Allotment/Veg Patch Thread 14 ! growing into summer

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Well, here we are - its the end of May and after a cold spell , we are heading for summer .
Everyone welcome to join us in the joy of growing your own , sharing the ups and downs , tips and advice
previous thread HERE

either the pigeons or butterflies get any brassica at our site unless they are netted. my squashes have done badly too this year thespotted. i put it down to the cold june, rather than my inadequate watering.

Sorry to drop in. Please can anyone identify these squash/pumpkin that are growing?
Dc3 helpfully mixed up all my squash/courgette/pumpkin seeds so it has been a "mystery plant" year and its my first year growing them. Seperate plants, I have 19 plants at home (and I dont have a big garden but have all sorts of veg growing, so it's pretty much a jungle) and I think 7 at the allotment, which I now gather is an awful lot 🤦‍♀️.

That's interesting about the bees, I'll have to ask the keeper next time I see him. I've never had an issue but then I just tend to ignore them, even when they're buzzing around my head! But I'd hate for the baby to get stung. There is a fence but it's chain link so I imagine it's just to keep people out and the bees fly right through the holes.
Gorgeous beetroot tiz, I'm going to have a few of mine in a salad tonight, can't wait
What do people use their patty pan squash for? I imagine it'll be better when I can pick a few at once. Could I chuck the odd one in a curry do you think?
We've had a lot of flooding nearby and my plot was looking very waterlogged when I dug up some potatoes a couple of days ago. I hope my plants will be okay!

Pyxie I put patty pan chunks in a chicken curry last night for dinner. Ds2 remarked that he can't remember a meal we have recently that hasn't contained courgette.

Excellent, thanks elephant

spaghetticarbana I am perhaps not the best person to reply as I was complaining upthread about mystery courgettes on my plot which have actually turned out to be the squashes I planted . I'd say it's hard to tell at the moment but two of your three pictures are either a squash or a pumpkin and you will know more when they have grown a bit bigger and start to resemble the pictures on the packets. 26 plants in total is a lot - you are going to be eating a lot of squashes, etc this autumn! They do store well though.

A plot neighbour gave us some spare cucumber plants which are going rampant but don't actually seem to be producing any flowers or plants. A couple of my squashes seem to be only producing the male flowers so far but the others are all doing well. I also need to take over my tiles to put underneath the fruits. Last year I had a nice sized pumpkin which the slugs quietly decimated on the underneath while I wasn't looking. Fortunately we had a good haul anyway so didn't mind too much.

I had caterpillars on some cabbages in the back garden a few years ago. I ignored them and left the plants in over the winter and they grew back and we had a little crop the following spring. This was the result of my neglect rather than any grand plan.

Afternoon
Spaghetti - mm, they all look so alike these curcubits , I wouldn't even hazard a guess !
Been a bit busy this week, and will be over the weekend , so it was the quickest zip to the plot to water and pick . Also put tiles under squashes - 9 so far ..... New baby courgettes are looking very happy , and some of the sweetcorn are starting to get a few brown tassels - gave them all another shake today .
So picked almost the last of the broad beans , 2 courgettes from the slightly poorly old plants , and started on French Beans. Didn't have a lot of time , so it was a quick , rather than thorough pick .

forgot to say Spotted - I am just about done with this years seed sowing , just odds and ends left , so propagator will sit in splendour until early spring I think! I have savoys and spring greens just about ready to prick out , and that was really the last main lot left to do

Pulled 2 shaws of Arran Pilot - this was all I got

2 large cucumbers from my 2 cucumber plants - another 4 medium-large ones on them, with more starting to swell.

Also picked my 1st truss of very small Ailsa Craig. The plant (which was given to me, along with a Mountain Magic, which is ok) is very sickly, with curling leaves. The one I grew myself from seed is much healthier (but a good few weeks behind).

We gained an allotment a couple of months ago and due to the large rabbit population me and DH decided raised beds were the way to go.

However he's been too busy and has only made one!

I've reclaimed the allotment with the DCs and we've tidied it and ordered raised beds and I've ordered top soil.

Does anyone layer their beds with newspaper, straw, compost/manure, hay and then top soil?

ranoutof I guess it depends what you are putting the raised beds onto. If it is bindweed, brambles, couch grass, nettles or mare's tail I would advise weed suppressant fabric, if it is good clean soil then no worries. A good mixing in of manure is always helpful, perhaps Google the guy who does the no dig raised beds. Good luck!

Rain forecast all weekend but it never materialised so got much more done than I anticipated. Some beans, carrots and beetroot sown. Lots of weeding, fed most things with comfrey tea and started a new batch.

More onions, courgettes (of course) and the first of the blackberries picked.

Thanks @elephantoverthehill I'll have a look at the guy you suggested. Me and the DCs have cleared 99% of the weeds!

Ooh tiz I'm jealous of your blackberries, mine are still a way off yet.
I let my tomatoes get out of hand so I spent a bit of time trying to tidy them up earlier, I still have one plant left to trim though. I think I'll just grow all bush varieties next year!

Back from a camping trip and everything’s been eaten cabbage whites 🐛😭 picked 100’s of them off today but I think it’s too late to save anything,

Afternoon!
not sure what is happening with the lack of pictures upthread....?
argh Love - if the centre tip is still there , you have a chance at regrowth, if you have managed to pick most of the pests off - worth a go at least .
ranout - rabbits are a real pan when it comes to demolishing your lovely plants - destructive to say the least . I think as elephant said , it depends on what you the ground is like underneath, but anything organic will theoretically work , as long as you have a good mix of stuff.
Well, had a few days awol on the plot , and I woke up to rain this morning - it had rained overnight too. So a quick trip to the plot. I at least didn't need to water.!
I planted up my spare calabrese plants , then harvested a cauliflower, a cabbage, along with a few heads of lettuce, and caught a head of calabrese before it bolted just A single courgette from my sad plant too . So soup making is order of the day I think .
Also picked my first aubergine :) - I had to retie the plant to it's stake as it had pulled over with all the little aubergines . It is a mini variety , but I have between 12 and 14 fruit set on each plant. Just wish the tomatoes , of which I have a lot would get on and ripen, and the peppers would swell a bit more - they are slow this year as well

I'm still battling with the catapilars (see photo of what I removed I'm ten minutes yesterday).
Runner beans and French beans doing great, picking every day and running out of freezer space, going to have to start giving some away. Courgettes got a bit overgrown whilst I was away 🤣

LoveMusic that photo of all the catapillars should come with a warning! .
I spent a couple of hours at the plot today mostly watering and harvesting beans, sweet peas, sunflowers and tomatoes. The mound of patty pan squash is growing ever larger in the kitchen, I'll get around to it soon. Does anyone know how long you can store them? Grumpy Ron let me pick a load of his plums, they're lovely.

Re: patty pan squash - i found they'd last maybe 5 days or so in the fridge

Morning all. Really enjoying everyone’s harvest pictures.
I was on the thread last year, but have had a woeful time this year....partly my lack of time/energy to sow what I had planned, and partly damn slugs and the very changeable weather.

I planted lots of onion sets which were doing brilliantly - after a few rainy days, checked under the mesh (quincedog protection) to find an army of slugs had eaten THE LOT - roots, bulb and shoots.
Sweet peas I sowed on time but was v late planting out, so they are struggling a little.
Courgettes looking healthy but just no fruit yet.
I have tried Mara des Bois strawberries, and planted 4-5 young plants in each of 2 very large hanging baskets. They are thriving, but have only had 1 strawberry - they are now throwing out masses of runners.
Is the lack of fruit because it’s their first year; have I overcrowded them, or another reason? Also how do I deal with the runners to make new plants for next year? Thanks all.

Away on holiday right now so am hoping my garden is coping without me and the courgettes marrows won't have taken over the entire place before we get back.... hoping they'll leave room for the runner beans and sweetcorn!

On the strawberries I'd suggest pinching off all or almost all the runners to help the plants build up for next year - if you do want to use them just pin down in little pots and leave until they're thoroughly rooted.

Has anyone grown tondo di nizza courgettes before? Not sure what size they should be harvested

Hi all, newcomer to this thread. This is our second season in our new house with garden and as it's a new-build the garden is basically builder's rubble with a dose of quick-drying cement added for good measure! Needless to say it's almost impossible to dig over. I have added sacks and sacks of compost and it's useless, we're just chucking money at it. So instead we've gone for raised beds. Now the issue with these is we've used the heavy clay type stuff which was already there and again added compost including our own we've been rotting down since we moved here. We tried planting a few veg in the beds (beet, carrots, pots) but it was that difficult to dig them out and the yield is very poor. Attached is a pic of the seed potatoes we planted. Most of them have been attacked by something. Can't see any grubs inside but there are loads of hokes. Anyone know what this is? I'm feeling very despondent by it all. Maybe pots and containers is all we can use. Thanks for reading my essay! Grateful for any comments/advice.

Sorry, Holes not hokes!

Evening!
oh welcome BooseysMom - :) I know what you mean about new build soil in gardens , but I think the raised bed idea is a good one . Depending on how deep the soil/compost is , you may be better with above ground veg , rather than root veg. The holes could be wireworms or slugs , and are very common. Clay is good for nutrients , but poor for drainage , which can be a real problem . Just keep on adding as much organic matter that rots down and don't get downhearted.
Love - why are those caterpillars looking so erm alive ? I squish mine !
quince - hello again. I think we all have times like that - no point in stressing when life gets in the way - gah on the onions :(. Strawberry runners as Una suggests . I tend to leave maybe one on the plant , pegged into its own little pot , any others cut off ( but worth potting up , some may take ) Fruiting is usually better 2nd and 3rd years .
I had an hour at the plot this morning . Mostly tidying up a bit - taking weeds and trimmings to the waste trailer . Dug up a few potatoes , then properly picked the french beans , pulled the last beetroot out of one of my succession rows . Then went and had a look at the autumn raspberries - not many yet , but in another week or so , I should have quite a few if the weather plays ball .