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....

Ethel - first earlies doesn't mean they have to go in first. It means they are ready first. I put all my potatoes in around mid april, as they soon catch up with ones that are in early.

Thanks Doreen. Its so confusing! I'll leave it a couple weeks and hope it warms up a bit.

What's the new job?

Evening!
had a lovely couple of hours this morning, bright but cold. Harvested the last few bits of beetroot, swede and parsnips, and then dug it over so its now ready for peas.
ethelb don't know if you saw on the previous thread, but I found a website where you can put in your nearest town ,and it gives you a guide for when to sow and plant.
www.gardenfocused.co.uk/

I grubbed out all the Lebanese aubergines, tomato plants and random wizened beetroots and rocket from the veggie beds. We put loads of cow manure, some rock minerals, water-retaining granules and crushed eggshells, a light raking and in go the rainbow chard for autumn. I've saved some seed on kitchen paper from a random rogue tomato plant that did well, so will give it a go in the early spring.

However, it being autumn and all in Melbourne, there's a heatwave for this week; late 20s to mid-30s . So up go the shade cloths again.

Earlies: 12 weeks til harvest
Second Earlies: 14
Mains: 16
Lates: 18-20.

It is one of those confusing things about gardening, amongst many!

New job is managing a community garden within in a city farm. 2 hours to go!

The problem is the unpredictable weather. You have to put your potatoes in so that by the last frost date, you have earthed them up enough so that they don't get frosted.

I once put in and earthed up a lost mid March, and in May we found a few more bags that had got put aside, put those in and in a few weeks, they had overtaken the March ones. With no earthing up. So I leave mine a little longer these days and get better harvests than I ever did when I put them in during March.

We've got beautiful weather today so I spent 2 hours outside this morning popping seeds into a windowsill propagator and risking a few in the ground to see how we get on. The soil didn't feel cold despite a mild frost so I'm hopeful it will be ok. The DDs have promptly shifted my plant label sticks, though!

Also shoved the celery that was growing on my windowsill into the soil so will be interesting to see what that does. If it dies I'll just put another cut end into water.

The seeds from my windowsill egg boxes are now growing beautifully, especially the sweet peas (8 of the 12 seeds have sprouted). What's the next step? I'm thinking of putting half of them into small pots to get bigger and trying the other half outside in the garden. The parsley and basil seedlings still need to get bigger.

I just got a parcel through the post. Opened it to find an academic book inside with a chapter I wrote this time last year! It feels like this should be a good moment but I am actually terrified and far far too scared to read it in case it is actually rubbish and I have just shown myself up. So I have been distracting myself sowing some seeds in my greenhouse instead.

Evening!
no plot as had DGS.
Hope it all went well for you Doreen - is it a bit like first day at school? :)
echt - opposite problem here in Yorkshire - spring around the corner, snow last week, a hard frost last night (-3º) and another one forecast for tonight...
Grouchy - I wouldn't worry about plant labels. I am quite organised, but I have a sprouting broccoli plant in the middle of a row of cauliflowers, not sure how that happened!. If your seedlings have been inside, then I would harden them off well before putting outside - its still quite chilly overnight
shove - they would not have published it if it were rubbish!
I sowed summer cabbage and hollyhock seeds last Monday afternoon. The cabbage seeds have been up for 2 days, and the holly hocks have started to appear. No sign of the celeriac though ....

books It's mostly so I don't forget I've planted things there. My brain is not what it was. Thanks, children.

How do you harden plants off?

Doreen also hope Day 1 went well!
Shove am sure it's fab. You've just got a touch of the collywobbles, that's all. (

Crikey Shove - that's a nice surprise.

I am shattered but found out I have a willing gang that are just desperate for direction so tomorrow it is stock take of plants, coppicing and setting the polytunnels up for different activities. I am exhausted and am off for an early bath.

I know what you mean about not feeling it yet. I am a bit meh about alot of things, tomatoes included. I have only sown two varieties [piglet willies French blacks and some Heinz ones from a very old packet and they have all come up] and have loads yet that need to go into the heated prop.

All in good time, all in good time.

Grouchy - its a term for getting plants accustomed to outside from a warmer environment. I usually do it in about 2 weeks, sometimes 3 if the weather is rubbish. If seedlings are on my kitchen windowsill, they go into the cold greenhouse during the day for a week. Then in the greenhouse all the time, with the door closed , then door open during the day for a few days , and then outside during the day, greenhouse on a night... You get the idea? :)
Spotted - you poor thing - chillblains are horrible .
I haven't even sown any tomato seeds yet , I was waiting for the weekend, when its supposed to get a bit warmer. -
Though at least its been sunny today, just a nithering wind! I was weeding with DGS this morning in the garden - well, me weeding, DGS erm digging :)

I have developed a very sorry and quite unfashionable case of... chilblains

Eeh, that takes me back to my childhood. Some years ago I had to explain to DD what chilblains were, much in the manner of some ancient explorer explaining the workings of the camera to indigenous Amazonians who were convince it would steal their souls.

Now I think of it, privacy invasion by the media makes me think they had it right.

I don't know what chilblains are.

They sound most unpleasant though, so

I have done exactly NOTHING in the garden. Don't even have any compost. I did watch gardener's world yesterday though, does that count?

Doreen - what a fabulous, but exhausting, first day! It's so good that you have a troupe of willing volunteers at the ready!

Zebra - it is freezing isn't it? The last few years, March has almost been worse than January and February I think! Being cold is just very energy-sapping too: it feels like even simple things are more of a battle than normal. It snowed on me on the way to the library this morning, and I felt distinctly put out. The thing is, it will get warmer soon and there's still loads of time to get most things going. Nothing I've sown in my greenhouse has come up either - so you're not the only one. (The only seeds I have going are the ones that are all over DH's desk in the house , which is quite a warm room). I think sometimes the seeds know best, and they spring into life when the conditions are favourable for them so maybe once the weather starts warming up over the next couple of weeks, you'll see a burst of green.

My grandma always used to put slices of raw potato on chilblains. I have no idea if this actually works. for you dealing with it, they are painful.

book - my celeriac is only just up. It took 3 and a bit weeks.

cupcakes - Gardeners' World has started again!?! (I live under a rock).

Morning!
Chilblains are evil red, itchy, sore swellings on toes, and fingers due to the cold. I used to get them every winter for years, and I so sympathise with poor Spottted
Cupcakes - you are allowed not to be doing anything, unless you really feel up to it, so no need to feel at all guilty.
I have to start hardening off my broad beans. I know they are hardy, and I have some soil covered with a fleece cloche for them ready at the plot, but they have had a lovely time in the greenhouse, so they will be a bit soft I think!

Oh, sympathies for the chillblains, Spotted. They are miserable. I used to get them regularly but haven't had them since moving to the UK.

Glad you had a good - if exhausting - day at work yesterday, Doreen. It sounds like an exciting challenge.

And congrats on the book, shove!

Thanks for the advice on hardening off, books. I'll put the bigger seedlings into pots and then move them into the utility room, which is colder.

Belated congratulations to Doreen

Well, much of north and central España is blanketed in snow - but not my bit . It is however, still damp and cold. Due more rain here tomorrow, but after that the forecast is for a dry spell and warmer daytime temperatures.

The Diggers Rest is also a pub in Woodbury Salterton in Devon. If I remember the story correctly (haven’t been there for decades years) it originally had a different name, but around a century ago it was taken over by a man who’d come back from Australia and gave it it’s new name. I wonder if . . .?

Thanks for the asparagus advice. I will leave well alone.

Shove re the scorzonera (or maybe these days I should put #scorzonera) are you on clay? Maybe you could dig down a bit of the way, then get your horihori out??? The bit I didn’t say is that they also discolour almost instantly when peeling and give a sticky residue that’s hard to wash off. Have you sown any yet? Perhaps you could just do a few for curiosity. I had a 5 metre row. (And still have bits of it regrowing.)

I’ve never seen the word karked before shove, that made me laugh out loud. And book nithering - never seen that word before either. I won’t look them up in the dictionary - bleeping obvious what they mean

And for those asking about the growing season - yes - spring comes a bit earlier (than southern England) and autumn later. Atlantic weather sytem up here. I’m about half an hour from the nearest coast. Granite mountains, loads of trees and Albariño is the local wine.

Salud!

Evening!
Only had spare time to zoom down to plot to harvest a savoy cabbage today, as been in doing necessary bureaucracy.
I took out my frustrations of phone 'hold' music and inane messages of 'we are experiencing a high volume of calls' on the garden . I weeded a flower bed, and pruned hard the Russian sage plant which DH curses when he cuts the grass ( but I love it)
I am now de stressed, and ready to sow seeds tomorrow in the dry of the greenhouse.
teacuo - Atlantic weather - does that mean wet and windy? , but warm ?
I dug up what I think now was scorzornera when I first took over my plot. Long thin and rather uninspiring looking to say the least .

teacup - I haven't sown any yet, and I'm wondering whether to bother now . It sounds like hard work (though definitely a great excuse to get my horihori out and pretend I am really a samurai). I am not so keen on the idea of a 'sticky residue' either...

"spring comes a bit earlier (than southern England) and autumn later. Atlantic weather system up here. I’m about half an hour from the nearest coast. Granite mountains, loads of trees and Albariño is the local wine"

I'm not jealous. Not a bit. . I'm especially not thinking that spring is never, ever going to come this year and that Sheffield is particularly dismal in the mizzling rain.

Sorry to hear of your frustrations book - it's infuriating to be stuck on hold, and it sounds like you were there for ages. At least your garden got the benefit of the fury induced thereby.

all behind me now shove ( I actually feel sorry for the ones at the end of the phone when you get through)
Mizzling rain makes everywhere dismal I find.
But surprise, it's proper rain tomorrow. My waterbutts are now officially
overflowing.
On the plus side, I have cut and come again lettuce just germinating , plucky seeds!

Afternoon!
I have had a lovely, peaceful couple of hours in the greenhouse ( not raining nearly as much this afternoon as feared) sown 5 varieties of tomatoes , also peppers/brussels sprouts and perpetual spinach. Re -potted up a couple of houseplants ( I have had to move them off my kitchen window sill for said tomatoes etc and decided they needed doing )
But where or where did my aubergine seeds go? Looked high and low, but not found. Ah well, another packet will not break the bank, but the other packet will turn up when I have bought them again.

Your aubergine seeds are probably playing hide and seek.

Does anyone know why my indoor lemon tree is looking so sad? Could it simply be lack of sunlight? I keep it on the windowsill but it's too cold for it to be outside right now. (Hoping at the weekend to leave it out for a couple of days.)

I'm no expert on indoor stuff - but it looks like chlorosis caused by some kind of deficiency, possibly iron (but I only say that because I've seen similar problems on other plants caused by iron deficiency). Has it had a feed lately?

book - argh argh argh to lost seeds!

It has. I recently (2 or 3 weeks ago) moved it to a bigger pot and gave it some lovely compost mix. Will see if I can find a fertiliser to increase the iron in it. Thanks.