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

I do make it look as if its locked when I leave it open, it's up a track 50m from the road so not clearly visible from the road. People do WD40 them periodically but it doesn't last and you end up with oil on your hands. It's not that big a deal, its just a bit annoying that you aren't given any leeway to use your own judgement.

Evening!
Hope everyone is okay .
The weather has been continuous rain here

I have been up twice since last week , in drizzle and rain. Managed about half an hour today before it started to proper rain , so managed a tiny bit of weeding , ( from the path ), and planted my strawberries up in the raised bed ( I cheated a bit with the soil level , and sort of increased the level on half of it , and will need to build up the rest .) Dug up some muddy leeks , and scarpered home .
We have two paths into our site - each has a big double gate. The gates are locked overnight - it is asked that you lock the gate if you think you are the last person/its dark . They did have locks with keys , but so many didn't bother or didn't have the key with them etc , etc , that half the time they didn't get closed . The padlocks were changed this year to heavy duty locks with a chain and a code . It seems to be working quite well . Its not locked during the day though - being a big site , people are in and out all the time ( if its not wet! )
I am just about prepped up now , just need to find out how to get rid of all the slugs on my spring cabbage .... oh , and re-fence , but that will need help from DH, when he can.

I went to the plot today and planted out some shallot seedlings and my one beetroot. I think I was the only one there so it was very peaceful. I dug some carrots but they have all been affected by carrot fly I was only persuaded to grow them by 'grumpy Ron' I don't think I'll bother again. My perpetual spinach is very disappointing this year, so I dumped a load of compost on it. Our allotment is completely open, there are 3 farm gates, so anyone could jump over if they wished to. There have been break ins to sheds but it is few and far between and nothing gets stolen but it is just pain with the damage caused. I guess it is probably just bored teenagers hoping to stumble across some parsnip wine. The funny thing is they usually gain access by walking through the stream at the bottom of the plots rather than just opening the gates from the road.

I still haven't managed any garden planting DTS2 should be getting his arm out of plaster next week though and hopefully will be happily covering himself in mud not long afterwards!

And no decision on the allotment either - between DTS1 being off school and Black Friday I've done nothing much. Sigh.

@elephantoverthehill I've never tried parsnip wine but was very tempted to try making elderflower champagne this year!

I haven't been here for ages. The Melbourne spring has been its usual capricious self, and notably cold. Despite this I have runner beans racing away, the irrepressible rocket, radishes and warrigal greens. I'm experimenting growing the latter as ground cover and in containers as it has small leaves, thickish stems and a spreading habit that yields few edible parts for the room it takes.

The snails have had at my first cucumber seedlings and some bugger - looking at you, dog, has dug up my courgettes. Start again.

A new venture is Turk's Turban pumpkins and leeks in containers. Watch this space.

Morning !
hello echt darn it with snails - ooh leeks in containers? need tall ones eh?!
Ruby - its hard to motivate yourself when its busy , with short days . :)
Well, I did get down on Saturday morning for a quick veg pick . -3º , but lovely and sunny so the calabrese and sprouting broccoli was nearly frozen . We have had a few days on the trot of heavy frosts overnight , with luck that may stop a few slugs

I am all tidied now at the plot , but have been offered some more free horse manure , so need to gird loins and go and fill sacks again when its suitable , and not too wet

ooh leeks in containers? need tall ones eh

Hello Bookbook I have raised veggies beds because of completion with tree roots so can't grow deep-rooted vegetables.

This link inspired me:

ttps:www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld57sB1mV6w

Another heavy frost here today. Nothing much has happened plotwise because of the weather and the need to actually do some Christmas shopping.

We went through our seeds last weekend and decided what to grow for next year. We're going to try sweetcorn again next year after a break. We had sweetcorn envy as our plot neighbours did rather well. DH is keen to try a squash variety called Fungo which are very weird looking so we'll see how they do.

Nice to hear how things are going on the other side of the world Echt

Morning!
been a bit grim here - either rain or heavy frosts , so only got down this morning to pick veg, and do a bit of a tidy .
Replaced the fleece over the spring cabbages that I tore last week , so weeded around them from the path . (Poor things are being munched to death :( , so I did scatter a few organic slug pellets around ).
Decided to pick the last red cabbages - the frost has got to them a bit , which I was a bit surprised at as they were under enviromesh . Pulled some sprouts , which are going a bit fluffy .
The cauliflowers I have left are looking very sad - the curds are going brown before they get any size at all . Darn rain .
But now , its all tidy and ready for winter , just harvesting and keeping an eye on things now .
On good news , my seed order has arrived this morning ! Roll on spring :)

bookbook - have you tried encouraging frogs into the plot? I have a tiny wildlife pond in mine (its one of the kids old plastic toy boxes) with some rocks in so wildlife can get out. I get hardly any slugs or snails now which i'm pretty sure is down to them being eaten

I have a wildlife pond - our best count is 169 frogs. They have made zero impact on slugs.

I still haven't made it outside to do any planting it's either freezing or raining (or both) here. DTS1 keeps reminding me that it's time to plant our onions but still we haven't done it! Maybe at the weekend if it gets a bit warmer, at least enough to be outside without gloves.....

Hello!
dear me , the weather :(
dreaming - I have a little bowl of water for wildlife , but no pond . I do a lot for birds there - feeders and nest boxes .
Ruby - I feel your pain ( on an aside , I do everything at the allotment wearing gloves :) )
Actually popped down to the plot to pick veg and check everything was okay after all the wind and rain . Managed half an hour and it started raining again... One post cracked and broke under the strain of the brassica net ( with the wind) , so need to properly sort that out on another day .
Picked kale ( looking pretty atm )and some sprouting broccoli - some are the centres of the next variety to come into sprouting , along with the tag ends of the early variety that is finished , basically . Just dug those 2 out now , they have done well this year .
Just praying for some dry weather!

Just praying for some dry weather

Just the opposite here, bookbook Please, some rain🌧

Notwithstanding I've planted 30 leeks in containers, which means I can move them around when it hits 39 and 41 next week. In total I've got aubergines, tomatoes, leeks, spring onions, warrigal greens, cucumbers, courgettes, rocket, runner beans, chives, Japanese pumpkin, and the unstoppable radishes.

I managed a couple of hours at the plot earlier this week. Did a load of weeding around the currant bushes and fruit canes and put in, and half filled, a raised bed on a previously unused (by me) spaçe in between.
I inherited the blackcurrants with the plot but I'm finding them hard work to weed around and I'm not a lover of them so it feels like too much effort to harvest! The few that I did pick this year are still in the freezer. I'll try to have a drastic pruning session next week and mulch in an attempt to keep the weeds down. But I think I might get rid of a few after next year.
I have another raised bed to go in and I've asked for compost for Christmas

Morning !
echt - wishing rain for you - (it is looking a bit scary over there with all the fires in NSW )
I have only had time to pop in and harvest veg. The ground is absolutely sodden , so can't do anything anyway .
Last 2 picks were just about the same - leeks and sprouts .
I'm not sure I remember seeing slugs on leeks before !
I hope everyone has a lovely Christmas , and a good growing New Year :)

Merry Christmas everyone! After a cold, clear start it has turned into a warm sunny day here so I took a quick walk up to the plot this morning with all my veg scraps for the compost (bin at home is full and no food waste collection here). It was nice to get out by myself for half an hour. Looking forward to getting started properly again in the NY.

Happy Xmas all - haven't been to the plot for a couple of months (apart from popping in to check it hasn't gone mad) as work and life has been too busy :( My greenhouse is up and looks like new (although it's been put up at a weird angle which is a bit annoying but can't really complain as other people have done it for me!). Ground is clay and it's so boggy right now I can't really do anything with it. I still need to clear 4 or 5 beds and get some old bush roots out so I can plant trees. I will be putting in a lot of work in 2020 I think :)

Could I please join? I grew a few things this year and have caught the bug. I don't have an allotment but I have a large raised bed in the garden, a veg growing trug and hopefully will be able to renew my raised bed in the local kitchen garden. Planning to grow things in containers on the patio too :)

Welcome EmrysAtticus :) sounds fabulous , and it is addictive when you can eat and taste the things you have grown .
Whereabouts are you- East/West/North/South ( only nosey , you understand! ) . Raised beds are good - the local kitchen garden sounds interesting!
Really nothing much going on here at my allotment . The weather has been windy and wet , so no going on the soil . Just the occasional trip to pick veg and check all is okay .
Will be sowing some broad beans in plugs in a week or so , ready to plant out early , but that is just about it .

Happy Christmas everyone.

Pyxie I make lots of jam with our black currants but they seem to have succumbed to some disease so I have taken some of mine out too. I think compost is a great gift!

Hoping to get to the allotment this week after time away for festivities. Want to see how the onion/garlic are doing and think about what to grow next time.

Anyone super excited now Christmas is out of the way? Starting to plan what to plant this year. The weather is strangely warm in the south for this time of year, went out into the garden earlier to plant some bulbs and some of my rhubarb is coming to life, should I be covering it?

The only thing I still have growing is a few leaks, my veg patches look a bit depressing. Counting down the weeks until I can start planting.

Thank you for the welcome book :) Interestingly I have put my name on the waiting list for an allotment thinking it would be months if not years but it turns out there may be one free just round the corner!

I am seriously excited Love, just want March to be here now.

Hi all, I fell off the thread way back but am thinking all things allotment now the New Year is here. This is my second year growing so I have a better idea of what I’m doing - I hope - and my aim is going to be to spend as little as possible now I’m a bit better set up.

The plot is still feeding us little amounts: dug up parsnips and potatoes for Christmas dinner and the last swede. Also celery and kale, and am waiting on the broccoli and Brussels.

My plot is south Hertfordshire/north London so is clay and very, very waterlogged atm.

I've put in a couple of raised beds for this year, not sure what I'm going to grow in them yet though! I have heavy clay that has become a pond at times with the rain we've had this autumn so I guess root veg would benefit from raised beds so maybe carrots and parsnips in one.

I can't wait to get sowing again!

What are you all most excited about growing this year? For me I think it's those cute little mini pumpkins just because I was jealous of others pictures last year 😄