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

[bookbook]

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

I tried repotting my sad and almost dead cucumbers into new compost. They have almost no roots! So I am guessing they both will die. Comforted myself by ordering 11 packets of seeds (cheapest free) from marshalls. Winter veg (am stupudly excited about this) and some mini munch cucumbers, beets and sweetcorn.

No plot today but did buy a few more seeds.

I think I have issues.

I bought little gem lettuce, chives, parsely and corriander for my herb pot at home, some PSB as I couldnt remembet if I had any and some more courgette as only 3 came up.

3 is enough but if they fail I need back up!

I also emailed Parkers where the rhubarb and blueberries came from that have all failed apart from 1 rhubarb crown. They are sending me replacement blueberries and refunding the crowns. I did say I hadn't use ericaceous compost for the blueberries but had fertilized with appropriate for blueberries feed and they said they wouldnt expect them to fail, just not be as productive without the compost so are replacing them. Rhubarb out of stock so refunding.

Was pleased with that.

That's good news Frouby. Just popped to the plot to check on my planted out PSB and tomatoes. No signs of any nibbling, so fingers crossed the nematodes are working.

Rain has arrived here, so all the outside jobs i put off until the evening as it was too hot will have to wait for another day. Good for everything outside to get a proper soak and to top the water butts up again.

I have to remind myself it's only early may
the seedling are growing.

anyone makes cordial from herbs?
I have sweet woodruff wilting on the windowsill and will try to make a lemon balm cordial as well.

Found you!

I have cleared out the builders rubble out of one of the beds.... 1 more to go. I had hoped to put apple trees in but I think they are too shady. I will have a rethink. On a brighter note I have got peas, French beans, runners an Broad beans in....also a couple of caugettes. (Thanks lonely ) Supermarket herbs are hardening off to be planted next weekend.

Lonely take some moist soil & try to roll it out. If it can be shaped into a sausage but breaks up when you try to curl it you have a loam. The more it can be curled the higher the clay content. You can also spit on a small amount and rub it between your thumb and forefinger... Clay feels slimey, silt like a flour batter and sand is gritty. If it is clayey or sandy add compost in industrial quantities. Alternately add manure and carbon (straw is best) to clay where you are growing a leaf crop.

Hi unescorted I found some lovely garden people here!

I have about 14" of lovely dark brown crumbly top soil that has grown only nettles and doc plants with a spattering of ground elder since the lawn wandered off from neglect 5 years ago. Under that is heavy clay. I can get hold of very old rotted horse muck from mil, so will dig lots of that in.

I assumed you were already here😀

What colour is your clay? If it is blue grey then you may have a drainage issue. Check for a orange crustyness in a thin layer 10mm or so in depth. With the good soil on top you may get away with leaving it and it could be the substrate rather than the soil itself. Soils can be thin in patches in your part of the world. You also get some stunning fluvial glacial tills which are lovely and silty and turn to loam easily with the addition of organic matter. On the other hand you could have a boulder clay.... Clay with aligned rounded pebbles / boulders. The natural world's builders rubble.

Hi there,

I did come and chat with you amazing ladies a few years ago (I am in the SW, with a quarter plot - 20m x 3m is a quarter plot, right?), but then fell off the updating wagon. I have been reading all your updates avidly though, such a wealth of information!

I have a question about hardening off... Hope you can help me with it!

I've started hardening off my tomatoes/pumpkins/squash/french beans/peppers, which are all getting MASSIVE (leggy) end of last week, and they did get a tiny bit silvered, but not too bad. Unfortunately I have to suddenly be away from home for the next four days, and it's not so great weather here anyway (ever so slightly colder in the daytime, 5 to 6 degrees at night) during that time, so am thinking of interrupting the hardening off whilst away (don't want to burden my friend with the constant to-fro the house!!!).

Is that ok? When I come back home, at which stage of hardening off do I need to get back to... right back at the start, or can I put the plants outside for the whole day, and then plant out the next weekend (19th/20th) provided the weather is ok?

Really hoping you can help me! I really am hoping I won't need to keep on moving my really tall plants for much longer!!!

I would get them in the ground if they are leggy. maybe protected by a cloche?

Hi everyone,

Can I join, I don't have an allotment but have a small greenhouse and a veg bed.

I currently have planted out radishes, turnips and courgettes. I got a bit excited doing courgette seedlings and I have planted 20 with 20 left, I'm going to be eating a lot of courgette if they all grow.

My lettuces and tomatoes appear to be on a go slow they're still really tiny and I planted them weeks ago!!

Oh and I also have a 9month old so I currently have to do stuff when he naps

Afternoon everyone!
Welcome back Hia and very welcome to you Meepmoop :)
No plot today, sorting out the garden at home, but have been sowing some more bits in the greenhouse - sown last succession broad beans, and the beetroot. And started joining the mahoosive brassica net for the cage - what a faff!
I think everyones tomatoes/cucumbers/peppers have really suffered from that cold blast - the poor things have been sat in cold damp compost, and I suspect that has stopped root growth in lots of peoples plants . Mine are just about going to be ready to plant up for the summer in the greenhouse this next week, so need to go and get the compost bags for them . I use big bags ( at least 50L) and put them on their sides - it gives a better depth for the roots to grow into, and watering is not quite as critical. I plant up 2 plants in those.
Hia - ooh its a bit touch and go - if they are really big and leggy, I think I would agree with blue and plant out, with protection. The only other thing to think through though is slug damage - they tend to ravage squashes and courgettes when they are young and tender. It is the only planting I do that I use a few organic slug pellets in a circle around them to let the plants get established - once they are, the are fine . I would use a really thin fleece, or even an old net curtain - not see through plastic - (they will fry otherwise).
Meep - Being nosey, I love to know where everyone is - are you North/South/East or West ? join the clan re tomatoes - I don't know anyone who hasn't had the same problem this year. . 20 courgettes ? - erm, have you grown them before? - they are very prolific -but you may well love courgettes :)

thanks bluerunningshoes and bookbook...

here are a few photos of my hardening trays for context. haven't put them out (yet?) today... oops.

I think I'll definitely leave the peppers in this weekend as they are actually not that big, but the others...? hmmmmmm.

one more photo...

maybe I plant out the beans but not the rest tonight? if so, should I bury the stems down, or would I need to plant at current pot soil surface? oh dear!

Hello Hiya and Meepmoop! I’ve come a bit funny at idea of 20 courgettes, my maximum is 2 these days. 4 used to give a courgette/marrow breakdown by the end of the summer.

Someone has given me an old grapevine I have been treating brutally. Cut a small bit off and potted off then hacked off some of main root to get in the pots and cut back to one shoot. Will probably keel over now bless it but I thought I’d try.

No plot visit today but potted up what I think are 6 courgettes grapevine lady gave me. Must check they are and then they are off to plant sale if so. Quite excited as can see first tip of sweetcorn. Really don’t think my beans are going to germinate , neighbour has said he will, have spare runners though thankfully,

Yesterday I cracked and took organic slug pellets to plot as they were decimating seedling. Am waiting for the birds to have a go at m6 peas as no doubt they will.

@bookbook I'm in very overcast Cornwall, kinda glad it's not just me that's having tomato issues.

I have grown courgettes before only 2 plants grew them though. I'm probably going to be on here in a few months drowning in courgette

Blue I love making elderflower cordial - I keep it in the freezer in tonic bottles, use it direct from the freezer so it's nice and cool and lasts all year :) Not quite the same but I have rhubarb gin on the go at the moment.

I've resown my courgettes and squash as the slugs got them. Sigh. I also set up the irrigation for the greenhouse and various beds but have discovered that the outside tap is only giving a trickle of water so have ordered a replacement. I need to give the blueberries, cranberries and camellias some ericaceous food.

I had a bit of confusion earlier as I'd sown korean licorice mint and anise hyssop in two halves of a seed tray and the same seedlings had come up on both sides. I assumed I'd accidentally double sown but it appears that the two plants are very similar (agastache rugosa and foeniculum respectively) so no wonder I was confused!

hmm would freezing cordial in ice trays work?

Hi Folks,
Meepmoop I hope you and the baby like courgettes! I had two last year, which was plenty for me, DH and DS who was about the same age as your little one. This year I’m going to go for 3 as I reckon I can get more creative with them! I planted 8 thinking they wouldn’t all germinate and they have so I think I’ll be passing some on! I always do this, plant loads more than I need and end up giving away lots of seedlings, not a very cost efficient was to do it, especially as I hardly ever get the pots back!

I’m after some help on feeding things please! I haven’t really added compost or manure to my fruit and veg beds this year so I think everything is going to need feeding but what do I give it, how and when?!
I’ve got blueberries in pots (need and ericaceous feed?), a fruit bed with strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrents and redcurrants, hanging baskets with blackberries (which are utterly neglected at the back of the house!). Then veg beds with peas, broccoli, cauliflower, leeks, onions, carrots, parsnips, courgettes and spinach. In the greenhouse there are tomatoes (I can manage to feed these!) peppers, cucumbers, aubergines and sweet corn. Can all the greenhouse stuff manage with the same feed as the tomatoes? I used the nutrient that comes with the quad grow last year for tomatoes, chillis, peppers and aubergines and that seemed to work fine. Sweet corn and cucumber are new though.
Most of this is currently tiny seedlings in the greenhouse - no idea where it will all end up! It’s the first year of greenhouse and I got a bit carried away!
I’m in northern Scotland so our growing season is somewhat limited and the plants need all the help they can get!

Evening !
looking at your photos Hia - I would be tempted to plant out the tomatoes and beans , and protect them with some fleece. The rest I would try doing the old trick - old towel in the bottom of the bath ( if you have one, or sink if not) , wet through, but not spare water IYSWIM , stand all the pots on the towel. They will keep damp and cool, and out of direct sunlight. Then just pick up the hardening off were you left off.
Meep - we have experts here with recipes for gluts. I try to grow 3 plants , up to 4,- I bake and cook a lot, but I usually give them away left, right and centre too ...
Una - I found that out a couple of years ago - the young growing tips were completely gone overnight, hence the little ring of slug pellets.
DrWhy - mmm, no feed ? You can probably at a tweak get away with it this year, but it stores up problems for next. Yes, I use tomato feed for tomatoes/cucumbers/peppers/aubergines. If you have the chance, you can get away with mulching with well rotted manure around all the fruit bushes - obviously not the strawberries though. For the rest, I tend to use organic chicken pellets - they feed , and tend to add a bit of bulk too. They tend to be quite cheap in those enormous tubs . I tend to be a bit cavalier and just chuck them around where I think its needed.

Thanks bookbook I assume the pellets should have been dug in in advance too - is there any kind of liquid feed or pellets I can get away with once things are growing? Next year I am going to have a bigger toddler and a small baby so I can’t imagine I’ll find it loads easier to get things done although I will be on mat leave, which might help!

No I just scatter the pellets around the plants, let the rain water them in!

Blue, mine doesn't set solid because of the amount of sugar in it, so ice cubes wouldn't work.

On feeding, I find liquids easiest - I use molasses and seaweed, and use iron sulphate powder for the ericaceous plants.

I have fallen off the last thread. Winter was very busy for us. The allotment is doing good only have potatoes in and my asparagus is looking lovely. Eastern Scotland is still a bit chilly at times. My greenhouse is full of seedlings, but some got a bit too hot on the only 2 hot days in Scotland.

I have planted 2 butterfly bushes in my garden and can't wait for all the visitors.