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

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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

Okay glad I'm not the only one Gin! Jelly your runner bean looks great!

Rose
an indoor grow light set up? Were you looking at a cannabis growing website . My courgettes haven't sprouted yet so well done.

elephant 😂😂 maybe!!!

grouchy - hooray! It does spread a lot, but is ideal for sites where you just want groundcover!

I actually DID go out and have a palak curry last night! And I actually paid proper attention to the taste for the first time. It's a bit more bitter than spinach, isn't it?

Morning!
jelly rose and Gin - nope, just don't make the plants think they have come out of the sauna , and need to jump in the icy pool :)
I have plants inside, and germinate all my beans inside.
so -- general info first . Find out what your last predicted frost date is for where you are . After that is when you can safely plant out tender stuff like beans ( and outside tomatoes etc). For the 2 weeks before that start putting them outside , somewhere sheltered but sunny., 4 hours in middle of the day for a few days, then stretch out how long they are out for until you only bring them in at night, put out first thing in the morning. Then choose what looks like the mildest night, and start leaving them out overnight too for a few days . Hope that makes sense?
jelly - I would pot that up into a slightly bigger pot.
If they are inside - a tip from Chuck - run your hands lightly over the leaves - it helps to toughen up the stems , makes for stronger plants.

I'm so excited by my apple trees this year. Last year there was one flower on the three trees and thus no fruit. This year they are all covered in beautiful pink buds. I pruned them ineptly after they dropped their leaves in Autumn so maybe even inept pruning is good!

Bah. Photo doesn't do them justice.

Also: I've discovered more possible broad beans popping up all over the place. They might be peas, I suppose. But I can't remember what peas look like when they sprout!

Oh , isn't apple blossom lovely!
I have been down , done a bot of weeding/tidying. Not enough, but there you go. I am going back this afternoon, after chores.
shove -( probably away now,) I have cauliflowers on two of the perennial cauliflower plants. Tiny , but definitely there :). My third plant was appallingly attacked by slugs, so is doing its best to grow., but is small. I have watered them and given the sad one a feed today .

Thanks for the advice everyone. I've moved the giant runner to a bigger pot and DD has lovingly stroked its leaves. I think it's getting more care and attention than anything or anyone else in this house at the moment!

We're away over Easter so I'll start the hardening off when we get back.

I'm loving seeing everyone's photos, so inspiring. Thank you all for sharing

Ooh, you've all been so busy!

Kiwi your tree is beautiful - well done you!

My garden is looking lovely today as the blossom is here on the cherry trees, and nearly on the quinces. The pear, however, is having an off year as some fool (yup, me) gave it a savage chop to try to cut out canker. There is blossom, buy you'd have to look v v closely to find it. There is also a little wren going up and down one of the columnar cherries, and it is very cute.

I shall shortly be pricking out/potting on courgettes and squash. Probably too soon in the year, but I can always re sow. Also, I may have a few more tomatoes to pick out. Just a few...

I love reading this thread in the evening it SO inspiring and I keep learning things I'm going to get some of those Campula seeds /purple star flowers mentioned up thread they sound perfect for a spot in our garden.

Well the second batch of kale has survived 3days now with slug pellets round them so I think it was slugs which ate the first batch. I have pepper seeds poking through now, the aubergine are reaching 5-8cm high and tomatoes I've potted into bigger pots and moved into the fleece covered mini greenhouse inside my glass greenhouse hoping they will be warm enough.
The kids have put in some sunflowers and cress is now growing on the windowsill. Feels like spring has well and truly sprung

Perpetual cauliflower adds to list for next year.
Nice tree kiwi , must check our fruit trees tomorrow.
Lost a battle with the compost tumbler yesterday and feeling a little battered, DH held off the laughing until after he had rescued me, was wedged head down between raised bed a offending compost thingy. Word of warning, compost tumblers must not be over filled, else you risk it being you tumbled.
Transported much of above mentioned compost to allotment and forked it into the beds. This dry weather is showing how silty and under nourished our soil is.
Ski have been busy sowing sunflowers also. Have used some root trainer pots and am eager to see how it goes.
First pumpkin has emerged , no gherkins or courgettes yet .
I always get a bit over excited at this time, worry I have not planted enough and the go a bit crazy

Hello- just checking in to say how nice it is to see the photos and watch gin 's garden coming on. Last day of shed palace bling today as I was waiting for DH to do his fence paint sprayer thing on it. Then I had a happy half hour putting on gold spray stars- so it is all done and I might get back in the greenhouse. In laws have arrived for 4 days and the gods of scheduling have conspired that DH left today for 3. However MIL brought me very posh gin and FIL has come with his workmen overalls and plans for our hedge so I can't complain. I'm planning to VERY carefully pot on a couple of corgettes now I've managed to get big pots and compost in. I've just noticed the pots (plastic) have no drainage holes- any easy tips for putting some in without trashing them? My French beans are up in the greenhouse but don't look that happy- first leaves are a bit twisted and mottled. Will see what the the next set look like. Have just got asprin to get in and I will be all set to stress my seedlings. Trying copper tape round my sweet pea pots as they are being savaged. Time to order more nematodes as well.

Cathpot try using an old useless potato peeler, heat it up and carve a hole. Hand drill does the job, with a bit bit in it, less fun however.

Ooo heating and carving - excellent idea!

Evening
jelly - enjoy your break
Spotted - your pear tree will love you next year. Mine is in full flower - along with my flowering cherry. I just know we will have a heavy duty wind in the next few days, and blow the blossom away- it always does .
Pest - I can see the cartoon in front of my eyes. Trying to save time/energy never really works , does it?
Cath I was going to say hand drill, or a bradawl - but nowhere near as exciting!
DGS's sunflowers are nicely up, I will be sowing cucumbers/squashes /courgettes this weekend I think- the sunny windowsill will be available as I move the sweetcorn downstairs, and into the greenhouse. Its like musical chairs :)
I went back to the plot with DH - got the grass cut, and picked a nice bundle of asparagus for tea. Dandelions are going beserk - I wish they were an edible ( mind you years ago the DD's hamster loved them ! ). The redcurrant is absolutely full of flowers clusters ready to burst, even saw some flowers on the new early summer raspberries . I love this time of year, even if it s a race against the weeds .

Aren't dandelion leaves edible?
Hang on

www.treehugger.com/lawn-garden/eat-dandelions-9-edible-garden-weeds.html

Our lawn is mostly dandelion at the moment but I can't eat them as DH has been round with a weed killer dab on thingy , so it would be a salad version of Russian roulette

Book dandelions are edible. The flowers can be made into fritters, need to work fast they wilt quickly. The french eat the leaves, when I lived in a pretentious part of London you could buy dandelion leaves. Pop a plate over them to blanch and make less bitter. Make a nice omelette with Jack-in-the-hedge, wild garlic or three cornered leek.
The roots are what make dandelion and burdock.

well, I knew they were edible, but not something I fancy - sorry not to make the distinction!

Am I the only one who has had to explain to Dc's teachers about weed quiche ?

mm -perhaps? .
In truth, I will eat most things , but for some reason, dandelions is not one of them . I'm not sure if its the thought of them being a diuretic or something ...

To be fair in a similar vein, I know celery is technically edible, but for me, not so much. I am liking weed quiche!

Woke up to constant drizzle this morning. We really could use the rain but it would have been better timing if it hadn't coincided with the long weekend.