Allotment/Veg Patch Thread 9 - Spring is sprung, its getting really busy!

[bookbook]

Well, the last thread filled up quickly - maybe due to the horrid weather . Its time to battle slugs, snails and weeds !
Last Thread HERE

goodenough your photos give me hope! The plot I saw yesterday was similar so by the end of summer mine could look like that! Hopefully.

Might have been mooching around the garden centre today. Might have bought me and ds some gardening gloves. He is 3 and they had some tiny ones so thought I had better.

And remembered this morning that just up the road there is a poultry/small animal auction with 'General' stuff for sale which usually includes loads of gardening equipment plus chicken coops and stuff. Going to go for a nosey next week and see what around. It's full of hunting/shooting/fishing types plus allotmenters and small holders and small farmers plus a load of poultry which I definitely won't be buying yet.

Ds who is 3 is beyond excited for chickens. He keeps talking about clearing the brambles and building a run with his tools. Dd who is 12 is not so keen lol. And has asked if she can go to the shopping centre next week if we are going to be on the allotment all weekend.

Good evening. I am back from an afternoon at the plot and I am aching. Why did I leave clearing one of the bigger beds until now? I've also burst a blister on my thumb. . It is still only 40% done but the ground is really hard in places so it is difficult to weed and turn the soil. I am planning on putting sweetcorn in the bed so I may resort to cardboarding half of it this year. When I came home I saw Good's photos and it inspired me to go back and have another go tomorrow. I planted out swiss chard and more broad beans.

Still no word from Shove?

I have spent half the afternoon trying to sort out the guttering and water butts on our shed/cabin. It's at the same end as our vegetable area and will make watering a lot easier. I thought it was going to be a straight forward job but all the angles are wrong so have given up for the day

Yes please book can I have the rhubarb & vanilla receive, as I have four very active plants I inherited and I'm the only person in my house who eats it!

Can I ask do any of you plant your tomatoes out surrounded by crushed egg shells? I read somewhere it helps stop splitting which I've had last 3years.

bookbook ha forget I mentioned rain Yes the idea is to be self sufficient but I'm afraid I'm a big softy at heart and don't think I'd fare well if it came down to sending them off the butchers! Would love a pair of geese too but everyone has been warning me off them!!Love the idea of a cut flower garden I grow lots of random flowers mostly for the bees and scent but it is nice to have some lovely fresh flowers in the house

goodenoughal great pics its lovely to see the before and after and to see exactly how much work you have put in! It all looks so neat and tidy ours always looks wild and bedraggled

Would also love to hear the rhubarb and vanilla jam recipe please

skibike2007 we do it as a natural way to keep slugs away from plants but not sure if it will help with splitting

elephantoverthehill sounds like you had a productive if backbreaking day !Our soil is crap really hard we have been planting for 3 years now and its still hard to dig

I've just dug up where I'd planted the garlic, and there was not a single clove in sight presumably they must have just rotted to nothing? Glad I checked!

Ski I thought splitting was due to uneven watering, but it could be to do with uneven temperature as well I suppose.

Ooooo I love a before and after photo!

Although not of my pea plants at the moment

Consoling myself with apple crumble infront of doctor who with the kids.

If I cut off the bit above the break will it survive? Or pull it and put something else on?

Thanks I think I'll try it anyway. I grew tomatoes successfully in my old house but for the last years in new place I've lost nearly the whole crop right at the end which has been really soul destroying. I've tried growbags in the green house and outside in the plot.
I've been super successful with loads of fruit (lots of green strawberries already) so I wondered if it was just the soil/ location?

I think my courgettes are bouncing back after being caught by frost, what do you think?

So maybe your pea will be ok cathpot

Yes- maybe. At least the wind has stopped and we've had some rain

You had rain?!?
Everything here seems to be in stasis. Dry and grey weather is not good for growing.

Evening!
no, no shove ...
elephant - remember its a a marathon, not sprint - hot bath I reckon
Gin - :(
Cath - I would leave it alone tbh, see what happens, and sow some more around it. I am sowing my maincrop hopefully tomorrow . loads of time!
tiz - yes - looking good. :)
SkiBike - here you go. Its a bit expensive on vanilla pods mind, but lovely!

Rhubarb and Vanilla Jam

1 kg rhubarb , weighed after trimming, cut into 3 cm chunks
1 kg Jam sugar - (or 1 kg caster sugar + 1 x 8gm sachet of pectin)
2 Vanilla pods, halved length wise
Juice of 1 Lemon

Into a large pan, put rhubarb, sugar, and vanilla pods.
Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved.
Then add in the lemon juice , and increase the heat.
Boil for about 10 minutes- and test for setting point (105º )

Glad my before/after photos were inspiring! In those overwhelmed moments it really does help to see what I've done, and makes the next few jobs seem manageable.

We just had a 'leisure' visit to the garden today - playing, a slightly nippy BBQ and some toasted marshmallows 😊

Vanilla pods

I'm making Raspberry rhubarb crumble bars with the last of my rhubarb and some frozen raspberries from last year.

Used to trade blackberries for raspberries with a colleague but she's now moved away so no swapsies this year

Thank you for reminding me about jam, had some blackberries and black currants from the freezer soaking in sugar. Now have DH busy bringing them to the boil, with a vanilla pod.

Ooh two fab receipts thanks I'll try both out thanks. I've zapped cooked rhubarb and tried "hiding" it in other bits and one DD eats it but the other I can't get it passed!

Arrh auto correct!

Gin bad luck about the garlic. Did you plant out direct? Next time it might be worth trying to sow the cloves in modules in autumn - you can overwinter them and plant out in spring. Gives you a bit more control and you can actually see that the beggars have grown!

I mean to do this every year and every year I........don't

Jam is done.
Dinner had a lot of spring greens fried up with the leeks that were a bit sad, ie the skinny ones that want to go to seed. Two of my onions tried to throw up flowers, sure sign of drought.
I've just remembered that DH courted me by making me jam, so that's an over and out for tonight.

Tizwoz, your courgettes look a lot happier than mine (also frost damaged). Does anyone else get regret for the plants they're not planting, I have been sowing carrot seed with my son and his friend and now wish I'd gone for the interesting color ones, I have my tomatoe plants growing nicely but saw some bright purple and stripy seeds advertised and thought hmmmm. I also wish I was growing Squash, and garlic and really want to grow asparagus even though I don't even like it... come autumn I am definately building more raised beds...

Aw and Frouby, I have a 3 year old too but he doesn't have his own gardening gloves - I might have to buy him some :) is he enthusiastic about the garden? Mine is sometimes but sometimes complains that he doesn't like it because it is "all smelly and full of plants". Also him and his friend were trying to plant some sweets in the raised beds today to make them grow. I worry they are going to be disappointed...