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

Three more raised beds done yesterday so now we have five, plus the fruit beds around the perimeter which are ok but need tidying. Now I need to go through all our seeds and put together a rotation plan so that we can start planting.

Found out I'm starting the change last week and I've been really struggling with the emotional side - I'm 45. Started HRT a few days ago. Spending time on our scruffy, muddy plot - either with a colleague, or on my own, is becoming a bit of a lifesaver. Just seeing my little potatoes chatting away in the spare room lifts my heart a little.

*chitting! 😂 Oh, if spuds could talk...

I must be further north than others on here. It's sunny but bitter experience tells me to hold off until March. And we have a cold snap coming next week.
Just doing clear up chores for now.
Potatoes chitting merrily in an unloved sunny corner of the house inside.
Also menopausal- just take it steady and be kind to yourself the pp in the same position. Maybe have a word with gp.

Chock - better mistake than my DP who keeps talking about sh1tting potatoes!

I’ve been getting a bit of garden fix from YouTube, the chap on the Castle Hill Garden channel talks about his potatoes “sprutting”, which sounds nice. I’m missing my weekly Monty Don inspo though - when is Gardener’s World back on?

Have decided to sow a few extra broad beans. I’ve already got some Claudia Aquadulce overwintering nicely but there are a few gaps and I have some Karmazyn seeds, which are pink broad beans, so will start a few to slot in the gaps when they’re big enough.

Morning!
glorious and cold here this morning - managed a nice hour or so at the plot, picked sprouting broccoli, and still some sprouts - was going for sprout tops really! Just checking everything before the snow armageddon arrives( believe that if you like !)
I would be thinking of 3 potatoes per bag tbh giddyup - you can do more, but I find you just end up with loads of very small potatoes.
gussy - I'm not sowing anything until March in truth -other than broad beans and sweet peas. I just don't want them ready to go out and get decimated - our last frost date is May here - yours further north may be later I guess?
chock - sympathies - its almost easier to deal with the physical symptoms than the emotional/mental ones, and they are bad enough.
I like the idea of chatting potatoes - they are probably a noisy lot in my egg cartons

Thanks for the menopause sympathy 😀

Anyway -breaking news- Gardeners World starts again on 9 March. I shall be mountaineering in the Cairngorms but the digibox shall be set on series link.

Afternoon! Well, it's a lovely sunny day here and I still have washing on the line... but...

I've done no gardening, really. I'm still holding off on seed sowing, although I've had a few longing rifles though my seed stash. It's just so cold! I've not really done anything at the plot either, as we're on REALLY heavy clay and its just too wet too even tread on. I still want to move /divide another rhubarb (I have too much so don't really care if if kill one it by doing it too late), and I need to shift/level the pile of soil that was BenSquash and turn it into a bed. I'm awaiting that magical window when my soil is suddenly diggable.

Talking of weather, is anyone taking precautions against The Beast From The East ? I haven't, but I am having a mild fret about my blueberries, whose leaves are just starting to unfurl. Should I cover them? I know they're very hardy, but I don't want their growth to be checked. Maybe I'll bring them to the more sheltered area next to the house...

Hello Spotted - I have moved anything I consider in the least susceptible - so have grouped everything together and snuggled up to my west facing house wall, , they are protected from the east wind that way, with a tiny bit of warmth hopefully . I remember Ben Squash! its still a large hill I take it?

Temperature readings in the polytunnel go from -5 to +30!

All this talk of potatoes makes me realise that I need to get on with the chitting.

Spent most of the weekend on the plot. We are covering all the paths with weed proof mat and woodchip. The aim is to make the paths usable all year round.

DH planted a 10 metre edible hedge on one boundary. A mix of hazel, cheery plum and wild plum.

We are starting to see a few people return to the field now. Rent day soon which will decide who is going to come back for the new season. We always lose a few people who decide either it's not for them or who are finding the work is beyond them now.

I had a walk around this afternoon and checked what might be in bud, but apart from the roses all the buds are still sealed so I'm hoping they'll be OK. I've popped a bit of fleece over the rhubarb as it was sprouting nicely, my protected stuff is still under cover so fingers crossed it will be OK.

Gnome we have woodchip and membrane on our paths and it has been great for the first year, not sure how long it will last but it's easy enough to renew.

I'd like a cheery plum Gnome
I haven't even thought about covering my thug rhubarb Una but it's a tough old thing

I haven't done any work at the plot this weekend but DD and I walked through the allotments this afternoon on our way to the nature reserve beyond. I was given 3 beautiful parsnips. A new crop for me this year will be PSB as DD has decided this is one of the winter green vegetables she will deign to eat. The other crop the Dcs have asked for is beetroot because they like the beetroot matchsticks you get in some supermarket salad bags. Does anyone know please if it is a certain variety, whether it is cooked first and why does it not bleed all over the salad leaves?

I should put them with the chatting potatoes

Thinking about plums, I have a small orchard (17 trees), a mix of plum/gage, cherry, pear, apple. All are grease banded. Does anyone have experience of using pheromone traps for plum and codling moth please?

Thanks UnaOfStormhold that's reassuring.

hi everyone. haven't been here for a while
the only thing I did in the garden was taking cuttings of various evergreens and covering the rhubarb with newspaper tonprotect it from 'the beast from the east'

waiting for warmer weather to tackle some trees and shrubs...

Ah, I’m worried about my rhubarb now! Last year was its first year, didn’t harvest any but it grew very well.

if it's still under ground it should be fine. mine is poking the first leaves out, so I gave it some newspaper to read...

Major tidy up yesterday- looks great this morning. As always in Feb, itching to get started. Chitting and planning is all I can do. Ill health has stopped me for a few years so "starting from scratch ", as it were.

Want to make sure I have vegetables over winter next year to avoid this thumb twiddling. Got some cabbage and sprouts to plant later for next winter - any other ideas?

gussy how about purple sprouting broccoli.? Swiss chard v good too as is cavolo Nero.

It’s too wet, craggy and clay to do anything on plot. Away at mo so want to start some sweet pea and chillis and toms when get home.

Cheers, crab. You can almost see me twiddling my fingers as I plot and scheme.

Yes gussy - good suggestion there from CrabappleBiscuit
I am still harvesting PSB, savoys, leeks, kale, perpetual spinach, last of the sprouts/sprout tops , and have cauliflowers nearly ready - I have some winter ones called Aalsmer which should be ready soon, fingers crossed and I have the autumn ones that have just curded ,( very slow this year.) Perhaps don't forget stored veg too - I have Borlotti beans, and I still have 2 crown prince squash left

Cheers to you Book, too.

I have kale, perpetual spinach, chard, leeks and pak choi still going. Though I have to admit that I'm not getting down the garden much. Stuff that can be stored/frozen has worked out better because it doesn't involve trekking out in the rain. We've eaten the last of the pumpkins (not a great harvest so they didn't last long, but very tasty).

Una, thanks so much.