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

Is anyone growing a fig? I was given one a couple of years ago that I thought would need to grow inside but it turns out it should be absolutely fine in our garden, even over winter. RHS says it should be fan trained but that seems a little tough. I wonder if it would work to just grow it up against a trellis?

Look what I found on my plot today. We are promised rain tomorrow the ground certainly needs it. I was trying to push some canes in today and I didn't stand a chance as the ground is so hard.

Lucky you, elephant! It looks perfect.

kiwi we have a fig growing against a south facing but slightly shaded wall of our house, it's Brown Turkey. Usually get a few figs off it in the summer, it's never protected from frost but it is about 20 years old. We hack it back every winter and it explodes every summer!

Meant to say, it grows lots of figs but few make it to ripeness unless we get a really good summer. It's in a very dry bed and never watered.

We have a fig, it is also about 20 yo and grows lots of figs. It is in a protected south facing aspect and lots make it to ripeness. They need to have their roots constricted to fruit well, ours is in a raised bed about 2ft by 3ft. The second fruiting never ripens, so needs to be picked off before winter.
About half the crop ripens in the same week, we have found very inventive ways to use kgs of the feckers, fig jerkum was good.

I adore figs...... really don't have anywhere to put one of those!
elephant - medal for the first strawberry!

They do take up space. Can't imagine fan training one. Having had figs at a few houses, they need to be in a suntrap position.

I have a fig tree, it's not brown turkey, have only had ripe fruit one summer so far. the fruit is a bit rounder than brown turkey and stays green.
it's a bit of a thug, lots of suckers and it needs cutting down hard each winter or it would get too tall quickly.
it looks like a good climbing tree, but to dc's dissapointment the wood is too bendy.

btw - Welcome Beeping ! ( unless its a nc? )

elephant - all that strawberry needs now is some red PVC.....

We inherited a big fig which we eventually had to kill as it was rooted next to and under a dry stone wall and it was pushing the wall over. Wasn't too upset as it fruited but they didn't ripen. Cutting it down the sap gave DH burns on his arms

My pots arrived - I'm guessing they will be big enough...

Cathpot is that Amazon packaging? If so they will probably be 6" pots. If I were to go down the red PVC route I would have more holes than red PVC!

Yes - I've just opened them and had a rummage for the pots. On the upside, two huge cardboard boxes will keep DD2 busy tomorrow for hours.

and the cardboard is perfect to put on the beds to supress weeds

Heyup; I have recently acquired a hosepipe and worked out how to use it . I sowed loads of grass seed around 3-4 weeks ago (literally dug the ground over, then flung seed about, then watered) and have been watering periodically since then but a lot of the seed hasn't germinated. Am I doing something wrong?

On the plus side, I have been gifted a few young jerusalem artichoke plants! Just need to work out where to put them now.... sadly my oca have not recovered from the slug attack

La we sowed some grass seed too, and today is the first day we've seen some growth - I think it's just been too cold before today. We haven't been watering it daily and it was out of date seed, but seems to be working!

Look what our lovely neighbour brought us today - huge tomato and courgette plants! We will plant them out once PIL's dog has gone home on Monday.

I got two ripe strawberries from the polytunnel yesterday! Yummy.

Cath - cardboard boxes are really useful!
LaContessa - a hosepipe ! - grass seed can be very slow, but also - have you put any bird deterrent down - net/ fleece ?- they love grass seed ( I seeded a bit of grass last year, and popped a lace curtain over it - classy eh? ) Good news on the jerusalem artichokes,at least :)
oh, thats almost cheating Eating -

No plot till next week.

Can't plant anymore seeds just now with the cold snap. Getting them out next week though. A mixture of things to plant.

ALL my sweet corn has sprouted. First time ever!! My beans are starting and my Brussel sprouts are up too.

As no plot I pottered in the garden and planted some plants that I got from a National Trust house. They sell them very cheaply as all are from cuttings from the enclosed garden or people's homes.

Evening all! Spent the whole day on the plot planting out flowers: dahlias, asters, dianthus, zinnias, godetia. All under polytunnel and have come out of a cold greenhouse so hopefully not too much of a shock for them.

The ground is still so dry.

LaContessa and 'Gin* , I also sowed some grass seed exactly 2 weeks ago today. There was nowt for ages and I was thinking I might have to buy new seed or source some cheap turf but I went yesterday and can see a light stubble coming up. Mine was old seed too and I also just flung it all over anyway willy nilly.

Grouchy I have a kiwi tree that I acquired last summer. DH bought it as an impromptu gift on the way home and I was thrilled. The day before that he impulsively bought me a bunch of bamboo canes and I was so pleased and excited (he presented them just as I was making my pea frame) that the next day he went and bought a fig tree. I do love him so. :)
It had 5 figs on it when he bought it but they all fell off before they ripened. It's still sitting in a pot and I'm contemplating what to do with it. I may buy a big pot like Cathpot as I have little room to plant it out. I read figs should have their roots constricted anyway so they put more energy into producing fruit.

There should a few people in my neighbourhood with fig trees in their garden. One has an abundance of lovely figs that have sitting on it since last (they take 2 years to ripen) and another is a mahoosive ugly beast that has taken over someone's entire front garden, blocking light to the living room and with no fruit that I could see. And then there's an inbetween one which is still on the big side.

Eating I will pass Book's strawberry medal to you.

Gin I thought those tomato plants had ripe tomatoes on them until I realised it was your fruit bowl

Cathpot can you get your pots out for the L.A.Ds (Lovely Allotment Dwellers)

I agree, get yerr pots out!

Another day of planting tomorrow. Another couple of rows on the flower bed and leeks on the autumn/winter bed. Also another few rows of pea seeds to go in.

One of the struggling new plotholders was back today. He was there a couple of weeks ago basically combing his weeds with a rake. He has finally seen sense and got the sprayer out. I will let the field steward know so that he doesn't get another letter from the committee. I know we all try to be chemical free but sometimes weedkiller is needed.

Gosh Gnome - hope you are having a good hot soak, just to keep the muscles going for tomorrow !
I am taking a real punt, and leaving my dahlias out of the greenhouse tonight ... it says it's not going to go below 8º - fingers and toes crossed!