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

Hope you're feeling a bit better, books.

Cath what about a hebe? I'm sure there's a hebe for every situation.

doors and glass could be made into a greenhouse but it does sound like a lot of work.
good luck!

cath - what about the classic dry shade combination of aquilegias, alchemilla mollis and cyclamen hederifolium - you could add in wood spurge, woodruff and either geranium nodosum or geranium macrorrhizum 'Ingwersen's variety', which are bombproof. Silver lamium/vinca minor are good ground cover too. Is there anything you can do to break the wind?

I have a problem front garden - house is on the site of an old quarry, and the stone isn't far below the surface at the front (but miles below at the back, fortunately). Not even weeds would grow there. It's taken a few years of applying compost, but now things are starting to thrive- but it's taken 5 years and a lot of faith! Sometimes with very challenging conditions I think it's a work of adding, adding, adding organic matter.

anonymous - if you just want to plant one thing and leave it, something like pachysandra might work! But it does seem like a bit of a shame. I am a bit evangelical on this subject, though! So many people complain about damp, claggy conditions, but there are so many neglected yet gorgeous woodland and bog plants that like it. I am a believer in the idea that there are plants adapted for every niche in a temperate climate, and it's just a matter of finding the right ones!

book - sorry about the cough, hope the fresh air helped and that you're able to get sleep - nothing worse than being kept awake hacking away.

This week I am going to try to sow at least 2 things a day and to pot on one. I am behind, and I need to catch up. Today - sowing tomatoes and broad beans (I'm so much later with the latter than I'd like to be) and potting on Arisaema candidissimum. (I'm growing this and Arisaema consanguinum from seed).

goodenough - what a shame about your plot. I can't understand why anyone would take on something like an allotment and just use it as a dumping ground. But you see people doing it with gardens too. I had some nightmare neighbours in my old house who used their back garden as a rubbish tip. I don't mean the odd bag - I mean bags and bags and BAGS of stuff, dozens and dozens of them, that piled up at the end. It wasn't even stuff that was too big for the wheelie bin. They just liked the anti-social nature of it.

Way too damaged to be used for a greenhouse, I'm afraid.

The allotment was in the previous owner's family for more than 60 years and he was in many ways so proud of it and its produce. But it's like they completely gave up in the last few years and just stopped caring.

I suppose I should be grateful they did give up on it, as it meant they sold it to me. But sometimes when I look at what needs to be cleared it's overwhelming.

But I am making good progress and everytime I visit I make a difference, which is a wonderful feeling.

Morning!
wow goodenough - that is sad - the owners did that? it looks as though its a load of stuff that " may come in handy", but just think of the end result, and its yours :)
shove - sowing 2 things a day? thats < counts on fingers > 14? :) I may do some flowers I think. The seeds I sowed last week have all germinated apart from the leeks so far, so we really are getting a flying start. Brassicas are so eager!
thank you Grouchy and shove - I'm not too bad in honesty. I just hate coughs , they seem to hang around for ever .
It is glorious this morning , so going to plant my gooseberry today.

goodenough - You will get there! The first bit is SO much harder than actually running an allotment that you're already on top of. I think everyone has those moments where they just feel "I'm NEVER going to get there!" But just keep clearing a bit at a time, and you will make it!

I think, psychologically, it might make sense to clear the sunniest part of the site first, and dig yourself a bed or two for April/May. You can then grow some simple stuff that doesn't need much care - pole beans, broad beans, courgettes. You will then have something that is producing, and you can see some 'rewards' while you clear the rest.

book - Not all for the allotment! I'm growing a ton of non-veggie stuff this year (green roof plants + shade perennials) so once I have my rather more standard veg crops done, a lot of the 3-a-day will be about sowing/potting on the non-edible plants (and dividing the ones that I did in the late summer, which now need potting on again). It's going to be a juggling act for space, that's for sure.

Thanks book and shove - I have dug some beds and have some onions and cabbage in - and a few more easy things planned for the coming months, so it's not all just hard work.

And I'm going to get a patch of lawn down in the next few weeks - and I've just been looking at cheap swings and slides on ebay and gumtree to keep my daughter entertained while I garden!

Have a good week gardening, everyone!

I've not sown a single seed yet! But I am determined to be chill about it (unusual for me).
I did buy seed yesterday though - beans from the allotment shop, and misc things late last night, online.

This week I think I shall begin

Quick question: does anyone have any recommendations for long/gauntlet gloves for clearing brambles/hawthorn etc.? Thanks!

builders leather.
the only thing that is protective enough.
and safety goggles, esp if using strimmer/cutter

I use really heavy duty rigger gloves. But someone recommended Kevlar on another thread - going to give those a try.

Just having a quick sit down after lunch, then its off to plant a goosegog and pick some broccoli.
Never fear Spotted - loads and loads of time yet. My little ones are just a small succession sowing of stuff, as a starting gun for spring :)
shove - I think you are going to need a greenhouse extension!
I agree with rigger gloves, and then when you need a bit more 'feel', then I use heavy quality lined leather ones , gloves like these -I am very lucky as they are always bought off my wishlist come birthday/christmas !)
( On a side note DH has been gallantly tackling a very old and sad viburnum in my garden - so I am trying hard to be positive today as we agreed the dead leaves all around it have to go too, .but oh, all that prospective leaf mould ....)

Hello everyone, not posted in a while due to a nasty bout of labyrinthitis

Its lovely to hear a lot of people are in full swing with sowing for the new season. We are in cooler climes so we don't do much sowing until April, although I did sow some spring broad beans at the weekend.

Our 2 year old rhubarb is starting to unfurl its lovely acid green leaves and I can see a new clump poking through so that's a good sign.

Our next big job is to build some sort of mouseproof cage for our strawberry beds, if that is at all possible. Mice completely destroyed our crop last year. I think I ate about 4 strawberries in total out of 32 plants!

Hello, I've just taken on an allotment so will be lurking for advice! It's a great one- the previous tenants have left all their tools, as well as 2 polytunnels and loads of well tended beds and a few seeds. I've dabbled in veg growing before but never with polytunnels.

Just hoping I can do the place justice.
By the way, I used to do conservation work and hedgelayers always used welding gauntlets to keep thorns out- long red ones IIRC.

Evening!
welcome Eating - just jump straight in, The plot sounds amazing, you lucky thing :) One word of advice on polytunnels - you need a lot of water. Is it already guttered up, and harvesting rain?
clara - ooh, labyrinthitis makes you feel really nauseous doesn't it - poor you . Mice eating strawberries ? thats bad too.. not heard of that .

Just time for a quick very basic question. I have planted several types of seeds, using seed compost, in 1 tray and covered with a propogator lid. Some of the seeds are sprouting, others are not. My aim is to grow all my seedlings as big as I can before planting out in the hope that they survive the garden beasts. So I am thinking that I should take the seedlings as soon as they are about an inch tall and plant them in a larger pot with regular compost. This will hopefully allow them to grow whilst still giving ungerminated seeds the warmth and humidity from propogator lid. Is this ok or would you do something different?

Ooff clara - labyrinthitis is no fun at all. Hope the feeling of sea-sickness is subsiding.

eating - I am extremely envious of your polytunnels!

trouble - Yes, once you can handle the seedling without damaging it, you can lift it out with a plant label and pot it on, then leave the rest of the compost undisturbed. The exception would be things that really hate being transplanted - some root crops, for instance. Generally, it's a good idea to sow different kinds of seeds separately, in different trays. This is because plants have all kinds of adaptations to enable them to compete with one another - and these can include biochemicals that inhibit the germination/growth of competitors! It also lets you provide each variety with exactly what it needs - some will want more or less moisture or more or less heat than others.

I managed to plant two trays of peas (meteor, Ambassador), one of broad beans (Witkiem Manita) and a couple of pots of tomatoes (Ildi, Outdoor Girl) yesterday. And to pot on some Larkspur I sowed in the autumn.

quick dip in (have DGS)
Trouble - just make sure that you handle seedlings gently, with the true leaves . They can get very leggy with just the seed leaves

Thanks for the kind wishes. I'm only getting the odd spell of vertigo now but no driving for the foreseeable...

Have you grown ildi before holly?

We grew them for the first time last year and were disappointed. Colour and crop was amazing but they lacked flavour and juiciness. Unsure whether or not to try again....They just look so appetising!

Thanks! There are water butts around but at the moment it's watered using a hose. Is it complicated to rig them up? I'm pretty clueless!

Off to buy some seeds later today. It's exciting, if a bit daunting

clara - no, I haven't done them before, it's very much a trial. It's interesting what you say about the taste, because James Wong rates them for that - I have found previously that recommendations grown in sunny gardens in the south east translate poorly to wet, northern gardens like mine (and, I presume from what you have said upthread, yours too!) I am grateful for the warning - I've sown Outdoor Girl too, so I have a backup - I'm now going to do some black cherry ones as well, will aim for 2 of each.

eating - Most allotments won't let you use any kind of irrigation system, and on mine even hoses are banned (and would be hard to use because it's a push-button water system, like old school showers)! It's good that you can use one if you have polytunnels as they are a bit thirstier I think - I guess it'll be a case of getting down there most days and giving it a soaking? I wouldn't have thought it would be too complex to rig one up - you might need a special attachment for the size of the tap.

Oooh, sorry I hope I haven't put you off holly. Ours were grown in our greenhouse alongside some plum (can't remember variety), some gardener's delight and some craigella. The other varieties were plenty juicy and tasty and they all got the same amount of sun, water and feed. I'd be interested to hear how you get on this year with them (I won't bin the seed packet just yet! I hate buying packs of 200+ seeds then not using them again!).

buying packs of 200+ seeds then not using them again!).

me to!
I solve this by buying heritage varieties seeds and collecting my own if I like them.
and plant swapping.

No - it's really good to have the warning because it means I'll make sure I have a range of other varieties I can rely on! I'll give them a go and report back. Gardener's Delight is a lovely one.