Allotment/Veg Patch -Thread 8 - Its spring - time to get busy!

[bookbook]

Thought I had better get a new thread ready to roll!
It has been a long, soggy winter , but the clocks go back soon, we may see the sun , so it will be all go, go ,go
Everyone welcome, join us the celebrate and commiserate on the joys of vegetables
previous thread HERE

Hi all. This has become my favourite thread. I love reading about what you're all doing with your allotments and it's given me some great ideas and I've had lots of great advice.

Tonight I'm googling three sisters planting as I fancy giving that a go 😄 and I'm writing my list for B and Q this weekend. I'm going to put in a little pond like grouchy and buy a compost thing (I hate the daleks as they're just so ugly but needs must).

Then it's onion planting time

clara I'm using felted sheep's wool as a mulch/slug barrier - one of my neighbours gets a food box delivery and the strips of sheep's wool are used as insulation. I couldn't see them thrown out so have started using them on my plot. So far they've been around currant bushes only, so i can't say how well they deter slugs, but i put them around my broad bean seedlings yesterday which will be prime slug targets, so will report back!

Silver foil to up the light levels on peppers and chillies and confuse pests as well apparently. Seaweed fertiliser instead of tomato feed. Jasmine oil - I'll check but I think it was to bring in pest killing predators- I'll look in a bit . He also has a recipe to spray on corgettes which I'm going to try as the only time I tried growing one before it went mouldy.

Checked- jasmine oil contains a chemical plants release when under attack and it tricks the plant into bumping up its defence chemicals which are ones that tastes nice. It feels wrong to upset your plants but that is the thrust of the book really!

Cath that is all quite interesting. However did your courgette fruits go mouldy? When this happened to me I googled and it was suggested that the female flowers had not been fertilised and a paint brush job should be employed between the male and female flowers. I didn't do it as I think that was the year I got bight in a tomato plant and just ditched everything that wasn't up to scratch.

I can't really remember- I think it was the leaves and stem- and my cucumbers were pretty bad that year as well . I have lots to learn about corgettes clearly!

Cath I nearly bought some red plastic table cloth from t3sco the other day as apparently it increases strawberry production or flavour (can't remember which) by 400%!

On other news, have eaten asparagus spears no. 5 and 6 today for lunch, more coming. Bindweed popping up everywhere. Broad beans in ground and more hardening off. Sweetcorn about 1 inch high. 40 million seedlings of PSB as I sowed an old packet thinking nothing would come up, so did a new packet too - can I post it to anybody?!

Love seeing all the photos- what a wonderful time of year! Nice to see you back Shove we missed you!

I've been slacking today, and probably up until the weekend now as I have to work. Boo!

Bought a little grown your own chilli seed pot thing from Aldi for my windowsill at work, though, just to keep my mind on it!

Interested to see organic pest deterrents/fertilisers/whatever you call the thing with the jasmine oil! I have cats and a toddler, so weedkillers, slug pellets and fertilisers are all banned for now.

I'm really interested in these new tips about jasmine oil etc! I was meaning to try the soluble aspirin drench this year, as my tomatoes have got blight for the last couple of summers.

Today I had a seed-sowing blitz with DS2 "helping". We don't have much room for pots indoors but I've managed to find a little corner by a south-facing window where hopefully they will germinate without DH complaining too much. We now have sweetcorn "Incredible", tomatoes "Tigerella", a courgette, a couple of squash and some sunflowers, all cooking away under some propagator lids which i managed to retrieve from the loft. DS1 also planted tomato seeds at school, amazingly one has germinated but we have no idea of the variety (apparently it's a scheme sponsored by Heinz ketchup!)
I still have DS2's runner bean from school as well. It's pretty big now and not the most convenient plant to have taking up room in the house, but I think it'll need a few more weeks before i can plant it out. Having got it this far I'm determined to get a few beans off it. I've pinched the tips off it for now, hopefully it won't get too leggy.

Timtam I have a whole classes worth of beans and peas at home . I am not a science teacher, I teach another subject but I am trying everything to get them interested. I am putting up photos of progression and asking them to make predictions.

Meanwhile Dsis has gifted me her rotovator. I will be able to get it after the Easter weekend, so that final bed doesn't seem such a mountain now but I will need to get rid of as much bindweed as I can before using it.

Morning!
I must admit, half of my time in winter is reading the seed catalogues for heritage and nice tasting varieties, so tips are useful. Cath - you can keep us posted!
I did hear on GQT to have white covering on the ground under plants, as any pests that live under the leaves are disorientated - they use the brightness of sky/sun to know where to hide :)
elephant - a gifted rotavator - wow! but yes to try to get rid of as much bindweed first.
My aubergine seedlings have finally started putting out proper leaves at last - they seemed to sit for ages with just the seed leaves.

Hope u don't mind me popping in to ask has anyone used nematodes to control slugs? My poor kale seedlings literally disappeared overnight despite netting & no slug trails?! So I'm looking into alt slug control but the local garden centre said the soil wasn't quite warm enough yet for nematodes.

I've not used them Ski , but others on here do , they will be along. :)
Were your seedlings already planted out, or in plugs/pots? I've found a good way to keep on top of them is checking underneath every pot - you can bet your bottom dollar there is a slug snuggled up , just ready for nighttime. If they have left any stalks, you may find the kale will regrow - they are tough little things.

Wow everyone has been busy while I've been away! We got back from a week's holiday on Saturday. Spent Sunday planting potatoes and onions in too much heat! I planted the rest of the onions and shallots yesterday. Something has pinched a couple of my garlic plants. I swear they were there on Sunday but yesterday there were just a couple of holes. Very odd. Don't think it was people messing around as it was just two plants. Maybe an optimistic bird thought it was something useful?

I am keeping an eye and will net if any more go. Did a bit more clearing of our new plot. Grass is merrily growing everywhere even though I cut it back before we went away. Will need to have another go this week.

I think I have identified most of the fruit bushes I've inherited - there is a gooseberry, two or three currants and lots of raspberries growing rather randomly!

Slugs have decimated my brand new oriental poppy while we were away. That's in spite of me using slug pellets. I'm annoyed! I haven't tried nematodes but I think they are very effective. I have had some success with wool pellets as well.

I haven't seen a single slug yet this year! We had tons last year, so I am poised ready to act, but am yet to spot one...

Hello all, just marking place. I have an allotment which I finally got under control in the autumn by setting up raised beds.

There's raspberries, blueberries, apples, pears, onions, shallots, garlic, calabrese, celeriac, savoy and potatoes in right now.

Thanks - I've not seen any slugs yet but I can't think what else would have completely disappear my planted out kale. I kept some back in trays n pots so I've tried again yesterday with slug pellets this time and netting back in place as we have several wood pigeons which although they make me laugh are becoming bit of a problem with the veg patch.

Thanks timtam, I think I may try the sheeps wool method too as, like firefly I have an almost 14 month old who likes to eat dirt!

I was also thinking of trying a pistachio shells barrier but that's a bit of a choking hazard!

And cedar I just saw your post about wool pellets as well, thank you!!!

Might be a rabbit eating the kale?

I tried the wool last year was mostly a waste of time, it lasted a couple of weeks then they went around or over it! It's been a lot drier this year in SW so maybe I won't be quite SO overrun as last couple of years.
I'm trying aubergine for the first time this year, any good tips? The seedlings are doing well on my kitchen windowsill at the moment.

My aubergine seedlings are just coming up, first year here too so no tips I'm afraid! Well be interested in any handy hints.

Can anybody help me with PSB seedlings? Do I pot them on deeply like you do with tomatoes? Or at the same depth, which is rather little. Thank you!

Soooo, the slugs have stayed off the wool so far, the broad beans remain intact!
It was very dry again today, i spent a while watering everything & faffing around with one of the compost bins. On a weekday it's very quiet and peaceful at the site. All i need now is a half-plot with a shed & deckchair...
I've also been to the library and reserved the James Wong book mentioned upthread. Hopefully it'll arrive this week, i NEED more gardening books!

I'd love to join you all please! I have an allotment, about 1/3 plot or so, covered in couch grass and brambles. I got the keys in October but didn't start until the beginning of March and the grass is out of control! I also have 4 6x3 raised beds at the bottom of the garden and plan to use them for leafy veg, salads and root veg. I have sown some veg and herbs already but plan to do courgettes, cucumbers and squash this week.

I am also growing cut flowers including zinnia, cosmos, scabiosa and dahlias.