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

I forgot to mention to littlecupcake and Phoenix - biggest bit of advice - its a marathon , not a sprint! Little and often means you can keep going over the long term , luckily shove remembered, along with the trowel :)
well, it's rather dismal here , but most important task today - pick pears before the rain comes ...they should have been done this last week, as you need to pick them before they ripen,

Evening!
well, I started picking pears this morning but it started to mizzle, and then rain , so had to stop., so no plot either.
I have used some Jerusalem artichokes for our meal tonight. They do look like unpromising aliens - used about 500 gm, another 1.5 kg to go. They were nice, but will report back on any side effects

My pears have done nothing this year. They are only second year espalier trees, though, so perhaps it was over-optimistic expecting pears so soon??

I am making my seed choices for next year, one of my favourite jobs! I was thinking about trying the James Wong recommendation for chickpeas - anyone done these before? I'm also possibly going to give skirret a go for the first time - again, anyone done this already?

The most unusual thing I grew this year was Yacon/peruvian ground apple. I found a plant in the rotten section at the garden centre, and thought I'd give it a go. After a shaky start (it had been pretty dehydrated) it has picked up. Am now waiting for the first frost to dig it up and see what is underground. Will report back with findings!!

Apparently not everyone reacts in that way, Bookbook! A gene thing? They're lush in soup!

on the seed front-have collected seeds from my toms for the first time.

Hooray! I love collecting seed! I find it works better than stuff out of packets.

I hope so.
dh was really pleased with the toms even though he was a bit sceptical about tomatos any other colour but red.

Unusual coloured veg can really blow some people's minds. My FIL won't eat blue potato, even though it tastes really nice. There's just something about the colour that freaks him out. As someone who is quite happy eating all kinds of junk food, I find this odd. But I accept that my fetish for 'food in the shape of things' isn't to everyone's taste (I love those smiley face hash browns for instance).

Blue potatoes, purple beans, yellow courgettes, red carrots and black peppers are some of the things I'm most excited about growing!

I'm about to make my first big plant order - some fruit and bulbs. I think I've settled on trying a kiwi vine up the shed, it's South facing (am in London, so fairly warm), am thinking of 'Jenny' which is listed as a self-fertile, hardy variety. Bulbs wise I want some tulips and daffs for cutting next year, and snowdrops and bluebells to naturalise around the pond and under the trees at the top of the plot.

I reckon you might just get away with one of those kiwis in London. I have a relatively new kiwi vine on my south-facing shed at the plot - but not a dessert kiwi like 'Jenny' (kiwi deliciosa) - I have the much hardier kiwi arguta, which copes with conditions in places like Siberia. The fruits are smaller but still really sweet and you can eat the skin too. My variety is called Issai, and all early indications are that it's going to be pretty bomb-proof. I think that one like 'Jenny' would die in the winter here - but in a sheltered spot in London, you should be OK.

If you are looking for huge quantities of bulbs, J Parker Wholesale (not the main catalogue) are awesome. Really cheap!

kiwis should be fine in se

we had a kiwi plant (well a tiny male and a giant female) on the south facing wall in northern europe (as far north as newcastle).
they were growing fine and actually needed the frost to ripen just like sloe

little cupcake and Phoenix congratulations on getting your plots!

I spent quite a long time at my plot today - needed to do some work getting it ready for the narrow loads of manure which arrive the week after next! I have a small (about 1 metre square) raised bed which was full of old soil with random gravel & bits of broken tiles. Dug all of that out & moved the bed right up to the corner post to make the most of the space. That gave room for my new scrounged compost bin to fit alongside the bed and the other 2 bins at the back of the plot. Levelled the paths with the soil/gravel from the raised bed. Also dug absolutely masses of comfrey out, replanted some near the compost bins & have covered the newly-exposed bed which was previously the comfrey plot! Just waiting for the marigolds to die off a bit more & then I will be able to clear that bed as well. Also did the last bit of clearing up after the flood; I had lots of heavy duty refuse sacks which were soaked & muddy, sorted through them & threw the worst away, the rest will dry out in the shed.

Really tired now but it does look a lot better up there.

Barrow loads

Evening!
busy day with DGS - but my perennial cauliflowers arrived !- I think they need to be just a tad bigger , so will pot up for a week or so I think .....or maybe...:)
Pears shove - is it 2 years old to you- did you plant it as a maiden? I would have expected the odd pear, but would have been brutal and taken them off anyway! It was an odd start this year- I thought I would have a very poor lot this year. It is just about my earliest blossom, and we had the odd frost around then, as well as it being cold . The rain about 3 weeks ago has saved the day a bit. I can't totally compare, as mine got a pretty hard prune last year ( a half standard , and nearly 35 years old), but it will be okay I think.
I am thinking of saving seed from tomatoes too - what to do about the goo around them - wash it off , or leave to dry?
Phoenix - I will happily recommend purple french beans. We all prefer them here - I have been growing Cosse Violette for the last 3 years.
I know someone near me - East Yorkshire has a right thug of a kiwi growing on a garage wall , giving loads of fruit, but I don't know what variety, sadly...so I can't believe balmy London won't manage And it's a lovely job, if hard, to force yourself to look through bulb and seed catalogues !

Nice to hear you are getting it back to good order timtam

erm - it has just occurred to me ( it's been a long day! ) that this thread is nearly full, so - new thread title is needed.

timtam - you're doing brilliantly. That's a lot of really physical work you've cracked through!

book - yes, pears planted as maidens. I think you may be right about the cold! I suspect just from the look of them that they have been hit back a bit more by being espaliered than many of the apples. Speaking of which, boy, I picked one of my James Grieves that seemed ready and it was tart!! I know they tend that way, but this one really needed cooking. Going to leave the others a bit longer before venturing in again!!

pinkswim - that's interesting about the fruit needing frost to ripen - I'll remember that! Plants lists says that the kiwis are hardy to about -12, which should be fine most places in the UK.

I think I err on the side of a slightly paranoid caution a little because in that 2010-2011 winter we hit -15 here. I suspect that is extremely unusual - I don't really remember a winter like that for a loooong time - but loads of people lost a lot of garden plants in it. Am hoping this winter is rather milder - the cold just seemed to go on and on and on that year.

Hello can I join? Just taken on a plot and am a complete novice. Will post later but just wanted to mark place now in case I can't find new thread

weediculous - I love your username, it made me laugh out loud!

Golden trowel for you, welcome to the thread!

Oooh lovely, thank you! Now I can bore you lot with allotment tales rather than my poor friends who aren't remotely interested!

We will also understand your need to mention poo on a regular basis, and to talk about various kinds of rotten stuff.

Ha I'm about to order some poo today

Morning!
Welcome weediculous - being totally nosey, tell us all - whereabouts/how big/is it a mess etc . I think we are going to have to erect a virtual potting shed for us all , which is a lovely thought.
And yes, I think a lot of us post to save wearing out ears of people who just don't get it- and I don't understand why not !
shove - you weren't tugging that apple were you? - you may find that it sweetens up a bit off the tree in a couple of days, but I presume you've eaten it! I have been checking my new apple - I left on about 16 this year, enough to give them a proper go. I have picked about 6, but the rest are still firmly on, so I am keeping a close eye on them in case it gets windy in the next few days. I am really pleased with the flavour though. I bought 'Sunset' as a good alternative to 'Cox's Orange Pippin' -and it is, though maybe a bit small in size, but that for me is worth the compromise for a nice apple.
Once again - it's pear picking day, but it's taking a bit of motivation to get out of the chair this morning. It has really started to feel like autumn.

Aagh I really should be working (so that I can go to the allotment later! ) but just briefly, it's a full plot in the south east and it's been ours for just over a week! . South facing and completely overgrown. Lots of bindweed . However after cutting back stuff we've found some beds that have been covered so not too much work on them hopefully. We have raspberries, a plum tree and a bay tree. There is also a shed (needs a good clearout) and greenhouse which dh repaired roof on Sunday. We dug out one bed and I've Just planted cauliflower, purple sprouting broccoli, beets and kale. The rest is a mess but just wanted to get something in. We'll get the rest prepped ready for spring.