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

I managed to get down to the plot.
I am just prepping up the next area ready to be planted up - its the cut flower/sweet pea area . Hoed all around my shallots and garlic.
it is sunny, but so windy - drying everything up. But the dandelions are rife everywhere in the paths around .
I picked 2 little caulis from the last of my winter aalsmer plants, so cauliflower cheese for tea tonight :)

Thanks for the welcomes, everyone - what a friendly lot you are

Horrible weather here today (S.E.). Windy, not warm, flat overcast leaden sky and not a scrap of sun all day. Pretty much the same yesterday and I'm fed up with it.

On the plus side, my leek seedlings, which I always start off in deep pots and then transplant out when they're big enough, are starting to peep up. Hope the beans won't be too far behind.

And all my dahlias, which I bought as a gamble from the pound shop and Wilko, are in full leaf. I'll have to plant them out soon (I start those in pots too, never sure if that's right but was very chuffed when Monty - the Voice of God - recommended doing exactly that a few weeks ago).

bookbook your advice is always so reassuring. We are so lucky to have you here. Yes, moving the soil seems viable and a good solution. Thank you.

Newt , having the veg planted outside the kitchen will download where you can keep an eye on them sounds like the worst possible position for someone like me . I'm an impatient gardener who is forever checking for another millimetre of growth. When there's out of sight and I forget about them and then discover an extra set of leaves after a week I'm thrilled. Your raised beds look gorgeous though. I'm sure they'll provide a lovely view mid summer once they're full of green.

Redbugmug, my courgettes also took ages to germinate. I wish we could just reassure you and say they'll be okay but truth is, who knows? Seed sowing is often hit and miss, although truth be told, more hit than miss. But if they don't come up in a week just sow some more. Courgettes will soon catch up and it's not too late for them.

Halsall, I bought some dahlias from The Range and they're also coming up nicely. I've just moved them out of the greenhouse today to start hardening them off. Not sure if it's too early but I'll do it gradually and see what happens.

Also planted out my leeks today. I think I rushed it as they seem way too small. First time doing leeks and when I made the holes to pop them in some of them disappeared completely. So I planted half and left half to grow a bit more. Leeks seem such a slow veg.

*where (not 'will download')

My autospell is forever trying to manipulate my words.

Thanks Gnome this has got me thinking. Do you compost everything? eg dandelions and throw them on? or do you let it rot down a bit first so that plants don't start self seeding before you put the black polythene down?
I have had to bring my cucumber seedlings in from the greenhouse to give them some TLC. A snail or slug has eaten the tops off 4 of them.

Who knew it, snails can swim! I've watched 2 snails escape my blue crate by swimming. They did it twice, I think they almost deserve to live, but not after my cucumber nibbling.

lulooo gosh, that seems early for leeks to me, given that I've only sown mine 2 weeks ago! I don't expect to plant them outside for a good while. But I do over-winter them so I have a supply for leek & potato soup, sometimes into early next year. What variety do you grow?

In the past I've found they do disappear when watered in, but they seem to catch up.

Newt these beds look great (and the garden beyond - all yours?)

I'm doing that hot bed thing for my pumpkins this year, it makes a lot of sense.

I found a snail perched on the nozzle of my solar fountain completely surrounded by water last year and wondered if it had swum or crawled along the bottom holding it's breath!

Lulooo I have to admit to peeking out of the window more frequently than I normally do. I work from home so it's very tempting. I will need to stop myself or drive myself crazy.

Halsall yes I'm very lucky (although it doesn't feel like that when it comes to mowing the lawn or collecting leaves in the autumn). We have many acres of garden. Most of it is semi woodland and overrun with deer which eat everything in sight. I'm hoping that they won't spot the raised beds with them being at the very back of the house because they do come right up to the windows at times.

I am amazed that snails can swim!

On second thoughts you get pond snails don't you and so I'm not sure why I'm amazed at all

Gosh Newts I guess you are living on an estate, but not the kind of estate most people would picture

I bet those snails are hungry after their swim

Past tense for the snails now Red. Another 5 snails tonight and 7 slugs collected and dispatched.

Gnome Your hotbed thing sounds amazing and I might copy you.

My peas have been very tardy too, but every day a new one pops up.

Beautiful newts.

elephantoverthehill everything goes onto the compost bed: weeds, potato tops, everything. During the season that the compost bed is being created ie when it is open it doesnt get any particular treatment, it is really just a great big compost heap. We dont have a separate compost bin. We do have a big plot so we do produce a lot of compostable material. Through the season we produce enough material to thickly cover a 3m * 4m bed.

The only real preparation we do before covering the bed is to remove any particularly woody items.

The thing we like with this system is that we arent moving the compost about from one bed to another. All the nutrients from the composting vegetation goes straight back into the soil of cultivated beds rather than being washed into the soil under a compost bin.

Wh0Kn0wsWhereTheTimeGoes have you been using the hot bed method for a while? How do you find it?

Thanks Gnome this method is beginning to make a lot of sense.

I'm glad I'm not the only one with mad upside down seeds!

Newts your garden / grounds are beautiful!

I found a hornet while looking after a friend's horses the other day, terrified the life out of me! Also a toad in my pumpkin bed, which I'm very pleased about.

Evening!
one year all my runner beans did that upside down thing _ i thought I was going mad ! -
Newts - lovely view , but keep an eye on the deer - they are a notorious pest on veg plots.
snails swimming? its too dry here -But I do chuck them onto the garage roof - at least they have a fighting chance against the birds but slugs - I have no pity - chopped in half and thrown on the bird feeding area
no plot tomorrow - off to look after DGS .

Hi, I posted a while ago but have been short on time so haven't posted for a while. I just wanted to say thanks to the people who advised on my tomatoe plants, they are looking healthy again after some time in the warm :) . And I found a pea sprouting that I couldn't even remember planting until I remember I let my son chuck a few around weeks ago. And.... we have an almost ripe strawberry . I will be devastated if it gets eaten by a slug or bird in the next few days.

Book's strawberry medal is well and truly claimed. Congrats Flop

And everyone's plots look so lovely and organized. (My garden is very messy but the raised beds at least look neat, if empty!)

Really pleased I managed to find an autumn raspberry in wilkos today. Hoping it will be happy in a large pot this year, until the builders have finished. Also managed to get some half price elephant garlic, which the kids are excited about!

One of the arms seems to have snapped off my courgette plant overnight! I'm not sure if it's the wind, or if GinDog ran over when we got home late last night (he managed to snap a tomato support so not unlikely). It will survive, won't it?

Everyone sounds very busy and making good progress.

Newts I have serious garden envy. (But not about the deer though!).
Flop that strawberry looks very nice. Mine are just in flower, nothing more.

I might have a go at doing hotbed style gardening. Last couple of years we've buried the bean plants in the bed at the end of the season to rot down direct. I think it has made a bit of a difference to the quality of soil in those beds.

It's actually raining here today. Might have a quick look at the plot later on see what's happening. There was no sign of my potatoes when I was there on Monday. I think they've definitely been slowed up by the cold snap. My plot neighbour had planted out runner beans and the first ones have all been damaged by the frost which is such a shame. But a reminder that warm weather in April is deceptive.

I sowed french beans, a few more runners, sweet peas, lettuce, and pumpkin into pots on Monday. No sign of the squashes I planted a few weeks ago so I think I shall re-sow those. Of my first sowing of runners some are through but not nearly as many as I planted but some of the seeds were saved a couple of years ago so may not be viable anyway. We shall see.