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

Cath your comment about making plants grow through humiliation made me think of this:

“He had heard about talking to plants in the early seventies, on Radio Four, and thought it was an excellent idea. Although talking is perhaps the wrong word for what Crowley did.

What he did was put the fear of God into them.

More precisely, the fear of Crowley.

In addition to which, every couple of months Crowley would pick out a plant that was growing too slowly, or succumbing to leaf-wilt or browning, or just didn't look quite as good as the others, and he would carry it around to all the other plants. "Say goodbye to your friend," he'd say to them. "He just couldn't cut it. . . "

Then he would leave the flat with the offending plant, and return an hour or so later with a large, empty flower pot, which he would leave somewhere conspicuously around the flat.

The plants were the most luxurious, verdant, and beautiful in London. Also the most terrified.”

I have both bay and blueberries by my back door in pots, they bay needs protecting from harsh frost, mine is looking the worse for wear after a couple of late hard frosts but it will recover I'm sure. I use the leaves in cooking all the time. My blueberry harvest is variable but the plants are very attractive, they are two different varieties.

Una that was dark and creepy!
I noted Book mentioned about plants doing things when your back is turned. When I first took over the plot I had severe rhubarb envy, so I decided to try some from seed and here they are like cute little bonsai plants. I also got a couple of divided crowns from a work colleague and I have been quite worried about them. I watered them muchly through the dry spells and when I went on my strawberry gathering excursion they have done it behind my back and loads of leaves are now sprouting. Do you think I should continue to pot on the tiddlers until autumn and then put them in the plot or do it sooner?

Good Omens??!

And also those are very sweet rhubarbs.

elephant - they do, don't they? :) ( doing things behind your back. ) - I personally would keep potting on and put out in autumn, along with a good thick mulch. Stops any chance of slugs etc.

Afternoon!
well, it was supposed to rain all day, and it didn't. In fact muggy and sunny at times.
So this afternoon, I did a quick dash for an hour at the plot. I wanted to sow a last bunch of 'Hurst Greenshaft' peas , before doing maincrop 'Ambassador' I only had a square bit of land to use , so I have sown them in a block, instead of a row .
And look - nearly ready - my overwinter broad beans :)

Our rain didn't really eventuate either, books.

But! The yellow courgettes have finally germinated! So exciting.

I got some chive plants with my groceries today so have divided them up and planted them beside the plants most afflicted by aphids. Hopefully that will send the nasty green things away.

Meant to say: lovely broad beans!

Evening all

Haven't been up to the plot since sunday and really missed it. Will get half an hour tomorrow then a few hours hopefully on Thursday.

Have loads of space left for stuff but ran out of materials for raised beds. Have 2 left. Do you think I could plant my peas and some runner beans along the fence line? We have that mesh fencing so they could climb up it and I could thread some longer canes through if they needed it. There will be space to walk between the plants and water etc. Just seems daft to use a square bed to put peas in in rows then use canes etc to support when there is support and unused space there in a line.

I also bought a tray of baby sweetcorn plants from a lovely garden centre about 9 miles away. It's absolutely huge, really cheap and everything is home grown and looks really healthy.

We did however end up buying ds a kids wheelbarrow that was £26 bloody quid. I saw it and steered ds around it as I knew it would be expensive. Dp actually showed it him, then asked how much. By which time ds had it loaded up with a rake and his seeds and was off with it. Fml.

I did get a free gate the other day off a fb selling page so I suppose one pays for the other. Fab gate too. Really solid and sturdy.

Hello everyone! What a lovely bank holiday weekend it was. Got loads done in the garden, including a cheeky visit to Dobbies for some replacement beans & squashes. I'm due to take my monthly progress photo in the next few days.

Gin you're so lucky winning the B&Q voucher! I never win stuff like that. I did get sent a free bottle of washing liquid from mumsnet the other month though, lol...

Cath that chilli idea looks interesting, may give it a go! Also for the gift pots, how about nasturtiums? Edible flowers and leaves, and tumbles beautifully out of the pot, although not as permanent as other suggestions....

Book our overwintered broadbeans look to be a similar stage to yours. We opened one of the pods the other day to have a munch. The beans were still quite small but lovely and tender. Another couple of weeks will do it I think. Our spring-sown ones are about half the height of the autumn-sown ones, and are starting to flower, so I'm hoping we'll be cropping for quite a few weeks!

Yes, Good Omens - sorry to introduce a dark note!

I have finally got sone sweetcorn to germinate - think my previous batch (Ruby Queen) was poor quality as not a single one germinated, but I tried again with a different variety (Swift) and they came up straight away under clingfilm. Interestingly I tried sone of them in James Wong's aspirin /chamomile soak and some in water: the aspirin ones are a bit more vigorous but I lost more to mould.

In other news, I desperately need some plastic forks as there are big holes in my bean drills where the cat(s) has been digging. French beans are sprouting nicely but I'm not sure if my runners are slow or have been eaten - just one slightly ragged leaf has appeared so far!

We have the ultimate slug control, a slow worm.

Afternoon!
been a bit busy today at home, but did manage an hour this morning planting out runner beans ' White Lady' and green french beans 'Cobra" , also another pot of leeks - ( another 1 and a half to go , but still a bit small) the first of the leaf celery , and some asters in spare bits of ground around the bean wigwams. The catmint near me was absolutely humming with bees - a glorious sound :) Watered the squashes and courgettes - fingers crossed no sign of slug damage - think its a bit dry for them , so useful to water in a morning, so its not damp overnight.
It is absolutely scorching here today - so have just watered all my greenhouse stuff - it looks as if I may have a first cucumber set - that warm spell last week really got them growing apace. And I have a first flower on one of the sweet pepper plants too, along with flower buds on one of the aubergines.
clara - snap - I was thinking along the lines of 7-10 days :), so not long to fresh veg! - I too have spring ones that I sowed in pots at home , they do have flowers open, but nothing set yet I don't think.
Una - me and sweetcorn have a bit of a love/hate thing going with germination. I think it must be more time critical , but then I am going to try Luloos tip of growing on damp paper next year.

I summoned troops yesterday, DS1 and DS2 and together we have got the shed more upright. I can now shut the door. I went this morning to measure up to get some bits to help the shed and went and tinkered a bit more this afternoon. It is almost there. Lovely plot neighbour lent me her hose pipe which made watering a bit easier. I do have a hose but it will only be practical if I can use Grumpy D's tap to the left of my plot, he hasn't been around for a few weeks so I haven't been able to ask him.
My peas have been demolished. One poor war wounded, almost survivor pea has made a tremendous effort to develop 3 pods. I will put in some main crop replacements tomorrow.
Pestil I discovered a slow worm back in March, and I also have newts. Do they only eat slugs? Snails seem to be marauding force around my plot so that might explain it.

book clara next year I am doing over wintered broad beans, I have been enviously looking at yours and my plot neighbours. DS1 loves broad beans so next year we go for two sowings.

Elephant no idea if they can do snails also. She had better get busy breeding because my main crop peas have also been decimated. The mange tout about 6m away are fine.

book lovely looking broad beans! How do you overwinter them? (Stupid question?)

Pest and Gin
Overwinter broad beans
I sow direct at the end of October/beginning November and cover with hoops and fleece - I just leave them alone then ! I sow some early in pots in the greenhouse in December/January too. That was done one year when some dastardly mice went and dug them all up-, so works as an insurance policy - they either fill gaps or adds a second succession earlyish crop . The variety I use is 'The Sutton'

Just read about your peas elephant and Pest - are you sure its snails/slugs? . The pigeons around here tear them to bits - the one plant right at the end of my row ( which has chicken wire defences) is in tatters, as it pokes out through the wire

Book I am trying to take some of the lead from the more seasoned plotmenters. Nobody seems to net their peas and most have good healthy specimens although they do seem to have planted them much closer together. I will try this tomorrow with the next lot. Brassicas are netted but I am not attempting any this year. As for the strawberries I did ask others whether 'D' strawed them or netted them and was replied 'no' so I haven't and have only lost some to woodlice. The clue about the snails was under one of the boards that used to surround the beds, when I turned it over I found a whole illegal rave of snails. I am going to leave replacing the bed edging until next year. There is only so much one can do in the first year

Judging by the beer traps, we have a lot of snail raves. They like chard even more than peas. Very few pigeons around and the sparrows specialise in Chinese greens. Have created a washing up bowl pond to help balance the predator, prey, pollinator populations.

Has anyone bought ladybirds off Amazon? Is it worth it?

Have bought a black elderflower. It is going to have to live in a pot this year until we have reduced the unproductive plums and cut back the white elderflower. Looking forward to pink elderflower gin next year.
Am making do with elderflower and rhubarb gin this year. Was inspired by a jam conversation on here.

Have been sorting buying herbs. Have lovage, hyssop and celery leaf, plus mint because I always kill it.

Certainly the best way elephant same here with peas - when I started I followed the instructions - 1 every couple of inches. Now its the same as everyone else - thickly sown, almost like a thicket :)
I am lucky I don't have a lot of snails at the plot , mostly slugs. I don't have much wood though, and a lot of open ground .
I have done leaf celery this year too - I got some seeds from shove ( I do hope she's okay - I miss her input) , they took forever to get going. I also have a collection of mints - chocolate, ginger and a strong red one too :)

Talking of over wintering things, I planted some Japanese onions at the end of October and they are now massive. Have already harvested a few and they are yummy.
Three cornered leeks have been eaten by the armful, don't get any, they are soooo invasive.
The good king henry at home has been brilliant through the hungry gap, so am planting more at the plot.
First radishes are ready, remember to eat the tops, they are like turnips tops, loved by the Italians. Rice and turnip soup is the best, honest it is so much better than it sounds. Lovage is a big part of maggi stock cubes, get some.
DH is trialling perpetual kales.
What perennials, overwinter crops do you recommend?

book where the heck is @shovetheholly ?

Surely you must have pm'ed Shove, Book?