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

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

Flop my courgettes have failed totally, they were old seeds. I went to the garden centre today to buy some SBK and looked at a pack of courgette seeds - £3.29! I will buy plants for 25p -50p at carboots, as I will only need 3 maximum. I will grow asparagus next year as I love it. I just didn't want to run before I can walk.

That's the reason I limited myself this year elephant! Problem is I am very much a runnerbefor walking (and then fall flat on my face) kind of person. I did also get sucked in by an offer on fruit bushes (9 euros for 6 different types) despite the fact they are bare root crowns and I know really it is to late to plant them. Plus I already bought one raspberry this year and was going to wait until next year before getting any more. Hey ho.

Hal thank you for the garlic tip! I did plant them out direct this time. Never mind!

I've got a long list of things I want to grow next year when I'm a bit more sorted. I didn't really expect to get anything this year but hopefully will have some peas, spuds, strawberries, onions, squash and possibly raspberries. I've also got asparagus and rhubarb in, as I wanted to get them started. Oh, and there were currant and gooseberry bushes in the garden already.

I have severe rhubarb envy. Rhubarb is our absolute favourite in this house. The DSs would eat rhubarb and strawberry crumble every day of the week given half a chance.

Look at mine though (planted last year so this is year 2). Completely and utterly decimated and looking incredibly sorry for itself. Second clump had fared much better but it looks like the blighters have now set their sights on it and holes have now appeared in the leaves

I'm considering moving it to one of the square raised beds but I know rhubarb isn't keen on living in a confined space. Any thoughts?

I'm very annoyed that we didn't bring any crowns from our old house. I had a rhubarb patch there which we inherited from the previous owners and was about 6 square metres. It was a thing of beauty.

Has anyone grown broccoli in pots? I've got some almost ready to plant out but I'm likely to rearrange my beds before harvesting it so don't want it stuck in a bed for a year. Thanks!

I did broccoli in pots last year goodenoughal and got decent sized heads.

Wow so much knowledge from this thread. Really enjoying seeing your pictures and reading your posts.
Shed is deconstructed on allotment, collected it yesterday and it's in good condition. Potting shed so lots of light.
Ds back from respite chilling with his technology so just introducing idea of going down to allotment after lunch to help dh build shed. Thought we would have to change windows to Perspex but contacted chairman who had told us no glass rule and he said not to worry - rules are made to be broken

things I have grown in balcony containers: carrots, beetroot, parsnips, leeks, strawberries, tomatos, sunflowers, roses, shrub hibiscus...

I'm at the sweet planting flop and surprised my youngest DD hasn't done something similar yet! She loves getting muddy and joining in the veg patch but the oldest has never liked getting mud under her nails I do think genetics is a funny olde thing!
Picked some rhubarb this morning and made the oat bars recipe linked above, I swapped oat flour out for coconut flour & ground almonds so it's tad crumby but tasted yum for elevenises my rhurbarb plants don't look happy though so I've given them a good watering feed, which I don't normally do but it's just been as SO dry this winter/spring. I weeded round the strawberries and lots green ones so I've given them a good feed too, hoping the slugs don't make a bee line for them, like last year. I really ought to put straw around them as that helped before.

Afternoon!
elephant - you need patience for asparagus - we didn't pick any for 2 years, then very little the third year.But so worth the wait.
tbni - thats nice of them about the glass - sounds lovely if it is a potting shed, not just a shed IYSWIM- your DS will be able to sit and keep warm, and maybe have a bench in there.
Newt - I don't understand anything eating rhubarb - its weird - I think Cath thought he same. Most of the damage on my thugs are more due to the lawnmower as they sprawl everywhere!
Rhubarb really like plenty of water, and I mulch mine every year when it dies down.
I had a good go at the plot this morning. But grey, cold, windy. I sowed a row of peas , finished prepping flower area , cut a cauliflower and picked asparagus for tea :)
I have seen the overnight temps are heading down again, with a warning of 1º for us later in the week ...
I watched The Beechgrove this morning before going out. They were planting blackberries that grow in hanging baskets (or pots). I am excited- DH refuses to have one, as they are a menace, but one in a pot.... I have looked it up and am incredibly tempted ..

I'm planting out, ideally I'd leave it another week but not going to have chance if I leave it any later.

However, I've run out of space/grown too much so I'm currently wondering if I can squeeze an extra raised bed in somewhere.

It's turned out beautiful here though, much better than forecast

We've just oiled the deck. Its beautifully sunny here and the deck is under a glass roof (and right next to my raised beds) so I've taken advantage of the sunshine and given it a good drink. The DSs have oiled the teak furniture (and themselves) but that needs a proper rub down really.

DH and I are now going to finish the third square bed and put in the herbs we've rescued from elsewhere in the garden. Not a lot but some rosemary and chives and I have a pot of mint which I will keep in a pot so that it doesn't spread everywhere. Then I bought a lovely clematis last week to try to cover the east facing wall behind the raised beds. Hopefully it should be ok there once we've got some trellis up. Clearly it isn't edible but it will help to pretty up the space.

Then if DH still has any energy Im going to get him to connect up a second water butt. We have three downpipes in the kitchen garden area and so lots of opportunity for rainwater collection.

Think Im going to move that rhubarb. Something clearly likes it as much as we do! DS1 says he keeps taking slugs off the plants so at least if its in a raised bed it will minimise the chances of them getting back to the plant. Its clearly struggling to do anything without its leaves and so whilst it might not like being moved we're not going to get any rhubarb from it this year anyway.

Busy Busy!

I'm sitting in the garden in the sun just enjoying it.
with a glass of woodruff cordial.
nothing better

I'm sitting in the garden in the sun with my crochet, it's a lovely afternoon here. Had half an hour at the plot with DD earlier, planted out celery and harvested rhubarb.

Hi all, newbie here ☺️

I thought I was being clever planting my tomato seeds early but I don't think it was a wise decision
They are currently in my conservatory, leggy as hell, with no where to go

My DH has filled our greenhouse to the rafters with flower seedlings, where we are it is far too cold to be putting them outside yet so I am unable to get my tomato plants in the greenhouse.

They're currently about 2.5ft tall with the first trusses.

I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to do with them.

It's going to be at least another 2 weeks before I can get them in the greenhouse

My only thought was to get some tomato bag trays and get them planted deep in tomato collars and leave them in the conservatory for this time and then move them carefully to the greenhouse when I can. Would this work?

Do I need to be taking the trusses off, is it too early?

Thanks

Forgot the pic of the unbelievably leggy plants

Thanks Newts, I'll try it. Also realised I might be able to find some space in my veg trug in the backyard.

Dry here again today, but v windy. We had a bit of rain forecast here this morning but I don't think it arrived. If it did, it was pretty brief and light.

whereabouts are you spunge ?
is outdoors for your toms a possibility?

@RedBugMug on top of the Pennines so no.
Night time temps are still very low, 5-6 deg. Daytime temps aren't much better tbh. We had snow last week

Can you shift the flower seedlings to your window sills and move the tomatoes to the greenhouse fun? Nothing like a game of seedling musical chairs.

Spunge I vote for grow bags in the conservatory, on trays and rechristen the room 'The Orangery' . Despite my best intentions no plot for me today as my marking took longer than I thought it would. Every 10 books I has a quick potter around the garden and have put in some more sweetcorn to germinate. Flop before Easter I did the runner bean in a jam jar with a Y8 Science group I have the misfortune to teach, one of them put a gummy bear in!

Or, my highly successful method for dealing with the too many seedlings, too little space dilemma: toddlers

Year eight elephant :/

To clarify, that was to express consternation that year 8s were planting gummy bears.