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

I grow from seed but you can buy plugs to plant straight into your veg patch. I sew carrot seeds straight into the ground (and then thin them out) same with spring onions and lettuce. The rest I start off indoors, mainly in window sills around the house.

Afternoon!
One last trip to pick sprouts before i go to the sun , and a last look to check all is okay.
It is absolutely beautiful here (and was yesterday) - the weather is just weird
I grow 99% of my own things from seed - but I have a greenhouse, and windowsills , and space to harden off too. ( I am not good at direct sowing - haven't the patience for all the tilling , smoothing etc :) ) But in previous years , when I have had failures , I have bought plug plants , and they worked fine .

The problem I have with direct sewing is trying to identify what’s weeks and what’s not when things start popping up, had this issue with beetroot last year and I think I removed them all whilst seeking,

My chilly seeds are not doing much, I’m wondering if they are not warm enough? Have heard of people starting them off in the airing cupboard?

Please can I join you all? I don't have an allotment but we've just moved house so now have my own garden. I got a vegtrug for Christmas, looking forward to home grown veg this year! Itching to start sowing seeds but need to be patient for a few more weeks.

The problem I have with direct sewing is trying to identify what’s weeks and what’s not when things start popping up That's the advantage of sowing in straight lines. If you have a straight line of seedlings, hopefully the majority are what you sowed, and it's the odd ones out which are the weeds you want to remove.

I never pull anything up unless I recognise it. Have learnt to recognise quite a lot of wild flower seedlings that way.

Welcome, flibbertyjibbit!

I seem to get a lot of weeds popping up, I’m pretty new to growing veg so last year I ended up pulling the beetroot up (I think), the carrots were more obvious. I was taken over by mares tails and fox gloves springing up everywhere as well as the evil bindweed.

Hallo!
I'd love to join the allotment troops! We got our allotment 9 months ago and have had a bit of a mixed first year - - the clearing has been back-breaking and seemingly never-ending, but the veg has been brilliant.
We have a much better plan this year and a better grasp of what we need to do when. We're currently digging over the plot and putting in new beds and paths - so I'm hopeful! (and exhausted!). Will be lovely to hear about everybody's progress

The first of my chilly seeds have sprouted, not sure what in going to do with 20 chilly plants, maybe give some away 🤣, it’s my first attempt growing chillies. I’m going to plant aubergine seeds next week as I left it too late last year and didn’t get any fruit from them.

Would be interested to hear what people are and are not planting this year, I think I will be giving courgettes a miss this year as they take up so much space and I don’t like them that much (had way too many last year), they are a easy crop which is why I like growing them but I would rather use the space to grow something I like.

Things I will be planting...

Peas
French beans
Runner beans
Spring onions
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Potatoes (in bags)
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Aubergine
Chillies
Peppers

My list looks huge 🤣 but I only grow small crops, just enough for me and 2 dd’s.

Oops, forgot carrots on my list.

First visit back to the plot today haven’t been for weeks. It was glorious when I arrived, raining by the time I left.
I’ve hacked back the brambles, pulled out loads of old and dead branches-should I take the long branches back shorter? I’ve attempted pruning of the black currant bush but it’s already sprouting so I took out the dead wood-should I take out some of the buds as well?
I’ve finally finished building my new raised bed and decided to fill it with the compost from a bed a built last year with old wood I found around the plot. I think I’ll rebuild this one this year but cover it for now (once I’ve taken out all of the compost etc!)
I’ve installed a water butt which was useful as the rain allowed me to check the position of that perfectly.
As always loads more to do but I do feel a bit more optimistic.
Have I missed the boat for pruning the cherry tree?!!

Have I missed the boat for pruning the cherry tree?!! No - cherry trees it's recommended should be pruned in early to midsummer when the tree is in growth and the sap is rising, less like to get infection in through the cut ends. But do you really need to prune it?

Thanks @MereDintofPandiculation that’s helpful re the cherry treee. I only took over my plot last year and I think it’s had a couple of years of neglect so the cherry tree probably could do with a prune-how do I know if it needs doing?!!!

I have applied for a plot at our local allotment (or I’m trying too). If I get a plot I’m not sure what I will do with my garden as I usually grow veg in the garden, a plot would give me at least double the space I have in the garden. I’m lucky that the allotment is right next to my house. I’m super excited and I really hope I get a plot in the next few weeks, I know there are at least 3 plots available.

Lidl’s have their seeds on sale, I still have loads left from last year, is it ok to use last years?

the cherry tree probably could do with a prune-how do I know if it needs doing?!!! You can do formative pruning when young to establish the shape of the tree, but obviously you're not at that stage. After that, their susceptibility to disease means I would prune only if I had dead wood or branches crossing over each other which will start to rub. But I'm growing only ornamental cherries, someone with more experience of culinary cherries will give you better advice.

Annual pruning isn't necessary for health, it's done mainly to keep a tree from growing too large, or to persuade it to have fewer but larger fruit.

If I get a plot I’m not sure what I will do with my garden as I usually grow veg in the garden Grow fruit instead? You can't always plant fruit trees on an allotment, and in a garden you could also grow decorative fruit trees like medlar and quince, both of which have large flowers.

Mere that’s a great idea, I planted a few fruit bushes last year but would like some more and was planning on planting raspberry canes too, I already have blackcurrants, gooseberries, strawberries and a fig tree. If I get a plot then I will be planting lots of potatoes instead of using bags in my garden and will probably grow things that take up too much space in my garden such as runner beans, courgettes and pumpkins.

I keep falling off the thread . LoveMusic what about flowers for cutting on your plot?

Lovemusic I recommend the hybrid blackberries (Logannerry, tayberry, boysenberry and the rest) - easy to look after, none of the virus troubles of raspberries, and masses of fruit which freezes well. I also have a mulberry, and some older apple varieties which aren't available in the supermarkets - my favourites are Cornish Aromatic, Herrings Pippin, Brownlees Russet and Ashmead's Kernel.

@MereDintofPandiculation thank you so much-I’m going to remove cherry tree pruning from my to do list thanks to you; will have a good look over for rubbing branches. The shape is quite good.
Installed second water butt today and planted some sage.
What should I do with my rhubarb-force it or leave it?

hello- glad other people cracked and planted seeds- I’ve got chillies and tomato seeds optimistically on wet kitchen roll. Think my classroom window is too cold though so they’ll need to come home.

My plum tree is covered in blossom which is ridiculous as there are zero insects out and about and we could still get frost. I’m wondering if it’s worth taking a paintbrush and doing some hand pollinating?

Can I join in too? I've not got an allotment but a veg plot at our small farm (in North Devon). We only moved in late 2018 and everything is/was very overgrown so last year I resorted to growing a few veg in our back garden, this year however the proper veg patch is almost ready! Very excited and have got everything planned out, hoping to grow a lot and become more self sufficient.

Would love some tips on parsnips if anyone has any? Did nothing for me last year but my husband loves them so I need to try again.

Pics show our plot before and after rotavation last weekend (still some work needed) and my plan.

Would love some tips on parsnips if anyone has any? Did nothing for me last year What form of "did nothing"? Did they fail to germinate, or did they grow into plants but fail to produce decent sized roots?

What should I do with my rhubarb-force it or leave it? Leave it. Forcing is done to get early rhubarb but takes a lot out of the plant - usual advice is to discard it afterwards. So assuming you'd like to continue to get harvests, let it do its own thing in its own time.

I’m wondering if it’s worth taking a paintbrush and doing some hand pollinating? Which plum variety have you? Some are self-fertile.

jiskoot very impressed with the new veg plot. The soil looks beautiful.

Cathpot we too have a delinquent plum. It has finally lost its leaves. It also blossomed into late summer!

Lovemusic33 what about shallots? They grow very well from seed and can be started now.

Had a busy afternoon on the plot. I was sowing broad beans in the tunnel for planting out in a month or so. I am going to sow some peas tomorrow.

We are slowly planting out the new orchard. Now that we have the new plot we can see that we have inherited a few trees. DH has been pruning to try and bring them into shape as they have been neglected for a few years

Hi all, have posted on here before under a different name. Have done the sowing of my January seeds today (a day late I realise). Yellow and red onions, leeks and banana shallots in my (unheated) conservatory. Peppers, tomatoes, aubergines and cosmos flowers in my propogator. I'm a bit more in the swing this year organisation wise: photographed the seed packets and highlighted the seeds sown on my drawing of my plan. I've got my seeds in a box file labelled January - February. No doubt my February seeds will get sown last minute too. I'm excited now that they are sown. I've still got to trim fruit bushes, rake over the soil, do some strimming and hoeing and tidy the polytunnel. Oh have also bought some international kidneys today too.

The parsnips failed to germinate for me, planted them in toilet roll tubes. I'm going to try to pre-germinate this year and start them indoors

Hello plotters. I’d like to join in too. I did post on this thread a few years ago for a bit but name changed multiple times since. Had the plot 4 years - first year was fab, second year pretty good until the drought killed almost everything , third year started promising but then became a bit of a write off due to ill health. To the point where my plot neighbour chanced his arm and tried to take over my plot . Anyway, got him kicked off end of last summer and reclaimed/dug/covered about half of it, cleared the greenhouse out. I’ve had Oriental greens in the greenhouse bed over winter and got garlic and broad beans in the ground going nicely. I’m doing much better now health wise so hoping for a return to proper plotting this growing season. I sowed my first seeds (chillies and peppers) on New Year’s Day, a little tradition of mine, and have had good germination so most are ready to prick out to pots now. I also sowed aubergine and celeriac this week as they need a nice long growing season. I’m in London so very mild climate, have an unheated greenhouse on the plot and a good amount of windowsills & few heated propagators at home.
Planning on doing some plotting tomorrow, a little digging, tidying, seed sorting, and I’m thinking of taking cuttings of all the woody things. We’re planning on buying a house this year and if I can get a good enough garden, might end up giving the allotment up - and I’ll want to take things with me! I have red, white & blackcurrant bushes - not sure which is which though lol - and a mature fig tree. Thinking of just taking some cuttings tomorrow, sticking them in pots of compost in the greenhouse and seeing what they do.