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

Hi everyone, I'm looking advise for peppers and chillis.
I have some really big peppers on the pepper plants. Do I pick them green to encourage all of the smaller peppers to grow larger or will they manage without my help.
I haven't got peppers to grow this well before and I'm feeling twitchy that I need to remove them.
Any help gratefully received.

Morning!
snap SmallLegs , but luckily for me not quite so bad, as its the tag end of stuff for me. Mine is a path at the side of my house, with some of those wire shelving units and a wooden bench seat. Every night ...I planted out some carrots in a pot a few days ago and overnight they have chomped through half of them. I also move everything around everyday, so hopefully they can't follow the slug/snail trails. DH has offered an idea for me - he has something called copper grease ( no idea what he uses it for!) and wondered about smearing it on the stuff used for cabbage collars and standing pots on that. I am going for it I think .
Flowerfriday I only grew peppers for the first time last year, but I just cut them off when I was going to use one, and it didn't stop any others growing. But I tended to use them as soon as one was big enough! (Mine are only just setting this year )

Hapf the 'drowned' snails appear to have escaped. Either that or the gulls got them (unlikely).

More salt required although the plants won't like it if their roots make it out of the pot....
I might bait the snails tonight. Gather them up and then do a more effective disposal job. If only we had chickens.

For those of us with horsetail/mare's tail just remember that it is a prehistoric plant and accept that you will never eradicate it It will keep popping up because it has been around since the time of dinosaurs.

Snails - try putting the pots somewhere completely different if you can. In previous years I've had entire pots worth of plants disappear overnight. This year I have used a garden table against the side of the house and surprisingly it has taken the snails a long time to find them. Even in this damp weather. And although I have been liberal with the slug pellets in the allotment I haven't used any around these plants in the garden.

Our local Poundland had lots of cheap gardening stuff in there the other week. I bought a small plastic cloche thingy and some black matting. They had netting and other stuff.

Might get a chance later to go and see what's happening at the plot. If it ever stops raining, of course. Loganberries in the garden are getting a bit too soggy. I'm hoping it stops long enough not to spoil the crop.

I know almost nothing about growing pepper plants and our one chilli plant is looking very sorry for itself. (But then DH will insist on buying them and then forgets to actually look after it at all)

I think the green manure with the purple flowers someone mentioned is phalecia. I'm growing this on my plot in spare places and between my beans. It has lovely purple flowers which are scented and the bees love it. I think to get the true value out of the manure you're supposed to cut it down before it flowers but I didn't do that last year. All I did was cut off the seed heads to stop it seeding itself everywhere.

- remember my tale of woe the other week when DH strimmered right through the base of my favourite clematis? Just been out to inspect it and there is a green shoot coming out of one of the stumps

Evening!
hope the slug fest has calmed for you SmallLegs - sadly the rest of my carrots had gone by this morning. Ah well.
funnily, the best place I have is my wooden garden bench against slugs and snails Cedar ... interesting
WhoKnows - yay for stubborn plants. :) You may find it grows really well - when they have lots of good old roots, they seem to almost do better, if they manage to get a few leaves out.
Only managed a quick trip to pick yet more strawberries today. Given most away, as we are getting a bit sick of them. First yellow raspberries picked , and the redcurrants are ripening nicely.

Put second dose of nematodes on raised beds yesterday- did one at Easter and so far very little slug damage. At Easter I had taken off the weed membrane and it was heaving with slugs so there must have been lots of eggs. I picked a lettuce this week and it had several tiny baby ones slugs in it which had had a go but as tiny , not too much damage. Prompted me to do it again- it's supposed to work in 6 week cycles so it is a bit over due. It's difficult to know if I've just been lucky but it does seem to be having an effect. Got a net tunnel thingy over the strawberries but it's now very awkward to get to raspberries just behind them. Might try and persuade DH we need to set up a big net over everything. He's home today and already have a list

That's good news about the clematic Whoknows. My lovely clematis montana suddenly died on my last year - I assume from clematis wilt. I hoped it might grow back from the base but no luck. It was strange because we'd had the plant for the best part of 10 years and I assumed that clematis wilt was something that got younger plants.

Cathpot interesting about the nematodes. I might have to invest in some of those.

Bookbook of my carrot sowings so far I have one tiny seedling that has managed to survive (or it had as of last weekend). Last year we had a lot of success with carrots this year they are just getting eaten. Never mind.

No gardening for me yesterday. Will probably go up there later though, come rain or come shine.

Morning! Well, supposedly there is no rain coming today. How novel! So I am aiming to get to the plot. I've not been in a week, I suspect the grass and weeds are now out of control, and my tidy neighbours will be cursing me.

I'm still on tomato blight watch, and yesterday at home cut off some suspicious looking leaves, and chucked 2 plants, one of which had a bad blodge on its stem. Ruh-roh. It is SO damp and dank here that I am expecting it (blight) so much, so it won't be too disappointing if it does appear.

Still at home, the tayberries are still doing well, but the strawbs are still appalling. I've picked my 2nd ripe one, but have had to cut out loads of mouldy bits.

So today at the plot I aim to plant out those poor neglected cavolo nero, maybe some last chard seedlings, hope to see some ripe courgettes, and sort out my weeds. You can probably tell from my tone that I've not yet got my gardening mojo back.

Morning!
Rained all last night, and a bit this morning too , but its brightening. But we are out today, so no plot here. Carrots are okay at the plot though - very slow to germinate, but no signs ( as yet!) of problems with them. The brassicas are taking a bit of a hit - most leaves have a few holes in, but now they are motoring away, they will be fine. Just have to replant some replacement savoy and kale when they are big enough. Apart from this years squashes, mostly its okay- but I am on stony ground here, so thats probably keeping them in check a little.
Cathpot - good to hear that nematodes are working, and DH is due also!
aw Cedar - I always thought clematis montana were real thugs. We used to have a beauty, which regardless of what we did always came back fighting. Sadly it had to be dug up as it was bringing down a brick arch, would you believe! I keep trying to persuade DH to have another, but no luck...
Spotted - I think with all the things going on at the moment- ( not just the weather , but thats another story ) everyone is having a wobble. I am using the plot and my growing as a bit of calm space for my head. The blight is a worry , but remember - you coped last year, so thats invaluable experience
But the weeds - with all the damp, they are just romping.....
Hoping to get there tomorrow to get some serious hoeing/weeding done, finish earthing up potatoes and pick my first courgette. I have my first cucumber ready too :)

The nematodes seem to be semi working on my plot. Not that many slugs. It is the snails we are suffering with. I put a salt perimeter around the pots on the patio. And I planted one last squash on sqiash mountain and put wool.pellets round it. Of it is still there today I am going to.copper tape it.

Bookbook the clematis was a thug - it was growing very prettily up a tree. I used to hack it back when necessary. Then suddenly one day the whole lot started to die back. Even cutting the whole lot back to the ground didn't save it.

Spotted It has been a strange year gardening wise. Hopefully you'll see positive things going on at your plot today.

Smalllegs we get loads more snails in the garden than in the allotment. I try to leave them to it mostly and just grow things they don't like so much.

Well, i have blight.
Now to rip out all my tomatoes.
The whole place stinks of rot, and i am a bit fed up.

Oh Spotted, what a shame.

I guess I shouldn't be using this year as a guide for what to expect in the garden?

My strawberries are finally starting to turn red. There are tiny fruits on the raspberries and possibly on one of the blueberry plants. My lemon is doing better than I thought: another flower has just opened so it must be alive.

Spotted I'm very sorry about your tomatoes... so early in the season. pah.

Spotted, to be honest, I cannot take credit on the variety/seeding as I bought them as a tray of seedlings at the local market. I will ask what specific variety it is though, next time I go - the colours are incredibly saturated, almost hurt the eyes! Indeed bookbook they deserve to be on display! in fact, If I were to be a bride again, I would consider them for my bouquet! Loving that they have colourful roots Cath - I did not look when I planted them… Mog, I’m glad this inspired you to grow them now… We’re still experimenting with the cooking ourselves… GrouchyKiwk I much prefer the taste of the stalks than of the leaf! they grow so fast that I don’t feel too bad putting most of the leaves back on the compost heap.

In other news… I (=DH) did just get given the neighbouring plot at the allotment! I am SO chuffed… So my 1/8th plot is turning into a quarter plot! This will also give us space to put a table under a tree for hanging out too... So now the plan is to clear it out asap and get some late stuff planted (although we are away next week, damn)… We don’t have any soft fruits nor cucurbits planted. What can I do now, can I still plant raspberry canes or am I better off planting them in the autumn? Dear seasoned gardeners, tell me what you would do!

you can still get courgette/pumpkin seedlings. also don't be afraid of the shelf of doom. green manure,

The shelf of doom.has done me well over the years.

I put copper tape around the summit of mount squash. The new curcubit (I am.hoping it is spaghetti squash but it could be anything...it was last man standing...survived the night, surrounded as it was by the last of the wool pellets.

Fingers crossed. And the actual mound looks super with its tape, bottle arrangement.

All the barlotti beans bar one are gone.

I am thinking between - naematodes£16, beer for slug trap, £4 for copper tape, £4 for wd40, I could buy quite a lot of squash and courgette and less heartbreak.

I find the dwarf beans are the same every year so I officially concede defeat.

The kale and caulis also destroyed. My lovely russian kale!!

Things that do well:
Beetroot
Peas
Mange tout
Runner beans
Rhubarb
Soft fruit
Alliums
Brussel sprouts

Will see how the turnips get on. As i planted themto fillthem many many
gaps.

The potatoes look.a litttle sad.

Thank you for your commiserations! I am utterly gutted, actually. And I just want to stop around being g miserable this evening but we have family over

I bagged up all my blighted tomatoes (all my allotment tomatoes, then!) and took the bits to the tip. That took a couple of hours. My neighbours toms and spuds are all infected too - but the other side of the site does not seem to be. I do still have some tomatoes at home, so I need to go and build a giant bubble for them to shelter under. My home spuds are crap too - the foliage had been eaten by slugs.

As has my last sunflower at home, most of my plot basil, my pepper, a chilli etc etc. Oh, and my broadies had chocolate spot. And the squash atop BenSquash look terminal, too. And my beans are still crap and my corn hasn't grown. Most of my courgettes are not growing, although I did pick my first today. Hurrah!

It's all a bit shit. Lots of lovely frogs though.

So, what else can I grow now? I suddenly have room spare. I've some leeks, a last few chard and some cavolo nero to go out. And 2 last squash too. I'll have to get the books/seed box out to see what else I can grow, if I am not too fed up.

Grrrrr.

Oh, I am on heavy clay so roots not the best. And I have a lot of slugs and pigeons to contend with.
I like everything apart from celery.

Slugs have got me too. 2 carrots left. They ate all the courgette flowers. Seem totally immune to the organic pellets.

Good news is bumper crop of raspberries! Anyone got any good jam recipes? Never made jam in my life. It is to be my first attempt at a womanly art.

Still clearing couch grass bed by bed. As soon as I get rid of that the bind weed piles in. I am determined that thus weekend there will be progress!

Evening
HiaHia - great news !
SmallLegs they are munching in battalions, no doubt about it...I only do climbing beans , the dwarf ones get draggled in the mud, and are harder to harvest. Other beans doing okay now - first flowers on runner and french beans , but only half way up the canes.
and I so agree with the shelf of doom- I have had some cracking plants from that!!
oh Spotted :( thats so sad , what utterly rubbish weather you have had to contend with. Right - choices - spinach , lettuce, spring onions, cauliflower, spring and winter cabbage. There are still a lot of small plants around too , ( one of our charity shops was selling courgette/squashes and canteloupe melon plants at 50p each this week) . As upthread I mentioned - why not some late peas and some french beans with the hope of a late summer harvest?
HiaHia - great news ! - same options as above for Spotted
and Grouchy - no, this weather is not normal -its a bit at the extreme end of it anyway. and go lemon tree !! :)

Jam - raspberry is relatively easy.
Its mostly in the prep.

Do you have a thermometer (I can highly recommend the thermospoon) but if not you need to put a plate in the fridge for testing.

Equal weight sugar to fruit.
Check the fruit for mildew.
Get your jars lined up and ready and get your wax circles. Sterilise jars by dishwashing and then either bottle steriliser or warm oven.

Have a big pan.
Warm the sugar gently, add the fruit, stir to dissolve, bring to boil, boil vigorously stirring all the while and either test the temp or pour a little on to a cold plate. Let it cool and then push it with your finger. If the surface wrinkles you have hit the set point - google jam - wrinkle test.

As soon as it hits the set point, turn off the heat. Cool a little. Into jars. Wax circles and lids on..so it cools with the lids on.

You can add lemon pips in muslin bag during cooking if you want to be extra sure of a set but I have never needed it with raspberry.

Remember you can reboil runny jam the next day but toffee will stay toffe so don't over boil it.

well, I missed that post from you Belleende !
I make a lot of jam - SmallLegs - has done the hard work for me. :)
Only thing to add - make sure all the sugar is dissolved before bringing to the boil, otherwise it will be granular in texture. ( I must admit I put the fruit in the pan first, warm it until the fruit starts to 'run' , then add the sugar)
I put 2 plates in the freezer for checking for set. When you check for setting, take the jam pan off the heat. If its not ready, pop it back on and boil for another minute, then check again, and so on .

My mum swears by warming the sugar....but I confess I sometimes do fruit first. as long as you don't let the sugar burn it's good eithet way.

Home made raspberry is the best.

Thanks so much for the jam tips. I am assuming you use preserving sugar. I will check wilkos for a thermometer and do the plate thing as well.