afternoon!
Well, this morning was glorious - beautiful cloudless skies, and warm - ( though my plot neighbour was telling us his greenhouse showed a low of -2º overnight.)
I managed a lot of weeding - the row of autumn raspberries, and all the new strawberry bed.I found a few strawberry flowers, so will need to get the straw on soon ( hopeful ) And, and , my asparagus is showing !!!
Also picked a lovely big load of purple sprouting broccoli for tea
Then faffed in the greenhouse pricking out hollyhocks, and some bee friendly annuals for the plot that I sowed a few weeks back.

Easy weekend for me after some tests. I just potted on a few things in the greenhouse!

at salamanders and storms and snow! And grouchy your DD is GORGEOUS! In 20 years time, she'll be winning a Chelsea gold!!

Oh, Shovey - hope you get some answers soon and that it's nothing too bad and it's easily manageable.

Well, a damp morning here cleared into a beautiful afternoon, and I went to the allotment. I planted put my 3 new rasps, and mourned my area of dead sticks that I had wanted to be raspberries. Actually it was all of 1 variety that didn't grow, so maybe I should complain? My white currant looks stubbornly dead too. But as it's #YearofFruit I kept the faith, gave my oldest gooseberry a very minor prune to make an open goblet shape, and planted my 2 meagre prunings in the ground. My blackcurrants are all looking well, as it my redcurrant, but my jostaberry looks sluggish. Do anyone else's jostaberries have much leaf yet?

And I spread some manure on my 'good bed' which is still whatever the opposite of friable is. And I put more bark bits down on a path and did lots of weeding. I've not finished my 1/2 dug path yet, however - still way too swampy to do that.

And I picked some rhubarb! it is MASSIVE!

Ooh, I have a question.

This morning we had frost, with another forecast for tonight. I've covered my beloved blueberries with fleece, as they're in flower now and I want the crop for #YoF.

Does it really make a difference? Does the frost really kill flowers, and if so, how? What temps do that? Is it the expanding/contracting thing that busts cell walls?

As anyone else covered up stuff?

Evening!
shove - greenhouses are a nice place to relax, all tests are stressful, however much you are prepared for them.
Spotted - my jostaberry is about the same as my blackcurrants - well on the way to full leaf, but not there quite yet. Sending positive bud break thoughts to your white currant. If the raspberries are new, and you have a receipt, I would definitely put a complaint in about them. (If you remember, I was gifted 36 raspberry canes in autumn. They were stuck in soil temporarily in a pot over winter. I then split them , and gave 24 away. I only planted mine about 3 weeks ago, and they have all started to break their leaves out
fleece on flowers overnight cannot harm at all, but I don't have any technical knowledge - just basically a better safe than sorry.....