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....

have a garden soup on to hob atm.

beetroot, carrots, leaks (and a couple if shop bought potatoes) yum.
what a lovely day.

I've just resown the few runner beans I had left - the others were starting to turn mouldy they've been sitting in wet compost in the greenhouse so long. A few peas have emerged. I've 5 tomatoes that I started in the kitchen, none of the peppers came up (again in the kitchen), but I've got a couple of courgettes and cucumbers emerging. The melons on the other hand are on their third lot. Makes no sense.

Freezing this morning and much warmer this afternoon here, but I've been stuck inside working most of the day (mixture of paid work and private studying). Luckily my studies will be over by the first week in June so I'm going to just try and keep on top of weeds for now, keep all my plants going at home and then spring into action in early June with getting stuff planted out (assuming it's stopped snowing by then).

So, all I have done today is plant a few cucumber seeds. Which was nice.

It was lovely and sunny yesterday morning, so after an early lunch i escaped to the plot. It was so busy!
A quick chat with a plot pal, then it rained. Then it hailed, then it snowed before it settled on sleeting heavily.

Everyone else sensibly left, but I was adamant that I needed to get my broadies that did grow, out. But it was too windy and wet to finish my path and the ground was getting boggy and churned up. I lasted about an hour before I came home a freezing, bedraggled rat.

It was then sunny most of the afternoon and it looks to be nice today.

#BadTiming

Ooh, and in #YoF updates, one of my blackcurrants is still not in leaf but looks alive, so it must be a late one. The jostaberry isn't doing much, but the gooseberries and redcurrant are in flower.

The white currant remains dead.

Off to the lottie today. Was going to go to a plant fair but just can't be arsed.

I have so many onions and shallotts to go in it is obscene! they have all been started off in trays so I just have to separate them and get them in.

Afternoon!
I love making soup, but I will be honest - beetroot is my least favourite - its flavour and sweetness seems to overwhelm anything else you put in. even though I really like beetroot.
There is a lot of sowing woes on here, so I am just not going to look at any of mine for a day or two , ( promise!)
oh Spotted - the weather is just ...... well I am speechless ( that doesn't happen often!)
a busy , sore back sort of day then Doreen - obviously on top of the new job now!
I had a real bitty morning, nothing quite started and finished. I don't swear, but those pigeons grrrr. they have had a go at my spring cabbages again - they were starting to look so good, and they have just sat on the netting and pecked through, so I have one batch of very bedraggled plants. I have reinforced with wire and poking up sticks. The blighters...... Then I planted out my hardened off peas. Just about to get another bit of tidying up done, when another plotter turned up for a chat - 30 minutes later ! - I am now the proud owner of an excess of sweet peas plants that they bought, so not all bad

my rhubarb is rather small...
you think that's enough for a crumble?
:o

Just you wait Green - you turn your back on them, and suddenly.......!

you mean staring at it doesn't work?

Green - yep that's what mine looks like at the moment. But I am confident we'll all be sick of rhubarb by July. There's one on someone else's plot at my site which is enormous, about 2m dia by 1m high, they must really like rhubarb.

Started hardening off peas and broad beans today, that's all. Oh and my first runner bean has germinated .

Thanks everyone for the advice. I really helps to know what others are doing too.
When I say I'm late in planting what I actually mean is that I haven't got hardly any seeds into compost yet either.
I'll start tomorrow morning and see how things go. I daren't put tray thing in the soil yet as the weather is just so unpredicatble.

bookbook I'm in West Yorkshire and, yes now that you ask, I think know I did plant too much last year in one bed. It was a big bed (4mx3m) but still too much. I'll space it out better this year.

One more question: Is it too late to sow tomato seedss and aubergine seeds?

Well, after spending weeks having to wait for breaks in the rain to get anything done, it hasn’t rained for 10 days (hence I’ve not posted - too bleeping busy, but I have been trying to keep up with reading everyone elses news).

Cedar just read your slug warning. The good news for me is I uncovered another (slug eating) salamander, at the bottom of compost heap no. 1. I know it’s not the same one ‘cos this one was a baby, and I would say that it was actually smaller than a monster slug I saw at a friend’s yesterday.

Beetroot have been trying to get some going since 21/3. From 2 sowings all I’ve been rewarded with is 3 tiny seedlings. And I’ve used seeds from 2 different packets.

Broad beans direct sowed loads on 11/3. Critters ate majority of seeds and I don’t have any more in the packet. I hope they don’t mind being moved because the 19 remaing plants were rather too spread out and had to be rationalised is the word I think I mean.

Tomatoes my Harbingers just stopped growing at the two true-leaf stage and I fear my Costoluttos are going the same way (they looked so strong). Ditto aubergines.

Courgettes - succesfully sowed 6 ‘Coucourzelle’ on 23/3. Have already planted 3 outside and am keeping the other 3 to plant in a different place at a later date - as a bit of an insurance against last years dearth.

3 Butternut Squash seedlings just poking their leaves through in pots.

Other bean news - have planted out some of my runners. Have some more in a tray and more seed if needed. ‘Purple Teepee’ were direct sown on the 23rd - nothing showing yet (worries about critters).

Herbs - can’t get parsley going to save my life, but find coriander/celantro very easy.

Just off to agri shop to buy tomato and pepper plants

Hello to more new diggers.👋

Well we weren't doing tomatoes this year because they keep getting blight. But after a trip to my parents we are now the proud owners of 7 tomato plants! This year I'm going to spray them.
Runner beans are through in pots. I planted more beetroot, peas and fennel direct in the plot (we had lovely weather both Saturday and Sunday, only today has it been a bit rubbish). So we'll see what happens with that lot.
teacup can I borrow your salamander?

Evening!
no plot or gardening today , just time to do a proper job of starting to harden things off properly - all my pricked out brassicas, and a rather large amount of flowers.
I left my tomatoes out in the greenhouse last night for the first time, and they are looking good, thankfully.Have to find homes for overflow soon, when they go into the growbags- shame some of you aren't nearer!
Lulooo ah, the English language- I thought you meant you had planted out, rather than sown seeds! There is loads of time for most things- they often catch up earlier sowings with the warmer (hah!) and longer days. I am east of York, and aubergines need to be protected up here in a greenhouse - I do all my tomatoes in there as well, ( I get a better, earlier crop than outside) . I think you could get away with sowing tomatoes, but aubergines I have had trouble with - they seem to need a long summer, so could you perhaps buy some veg plug plants - there are lots for sale in garden centres and markets at the moment.
hello teacup , nice to hear from you - so from monsoon to drought eh? I cant get parsley to germinate either - I buy plants!
I am feeling very relieved - I tipped over 3 pots of sown brassica seeds, just starting to break the seed casing. I gently shovelled them back in the pots, and there are the little stars, all popping out. Why aren't all seeds so determined?
I've sown the lovage - tomorrow its basil .
And I am not peeking at all the beans /squashes etc I only sowed on Saturday - iron will needed

Aubergine I'd say yes too late - it is hard to get a decent sized fruit from them in the UK so I don't usually bother. Tomatoes, no they will catch up. Just sown another 22 varieties for selling in the nursery last weekend, they are now up and will be pricked out tomorrow.

Went to the lottie this evening and turned compost, dug out couchgrass and can now dig in the compost that is finished and do some planting. My plot is already 3/4 full. Mainly with potatoes and onions.

I am giving aubergines one last try this year, but I am not holding out a great deal of hope!

I have finally been able to move all the seedlings from the house to the greenhouse. Hooray!

I'm not bothering with aubergines or peppers this year - I just don't have enough warm room.

I too am starting the great move outside. I have trays and trays and trays of things at various stages of hardened-off (house to grow house, grow house to big cloche, big cloche to table, table to ready!). No one else understands my classifications, so they have to Leave Well Alone

I need to armpit my first lot of tomatoes today. I'll throw the armpits away for now

I started off a few beans at the weekend - runners, borlotti and french. And also cima di rapa/brocoletto and cavolo nero.

And today I think shall do some courgettes and squash.

And I'm still trying to grow some broadbeans, although it might be too late now. I've pre-germinated them in the airing cupboard.

Evening everyone - may I join the thread?

I don't have an allotment, but almost an acre of badly neglected garden. Am very slowly aiming to get rid of overgrown grass and convert to raised veg beds as neither DH or I can keep on top of trying to mow.

Good points:
Big garden
Dd and Dd enthusiastic helpers
Medium greenhouse in good condition
Shed, needs door and prettying up inside
We have planted fruit trees over few years and have apples, gages, morello cherry, pears, a new quince last year and 4 self-seeded wild plums that I didn't even notice until I cleared an area of shoulder high brambles last year...
4 chooks in coop and run, can't free range as garden not fenced - but considering building chicken tunnel to allow them more space
3 raised beds 2m x 0.75m ready for planting up

Bad points:
DC spend most of time blowing bubbles and building fairy houses in greenhouse - but lots of encouragement and waving from them, with occasional chocolate button offered to me
DH not keen on gardening but great at burning and occasionally building
Shoulder high brambles covering a quarter of plot approx with plenty of nettles
I have mainly just weekends but a little time 2 days/week
Limited budget
Heavy clay soil

I have cleared half the brambles over the past month including those filling greenhouse, and will ask DH to burn cuttings this weekend as presume cannot compost them for fear of re-rooting.

I have thus revealed our long-lost fruit cage full of black currants and gooseberries. - can't wait for fruit this year!

I am keen but a beginner in veg growing - have done tomatoes, salad leaves and herbs in past. Currently have hundreds of very small seedlings on windowsills which are growing v-e-r-y slowly, and too small to put in greenhouse yet I think.

I am very confused on what I need to repeat sow at intervals - thought it was just annual herbs and salad, but wondering whether brassicas and toms need this??

Would love to become expert at taking cuttings and filling garden with scented flowers. Love cottage garden slightly messy style.

Anyway, apologies for essay, but very keen to join #yearoffruit and also veg. Would be really grateful for advice from you experts

Wow, an acre! I'm so jealous!

I think to get that kind of space in order requires something like a 5-year plan, gradually bringing areas into cultivation. It sounds as though you have a lot of the infrastructure in place (fruit cages, greenhouse etc), so it's just a matter of getting things up and going.

First things first: work out what you're going to put where. You've easily got room for a veg plot (ideally needs sun), cottage garden and an orchard area (maybe with a wild flower meadow underneath, so you cut it just once a year) and that's just for starters.

Bear in mind that the first year of managing any area is the worst - weed seeds will sprout left, right and centre, so maybe start small and manageable so you don't feel overwhelmed. If you find you can do more, you can always add another bed! Also, if you take your time, you can do things the slow way, which is less work, e.g. putting down cardboard to kill weeds and shoving compost and manure over the top and waiting for it to break down, instead of having to dig over an entire area.

I would maybe start with a bed in the cottage garden, new and renovated fruit beds (it is, after all, #yearoffruit), and a small veg bed in full sun for a few easy things like pole beans, courgettes, salad leaves, maybe a few tomatoes (though I'd say those are more challenging than the first two).

Morning!
and welcome quince2figs !
wow, thats a lot of nettles and brambles to clear ( I am rather jealous of the size of your garden !)
and I am starting to feel very outnumbered by everyone with heavy clay soil....:)
first things first.
don't try to do everything - its not possible.
decide what you like to eat
anything you have cleared - try to plant up, otherwise the weeds will just take over again
Now succession sowing is an art not a science. No to tomatoes - just get then sown and set them off. Brassicas a bit more leeway, but a lot is down to variety - you can have cabbages and cauliflower all the year round if you wish, just different ones - I have some just into curd , that have been growing over winter, but have also sown some in the past two weeks, that will be ready from late summer into autumn.Things like sprouts its just the one sowing really, but they will be ready at slightly different times , again depending on variety.
Things to succession plant /sow- beetroot/carrots/spinach/peas.
There are lots of veg plug plants in nurseries and market stalls at the moment, if you want to catch up on planting. Just make sure they are hardened off.
Now if it were me deciding, my first job would be to get the fruit cage into some sort of tidy. Its a bit late for pruning, and if it is infested with brambles and nettles, you may do harm by trying to totally get rid straight away. Can I suggest roughly clearing around the bushes, aswell to the ground as possible (if you haven't already) and then covering the soil right up to the trunk of the fruit bushes with whatever you can- cardboard, weed suppressant mat or the like. I would normally say mulch well, but that would be feeding the weeds. So instead, once the soil is covered, I would give the bushes a foliar feed, to get them fighting fit. I wouldn't prune now, but if there are any diseased branches, chop them out. Then do the rest of the work in autumn/winter when there is more time.
And just let the children play....
sorry, that was long....

I took so long, shove got in first!

chickens ars brilliant at clearing weeds for you (maybe no brambles, though)
if you have a small run that you van move about...
added value fertiliser for veg :o

Yes, but you actually answered the question about succession sowing, book!!

It's GORGEOUS here today. And I am stuck inside writing a paper about concentration camps for a conference on Friday.

No plot here either, but I have been to the seaside