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

Thank you Gin, I might well take you up on that!

We harvested wheat and made breadone year. Threshed it with a fafabric bag banged on brick wall and winnowed with a sheet. Coffee mill did the grinding. Did one batch with pestle and mortar, too much work. Surprisingly nice bread.

GnomeDePlume it's just mash potato rather than anything that resembles flour, but this recipe also has to have some dry ingredients in the form of ground almonds or polenta so perhaps no good for you and if you're aiming for something fat free this won't fit the requirement

Gluten Free Lemon Drizzle Cake

I've made that one Tizwoz, I took it my sisters when I went to visit a while back. My teenage nephews were amazed it had mashed potato in it after they had eaten 2 slices each

Pestilentialone sounds interesting. If I do manage a cake this year I might look at something in the bread line next year. I wonder if I could grow something to make oil from?

Gnome, do show us a pic of your wheat if you can, please.

You could grow rape Gnome? I don't know how you make the oil but it's very easy to grow!

Sunflowers for oil?

Lulooo I'll take a picture of the wheat when it is slightly less underwhelming than it is now!

I wonder if worry is the main emotion for wheat growers? I dont think I have worried so constantly about anything else I have tried to grow!

(I can send you some rape seeds next year too Gnome if you work it out)

I've just covered the tomatoes and courgettes. We're not due anything lower than 5 degrees tonight but three of the tomatoes plants are in such a windy spot. I'm going to move them tomorrow, I think. They are constantly being battered by wind, and the two in a more sheltered spot are looking so much healthier.

pressing whether rape or sunflower seed seems to be the problem.

Isnt the internet a wonderful thing! I now know about a gazillion percent more about the vegetable oil extraction process than I did 30 minutes ago!

Same Gnome

I thought that worry was the main emotion for most commercial farmers. I know a fruit farmer and there's worries about frost, hail, damaged to fruit, etc, etc.

We had a productive day yesterday. Built our bean wigwams and put up netting for the peas which are showing signs of growing. This was some netting we found left by previous plotholder. Not convinced that it will stand up well to strong winds to be honest. Time will tell.
Also planted carrots, more beetroot, spring onions. Yesterday it was warmish but dull. Today it's been cold again. The weather is so confusing this year - DD was running around in her shorts at the end of March but last week was back in woolly tights!

I've sown some more squash seeds as first haven't germinated and have put them on top of the radiator to give them such extra warmth to try and start them off. Someone suggested that on this thread so thank you to whoever that was.

I'm planting my first asparagus this year Elephant, I'm just waiting on my crowns to be delivered and I also planted seeds. We only have one other plot holder who plants asparagus and he's got some beauties coming up just now.

Welcome Fun

Hoed, watered the plot and earthed up the potatoes. Shallots and onions are doing rather good.

No plot tomorrow as cars in for MOT and I have housework to catch up on.

We are arable farmers and I think worry is overtaken by frustration more than anything else! Frustration over human error with the drilling, frustration over people walking through young crops, frustration with people starting fires... etc!

IckleWickle I was thinking about trying from seed, I think it was on GQT last week. At least I could start it now that my germinating mini greenhouse is beginning to empty a bit. How are your seeds doing?

Beautiful day yesterday and no wind which was a relief. I was mostly working but nipping in and out to the raised bed to plant some more spring onion and a second lot of coriander as the first were a no show. Saw a blackbird later having a good old rummage - I may need to sow in pots. Of the 3 new plums one is bursting happily into leaf and the others are looking like over pampered sticks. I keep peering at them in the hope of seeing a speck of green. Realised I have planted an outdoor cucumber in a pot in the greenhouse. Do they mind being in a greenhouse or should I move it?

Gin for sure your concerns will be far greater than mine! I think my worry with the wheat is that this is my first go at growing it. I think it may have been late going in as currently it looks a little too much like rows of couch grass for comfort!

On the plus side the beet looks healthy and happy enough.

I've just been out and had a good old shift around. The tomatoes and courgettes are now out of the wind and hopefully won't be too stressed at being moved. Gardening on a small scale is so much more stressful than farming. It's too easy to see mistakes and where things haven't worked when it's on such a small scale.

It seems to be a full time job at the moment. I'm letting the cat on the garden to keep the birds/mice/rabbits under control, but then have to use sticks all around small plants to stop him digging them up. Then the dog sees the sticks as chew toys while stamping all over the little plants in the process. And if it's none of those things, it's DP 'weeding' things that aren't weeds! I need a 24 hour watchman

Elephant I have no seedlings yet, they can take 1-2 months . Book did say they are easy to germinate.

Oh no Gin that sounds busy. One of our cats thinks he's digging instead of covering up after himself and in the process have made two of my newly planted garden plants look sorry for themselves.

Pleased I watered yesterday, no rain in sight and the ground is that dry a desert would be ashamed of Scotland.

Next trip to the plot I'll need to do a skip run of some odds and bits going about.

the quickest dip in, busy busy with DGS
It has been cold and grey here yesterday and today - not got above 10º
Its going to be cold tonight, so bringing stuff in .
Back later to read back properly!

we are decommissioning the sandpit (kids don't play with it anymore)
it's shallow, about 1x1 m.
have got some plug plants (caulis, peas, broad beans).
will cauliflower bee ok with 20cm soil?
if not I shall find a space somewhere else.

Gnome Your cake challenge sounds amazing! Please do keep us updated with all of the steps.

Gin DH's cats like to squash plants while they drink out of the tiny pond. I have just come back in from shoving some kebab sticks into the ground to protect my sweet peas. I think we're going to have to keep a bowl of water outside for them, since they seem to reject the one beside their food.

Red No idea if 20cm is deep enough, sorry, but using the sandpit as a raised bed is what I'll be doing if the children drive me to insanity with the mess they make. They're on their last warning!

It's beautiful here today: just a light breeze, cloudless skies and about 16C. Hopefully that encourages a bit of growth in the garden. I plan to use the lovely weather as a good time to pot on some tomato plants before composting the rest.

Hi All! I am just starting out with a small veg plot in the garden. We moved house just over a year ago and the last owners had obviously been good at gardening - there are signs of an old veg garden and last year we kept discovering wonderful things!

We have got a fruit bed with rhubarb - which did well on complete neglect last year - but I fear this year is a bit sad. Probably due to the lack of rain. I have given it a good water and hope it will recover a bit. The lack of leaves however does seem to show it is a bit congested - should we be looking to divide this in the autumn? Any other advice much appreciated!

Gin I caught my dog chewing the only rose for my watering cans today- by the time I'd realised she'd destroyed it!

I planted more broad beans and peas outside today. Better get on with transplanting the brassica seedlings from the polytunnel outside soon before they turn into triffids! I've only done the kale so far- well some of the kale, there's heaps left, but I'm going to leave them until I need the bed then eat them as babies