Allotment/Veg Patch Thread 6 - Weed 'em and Reap!

[bookbook]

Thanks WhoKnowsWhereThe Time GOes for the title of the new thread.
So, we head into summer, praying for sun, gentle rain and no slugs
Everyone welcome to join in and share joys and woes and advice, given freely!
Previous thread here
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/gardening/2582241-Allotment-Veg-Patch-Thread-5-The-Diggers-Rest?pg=1

Can I join? Can I join? Can I join?

Sooo excited! After some snafus, finally got the key to our allotment yesterday. Have spent 2 hours there today weeding and bloody loved it! Have no idea what I'm doing but figure I can't go wrong at the moment as it's such a mess.

Silly question (number one I expect of many more to come) but what do you wear? I had a light anorak on today as it was drizzling but I was sweating buckets.

Back to read the whole thread now.

oooh... I second the 'what do you wear' question!

I only wear skirts and dresses on my day to day so bit tricky at the allotment. I'm think i should invest in some gardening culottes.

My preference is leggings as there are no flappy bits to get wet on the grassy paths or catch on things, also they dry quickly if they get damp kneeling, and of course are super comfy for bending and kneeling in. Plus some sort of long teeshirt and I have a lightweight hoody to throw on on cooler days. However I virtually never wear dresses/skirts/smart clothes of any description, so if I'm just popping in on the way to or from work/school/shops it's likely to be jeans.

I keep a tiny emergency umbrella in my tool chest and a buff headband in my allotment bag, for keeping hair off face and neck and a bit of sun protection warmth more realistically. Footwear - I keep a pair of very sturdy plastic clogs from Lidl in my toolchest and change into them when I get there.

Welcome, fine !

I'm almost exactly as per WhoKnows. 'Cept I wear jeggings at the allotment, as they're that bit thicker and protect my knees better. And always a long tshirt or shirt. I bend and kneel a lot too and aim to avoid any builders bum or gaping necklines. And I am rubbish in the sun to I quite like coverage up to the collarbone as I get burnt there very easily, even in winter. And then maybe a hoodie, and in winter, a gilet too. And then I have a very old special waterproof jacket that has loads of bits and bobs in zippable pockets, incl hairbands, a buff and sun cream!

I look a right old baggage but don't really care. Some people manage to allotment in nice clothes, but I end up covered in mud and bruises, so I need to be more practically-minded.

Thanks, books. I didn't even think of sowing more so have now pulled out most of the bolted spinach and popped some more seeds in. Also moved around a few lettuces and discovered a slug colony.

Lemon tree isn't very happy, less so since DD2 pulled off most of its leaves. It has a few tiny lemons, one flower and three leaves remaining so I doubt it's long for this world. If it does shuffle off its mortal coil I don't think I'll try again.

Hi fine!

I garden at home so wear whatever, but I don't think I'll repeat the flowing skirt I wore yesterday.

Forecast was for beautiful sunshine today so of course it has just started raining big drops. I've got two loads of washing out and a baby sleeping on me. Typical.

Thanks for welcoming me and answering my question so quickly

I think I'll try the leggings and one of DH's t-shirts next time. Apart from the rain I knew I couldn't remove my coat as my tummy was spilling out! Hairband is another good idea. I like the idea of keeping a bank of stuff there, we have a little shed.

Feel a bit guilty as our plot seems a bit like the Marie Celeste! It's obviously been ignored for a long while but there is so much stuff in the shed including kids wellies and gloves. And overgrown but obviously well intentioned pots/strawberry plants under netting. What happened to these people?

Evening!
welcome fine, join in and fire away. Whereabouts are you roughly, is it established and a mess or just a mess ?( Nosey me :) )
Grouchy - RIP lemon tree ? :(
what I wear - well, I am a pale redhead ( well , was...) so I cover up and don't try to tan . I worked outside for years in all weathers until I retired, so I have a lot of gear. So a pair of walking trousers ( I have some that are fleece lined for winter) they wash and dry really quickly and are uv protected. Then a polo t -shirt short or long sleeve dependant on season. I am tall so long enough to tuck well into trousers. I can put the collar up against the sun, or to keep my neck warm. I have a variety of fleece tops , some sleeved, some not for layering. Again, wash and dry quickly. I get muddy often , oh and wellies ( I even have a pair that are fleece lined! ) . And gloves . I have a rain jacket hung up in the shed just in case as well.

x post - the Marie Celeste ... people start with good intentions, and it just interferes with life. And you either love it, and it becomes part of your life, or its a chore, and it doesn't.

They can become Marie Celeste-like very quickly. This time last year the plot next to me was fully planted with very healthy looking plants, not a weed in sight. But it was abandoned around September time and by last month when someone new came along it looked as though it hadn't been used in years, weeds and grass waist high all over it.

Yes to taking care not to get sunburned, I am pale and freckly and burn easily, I have a straw hat in my tool chest as well as umbrella and clogs. I keep my hair down to cover the back of my neck (but use the buff to stop it all falling in my face as I work). I keep an allotment bag on a peg in the hall at home - it's a small blue Ikea one, then I can chuck in small things I need to take next time I'm going (seeds, labels, pen, whatever, thermal mug or water bottle) and use it to bring home bits of rubbish like empty packets, things I have harvested etc. I must stick some suncream in there too.

Not much to report today, bought some more fine mesh so I can get my brassicas planted out. Went into the potting shed and found all my PS broccolli plants overturned on the floor, must have been knocked over by a cat. Grrr.

Someone on this thread last year, I forget who it was, said they keep an emergency umbrella in their shed. I thought at the time "that's a really good idea, I must do that". And the other week when we got caught there I remembered that and wished I'd done something about it

I normally wear an old pair of jeans and a tshirt at this time of year. I have a very old fleece which I wear in the autumn/winter and if it's cold I'll wear a woolly hat. Walking boots or wellies most of the year. If it ever stopped raining I would wear sandals if just harvesting/light weeding. But not when digging just in case of a fork through the foot type incident.

I also have a cagoule which I can pop in the bag I take over there - when I remember to do it.

Our plot, when we took it over, was very neglected but in the shed were quite a few handy things including loads of netting, glass panes for protection and some oil for a lawnmower. The grass has grown so quickly this summer that the plot next to mine which someone made a start on in the spring really looks overgrown now.

Nothing much to report except we harvested three strawberries the other day. Which is good from some plants that I said "No thanks" to from my plot neighbour but he insisted on giving me anyway and I just found a space and shoved them in. There's more coming if the slugs don't get there first.

I wear whatever I amwearing when I pass but try to change my shoes especially if digging. I don't wear wellies as they are rither too cold or too hot depending.

I sometimes wear a big floppy hat.

I am going today to see if anything remains at all of my squashes. The seedlings hardening off at home are also getting eaten.

James wong seeds - anyobe else find the germination rates really poor?

First of the seasons' strawberries this week (oooh so juicy!!) and DD and I shared the first 2 pods of peas last night as well - which cheered her up a lot after a really bad day on school tour (outing to a really fun park, just everything went wrong after getting too built up in her head). At least she went from sad, curled up on my knee and feeling sick, to contemplating proper food and curled up watching a movie on the couch under a blanket.

I need to put up support for the second sowing of peas this weekend though.

Oh, Biddy your poor DD! It's awful when something is looked forward-to, goes all wrong.

I just had my first strawbs of the year too. And my 1st loganberry. It's still tiny (and in a pot), so there won't be many loganberries this year. Well, I've picked my loganberry but not yet eaten it -Ooh, the anticipation! I've never actually had one. And some more tayberries just picked too, so I can compare and contrast.

And yesterday I picked my first lot of spuds, and had them with broadies and butter. Red Duke of York -Yum. I picked them a bit early, as the foliage was all ripped and blown by the wind.

Quite a few flowers on my (home) peas now. They too need support, as they were on the old leeks, but they got yanked out yesterday and some straggly homeless tomatoes went in.

It's raining today obviously. I may or may not pop over the plot to see how my courgettes are doing. On Tuesday, 2 were about thumb-sized. But I have tiny hands and even wear kiddy gardening gloves so that's not saying much.

My peas have been a bit of a disappointment this year so far, thanks to either slugs and pigeons.

Hopefully I'll get time to go and chuck some more slug pellets over the plot later. (Organic ones). The wool works up to a point but if there are leaves hanging down at all then they just get on the plant with those.

Oh and first loganberries from plant in the garden - this is more sheltered than the ones in the plot and the plants are definitely more advanced.

I saw two frogs (toads?) today on my plot. Took me by surprise.

Thanks for the clothes suggestions - leggings and long t-shirt today. I felt much more comfortable and didn't flash my tummy to anyone

Had my first hello's today - one guy gave me some tomato plants and the other was leaving his plot due to injury so gave me a ton of stuff I don't know if I need yet. So generous though.

Spent three hours there this morning and managed to weed and cover the path with wood chippings (we are all responsible for one side of our plot). I ache so much now! Goodness knows how long it will take to tackle the actual plot.

I am in awe of all of you actually growing stuff!!

Evening!
I have been doing some civic duty stuff .
And because I was sat all day behind a table in a very very quiet polling station, you will all be glad to know that I have read this months "grow your own' magazine from cover to cover , including all adverts twice I have information folks, on some very very nice ( and very very expensive) equipment , plus useful information on growing passion fruit, best salad leaves, how to grow beetroot, how to keep chickens cool in summer .
Maybe one tip for people with pets , who also need to use slug pellets. An advert showed putting slug pellets in a little wire basket on a stick, (looked a bit like one of those small wire scoops you get with a deep fat fryer) with a yoghurt pot over the top to keep rain and pets off. Looked like an idea worth adapting ......
ooh Loganberries folks - ours are miles off yet, not even pink!
fine - allotment people are nice, aren't they ?

Ooh good for you, booky. I always wonder how people get into being polling officers, counters etc. So you can tell me!

I'm v confused by my berries too. My strawbs feel late (apart from that sole ripe one), and my Tay and logans feel early.

easy Spotted - ring up or email your local council and ask! They always need more help :)

Ooh, ta booky. I might do it for the next election.
Well, an interesting one any. Not the police and crime commissioner malarkey.

About 20 years ago a friend of mine stood for council and took me to the count as a witness or whatever it's called and he won after two recounts, it was so exciting! I had a momentary panic last night when I realised we hadn't had polling cards but all was well when we got to the polling station.

Anyway gardening. We had a torrential storm last night and more heavy rain today. Slugs and snails EVERYWHERE. However I harvested my first mange-touts from the garden - they have grown really well with no protection whatsoever. Contrast with my peas at the allotment which are struggling. I popped up there tonight and it was a bit depressing, something has nibbled off all my carrot tops, most of my courgette flowers and my biggest strawberry. Onions, potatoes and sweetcorn looking really strong, tomatoes looking healthy but everything else seems a bit behind (well, I was late with a lot of planting out). So I flung a few slug pellets around and came home again.

I did some weeding and probably pissed my allotmemt neighbours off for snapping at the kids the 3rd time they ran through the strawberry patch and trampled my globe artichoke. I admit the migraine was making me a bit grumpy but theywere the very opposite of helpful allotment volunteers today -does not bode well for the holidays.

I hVe 2 curcubits (not totally sure which) still hanging in there against slug onslaught.
Beetroot coming along.
Planted out 3 russian kale.
Sprouts are ok but I think caulis have been destroyed.
Loads of globe artichoke.
1 cardoon still hanging on.
Fruit bushes have gone totally feral - can barely get between them - is this a maturity thing? Or pruning? Or the weather? Looks like another bumper harvest but I am slightly regretting the Josta berry. It's gone thug.
Rhubarb just about over.
Lettuce destroyed.
Tatties flowering.
Horseradish gone triffid

So long as they don't run through anyone else's strawberries Smalllegs, that's always been my fear. The first time I took my DCs (then 7 and 9) up to the site I said they could explore if they stuck to the paths but it's hard to tell which paths are communal and which are across people's plots so I had to stop them again. They don't come up very often now. Another plot on my site has got one of those child-sized pub garden style bench-tables and a parasol, her children sit at it and play and read happily, it is a very good idea.

I forgot to mention - my cucamelons are setting fruit! They looked a bit bedraggled, having been planted out and then promptly deluged with several inches of rain, but there are lots of tiny fruit appearing

Popping in to this quiet calm happy corner of mumsnet and may not leave this week! Moving back to uk permanently tonight after 2 years based overseas and get to see what's happened to the garden and can't wait to sit out with a cup of tea and MAKE PLANS ( possibly in a monsoon being over run by a tide of slugs). We found a well when we moved in 3 years ago and have just got round to having it all plumbed in ready to use in the house and to water the garden so that's all new and will have to see how it pans out and if I can persuade my mum to drink it! Apparently the lettuce and spring onions I bunged in optimistically when we were back at Easter are growing and I went a bit bonkers with raspberries as well. My FIL planted two Chilean flame trees as well so all the rain is probably no bad thing to help them settle in. Hoping I can find some peas at car boots and the like that will let me have a pea crop this year and maybe some tomatoes for the greenhouse. Sooooo excited!

Tonight?! Wow, what, er, odd timing!
How vert exciting Cath . A well! Oh my goodness!

I'm sure you'll find plants no problem. You could always buy them from the Internet if you needed? Also, everything seems so so late this year, so you might still be able to start a few things off!

It actually seems like it might not rain Chez Zebra today, but the dc are annoyingly off school. One hates the allotment, and the other used to like it but is fast going off it ( ) so I don't think I can go and play at the plot, alas. More rain tomorrow.