Allotment/Veg patch thread 11 'We bid farewell to rainbow leaves but will keep plotting along'

[bookbook]

Well, nights are drawing in, leaves are starting to turn, harvesting carrying on
What a summer it has been!
Join in with the ups and downs of growing our own into autumn.
Last thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/gardening/2951768-Allotment-Veg-Patch-Thread-10-Plotmenters-busy-into-summer-and-loving-James-Wong?msgid=71770088HERE

Bit fed up this weekend - it's either rained or sleeved the whole weekend and I haven't been able to get down to the plot. I'm not a fair weather gardener but I would have got soaked in ten minutes if I'd gone down there.

So I stayed inside at home, read Gardeners World and ate a giant Toblerone :-(

It’s a difficult time of year isn’t it, itching to get going but practically there’s very little we can actually do yet, apart from plan, organise and dream!

I’ve been working this weekend and my body clock is all off so I’m wide awake at this time. Found an exotic gardening channel on YouTube so vegging out and watching that, it’s inpressive the lengths gone to to grow exotics in our climate. I’m hoping to pick up a few ideas for easier exotic flowers for the yarden next year.

Sunny today but too wet underfoot to go out (clay soil!). James Wong's gardening column was suggesting sowing chillies this month - not a huge chilli fan but tempted to do it if only for the sake of getting something growing! Still, I have potted up the perennials I planted in the autumn and the first camellia is out.

Camellias really cheer me up. Mine are just starting too. I can’t really plant before half term as we are going away- seeds are all waiting in the cupboard. Going to do the huge mange tout again from real seeds as they were lovely.

Hi all. Dropped out of the threads for a few months due to PND being a bastard again. Have no energy and no will to do anything but hoping your gardening successes will pull me back into my garden.

The garden has had nothing done to it since October. I haven't even pulled out the dead stuff from last year. Hopefully I'll be able to do some this weekend as it's meant to be a bit warmer.

My red Brussels Sprouts are still growing. Some of the leaves have whitish fungi type stuff on them. Will the sprouts themselves be ok?

PSB is still growing and doing not much else. I still haven't harvested all the carrots or beetroot; have I left them too late?

Hi kiwi, so sorry you’ve been feeling rubbish, definitely think if you can manage even a small garden job you will feel a lift, I was shovelling leaf mulch off a path in the rain today and it was still a good day. And signs of spring are kicking in already down here. The bits you haven’t cleared will sort themselves out and recover really quickly, gardens are so robust that way. Wishing you a warm and positive gardening day this weekend.

Hello again, I am place marking as this the third or fourth time I have 'dropped off' this thread. I might start getting a complex. On the plot front I am pleased to have found tarragon and dill seeds. I must have been looking in all the wrong places last year, may be they sell out quickly? Any way I found them at last in Sainsbury's when I wasn't really looking for them. Kiwi I harvested inherited beetroot into December and January last year. A bowl of beetroot and horseradish soup might be just the thing after a venture into the garden.

It's so warm here today - 14 degrees! , it was snowing 3 days ago. I was planning to get out whilst it was so mild and do some tidying up but the rain arrived before I got the chance

I've not managed any gardening thanks to the rubbish weather last weekend. However, DH did pick up our seed order on Sunday. Potatoes we've gone for Sarpo Mira which we grew this year and are OK but most importantly blight resistant (we got blight all over the crop in 2016) and also Arran Pilot. Picked by DH because he liked the name which is as good a reason as any. Need to make time this weekend to get them chitting.

Sun is out today and it would be lovely to be gardening but sadly I am working. But then given how much rain we've had in the last couple of days probably best not to be trampling over the plot anyway.

Thanks, Cathpot. Getting one small job done will definitely feel good.

Beetroot and horseradish soup sounds lovely, elephant!

Have spent some time getting back into the gardening spirit by catching up on unread issues of Gardeners' World and thinking about what we want to grow this year. A friend in NZ shared pictures of some great beans she grew called Fire Tongue beans. I'm going to grow them with the children. www.thompson-morgan.com/p/climbing-bean-firetongue/286TM

Just waving from hols!
Una - that camellia is lovely !
Cath - a cherry bush sounds fascinating. I am eyeing up a blackberry you can grow in a hanging basket, as DH won't let me plant one in the ground .
Grouchy - lovely to see you, sorry to hear about the PND - hope you are getting help for it. The later variety PSB hasn't started for me yet either , but will hopefully keep going until March at least when it does get going. The firetongue are the borlotti beans I grow - they are tasty, prolific, and so pretty!

Hi book- I love the fact you check in from holiday!

Those beans look very pretty - but I have to remind myself that I don’t actually really like eating beans...

I’ve currently got the Cinderella room at work - largely as they know I love a wall display and are hoping I will tart it up - but I’ve also invested in a wall hanging plant pocket thingy and I’ve got a long wide windowsill. I’ve got some bulbs coming up at the moment but I’m thinking herbs would be good. I’ve got coriander seeds and basil from last year and I thought I could divide some mint. Any fun edible suggestions?? Would strawberries do ok inside if I hand pollinate? Ive got loads of rosemary - does that do cuttings easily? I am rubbish at cuttings.

I've grown borlotti beans the last couple of years. They've done quite well. They do look very pretty. I'm aiming to do more this year so that we have more dried beans for the winter.

Cathpot rosemary does well from cuttings. I just pop them into a small pot of water on a window sill and they normally root quite easily. I do the same with basil plants to make them last longer.

Brilliant - that’s how I do mint cuttings , didn’t realise it works on other things.

Spring is coming! Lots of daffs coming up, one rhubarb already growing away, very pleasing .

Hello all

Made it to the plot a couple of times this week. Only an hour or so each time but it's nice to be making a start.

Have lots to do. We still have the odd pile of rubbish from previous plot holder lurking around so am starting to bag that up for the tip. Probably about half a dozen bags of rusty metal and empty paint pots etc. And we had about half the plot covered in weed membrane as it was too late to work it last year. Am probably going to put potatoes there so need to lift it and start digging weed roots out.

We also need to make beds, make paths and start a new compost bin.

I keep looking at seeds but know I have loads so need a good sort out first.

And the weeds are starting again so need to keep an eye on those. But its been nice pottering around and planning.

Beautiful flowers Cathpot.

Hi books. I am indeed getting help. Hope you're having a lovely holiday!

I didn't get into the garden on Saturday as it was too wet and windy, despite the warmth. But I did manage to get a few dead plants pulled out today and it's amazing how much better it looks already! I also planted a rose, which I'm very pleased about.

I'm glad to know that the Firetongue beans do well over here and are so versatile!

I've been to Poundland, on the way home from work, and bought raspberries, blackcurrants, gooseberries and first earlies. These are for the school plot, not me. They will all be ok to stick into tomorrow won't they? The fruit that is, I will get the students to put the potatoes to chit.

We got up in sunday for a couple of hours and managed to get quite a bit done.

Got the yellow skip mini skip thing emptied, all the rubbish bagged up for the tip and the top corner clear of everything that was cluttering it up. Am going to dig it over and plant another 3 blueberry plants to go with my 4 poundland ones. Have ordered the blueberries and also 3 rhubarb crowns. Not sure where I will put the rhubarb yet. I think I am going to plonk it in a raised bed to keep it under control.

Dp has started laying a bit of a path too. We had about 2 dozen paving slabs so he's using those. Need to keep an eye out on local fb selling pages for some more. We have also redesigned our chicken run and he is making a start on that this weekend apparently.

Frouby sounds like you are really making progress with your plot.
All this talk of fruit has reminded me that I ordered some strawberry plants which presumably will be coming soon. Not sure exactly where I am going to put them so need to give that some thought.

Weather was rubbish for gardening last weekend but did manage a few minutes weeding in the front garden instead of at the allotment. I keep reminding myself that we do need all this rain as there is already talk of a drought next summer round here.

Must. Not. Go. To. Poundland.

Frouby you are putting me to shame, I’ve done nothing at all except whinge about the weather. 12 bags of horse poo sitting waiting as well.

I'm not sure my Poundland does actual plants. Might have a quick look later on and see.

Cathpot 12 bags, that will take some shifting! I ought to get some more from our communal manure (if it hasn't been grabbed by others) but the thought of shifting in the rain puts me off somehow

Japanese wineberry arrived this morning. I really need to finish clearing my ornamental edibles bed so I can start getting plants in - I've done most of it but there's a stubborn buddleia and rosebush tangle that has so far defeated me.

Afternoon all! (just)

Well, I've not actually done any gardening since I last posted, when I was full of resolve for the new year. Unfortunately I lost my beloved cat a couple of weeks ago. He was my garden pal and I can't really face thinking about pottering outside without him.

Kiwi sorrry to hear that you are struggling a bit. I know you said you're getting help already, but are you trying to maximise sunlight exposure /considering vitamin D as well? I think it made a difference to me when I had PND. Actually I think I possibly have a touch of the SADs anyway, as I often struggle in the darker months.

I had resolved to get on with sweet peas - I've never actually grown them myself. I've bought seed and gathered loo rolls, and that's it. Maybe I'll do some this weekend? Still a bit chilly though, isn't it.

Are anyone's fruit canes sprouting yet? I want mine to grow. I keep looking at the rasps and wineberries etc and there is no new growth yet.

booky hope you're having a lovely hols.