Allotment/Veg Patch Thread 12! Plotmenters hoping for better weather

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Well, previous thread is nearly full, and I am busy the next couple of days, so thought I had better get this up and ready.
Thanks for the plot title Una
Everyone welcome to join in and share their experiences, tips, the woes and joys of growing their own .
Summer and harvests here we come ( and we''ll do our best to beat the pests)
Previous thread HERE

My blackcurrants are nearly ready. I'm so keen to make jam and juice so this is a very good thing.

The tomatoes I experimentally put in the main garden are doing well. They're the healthiest I've managed to grow so far.

I have lots of little seedlings that look like tomatoes growing everywhere. Are there weeds that look similar? If not, then the compost has been busy planting things. There's also a seedling that looks like a courgette plant. I've included a photo. Could be a courgette, butternut squash or melon. Which looks most likely?

Today's harvest.

In the interests of water conservation, I only went round with a watering can last night and plants were suffering for it today. Going to have to try to be a bit more thorough tonight. Although I can't decide if my charlotte potatoes are just dying back after flowering or gasping for water.

grouchy that looks like a butternut squash.

My harvest today: 25g of wild/alpine strawberries (not many but the scent is soooo intense ) and a few raspberries. Plus the first (small) radishes that I've pulled - they were down on 1 June.

Grouchy - is it home made compost? Might it have had tomatoes or their seeds in it (kitchen waste)? I have found tomato plants in my borders where I have used homemade compost before now.

Prettybird - I love alpine strawberries, they used to grow in the shrubs in my DCs primary school and I used to steal taste the odd one while waiting to pickup.

Picked what I think will be the last of my strawberries and redcurrants today, and the first raspberries. I think I am going to have to thin out my raspberry patch next spring as it has turned into a very dense jungle. Also got my celeriac, PSB and sprouts in, that's just about the whole plot planted out now. I keep forgetting to take pictures.

Water butts empty here also. Think I will get another and attait to the main one behind the house. Bit late for this year, though.

Strawberries are finished, raspberries starting ( only a few summer ones though), blackcurrants are needing picking and redcurrants too.
Courgettes are doing well - courgetti last night!

Yet again I have a problem with peas. When open about 1in 4 pods has a caterpillar type thing in it. I planted earlier this year in the hope it would not happen. Any idea how to stop it next year? CNnot send pods in as snacks for the children as seeing caterpillars in the pods puts them off!

blue Thanks. A butternut squash is very exciting! Will have to research what it needs.

WhoKnows Yes, homemade compost and definitely loads of tomato bits in as there is always at least one that goes bad! I'll leave the ones that are in sensible places, then.

Two of my water butts are still ok (but that's because Ive been using the hosepipe whilst I can . I have however just planted everything still in pots in to the raised beds in the hope that they'll stand a bit more chance of survival if we do get a hosepipe ban. We are currently having our patio done and so lots of flowering plants/shrubs were temporarily put in pots to move them out of the way. I'm not sure they're going to make it if we get a ban.

waterbutts are long empty.
I use bath/shower water mostly. and the water from the dehumidifyer. dryer water would probably ok too.

hard work carrying cans, but that's what it is.

I am enjoying the sunshine but goodness me it takes time to water everything! It's been quite breezy here which I think it drying out the soil as well.

Some of the seeds I direct sowed haven't shown much life which I think is to do with the heat. I've started off some more beetroot at home in pots because my seed wasn't doing well at the plot. I've invested in fresh seed and am trying again as we like beetroot.

We are harvesting raspberries and strawberries and blackcurrants at the moment. I made a summer pudding last week to use them up. I shall make jam this weekend I think.

Our alpine/wild strawberries have produced so much fruit this year. Normally there's not enough to be worth collecting, only snaffling the odd one from time to time but we've collected loads. Plenty more still to ripen and they're still flowering too!

I've harvested some beetroot today, not sure exactly what my plan is for it yet. I love it roasted but it's not really roasting sort of weather.

Is anyone else growing patty pan squash? My plants look healthy enough but no sign of flowers yet. They were planted at the same time as my courgettes which are much further along

Afternoon
tiz that beetroot looks perfect . I'm a fan of a simple boil ( or pressure cook) and eat some warm, leave some cold for salad .
pretty - 25gm of alpine strawberries is amazing - I get about 6 at once, if I'm lucky !
Grouchy - yayyy for blackcurrants - you have been so patient. I too think its a squash of some kind, looking at the leaf shape, but could be almost anything in that curcubit group.
Rhubarb - sounds like pea moth - very common , best thing is covering with a barrier - so fleece or enviromesh .Such a pain .
I went and watered this morning. I still have some water, but I started with 3 x 1000L IBC tanks , now I have just enough left for a few more days . I picked courgettes and raspberries, but will go back later to cut sweet peas and harvest shallots and onions. The leaves on the shallots have just gone in a couple of days , not expecting them to be brilliant. Also need to pick the raspberries here at home - so I may start freezing some after leaving enough out to eat tonight.

Great excitement here: I've spotted 2

All the harvests look delicious! Here's mine for today - my first bowl of tomatoes, a couple of courgettes and a diablo pepper. I would have left the pepper to redden, but my very thoughtful Labrador decided to 'harvest' it for me!

Morning!
that is a lovely flower pretty -
Hounds - a few threads back ( from about 2 years ago) we had a plotter whose dog ran riot eating chillies and tomatoes - he wasn't too good after it I seem to remember , but I suspect totally unrepentant !
Another scorcher, so I went straight after breakfast to do a couple of hours. Watered ( of course) dug up the shallots and onions , yes a bit small and all different sizes, but they will eat well I hope.- I have laid them out to dry in the sun at home . Picked the very first few peas , some broad beans, and a couple of courgettes ( I could have picked more, but left them for another day ). I finished the blackcurrant pick of the baby blackcurrant - the big one needs just a few more days. I'm off to see my DD this afternoon, so managed a few raspberries for her - I picked them yesterday, so not so many today.
And then cut all the sweet peas . Thats it now for today- very hot already , so may just go back late t do more watering. At home, I am having to water in the greenhouse twice a day now , its like a sauna in there
I hear there is not much chance of rain for over a week, maybe longer

It was dh's birthday yesterday, so we ended up having the alpine strawberries and raspberries from the garden, together with the three strawberries ds had left me from the the punnet I had bought on Thursday with icecream for dessert. (Ds was unrepentant, saying I'm always telling him to have 5 portions of fruit/veg a day ).

The "main" cucumber on my cucumber plant is almost growing in front of my eyes! There are three other teeny tiny ones which aren't growing as far as I am aware yet, so it will be interesting to see what they do. Lots of flowers though which I hope will set.

My yellow courgettes are now longer than a cm

my big pumpkin is starting to set. but it's green. will it turn orange? self collected seed from last year's helloween pumpkin

They turn orange much much later bluerunningshoes

I've harvested mine green in the past when we've had wet weather and didn't want to risk them rotting and left them to ripen by our patio doors.

great, thanks tiz
I was wondering because my other (big eating) pumpkin starts out and ends with the same colour.

Afternoon all

Blimey its bloody hot! Seem to spend hours watering allotment and flowers at home. Our waterbutt at home is empty and has been for a week, we could really use some rain now!

Everything is coming along nicely at the plot. Will have a peep at first early spuds next week I think. They went in 26th april but have loads so dont mind taking a few small ones as will last ages. Courgettes are growing despite me deliberately not watering as frequently. And picked 2 Tom Thumb cucumbers this morning too. So having one with tea tonight.

Loads of tomatoes coming. Have 3 pumpkins in and they have loads of mini pumpkins and flowers. Runner beans are coming, have a couple of butterhead lettuce that are thinking about bolting but the chickens will love them if they go over before I need them.

Sweetcorn seems to be a bit slow this year to get going. Have 30 odd I think in 2 beds but they seem to have been the same size for weeks now. And bloody french beans have been awkward. Sown a last ditch attempt today and covered the bed in slug pellets as I suspect that they have been munching.

Have 3 melon plants too that are suitable for outdoors and thought they would be further on with the weather we have had. Been giving them plenty of water but they are still only about 6 inches high. We will see if they go any further.

But my lovely chucks are giving me 6 lovely sized eggs every day so always have a plotment harvest to come home with.

Had an hour weeding. Bindweed is awful stuff but I think I am slowly getting on top of it. The roots seem to come out a lot easier now.

I have half a spare bed left. Set some kale in a bit of it. Need to have a look at my seed stash and see if there is anything I can sow now. Have some lettuce seedlings I could pop in and some salad onions I think.

And want to overwinter some stuff this year as well. Will be up every day still doing my chooks so be nice to have something to look at instead of empty beds. Am thinking garlic, onions, broadbeans, will keep sowing lettuce until frosts, I think I have some autumn cabbage I need to sow and maybe will attempt parnsips.

Just seems a shame to have loads of empty beds if there is stuff I can be growing.

Hello- finally getting some strawberries and raspberries here too. Weather has been glorious and I’m not watering enough I suspect. Last of 3 waterbuts coming to an end. We have well water though so I think we can just crack on even if hose pipe ban comes in, will need to check. Due rain tomorrow anyway. DD made raspberry and rhubarb cake today with our own raspberries , rhubarb and eggs so that was pleasing!

Mange tout glut here! Picked 160g for my parents (yes I am keeping a tally!) without really touching whats there. Sweet peas galore too, my favourites. Salad leaves big enough to eat, and loads of chard. We have had 6 valencia raspberries - apricot colour, and a lone alpine strawberry! Not very filling though.

My first earlies are dying back without much growth, so I'm not expecting much in the buckets. The mains and charlottes are huge huge plants now, so more hopeful there.

The courgettes are being very stubborn. They are refusing to get going.

Couldn't resist having a rummage around amongst my Charlotte potatoes. Looks like they're about ready!

Last few strawberries picked for dessert and another courgette. Supply has not yet exceeded demand

Really hoping for the humidity to break and give us and the garden some storm refreshment! Anybody had rain?

No rain forecast here. 13% chance on Thursday apparently but not holding out any hope.

Fortunately, I'm growing in the garden and not in an allotment so I'm saving grey water for the plants.