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

Evening everyone. I've spent a couple of hours at the plot yesterday and today, trying to clear out the shed in readiness for taking it down. Nearly stepped on a large frog (I suspect it was the same unfortunate frog that I did actually stand on last year when fiddling with the shed) and my plot neighbour told me he'd seen a huge rat nosing around the shed yesterday - I really really hope there isn't a rat's nest under the flagstones!
On the cultivation side, the rhubarb is growing visibly every day, the currant bushes and raspberries are all looking healthy and I've bought some chelated iron to give the raspberries a drench, as the leaves were a bit yellow last year (thank you bookbook for that tip). Also my local Pounders had lots of slightly sad currants, berries & climbers in stock but the blueberries were all "Patriot" which I'm pretty sure is one of the James Wong recommended varieties for flavour? So I bought one, it's a sad twig of a thing but hopefully it'll perk up and it was worth it for £1.
I've also got a lot of bulbs coming through and I rescued a few mini narcissis being thrown out by a neighbour, as well as a small wooden barrel-style planter in quite good condition so it will look good on the plot with some bulbs or perennials in.
The forecast is for warm weather over the next few days although you wouldn't have thought so today, it's been damp & windy. But I watered my strawberries in readiness for the heatwave!

Poundworld not Pounders...

Painting I've used cardboard quite a bit as a mulch or as winter ground cover, it does work but it tends to break down eventually & be blown around in bits so will probably need replacing during the growing season

Morning all.

Am achey mcachey this morning. My woodchippings man phoned and said he had another load for us so we went up yesterday evening to meet him. About 2 tons of beautifully chipped blonde chippings absolutely free of charge. Was hard graft but it's really made a difference.

He is coming again tonight with more as well. So need some more membrane from aldi (£3.99 for 10m2) and we are going to cover as much of the bottom 1/3 as we can. The chicken pen and polytunnel will go there eventually so it won't be worked this year.

I also relocated my sad looking strawberry plants and split all the runners that have survived up. They were from pots at home we put on the plot at the back end of last year. Was only expecting the 2 main plants but actually have about 12 runners that have root systems coming so shoved them in and will hope for the best. Gave them a good water will some tomato feed and tgey have gone into a bed that had a load of well rotted manure dug into it in January so I can't do much more than that.

We also started digging the potato beds out. That bit of the plot hasn't been worked for at least 4 years. We just covered it last year after hacking down the 7 ft nettles and brambles. It's very compacted and lots of long white roots and glass we need to take out. Did 1 1.2 by about 3m bed between us and have just dug a spade deep and then broke the soil up a bit. Hoping it dries up a bit and is easier to work by the time we get round to putting the earlies in. I think I have 2 types of first earlies, 1 second and 2 main crops.

Am hoping that the seeds I set off in the mini greenhouse get a wiggle on over the next few days. Runner beans have started poking through but everything else is being shy.

Oh also of my 3 rhubarb crowns I planted in January only 1 has started to poke through. Had a rumage around and the other 2 are wet, soggy blobs showing no signs of life. Sigh. Have left about an inch of each one poking up to try and dry them out a bit and will cross my fingers and hope for the best.

A couple of the rasperry canes are starting. The poundland blueberry canes I bought and planted in january still look sad but the Thompson and Morgan ones are getting leaves on.

Am hoping the rhubarb and rest of the rasperry canes start feeling a bit more springlike with the warm weather.

I'm pondering where-the-heck I can plant 2 pumpkins 1 butternut squash 1 (or2) courgettes.

thinking of growing the squash up the playhouse roof.

I'm trying training mini pumpkins up wigwams (made of nice sturdy hazel poles) - if you have a really hefty variety this probably wouldn't work without extra support.

hmm would that work for courgettes?

Some courgettes (shooting star or black forest) are marketed as suitable for training upwards, but I think normal courgettes are too stubby and don't have the long vines that pumpkins have. If you've not already sown might be worth trying a climbing variety though! Alternatively there's Tromboncino which is basically a butternut squash but is eaten like a courgette and definitely needs to be grown up something!

I think if I'd have been home to watch them, I would have seen my courgettes and pumpkins grow today. Not a sign of them yesterday, but emerged with two big leaves today and an inch tall

I’m trying the shooting star courgettes this year una and blue hoping they will go up an archway we have. I love squash but they do take up a lot of space

Morning all.

Did we all enjoy the sunshine yesterday? It really makes a difference if the weather is nice doesn't it?

Had another delivery of wood chippings last night. I am so over moving wood chip. But it was beautiful woody stuff again and the plot will look fab when we have spread it around.

I also planted out another dozen strawberry plants I bought. And a dozen butterhead lettuce. We really enjoyed the butterhead last year. I think I prefer it to the pick again varities which I always seem to miss and bolts.

And I went to The Range and impulse bought another blueberry plant. They had quite a good choice of soft fruit canes and reasonably priced too. £2.99 for my blueberry. I had my auntie with me who is doing my wedding cake and she was fancying a new cherry tree so bought her one as a thank you.

Am direct sowing an early variety of pea later. And having another go at my potato beds. Want to get first and second earlies in by the weekend.

Getting really excited now for the season ahead.

Morning,

frouby that is really reasonable, our blueberry is looking very sad at the moment, I haven’t given up on it but having a second couldn’t hurt.

Got so much seed sown yesterday, really feels like it’s all go go go, although after I’d sown my borlotti beans I realised they were bush varieties and not climbers so I’m not sure what to do about that.

Had some glorious weather yesterday and today seems to be the same, so think it’s time to focus on the garden as allotment seems to be pretty handled for now, had to take my brassicas out of the greenhouse as they seemed a little crispy front the heat!

Morning!
just got back from a stint at the plot - it is already so hot! Back this afternoon to continue putting up cage frame - wish me luck .
blue - they do need a bit of space, but if you plant them a bit closer, you just need to water more. Can you adapt the 3 sisters approach, and put them in amongst climbing beans?
Frouby - sounds utterly backbreaking, but ultimately rewarding ! How are the wedding plans going?
The peas I sowed last week are all sprouting , all the brassicas are up and out in the fresh air too. About to go and sow cucumbers , courgettes and squashes in a minute, so hope mine germinate as quickly tiz !
Have I got it wrong that you need 2 blueberries for fruit, or are there self fertile ones?
My thug rhubarb is taking over the corner of the garden, so I will be picking some later today - poached rhubarb and icecream for tea :)

Almost too hot here to do much, and there's so much I want to get done too.

Difficult to know where to put seedlings right now as it's so warm, but it could all change again in a few weeks. Tempted to get some stuff in the raised beds now and rig up some cloches with clear plastic if things change.

Pretty successful germination rates for me this year, only my climbing french beans yet to show any signs of arrival.

OMG it's SOOOO hot here! And thus I continue moaning about the weather, but this time about the heat! Finally with he scorching sun, my long back lawn was dry enough to cut yesterday evening. That was quite a task as I only have a tiny flymo. And I've moved pots about a bit, and suddenly the garden is looking nice again.

I have to say, my blueberries look really healthy. They do fruit ok alone, but are MUCH better with a companion of a different variety. Also, don't use tap water on them - they hate the chlorine, and if you're in a hard water area, the water will be too alkaline.

Today I am making shakskuka, using up the last of the tomatoes from the freezer. I found a bag hiding under some gooseberries. It seems I still have quite a few gooseberries left so really ought to try and use them up better (and not plant and not more). I also still have green beans left, so I might do fewer this year. And more tomatoes, obviously...

My germination has been a bit patchy this year thus far, particularly on flowers. I think I'll have a sowerama this afternoon. Not planning on going to the plot today, but do hope hope for a blitz this weekend, as my ground will finally be dry enough to turn over!

Just jumping in to add I've had good germination here this year too!

My curcubits (courgette, squash & cucumbers) came in in around 5 days book! I had to pot them on already from the propagator tray as they were pushing up against the plastic lid! This temp change clearly suits them!

I have literally no indoor or greenhouse space left for any more seedlings at the moment but I'm not brave enough to transplant into the raised beds yet. We can get our last frosts last week in April here. I managed to kill our entire cohort of climbing french and runner beans last year by planting out too early and had to buy plants from the garden centre to compensate (ouch£££)

Blimey, was that a heated propagator, Clara ?

I think I might re sow my courgettes. I sowed them in the awful cold - some came up, and some are coming up yesterday and today but they look really yellow and odd, and they're struggling to shrug off the dried seed case.

Hope mine come through as quick clara - they are just in a cold hahaha greenhouse.
29º at the plot this afternoon according to our car readout ..
We have got on somewhat better today with the cage frame - managed to get tanalised roof laths at 4.2 meters down there - they will be supporting the HDPE pipe , so we should be done, fingers crossed on Saturday afternoon if all goes well ( DH always works better in the warmth, and no wind !) .
In between being the gofer , I picked sprouting broccoli for tea. And a picture - plum blossom just open - it was barely showing white this morning :)
Came home and picked some rhubarb .
So all in all a successful day, apart from a bright red face ( even with SPF 30 and a hat!)

Busy day in the garden - mulched last but one bed and planted out mini pumpkins and courgettes, plus got tomatoes and cucumbers into their final places in the greenhouse and put out lots of perennials I'd been cosseting overwinter. Possibly too early even here but I needed to get them out!

I wasn’t able to get to the allotment all day yesterday, went this afternoon and my peas and sweet peas are all a bit crispy in the greenhouse the vent was open but door was left closed. It’s open now! I’ve drenched them all and left them out overnight - low of 12 tonight so should be fine - will see if they can pull through. I’ll get them in the ground this weekend if so!

my self collected seeds all germinated well and resulted (so far) in strong, healthy plants.
the bought ones are a bit slower so far. coincedence?

Morning all.

Was a scorcher yesterday wasn't it! Was planning on having another go at breaking the soil up in my potato beds but it was far too hot for that! Spread the chippings out a bit, put some more black membrane down over the areas we wont work this year, direct sowed some early peas, did some watering and came home.

Plot looks fantastic now. We could do with a couple more loads if he has any but it will be much easier to keep weed free. Still the odd corner of doom but we can tackle it bit by bit. Need to get chicken run in and a henhouse. And will eventually have a polytunnel but that will have to wait until next year now.

Book wedding more or less sorted. Need to sort out a few last bits like bridal jewellery and make up and shoes but doing all that next Wednesday hopefully.

It's not going to be easy avoiding tan lines in this weather tho. It never usually bothers me. Am large of nork so never wear strapless stuff but wedding frock is. Already had tan lines from Wednesday so sat out in the garden yesterday with a strapless dress I wear on holiday over a bikini and my bra straps hooked down.

Can't see me being able to plotment like that tho 🤣🤣

Right, up to the allotment today, the plan is to plant peas, get my mange tout plants in and the French bean plants that are threatening to break out of the spare bedroom and start a revolution they haven't been hardened off but I'm going to support them well and given the weather forecast they should harden off in situ. Might even start prepping the brassica bed if I have time.

Then home for wine and a whole hour of GW and Monty!

Happy days

Zebra no not heated, just the cheap plastic trays with clear plastic lids from the garden centre (on the 5th year still going strong, sorry for using plastic monty!). Were on a south facing windowsill. Our thermostat is currently set at 15c (and thermometer is saying house is around 19c - good insulation!).

Courgette seeds were from Tamar organics bought this year (one yellow variety one green variety). Squash were cheapy crown prince from B&Q own range bought last year. Cucumbers were from Real Seeds (cornichon variety) bought last year. Amazing germination rate across all of them. The courgette seeds I bought last year from T&M were pitiful - won't be buying them again.