Allotment?Veg Patch Thread 13! Are we weathering the weather?

[bookbook]

well, we have got to August , had heatwaves and thunderstorms. Goodness knows what happens next!
All welcome to join in sharing the highs and lows , tips and experiences of growing your own :)
Previous thread HERE

Its been horrid today - heavy rain. Haven't been to the plot since Sunday , but I did crack, and sowed my first batch of leeks :)
Not looking too clever for tomorrow either

Weather has been awful and looks awful for the next few days. I haven’t done anything outside but managed to plant a few seeds indoors. I seem to have lost my carrot seeds so will have to buy some more. Looking forward to actually planting stuff outside.

My fruit trees should be arriving tomorrow. They are bare rooted, should I stick them in a bucket of water until Saturday, when the weather looks as if it will be dry enough to get them planted? I think we were spoilt in February and although a bit warmer, this is how March is supposed be.

elephant -mmm Thursday tomorrow, so a couple of days at most? If you think its doable then a bucket should be fine. If its going to be longer, maybe a bucket and cover the roots with some loose soil or heel them in.

Did the nursery give you any instructions, elephant? When I got bare-rooted fruit trees a couple of weeks ago they said they'd last for 7 days in their packaging, as long as the tops were exposed.

It is super wet here too. But my apples, greengage and one of my plum trees all have beautiful flower buds over them so in a couple of days the blossom will appear and that makes me very happy.

Thanks Grouchy and Book. I will await delivery and hope there are some instructions, not many on the website. If needs be I will plant them in the rain. I will dig six gurt big holes, shovel in loads of s**t, compost may happen as well, but them trees will be planted and hopefully bear fruit.

Rootgrow is good too - dust over the rootball when planting.

Still no rain in Melbourne, and a run of high 30s days, unusual at this time of year, had me re-instating the shade cloth when I'd packed it away.

Cooler now, and the late cucumbers are outrageously phallic. The Lebanese aubergines are poor. To coin a phrase, like Germaine Greer's worn-out lovers.

Howling wind here in Hertfordshire. I've had to retrieve my blown away ebay special cold frame once this week already. I'm sitting at my desk wondering how many plots away it probably is by now. I definitely need to get DP to build me a proper sturdy one using an old window.

Waiting impatiently for my 36 strawberry plants to arrive. Hoping they get here tomorrow so I can plant them on Saturday. My celeriac, broccoli and chillis have germinated. Was thinking about building my bean teepee this weekend, but I'm afraid it will blow off.

I planted one rhubarb crown a couple of weeks ago. How many do you think I'll need to get a decent harvest? I had thought about just letting that grow and splitting it in the future, but perhaps I should plant a second crown for now?

GW back on tomorrow night

I planted rhubarb last year and got enough for a couple crumbles but not masses, I’m hoping I will get more this year.

Hooray the trees have arrived with instructions. I am going to leave them as they are tonight and soak them tomorrow night before planting on Saturday. Rooting powder is also mentioned in the instructions, thanks Una. I will get some at B&Q tomorrow on the way back from work.

We have one old rhubarb crown that has spread a lot, and three that are now two years old. We don't force but pick until early autumn. That gave us enough for lots of pies and plenty for the freezer, of which we have one pie worth left. Depends how patient you are but you might like to get one more crown of a different variety, perhaps one that is earlier or later.

I would honestly for another rhubarb crown also and if possible a different variety. I have two varieties and 5 crowns - so force a different one each year. The pink, forced rhubarb is glorious. I also give lots away as people appreciate it.

Is now the wrong time ( too late) to plant onion and garlic. I always forget about it and autumn planting does not seem to work. I have bought onion sets and then forgot about them.

So far I just have germinated chilli plants that need potting on but am resisting temptation to sow anything else just yet.

Evening!
wind and rain here today too
*elephant8- happy planting!
Pyjamas - I would say to have at least one more, of another variety , as everyone else says. I have 3 , chosen to give a succession. Mind you my thug - 'Timperley Early' is almost ready for picking - its starts shooting up early Feb.
Rhubarb - onions can be planted anytime from early March, so should be good to go. Garlic needed to be planted late autumn - it needs the cold to clove properly ( as a rule of thumb for garlic - plant on the shortest day, harvest on the longest day - though I plant mine inearly November normally)

bookbook you’d have fun trying to get a trowel in the ground on the shortest day here to plant garlic! I think your November approach is a good one. I put mine in during March 2 years ago knowing know better and it did nothing so I forgot about it and planted fruit over it. This spring three clusters of garlic shoots, looks like three cloves that grew last year and bulbed so I’ve just separated them and replanted. Going to put the onion sets in when we have a little break in the rain. I wonder if that’s a toddler compatible job...
You have all got me thinking about rhubarb now... it’s quite a big plant though, I wonder where we could fit one in,..

Looks like I'm going shopping for another rhubarb crown. Any recommendations? I've currently got a Victoria rhubarb.

Just been to check my rhubarb and I have 3 crowns sprouting, I haven’t got a clue what type mine are, one was bought for me for mother’s day and the other 2 I pinched from my mums garden, I didn’t realise their were different varieties 😁

We have Victoria, Thompson's terrifically tasty and Strawberry surprise. All good though the TTT has the bonus of being early - they're the ones which are well ahead of the other varieties.

I grow my rhubarb at home , so I can just run out and pull some .I have Timperely Early ( picture) - my ' thug', Also Victoria which is much later , and another which name escapes me - maybe Champagne? , but the last one is not very vigorous , so am thinking of moving it. The Victoria is nice , but I don't get nearly as much from it as the thug - thats the one thats makes all the crumbles and pies, and the jam and plenty to gift too

Argh, you lot have made me look up growing rhubarb! Until now I have been given plenty by my neighbour and returned her the odd crumble but she moves at the end of the month so I won’t get any this year. I’d love to grow my own but they are such big plants, the only place I could put one really is a fairly shady corner and I gather they like at least some sun. Mind you it’s fairly ornamental, maybe I could get away with putting it in a flower bed!

Mines in a flower bed Dr - I have spring bulbs around the front and crocosmia around the back ! They like sun, lots of manure , and water .
I did a very short stint at the plot this morning. It was a bit claggy, but took out the last of the sprouts, tidied up that area ready for manuring and dug a cauliflower .

Ooh nice cauliflower!

I have six rhubarb crowns, no idea what they are as I took them from a neighbours plot when they quit. They seem to be doing quite well though.

Thanks Bookbook I will endeavour to get the onions in once it is drier and ignore the garlic until Nov! I love cauliflower and that is a great one!

I like Timperley Early variety of rhubarb. I do not know my other variety a set it was given to me.