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Gardening

Find tips and tricks to make your garden or allotment flourish on our Gardening forum.

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

992 replies

bookbook · 28/04/2017 22:27

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

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Frouby · 20/05/2017 22:42

Yes they are a friendly bunch. All very different personalities too.

Here's ds and his little spade looking a bit weary after a full day plotmenting as he calls it.

Allotment/Veg Patch Thread 9 - Spring is sprung, its getting really busy!
elephantoverthehill · 20/05/2017 22:52

He is very cute Frouby and looks very earnest Smile. May I suggest that the next title of this thread could include the wonderful verb 'plotmenting'?

IlPorcupinoNilSodomyEst · 20/05/2017 23:38

Gorgeous boy Frouby ! Yes please can we have 'plotmenting through the summer' or similar?!

GrouchyKiwi · 21/05/2017 00:02

What a sweetheart, Frouby.

GinGeum · 21/05/2017 05:46

Loving 'plotmenting'! What a sweetie.

Looks like glorious weather for the next week. I think finishing shed painting is on the agenda for today. I desperately need the hedges around the veg patch trimmed, but that's a DP job.

GnomeDePlume · 21/05/2017 06:36

'plotmenting' sums it up very nicely

TheThingsIDoForYouLot · 21/05/2017 08:51

I don't suppose any of you are on Instagram and post photos of your allotments/ veg gardens?
I love a bit of inspiration from friends' gardens, and always drive extra slow past allotments, like I'm casing-the-joint 🙂

tizwozliz · 21/05/2017 09:37

Morning, sun is shining here after endless days of rain. I'm hoping it stays dry as this is my last chance to cut the grass before going away for 3 weeks.

I'm transplanting some courgettes today, they were spares but my other squash haven't germinated at all so they'll be taking over the spot I had in mind.

Also going to start rotting down some comfrey, so that should be nice and smelly by the time I return.

Can't remember if it was on the earlier thread, but someone was concerned about their nasturtiums not germinating. My self sown ones are only just coming through now (am in the East Midlands)

Newtssuitcase · 21/05/2017 13:01

Just been down to the nursery in our village and picked up a couple of sneaky courgettes bearing lots of flowers, butternut squash and a good pot of chives (my chives from seed are all up but look a bit pathetic). All 80p so far cheaper than the garden centre. I generally avoid it because they had a lot of ropey looking plants when I last went about a year ago but these all look reasonably happy.

bookbook · 21/05/2017 13:07

Afternoon!
next thread title sorted now :)
A good couple of hours done this morning. Ground very soft, so its an easy job of digging up bindweed at the moment. Did a fair amount of that! Planted out baby spinach and the first lot of leeks- 'Jolant' for an earlier crop, and 'Blue Solaise' for over winter. Also started on the flowers, so managed to get cosmos and scabious planted up too.
Going back this afternoon to finish the netting of the brassica cage ( then I can plant out tomorrow) and get the last wigwam up and ready for runner beans. Need to take my cauliflowers to plant out - I left them behind this morning. They are going next to the summer cabbages under enviromesh - it works so well.
all will be well, hopefully Lulooo - is someone watering/checking for you while you are away?

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Lulooo · 21/05/2017 13:24

book, I've asked a friend to come and water once or twice a week. The previous owner of the plot has also offered to come and water so I'm hoping between the two of them it'll be okay. I do worry about the greenhouse though. It's very hot and dry in there.

I've had a few hours at the other early today morning tidying up. Cleaned my rickety shed and the old greenhouse up. It's due a complete makeover that I'll do in the summer holiday hopefully with DS. Also cleaned up all the pathways of stray pots thats I'd flung aside whilst potting up, bits of bamboo canes and wood and all manner of random paraphernalia and then hosed the paths down. It does look lovely now.

I'm also hoping to do something with my paths after I return. I'd prefer grass but turf is a bit dear and seed seems to grow but patchy. Maybe I'll see if I can find some free woodchip or flagstones.

GinGeum · 21/05/2017 15:06

It's so warm out there! I've been so busy painting I've not noticed how much sun I've caught. DP has just come home unexpectedly and is trying to get the hedge trimmer going. The hedges around the veg patch are desperate to be trimmed, but I'm rather concerned all my plants will be trampled on by DP as he does it... I think I'll have to be annoying and supervise!

Have planted some sage and lavender on the veg patch and noticed lots of flowers on the tomato plants. How nothing has been eaten by slugs yet, I'll never know.

Frouby · 21/05/2017 16:21

Lovely here today too. Finally got all the strimming done. The bottom half is still terrible though. It all wants turning over. Brambles as thick as my arm in some places. Plus still quite a bit of rubbish to move. But at least you can walk down it now.

Am tempted to have a series of mini bonfires down there to try and get rid of some of it. The 2 main burning piles are so big now I daren't light them or they will scorch everyones crops.

I have also planted out half a dozen each of tomato, chilli and sweet peppers. A half bed of leeks, a bed of early and 2 of main crop spuds and have a tray of onions to do when dp has made some more beds!

Me and dd also brought 10 sacks and 3 trugs of manure up from the yard.

It's very quiet in our house this afternoon lol.

elephantoverthehill · 21/05/2017 17:20

Beautiful weather today here too. I got some outdoor cucumbers this morning at the car boot and some flowers for the garden. So I planted out the cucumbers, the sweetcorn and the tomatoes and did a bit of half-hearted weeding.

Cathpot · 21/05/2017 17:44

DH took kids out so I could do some work and came home to find me wrestling with ivy. Lovely lovely couple of hours barkchipping round new plums trees, clearing the ivy from behind the raspberries etc. I watered my pea leaves with a rose head watering can and seaweed fertiliser which I am hoping is what a foliage drench is supposed to be. Tomato flowers are coming. Still need to Wong my chillies with silver foil but the kids can help me with that.

Cathpot · 21/05/2017 17:47

This is my view right now with cup of tea while DH gets fish and chips! Very content

Allotment/Veg Patch Thread 9 - Spring is sprung, its getting really busy!
Wh0Kn0wsWhereTheTimeGoes · 21/05/2017 18:00

Lovely Cathpot. Here's my view rightnow while DH makes dinner Smile

Allotment/Veg Patch Thread 9 - Spring is sprung, its getting really busy!
Cathpot · 21/05/2017 18:02

That looks lovely!

didireallysaythat · 21/05/2017 18:16

6 hours and the raspberry patch is almost free of dandelions (for the moment at least). Then I strimmed inside the greenhouse (oh that it's come to this).

Still the blokey on the patch next door says he'll now my patch this week (he's mowed the asparagus so many times that I've given up on seeing it this year).

Allotment/Veg Patch Thread 9 - Spring is sprung, its getting really busy!
bookbook · 21/05/2017 19:18

Lovely pics there Cath, WhoKnows and didi
I am sat rather weary - but managed to get quite a lot more done this afternoon. Just need to plant it all up tomorrow , and decide on the mix of PSB curly kale, sprouts and calabrese. DH wants more sprouts, I want more calabrese :)
I saw the first white cabbages today , so the netting will be really necessary!
Loads more to plant out yet - most of the flowers, carrots in plugs, leaf celery and savoys are a bit small, so can stand another week in plugs.
Need to put the door on the fruit cage soon, but noticed today that in the wind last week the net has been breached along the top ,it got caught on the corner and ripped a bit, so need to get that fixed.
I was admiring the shallots, coming along nicely, and then realised that I had put some over wintering onions in too ( brain fade - it was the last sad pack in the shop, so took pity on them ) - 'Radar' - they are looking good, and needed so little attention, I may have to grow them again next year - normally only do shallots.
Never get a time to rest at this time of year.....

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Wh0Kn0wsWhereTheTimeGoes · 22/05/2017 07:02

Lovely afternoon yesterday after almost a week of solid rain. Dug out lots of couch grass etc, the soil is lovely and soft again, planted out sweetcorn, strimmered edges. Forecast is hot this week so I hope to get back up tonight for more weeding before the soil dries out again.

Pestilentialone · 22/05/2017 07:04

book our over winter onions have done so well that we have eaten a couple already.
The slugs have dessimated the chard and perpetual spinach, hopefully the nematodes will kick in soon and sort the problem.

clarabellski · 22/05/2017 09:08

Good morning plotmenters!

What a weekend! I had a bath saturday night and sunday night and my back is still aching!

Spent 3 hours in the greenhouse on Saturday potting on various greenhouse crops and outdoor crops - photos from about half way in are attached. 2 hours yesterday outside planting up big planters with sweetpeas and planting out squashes, courgettes, beans, tomatillos and direct sowing lots of turnip, beets, radish.

thethings I do I don't use instagram but I try to post plot photos on this thread and lots of others do too. if you browse through the old threads you'll find lots of lovely photos.

Pest and book I was just admiring our red onions that we sowed in November. They are looking very healthy and will probably be ready to harvest in June by the looks of it.

Frouby your DS is so cute with his spade! I was in the supermarket yesterday morning and bought DS (15 months) a little wheelbarrow. He was enjoying filling it with water then tipping it over DH

Allotment/Veg Patch Thread 9 - Spring is sprung, its getting really busy!
Allotment/Veg Patch Thread 9 - Spring is sprung, its getting really busy!
timtam23 · 22/05/2017 13:12

Morning plotmenters!
Frouby that's a lovely photo of your DS. How nice that he enjoys the allotment. My two seem to lack the attention span, after 10 minutes they're fed up.

Still very few signs of potatoes up at my plot. I planted 8 first earlies and only 4 are through. Oh well i will keep watering and keep fingers crossed.

I planted climbing French bean seeds direct into the soil at the weekend as I've had no luck with germinating at home. Only one made it - a Blue Lake - and I've now added Cobra. Also a few bush beans just to use up old seeds. Sweet peas down here & there to fill in the gaps on the cane supports.

My 4 extra sweetcorn have germinated at home and also my 2 outdoor cucumbers "Lemon Crystal" - i have no experience of growing cucumbers before so I'm going to squeeze them onto a corner of the manure pile with a bit of trellis for support.

I raided the B&Q dead plant corner for some hanging basket plants last week and got quite a few French marigolds etc, too many for the basket so the surplus will be heading to the allotment tomorrow to go in my front border. There were loads of sad-looking veg seedlings reduced too but many of them looked sickly or were rotting at the bases.

Tomorrow I'm also going to put some straw around my strawberries and will make an attempt to net them, i have builder's piping & a huge roll of netting so it should be fairly simple to put together i hope.

GinGeum · 22/05/2017 13:26

This weather is gorgeous isn't it? I'm wearing shorts for the first time this year! GinDog and GinCat are enjoying sunbathing... on my vegetables I think the soil is nice and cooling for them.

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