Allotment/Veg Patch Thread 14 ! growing into summer

[bookbook]

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

Thanks bookbook. Sad about the leeks - that’s exactly how I planted them, maybe I’ll start them earlier next year!

RhubarbFizz what on earth do you do with cucamelons? We had thousands last year, many of which are still lurking in the cupboard in jars of vinegar or in the freezer. I sometimes use the latter as ice cubes in G&T, but generally I concluded that they’re a waste of time and didn’t bother this year!

Queenof last year we had so many cucamelons and friends loved trying them but we mainly just ate them. My son took them to school for snack every day for weeks. This year he did not have enough for school snack and just ate them off the plant! How do you grow yours? I just used a few poles this year which was not a success.

Rhubarb, I stuck three in a growbag in the greenhouse and gave them a bamboo cane each. They went mad - grew all over each other, over the tomatoes next door, then out of the louvre vent! My DD wouldn’t touch them with a bargepole - she’s a fiend for the alpine strawberries though!

hah! cucamelons - no-one likes these in our family ( tried them a couple of years ago, couldn't give 'em away, had loads )
Queen - when did you sow/plant the leeks? I tend to do mine in 3 goes - sow a first lot end of Feb , second lot middle of March , and last lot end of March . I start to plant as soon as they are big enough to just show out of the top of the dibbed hole, and can then pop extra seedlings from later sowings in any empty holes if they haven't shown up ( which is why occasionally I get a baby leek next to a big one when I dig them up ) . I do 2 varieties - one that harvests Nov-Dec, and the rest for overwinter .
Still raining off and on here - hasn't had the chance to dry up at all

I’m not entirely sure, book. I probably left them in their trays too long because I was a bit nervous about the dibber/water thing and thought they wouldn’t make it if they didn’t have enough sticking out the top. But I found the planting out really easy and it sounds as though I was worrying unnecessarily about them not being tall enough! I’ll try again next year. When did you plant yours out? I’ve just consulted the seed packet and it says not until May and to avoid frost.

Finally got my broad beans, garlic and onions sorted. Most of them at home because my plot has been prone to flooding. soundofsilence I reckon you'd be alright planting onions now, I've just stuck mine in modules at home to over winter and then plant out at the plot in spring. No idea if that's okay, I'm just copying people I follow on Instagram

Finally cleared the runner beans and mulched most of the empty beds.
I still have a few different chilli plants going that I might try to over winter. Anyone done that?

I still have a few different chilli plants going that I might try to over winter. Anyone done that? Bring them indoors, rather than leaving in a cold greenhouse. Look out for greenfly and control it before it gets too bad. Red spider is another possibility if the air is very dry. It's not a guaranteed success, but there's a very good chance, and it gets them going earlier next year if they survive. I never throw out a chilli which is still in good health at the end of the season.

Thanks Pyxie. I'll give modules a whirl.

Morning all!
well, what a horrible week it has been here weather wise . just wet , wet , wet .
So have been popping in to pick veg , and managed to get raised beds half sorted , just need to bolt them together before refilling and planting up with strawberries .
I did manage an hour this morning before the drizzle turned to rain . Have dug over the bed for leeks in spring , just need to get manure on . And also dug out couch grass from some edges that manage to wind around chicken wire fence and such . So a little job with a sense of satisfaction!
Harvested a nice savoy for tea too before the rain got to me :)

bookbook You're putting me to shame! Looked at my large pots where I grow cucumbers and courgettes, thought "I ought to change the soil ready for next year", looked at the dripping leaves outside, and thought "I could catch up with my admin instead".

hah Mere -
well, it was beautiful, if chilly today , so the raised beds are all up and bolted/screwed together , and about half of the soil is back in . Lots more to shovel in yet though !

Marking my spot as I have fallen off the thread again, back later.

And me Exp. I did get to the plot on Sunday and put in broad bean plants to over winter, they will probably be safer on the plot as they have already been nibbled by something in my garden.

I spent an hour at the plot on each of Sat and Sun mornings, just clearing some couch grassy sections that I didn't get round to at harvest time. It was sunny and incredibly peaceful up there. But the ground is waterlogged.

Cucamelons - I had a huge crop a few years ago and turned them into dill pickles, which were delicious.

Leeks - I have mentioned before that I have let my leeks self seed overvtge last couple of years. I let some bolt and grow flowers this year, a couple of months ago I noticed that one of the seed heads was sprouting hundreds of tiny seedlings so I winkled some out, put them in a tray and they are doing well, but not sure whether to plant them out. They are about 6" high and fine like chives.

Don't know enough about leeks Exp1etive. Mine are weak and weedy things again.

Managed to get to the plot on Sunday and dig up my dahlias - just before this week's first proper ground frost. We've already had several air frosts but Monday was the first real frost. No idea if they will survive in my shed or not. Also did lots more clearing and discovered that I have three foxglove plants from the seeds I shoved in a few months ago (not a great rate of germination but better than nothing!).

We are still eating our way through our squash glut. Eaten our last red cabbage and almost at the end of the potatoes as the main crop were rubbish. Only things in the ground are perpetual spinach, a few random beetroot, some kale and some purple sprouting broccoli which should be ready in the spring (maybe!). Not enough to feed us properly (apart from the squashes and the beans in the freezer). Must try and get better at growing things like winter cabbage.

I need to sort out what I am trying for seeds next year.

Hi everyone - this was my first year of 'proper' gardening and we did quite well with fruit & veg grown in pots - although sadly the last of my tomatoes rotted in the weeks and weeks of rain we had

Joining here to keep myself motivated for the winter, if that's ok! My chief garden helper DS2 broke his arm over half term, once that's better we will be out planting onions.....

Welcome Ruby, great to have a chief garden helper, I hope his arm heals well. All I've got in at the moment are shallots, broad beans, spinach and one very lonely beetroot.

Evening!
welcome RubySlippers :) . It is very hard to keep going in the dark nights and weather at this time of year , but everything that can be done now , is of benefit in Spring . Can I be nosey and ask where you are - North/South/East or West? . Are you planting up all in pots? Make sure you refresh the soil/compost if you do .
Expletive -mm on seeded leeks . No direct experience , apart from decorative alliums ( the big ones with the pom pom heads) they seeded everywhere , but only ever seem to come up as thin grass like seedlings , and don't do anything- a right menace
I popped down to the allotment this morning - first there , so I had to unlock the gates - long time since I have had to do that . It had been raining , so planned just to pick veg . But the rain stopped, so I finished shovelling soil into my new raised bed . And so to the weirdness of soil . I had 4 raised beds ( actually hinged pallett collars ) each one nearly full of soil and compost . DH has reconstructed them into 1 large one , double height . The soil does not half fill it ....Will have to see if I can get some topsoil to top it up I guess . Lots of tidying up around it to do too - more weed membrane around it to sort yet , but the bulk of it is done at least , and I can now weed and dig the area the beds were in before.
Picked some perennial spinach and a red cabbage . They need to be used up now - I have 2 left after this one , and they are starting to go over a bit .

but only ever seem to come up as thin grass like seedlings , and don't do anything- a right menace I would expect them to take 4-5 years to build up the bulb to flowering size.

It's a nice time of year! Buy some bulbs and pot them up for motivation in January, settle down with the catalogues and make massive lists of things you must buy and things you'd like to buy, before whittling it down to the top 30. Pop out and do some pruning on any nice days. And otherwise, not much to do. Not like May-June when it's all weeding and repotting and everything needing to be done again as soon as you've finished.

Gate locking (or otherwise) is controversial at our allotments Book. The rules are that the gates must be locked AT All TIMES (apart from entering and exiting). This is because of CRIMINALS. We are in a small naice market town, not The Bronx so this causes a lot of eye rolling, indeed some of us feel safer with the gates unlocked if we are up there on our own, if you had an accident and were stuck you'd want help to be able to get to you.

@bookbook we are Home Counties - I was going to say that all our gardening is pots (as we only have a small lawn, but a fair bit of patio/ paved area, so pots were much easier!) BUT today I was offered a local allotment! It's not the closest plot sadly - that would be walking distance - but is only about 5 minutes' drive. I need to pop up and see it before I agree to take it on though.

I like spinach, might put some of that in! We have plenty of seeds left over from last year, need to go through them once the madness of Christmas is out of the way.My best buy last year was some garden shelves which have been brilliant for growing tomatoes and strawberries.

@ExpletiveDelighted we have a code on our allotments - I will check when I visit how secure it is!

I'd like a locked gate - but we have a public footpath running through the allotments. Someone stole all my apples, pears, and quite a few plums this year.

I agree with it being locked in general but if you are there, within sight of the gate, it is irritating to have to lock it every time (big stiff key padlock). Also I frequently pop in for short visits. If I have walked there I tend to lock it in case I leave by a different exit but if I've driven I always go back out the one nearest to where I've parked.

Ruby - mine is about 1/2 a mile from my house, so I often walk but drive if I'm on my way somewhere else or have a lot of stuff to shift. Its worth looking at parking, how close can you get to your plot, also proximity to taps, whether its tucked away so not many passers by or on a main path which is great if you are chatty, is it likely to be shaded eg by trees.

some of us feel safer with the gates unlocked if we are up there on our own, if you had an accident and were stuck you'd want help to be able to get to you. I'm sure your allotment rules should include a "lone working policy" .

Can you take some WD40 and see if you can ease the padlock? Or make it look as if it's locked when it isn't?

Would love a locked site also - fruit is stolen so lost all from the tree, all red gooseberries and many strawberries. Thieves do not like currants though or potatoes thus far, sigh!