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

I have just found some flowers on one of my strawberry plants. Is that early? It feels early. They're actually looking quite advanced so I'm not sure how I only just noticed them.

books I am so easily led! Not sure where I'm going to put the tree either.

I hate waiting for seeds to germinate. Why can't it be instantaneous?

My neighbours strawberries are covered in flowers, we're north London

Afternoon!
well, I managed an hour at the plot this afternoon, still prepping up the new brassica bed. Picked cauliflower for tea
It rained all yesterday afternoon and into the evening - not heavy though, so the ground isn't sodden, just a bit easier to work.
After seeing your post Grouchy I went up to the second strawberry bed ( early last year) , and yep - flowers are there! That warm weather last week obviously encouraged them!
AWeed - amazingly delicious - well , of course it is! a bonus for you :)
Chilly tonight folks - colder than last night brrr

book I'm very jealous of your rain - we keep getting the odd drop as a teaser, and then nothing. And when I say odd drop, I mean literally a drop - it could easily just be our NDN spitting over the fence for the tiny amount we've had

I spent ages yesterday making hoops and sticks in the ground to stop the cat digging around seeds, which has done the job, except GinDog just sees them as a nice handy chew stick so I think he'll be relegated to going to work with DP for the next few weeks!

thing is Gin - it just encourages the weeds, and I haven't finished prepping . I leave the manure on the top over winter as a mulch, then work it in as I sort out a bed ready for planting. The weeds are not too bad, but once it starts raining and a bit warm , they just go beserk!
I measured my plot today, just so I could compare. The half plot is 30 metres long , and 7.5 metres wide- that doesn't include the grass paths.
You do have to leave a bit of space near the road for parking now, though lots of the old plots have sheds right on the end.

I'm just tired of lugging the watering can down to where the hose doesn't reach - it's getting very boring!

Ah, you need a water system - down hill from the house is good. A water butt attached into a downpipe, and a big container fed from the water butt by hose at the bottom - sorted!

Hello! We've just planted our seed today. Peas, cauliflower and broad beans straight in. Pumpkin and swede propagating.

Grouchy i have flowers on my strawberries as well (North West).
Interested to see that frost map. My last frost date seems very early. Most of the old hands on the site think that May is usually the last frost. I'll stick with them I think.
DS2 was very excited today as the seeds we sowed have started to germinate at home. We have 100% success with the sweetcorn, also a courgette is sprouting alive & well and also 2 sunflowers (amazed by the sunflowers as they were from Poundland at least 2 years ago, so very dried out by now and hardly top quality).
No sign of any tomatoes yet but DS2's triffid runner bean is getting huge.

We had rain overnight, and plants all seem to have loved it! Swear the potatoes have doubled in size.

I'm worrying my runner beans are getting leggy- I planted them up 10 days ago and they're on a fairly sunny windowsill, they've all germinated (I did 10 in 3" pots) and are now all between 3-6inches tall and with two leaves on top. Does that sound about right, or are they getting too leggy due to lack of sun? It's the best sunlight I can give them I'm afraid, short of sticking them outside already!!

Our last frost date looks to be mid May (that map is genius!!), goodness knows how tall they'll be after another month inside!

Hello everybody. I've been rubbish at posting. I'm trying to keep up with you all though.

I've been managing to get out in the garden a little after the children are in bed. Only 30 minutes an evening, and not every evening, but it all helps. I've managed to get some parsnips in now, as well as a few salad crops. Lots of seeds on the go in the greenhouse, too.

Grouchy I've got flowers on my strawberries, but as I always say I'm not good to compare to as I'm in a very sheltered garden in the cushy south!

We've had lots of rain here in East Yorkshire. Just after I watered everything! Think the lavender has had it though...

I checked my strawberries and the well established alpine strawberries have lots of flowers on. And an abundance of snails! So, I spent an hour and a half thinning out the strawberry plants and culling the slugs and snails. They've all gone in the recycling.

And have planned out my raised beds while catching up on Gardener's World. Getting excited about them now! Especially as my friend's husband who's a joiner has said he'll price up some wood to make the beds for me!

I'm planning to try square foot gardening. Is every other year sufficient for rotation?

Research seems to indicate I should fill the beds with a mix of well rotted manure and top soil. Is there a good place to get them from? Maybe a question for bookbook Also, am I right in thinking I can't plant carrots in 'New' manure?

I am back from the weekend at DM's. My seedlings in my mini greenhouse are fine thanks to NDN who fed the cat as well. My car boot was loaded up with; the rotavator my Dsis gave me, another water butt, canes for my runner beans, 'telegraph' poles for my raspberries, a hose and autumn fruiting raspberry canes that have escaped DM's raised bed. DM is not growing any veg any more as she prefers to travel during the growing months, so she is offloading stuff to me. DM is the ripe old age of 83 and although she is not now growing veg I thought I would upload a couple of photos of one of her borders.

Firefly - it supposedly makes them fork, but if its very well rotted, I may chance it. I tend to just grow chantenay , as they are short and stubby . Nice fine tilth too as much as possible - you will be full of stones like me !
Re sourcing manure -I think you have a plot at home?, ( memory is bad!) so its tricky to find in the right quantity , but look on local fb site - we have stables near us that sell it free if you can take it away, and some on the side of the road in bags for £1.50 . I get my manure from a local farmer, and leave it to rot down in a large heap but its a trailer load! You can buy it in bags at nurseries/ garden centres , but I don't know the cost of that.
Its going to be cold tonight!! - Did your tomatoes survive?

Although DM gave me permission to show her border, she has now told me off as they are not at their best!

hah! thats mums for you. Fabulous keeping that going at 83, hope I ma half as good!

It's raining, hallelujah! Proper big drops.

Quel suprise. It's stopped again.

They look wonderful elephant

I'm quite rural, bookbook so might go visit the local stables. And yes, I'm planting in the garden. We have allotments nearby, but I think it would be too much with working and running around after a toddler. The garden is near enough that I can run out for ten minutes to water it!

I got a composting bin last weekend - it was free to a good home a couple of streets away. I thought it was a water butt so sent DH to go get it! Not got anywhere on soil to keep it though, and due to the layout of the garden it would be within ten feet of the house, so not sure what I'm going to do with it yet...

Wow some are expensive. I'm £10 a year. We have a waiting list and very rarely don't.

I have half a plot. It's probably about the same size as Books.

Photo is from the top looking down, there is another 6 foot behind the photo with a shed. I inherited 2 sheds, one at the bottom left and top and the big greenhouse thing. Also a beautiful pear blossom photo

Here's my palak recipe. Hope you enjoy it.
2 medium sliced onions
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 bunch of fresh coriander (about a mug full chopped)
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
150-200g boneless chicken
3 bunches of finely chopped palak/spinach
(About 3-4 bags of prepacked spinach)
1 teaspoon turmeric
4 green chilies finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon salt
I finely chopped red pepper
1/2 teaspoon garam masala (optional)

1. Start by frying the sliced onions in the oil until they're slightly golden/brown.
2. Add the garlic and ginger to the onions and stir constantly for 2 minutes so it doesn't catch.
3. Add the chopped coriander and stir through. Let the ginger, garlic and coriander cook with the onions for a couple more minutes to release the aromas. Stir every 30 seconds and add a little water if it begins to catch the bottom of the pan.
4. Add the chicken pieces and the tuneric and cook for 2-3 minutes.
5. Now add the rest of the spices and again, cook for a while longer.

(We're always taught persistently to let the spices cook thoroughly in most Indian dishes. So don't rush these stages. Let the spices cook well to release their flavours and keep stirring, adding a few drops of water to keep them from sticking to the bottom of the pan.)

1. Now add the spinach and let it wilt and cook for 10-15 minutes with the lid on.
2. When the spinach is cooked through, add the finely chopped red pepper. This is mainly aesthetic but the red pepper looks lovely against the dark green of the spinach. Like little red jewels. If using garam mas'ala, add that now too.
3. Add the butter over the top of the cooked spinach just before finishing.

That's how I do it. Hope you enjoy.
One thing I'd suggest, for those of you who cook Indian regularly is to buy your spices from an Indian shop. Brands like East end etc. We always have our spices sent over from India directly but if I ever run out, I'd buy from an Indian supermarket. I don't know any good Indian cook who'd use the spices in the small jars from supermarket as they're so bland in comparison. I did buy a bottle of turmeric once as it was reduced and ended up throwing it out as even 2 teaspoons wouldn't give me the same depth of colour as 1/2 teaspoon of my regular turmeric.

With coriander and cumin powder, buy a small packet of whole seeds and grind them in your coffee grinder rather than buying the ready ground stuff.

Morning!
cold overnight here - NDN had to scrape his car this morning.
Thanks Lulooo - saved that , sounds delicious. And yes about the spices - I buy mine from the Indian supermarket, whole if possible too ( I like to make my own garam masala ) . It makes such a difference.
Well, I need to go and harvest some PSB , but supposedly we have tradesman coming so need to see if he comes first - he did say due to Easter it may be tomorrow.

I know this is a gardening thread but having gone on a bit about Indian spices, thought I'd share a pic of my spice box. Most Indian cooks have one of these. Mine was part of the set of pots, pans and kitchen paraphernalia my mum gave me when I married and moved out of the family home 22 years ago.

Thanks Lulooo for the recipe, that is one dinner sorted for this week.

Thanks for the recipe Luloo as a veggie I will use giant greek beans.
YY to buying spices from Indian shops, so much nicer and cheaper. Also when you become a regular it is so nice to be given recipes.