Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Gardening

Find tips and tricks to make your garden or allotment flourish on our Gardening forum.

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

997 replies

bookbook · 04/06/2016 22:20

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

OP posts:
Thread gallery
83
IpanemaChica · 02/09/2016 14:57

Thanks for all your comments - I think I will wait for a plot to come up more locally as I work mostly from home and school is also around the corner. Makes more sense really, plus I've got the garden for nowSmile

bookbook · 02/09/2016 17:19

Afternoon!
It does seem that leeks are constrained by a clay soil.
Spotted -I reread your post and saw the offer of fruit bushes!! Wonderful if you can manage to pick axe a hole big enough, sometime between brick like and waterlogged on your plot. It may give #YoF# 2017 a kick start?
I wonder if the size of the allotment site makes a difference> Ours is pretty big - about 10 acres, and the plots are situated either side of two long roads.Each has a lockable gate out onto the actual main road. So I see the people around me, but none really rom the other road - a bit like you shove but no fencing in between. And we have an horticultural shop and toilet at the end of one of the roads, so there is a fair bit if to-ing and fro- ing. There is quite a bit of 'visiting' between plot holders not near one another, (and we also have a private facebook page too). When I was working I was mostly by myself, but a few people would go past or be working on their plot. I see more now I am there more often.
No plot today, but I pottered in the greenhouse eyeing up ripe tomatoes. I am just annoyed now that the aubergines are putting out really nice looking flowers , far too late I suspect annoying things!
I forgot to say yesterday I called in on a local biggish garden centre, and they still had some veg plants for sale. Limited to calabrese/purple sprouting and winter cabbages, but available none the less.
Ipanema - a wise choice I think , as it has to be sustainable in the long run, after the initial joy!

OP posts:
WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeG0es · 02/09/2016 17:38

I often wonder how on earth all the plots on my site (well most of them) look so well cared for when there's rarely more than a couple of people around (approx 60 plots). Having said that, when I do see them most of the other plotters are very friendly, I do often while away half an hour chatting Blush. I was also amazed at how many people I already knew there (mostly via the DCs primary school which is next door).

I haven't been up since Monday, was going to go tonight, but it's turned cold and drizzly.

bookbook · 03/09/2016 11:46

Morning!
. managed a bit this morning. It looked a bit black, so dashed in first thing. Started by picking raspberries , beans and cutting sweet peas. I made a good decision for once (!) - thought I would start digging up potatoes until I had done the full row, or it started to rain. I got to the end of the row, and thats when the rain started about 11. So everything was thrown into the back of car, and I came home for coffee. Its tipping it down now, but I have a glow of satisfaction of beating the weather gods for once :)

OP posts:
teacuphalfempty · 03/09/2016 16:50

Have caught up - tried to post yesterday, but kept getting an error message.

Flowers for Bella and baby Bella

Ipanema hope you get a nearby plot soon and hello to new people.

Well done for beating the weather gods book Smile

Well, my area is having the hottest summer for 10 years and the dryest for 100 years.

The runner beans are really fed up with the drought and had gone on strike. A concerted watering effort got them flowering again. The new ones in the trug have just begun to set.

Tomatoes are really fabulous and look so healthy. The plants got 2 sprays of Aspirin (2 weeks apart) earlier in the season - don’t know if that has had anything to do with the results. Bottled 5.5 kilos last weekend and will have more to do soon.

I left my ruined (by flea beetles) pak choi in the ground because I reasoned that if I pulled them up, the flea beetles would transfer to other nearby brassicas. After a while I noticed that the beetles appeared to have vanished. Then I noticed that the centres of the paks were growing nice fresh leaves - so after stripping them back a bit, the new centres are usable but need to get on and pick them all before they bolt

The thing that was sent to try me.

I’ll try to cut a long story short. There appeared to have been a massive hatching of fleas outside. I don’t know if it was a weather event that got them all leaping at the same time, or what. But every time I went outside I was leapt on. I realised I was bringing them into the house on my clothes. It’s been a nightmare. Friendly feral cats and various wildlife visit the garden, and the fleas weren’t just cat fleas (in fact, mostly not cat fleas). I ended up having to put on trousers/socks/long sleeves/wellies/spray each individual time I went outside. Then when I came back in head straight for the bathroom and take all the protective kit off. Then shake it all into the shower and squirt watered down shower gel at the fleas (to break surface tension, or they just spring off the surface of the water) and rinse them all away. And yes some of them would escape.

I’ve been vacuuming and steam cleaning like a mad woman. Thank goodness the floors are tile. The nearest thing I have to carpet are bedside and bathroom mats (shake-out-of-the-windowable and washable) and a jute rug in the living area. The jute rug had salt worked into it to dry out/kill any eggs that may have been there.

I’m trying to keep this short - I could write pages

The good news is the problem is now pretty much gone. I suspect the fleas have found their favoured hosts. I can now go out in flip flops again. I do check my lower legs every so often, just to make sure one flea on left foot Thurs eve. I, of course, googled the subject and there are some horror stories. I think I got off fairly lightly.

In conclusion, you don’t need to have pets to get fleas in your home. Flea eggs are shed all over the place. They’re outside in the environment and if certain circumstances come together, they hatch and hitch a ride on you. Mild winters are giving us or me at least several pest problems and I really, really want a good cold spell this winter to redress the balance (even if it kills my little avocado tree).

The End (in hope)

teacuphalfempty · 03/09/2016 16:53

P S There's a big motorbike rally/meet/convention here this weekend and it's really noisy.

dahliasandbiro · 04/09/2016 10:35

I'm bit of a lurker, generally. Wondered what everyone's successes have been this year. Have been very pleased with my sunflowers, french beans and sweet peas. Have had a really good year generally and SO love my allotment. Fruit a disaster for various reasons, but next year will be the year of fruit.

I also wondered what you would do in this situation. People generally fab, get on with everyone apart from the neighbour on one side. We're not supposed to block the paths that run between plots. When I took my plot on a few years ago he had a big (massive) compost bin at the end of the path adjoining our plots. It wasn't in my way and so I didn't raise it with site rep although she was aware it - not supposed to be there. He's now moved it along the path and added other bins, grow bags, pots etc on my side of the path. Again, it hasn't been too much of a problem so far but am now rethinking how I use plot and want to 'work' that corner more. His stuff is really going to be in my way. Do I raise it with site rep? I'm just scared he could retaliate in some underhand way (I have a small polytonal and wouldn't want him to slash it). I never see him (he's usually there at 6.30/7 in the morning).
Thoughts please?!

bookbook · 04/09/2016 20:21

Evening!
wow teacup - the hot and dry for you after all the drama of the thunderstorms. And fleas - it must have been horrible having to don loads of clothes just to get outside.Hope the motorbikes have driven off by now!
And I totally concur on wanting a cold, cold winter - for us to see off some slugs!
hello and welcome dahlias - I tend to forget people lurk on here!
yes, a basically good year here too. Disappointments here were garlic, which were small, peas ( poor germination due to mice, then not enough) and sweetcorn- they were just sad, small and a bit yellow leaved. But beans, cabbages, cauliflowers, flowers , fruitdone really well. A bit too well I am thinking about beans Grin fed up of those now, and they keep coming...
Personally, I would prefer to see the neighbour if possible, and just have a quiet word that the problem is a problem -IYSWIM . He's had no one saying nay. But if you can't get to see him I would definitely have a word with the site rep. That is what they are there for. He's taking the proverbial really, and is using the path space against site rules. The site rep should be able to explain that he is being unfair and it may mean others think they can also contradict rules.

OP posts:
dahliasandbiro · 04/09/2016 20:38

Thanks! Garlic non-existent for me too. Getting excited about next year already! Hence the rejigging of plot. I'd like to have a word but no way can I get up there at that time. I don't think he's oblivious to the rules, he seems to have moved on from a few other sites in borough over the years!

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeG0es · 04/09/2016 23:30

Hi Dahlias - I'd have a word with the site rep, or the council, whoever is in charge. They might be able to send out a general message saying paths must not be blocked as they need to be kept clear for access by the groundstaff as well as allotmenteers, and that things will be removed. Hopefully that will do the trick, and if not one of the ground staff could get them moved.

I have also had success with French beans and sweet peas, also chard, onions, potatoes, pumpkins, cucamelons. My failures have been peas, outdoor tomatoes, carrots.

Mixed results with courgettes, pumpkins, sunflowers, sweetcorn, broad beans, in most cases a lot of plants succumbed to slugs but those that didn't cropped well, sweetcorn a bit on the small side, tomatoes got blight.

Teacup -that sounds horrendous with the fleas, are you in the UK? Glad you have broken the back of the problem.

I have a question about raspberries. Mine fruited in a small way a couple of months ago, but got eaten by birds. I didn't cut them back at the time, apart from one plant which didn't fruit, where I cut out all but about 6 stems. Now all of a sudden every branch of every plant is coming into fruit. So, should I prune off all the fruited stems afterwards, or leave some? I have no idea what variety they are as I inherited them, the fruits are apricot coloured not pink and they taste amazing.

shovetheholly · 05/09/2016 17:27

teacup -argh, how horrific for you to have so many fleas about! I have read that they are in the environment and leap on our furry friends, but I never really considered the possibility they might also leap on us before!

whoknows - I am completely bemused by your rasps. Summer flowering ones were active a couple of months ago, but autumn flowering ones are active now. But yours sound like both! Is the autumn crop very much heavier than the earlier one? If so, I think I would assume they are autumn fruiters that have got confused by the rather odd and cold start that we had to the summer. The fact that the fruits are orange makes me think they're autumn ones, as the only varieties I know that are this colour are later ones - but I could be wrong about this. If you agree that it sounds like they are autumn ones, I'd chop the lot back next February - not this autumn.

shovetheholly · 05/09/2016 17:28

Oh, and book - I got some clothes from COS on Saturday!! I feel properly grown up now Smile (I was having a stress on another thread about not having any clothes that didn't have holes in and book was very reassuring).

teacuphalfempty · 05/09/2016 18:13

WhoKnows I'm in northern Spain - Atlantic side, not Med. I see that there's a growing tick problem on dogs in UK (plenty of them here). We all need a good cold spell this year.

Hope you've all stopped scratching Wink With the rough comes the smooth - a Swallowtail butterfly yesterday and a Hummingbird Hawk moth this morning. Smile

Hello Dahlias, sending fleas to your plot neighbour's ankles . . .

dahliasandbiro · 05/09/2016 19:05

Have had a word! Fingers crossed he doesn't get nasty about it. Must sow Spring cabbage!

bookbook · 05/09/2016 19:33

Evening!
WhoKnows - thats interesting re the raspberries. - they sound like my yellow raspberries, which were apricot coloured. But mine finished fruiting with the summer ones. If you believe Bob Flowerdew, he says that its only the pruning which determines if a raspberry fruits in summer or autumn. So have you enough to prune both ways- as an experiment? If not, as they did fruit a bit earlier in the season , I think I would prune out the fruiting canes this year and treat as a summer raspberry. So a vote both ways so far!
shove - a result! - just don't go gardening in them Grin
Dahlias hope that was enough to sort things out, fingers crossed for you . I have sown my spring cabbage
I had a fair few chores to do today, but I had time to pick a big bowl of Roma tomatoes , and have made an enormous pan of tomato sauce, which included as much other 'hanging about' veg as I could squeeze in- the first of my ripening peppers, courgette, shallots, french beans chopped small, the beans out of the french beans which were too far gone..... It was rather good for tea with gnocchi , and a fair few portions for the freezer as well. I did find the time to pop up to the plot to pick , so raspberries, courgettes and runner beans. The french beans ( green and purple) are finally running out of steam, but the runners have taken over ...... I forced some on a neighbour...:)
teacup - just in my garden this year, I have seen 3 butterflies I haven't seen before up here - one of them is here from last month- it's a Holly Blue Grin sadly it was so quick, I couldn't get a picture with its wings open

Allotment/Veg Patch Thread 6 -  Weed 'em and Reap!
OP posts:
bookbook · 06/09/2016 22:11

Evening!
well, no plot as Tuesday is now DGS day. But it was soooo hot here. A lot of stuff was randomly watered with a hose pipe...
I did the watering in the greenhouse though! Can I just say the French variety 'St Pierre" has won the award this year for best tomato. They are nicely ripening, not all at once. Good size, soft flesh and sweet - a winner. So I know what I will be growing next year.

OP posts:
WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeG0es · 06/09/2016 22:46

Teacup - yes, ticks are definitely getting to be more of a problem here, my friend's son contracted Lyme disease a couple of years ago (luckily caught and treated early).

Shove and Book - re the raspberries, definitely a havier crop now than in July, but still not what I would call a glut, I have a row of canes about 3m long and only get a handful at a time. When I went up there tonight I spotted similar ones in full fruit on someone else's plot, theirs looke a lot more mature than my canes. We got the plot in Aug three years ago and it was a total mess so we strimmered the lot to the ground, they only grew half-heartedly the first year and last year I only got a handful of berries in July. Didn't prune as I thought they needed to re-establish more first. This year I didn't get many in July and they all got eaten by birds. So really they are maturing now and maybe will settle into their own pattern. I did prune a few in early August (I know which ones) and the remaining stems on those plants have now got fruit forming, so I think I will leave the rest till spring. I'd prefer autumn fruiting anyway as we are usually away in July/Aug and would miss a lot, plus there are plenty of strawberries early on and it's nice to spread out the soft fruit season.

Just a quick plot visit tonight, harvesting and weeding. Plot inspection was this morning and I am feeling twitchy after my letter earlier in the year as things are looking a bit unkempt again, but now the DCs are back at school I'm hoping to get up on my day off work most weeks and catch up.

dreamingofsun · 07/09/2016 10:24

whoknows - it sounds as if your raspberries are autumn fruiting, in which case you should chop them down to the ground in the winter. Maybe thats why you aren't getting a bumper crop - if you have pruned them wrong.

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeG0es · 07/09/2016 10:54

I think you're probably right Dreaming. I just looked back at the photos I took 3 years ago when I first got the plot and they were very sparse, straggly and overrun by long grass and weeds, so chopping them right down was probably the right thing to do, but wrong time of year (I didn't know there was such a thing as autumn fruiting ones back then). They look much healthier now.

timtam23 · 07/09/2016 14:35

Afternoon everyone! A lot to catch up on, I haven't been on here for a week or so - didn't get a chance to go up to my plot again until yesterday.
Fortunately we had loads of rain on Saturday so my few things on the plot were well-watered. My sweet corn plants are growing well but I think they won't really do much - too small & planted too late. I had a rather threadbare summer-fruiting raspberry ailing in a pot at home so took that up to the plot for some recuperation - I now have 2 raspberry bushes & am keeping an eye on Aldi/Lidl specials to pick up a few more, they usually have fruiting plants for sale in the autumn. My white currant plants are looking quite sad but are still alive, hopefully will bush up now they're out of their pots. Little blackcurrant plant has plenty of new shoots coming. I also planted a few flowers - foxglove seedlings and a small cutting of a very ferocious & prickly dogrose which I managed to salvage when my neighbours cut down the (beautiful) parent bush. I'm not sure where the final spot for this will be but it was being munched by something in its pot (probably vine weevils) so I thought best to get it into the soil.
I also had a packet of very out of date swede seeds so have sowed them - a very late sowing, but the forecast here is for warmish weather until next week. If they can germinate they might do something do you think?

bookbook · 07/09/2016 17:34

Afternoon!
Another day that turned hot .
WhoKnows it does sound like you have autumn raspberries there. Mine are definitely summer ones. They had been cut down for 4 years as autumn ones without a berry. I remembered this year to leave it, and have had about 4 lbs off the one very straggly plant.
timtam - hmm - swede - I think may just be a bit late as I sow them with my beetroot and they seem to take a long time to germinate too ( mind you mine are pretty rubbish this year -I have been advised recently that I needed to throw a bucket of water on them every day to make them grow properly ....), but nothing ventured, nothing gained ! Everything else is sounding good though - remember that the raspberries will continue to throw up more canes themselves, which can be dug up and transplanted :)
Got to the plot this afternoon. DH cut grass, and I picked . So another 2lbs of raspberries , runner beans , french beans, 2 courgettes, 4 beetroot and a cabbage..... It cheered me up no end after a rather trying, bleurgh sort of day.
Now I need to find the time tonight to make raspberry jam.

OP posts:
WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeG0es · 07/09/2016 22:53

I did a bit more reading up about raspberries after posting, it looks as though "double cropping" is a thing you can do by leaving a few canes to grow when you winter prune, so maybe I have inadvertently done that. I also need to feed them more.

Cathpot · 07/09/2016 23:45

Just running in to say hello and how good the harvesting sounds. I've got lots of Autumn fruiting raspberries coming now so that's something as my tomatoes have got those horrible mouldy bottoms. VERY disappointing as I seem to have been waiting forever. Lots of chillies which is something . I thought tomato problem (blossom end rot?) iwas a calcium issue but I have used calcium and here we are . New job is completely all encompassing and I literally had 5 minutes in the garden this week- rubbish!

Cathpot · 07/09/2016 23:46

Or do I mean all consuming?
To tired to type even!

Cedar03 · 08/09/2016 09:08

Cathpot - disappointing about your tomatoes. It's such a shame when you wait so long and then the crop gets ruined. Hope you are enjoying your new job.

I planted a new summer fruiting raspberry last autumn and it threw up some suckers and I transplanted 4 of them in August (probably not the best time of year to do this). They don't look very promising but they all have new shoots coming so I think they've taken. So fingers crossed for a lot more raspberries in the next couple of years.

Went to the plot at the weekend. Still have plenty of beetroot, celery, spinach and some chard and a couple of pumpkins. Most things have either been harvested or bolted. I suspect we may be eating celery in vast quantities (which will please DD as she doesn't like it Smile). Need to get better at planning winter/autumn crops and remembering to do something about them.

Swipe left for the next trending thread