Allotment/Veg Patch - Thread 7 - The Harvesters Arms

[bookbook]

Well, it's been an interesting summer, to say the least.
We are now heading into the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness :)
Everyone welcome to join in and ask for advice , share their woes and just enjoy growing!
previous thread here

Put ski jacket on this Sunday to go outside in sideways weather and put compost into little pots to sort out tomatoes. It ranks as my least enjoyable potting up process ever, its normally something I love doing but I was so rushed. . However tomatoes are happy. Hoping to do a second lot this weekend . Waiting for chilli seeds to arrive and I'm worried I'm going to be late with them as time is slipping away. Lots going on at home -busy rather than bad- and so I am mostly enjoy the garden in glimpses - snowdrops are out though which are very cheering. Looking for suggestions for edible flowers or companion flowers to put in the raised bed which will have peas and salad in if. Got nasturtiums - any others?

Morning!
well, it was glorious yesterday after a very frosty start, but I was at DD's looking after DGS - typical. Today is looking much the same. A little time down at the plot to harvest some leeks for soup, and some more grass removal hopefully. I was thinking of sowing a few summer cabbages too. I checked, and sowed my tomatoes on 9th March last year, so I think I may do those at the weekend.
Bella - good going!
Cath - are we gardeners mad? ski jacket, potting on tomatoes . Companion planting always brings up marigolds in my mind, but not sure they are edible. Violets are edible , and borage

cath for dedication there!

book - I think you can eat marigolds! I have never tried them, I find the smell odd so have never really wanted to try them, which is rather boring and staid of me really!

I think anything that attracts pollinators is good. I use nasturtiums and calendulas at the plot, as well as lavender. The nasturtiums self-seed everywhere and make salad look a bit more itneresting. I also have some day lilies for eating, though I haven't actually tried them yet. They had to go to the plot because they are quite poisonous to cats.

I like to freeze borage flowers in ice cubes and put them in gin and tonic. It looks so pretty.

Afternoon!
I am drenched - so much for a nice day.(Well in fairness, it was nice this morning!) I was all set for some work down at the plot,, and it has poured. So I harvested the muddiest leeks, and some perpetual spinach for tea and have come home and got changed. A cup of coffee first and think I will go and sow stuff in the greenhouse and pretend its spring

Oh book - hope you were able to dry out and warm up at home!

Did I mention that DH went to the plot while I was ill to get leeks and brought back the whole thing - including huge clods of earth on the bottom? There was literally a washing up bowl full of mud, full to the top - I'm not exaggerating. I was too ill to have stern words. I just pointed to the cleaning up cloths and went back to sleep.

Morning!
at your DH shove - mind you all that hard won friable soil at home in the bowl - not so good.......
I was not so bad really - I would have been fine if I had put the coat on first, rather than sprinting (slight exaggeration) to the shed for a waterproof once it started raining. :)
But I did sow succession sowings of leeks, spinach, summer cabbage, cauliflower and holly hocks - first ones!
Its has been quite wet overnight, so I think its going to be too wet to do anything today either

Hmmm I haven't thought about sowing anything yet. Maybe I should peer at the seed packets and have a look. Although I struggle with space in the house and don't have a greenhouse. Plus I don't have any potting compost at the moment. Maybe we'll find time to get some at the weekend.

The only gardening I've done is go and peer at the plot and check for damage after the wind. Everything seemed OK so that was good.

I think I'm only really going to start sowing stuff in the next couple of weeks, cedar and even then it'll be only the hardiest things of the kind that book has mentioned. I got married in early March a few years ago, and it snowed on the day, and the snow stayed for the entire two weeks we were on honeymoon! So I have a memory to anchor my caution.

I am finding the temperature in my greenhouse is on the rise though. Needing to remember to water much more regularly now!

Mine were very small , initial , hopeful sowings Cedar nothing ventured.....:) It may work.
on an aside - I married late March ( a very long time ago) It was incredibly cold - I wore my DM thermals under my dress - and it was near gale force winds - I too have a memory anchor!

Afternoon
no plot, tussling with taxman all afternoon. Need to get an axe and chop something down - well , maybe not......

Oh no book - how depressing for you. Hope you're closer now to getting whatever it is sorted. Anything that involves forms is inherently awful, tax especially so.

I'm fine , thanks shove, just annoyed at having to deal with idiots. I have reduced the anger by using up lots of 12p stamps I have had for years on my letter to them- petty , but satisfying

Hello again. Had a great day on my overgrown plot today (which is finally legally mine!). I'm clearing it bit by bit and seem to be making progress. I'm even thinking about planting on a couple of beds I've cleared

Today I found four decaying doors (with glass) in amongst the brambles I was clearing - literally amongst the brambles - can't move them for embedded brambles. Aargh.

Anyway, there are lots of brambles and some dandelions and bits of ivy, but also couch grass and mare's/horses tail. Can anyone tell me if these are mare's/horses tail buds? And if not what they are? Thank you!

That could be asparagus...., I think mares tail is thinner, but I have never seen it myself !

mmm maybe not - looks a bit woody now...

Thank you! I can't imagine it's asparagus - it's everywhere! If it is I can cancel my order of asparagus crowns 😂

I've tried to google image search it but not got anywhere...

Found this - which is horsetail - and it looks about right. I'm guessing u might be digging it out for a while!

that does look like it. I believe you only ever keep it under some sort of control. rather than hope to eradicate.
goddenough - the plot is all yours! That must be a great feeling , especially if you get the chance to actually cultivate some of it this year :)

Hahahaha! I'm loving your 12p stamp idea book!!

Yep, I agree I'm afraid goodenough - that looks like horsetail. A hori-hori is useful as you need to get down to the roots to keep it in check. My Dad has it at his allotment and keeps on top of it, so it can be done. It's such an ancient plant in evolutionary terms, really it's quite an amazing thing, but probably not the news you wanted!

Morning!
well, the forecast is looking very unsettled for next 3 days. It's already rather grey here The ground is too wet and claggy so I think it's just going to be harvesting.
shove - no one will care about the stamps, in reality and in truth I can sympathise with the people who work there, but there is a common sense by pass in the system!

goodenoughal that is definitely horsetail - I have it in my plot. You won't be able to eradicate it (as Shove says its a prehistoric plant) you just have to live with it. It has those buds which are easy to see at this time of year but underneath it goes into small black stems and then snaps off as you get it out. The stems then regenerate a new growth and so it goes on.

Separate out the horsetail as you dig it up, don't put it in your compost bin. You can either drown it or burn it up (if you're allowed bonfires) or we have a big sack that we shove it into. We remove the stems as we're digging where we spot them and then during the growing season you just need to keep cutting it off at the ground (or just under) to keep it under control. It's a nuisance but it's not that bad, if I keep weeding it out it doesn't seem to have much effect on the size of the crops. Even where I don't keep on top of it right through the growing season it isn't that bad. Just annoying.

Raining here and I think it's supposed to all weekend. We're busy anyway so wouldn't have been much time for gardening but still a shame. Yesterday was the day for it here but I was working.

Thanks for all the horsetail advice. I figured it would just be a case of keeping on top off it. Funnily enough I was at the Natural History Museum last week and loads of the dinosaur displays had something that looked suspiciously like horsetail in them! I'd already been told it was prehistoric and that kind of confirmed it!

It's only in sections of the plot so manageable I think - there's knotweed too! But I'm going to get someone in to deal with that at sonf point.

In the meantime, I'm planting raspberry canes, spuds, strawberries, rhubarb, squash and asparagus (not all right now!).

My rhubarb seeds have come up . When I reported this to Dd she asked if we had any custard . I hope we will get to the plot this weekend and plant her potatoes, weather permitting. I have inherited a 'pond' which is an old bath. The water is very clear probably due to the water snails and fish tank weed. I would like to introduce some frog spawn. There is a layer/ladder of stones in the bath for creatures to climb up and out but surely there should be something the other side so they can get onto dry land? Has anyone got any ideas about the escape route? And the angle.

Evening!
It has rained properly just about all day....
good - sounds good :)
exciting elephant - I have only planted crowns of rhubarb :)
Just a word of caution - it's a bit early for potatoes - end of March until end April usually for planting out .( About 2 weeks after last frost normally for safety sake)

intruigued by rhubarb seeds, how long from seedling to custard?