Allotment/Veg Patch Thread 15 - will winter ever end?

[bookbook]

Hi everyone , just putting this up quickly , will add on later
Everyone welcome! :)

Oooh how delicious!

Better get used to watering!

@lightlypoached lovely looking strawberry! My DS2 will be very jealous, he is eagerly watching our strawberry plants for any hint of one...

My watering can is broken I suspect the DC have bashed it somehow. It was only a £2 one from Wilko but sturdy enough, and now I can't get back to buy another! It has a crack in the side so is still usable, but it takes twice as long to do my watering as half the water dribbles out.

I was thinking complacently yesterday that my marigolds were really coming along nicely, loads of leaves - then took a closer look and thought hmmm, there's no flowers and these really don't look like marigold leaves - turns out the DC poked loads of peas in there instead

I wanted to ask you what to do about the greenhouse. They have an old glass frame one which is way too hot in summer and too cold in winter. It's been about 40C every day in there so I can't even keep my seedlings in there. The stuff sowed in pots has had to come in to the house (tomatoes, lettuce, broad beans though the black aphids are already attacking them). Is it worth trying to make it cooler? Yes. At this time of year open any windows and vents, and the door, and leave them all open.You can paint the roof with a sort of white paint which acts as shading, but you'd want to get that off before winter.

Longer term, if you haven't enough openings, replace one of the low down panels with louvres. Also fit automatic vents to the roof windows so they'll open early in those early spring days when the sun sends the inside temperatures soaring.

At this time of year, I use my greenhouse for tomatoes, and cucmbers seedlings I want to keep an eye on, and as a general slug-free haven for small tender plants.

Afternoon all!
welcome Bluewave - sounds like you are up and running! Whereabouts are you- North/South/East/West ? ( just nosey you understand! ) - beans and peas most likely mice - I need to cover mine in chilli water to deter the blighters :) Mmm - tomatoes no flowers but huge? Are you feeding them yet ? Re greenhouse - by this time of the year , I wouldn't want to have to take down a greenhouse , they are too useful . The smaller they are , the more extreme the temperature range can be,. When I had problems with my smaller one , I threw an old white cotton bed sheet over the top and side to act as shade , not a long term solution obviously , but worked for the time I needed it .
wow Lightly - that looks good!
Not down to the plot today , but busy potting up courgettes , squashes and cucumbers into bigger pots today . My Sungold and Roma tomatoes have their first fruits on too , but yes tiz - watering is going to be a regular need again this year

Just popping back in to say thank you very much to posters who suggested I germinate chilli seeds from a red shop bought chilli- I’ve just potted them up into little pots (germinated then on damp kitchen roll). I may never buy chilli seeds again, I am overly pleased. I’ve just got a couple of cucumbers to plant up but I’m out of compost and can’t face the shops today. Lots of things need pruning and clearing but our recycling centre will only take garden waste if it is ‘dangerous to store it at home‘ - not really sure what that means!

thank you so much for the kind welcome!

we've just moved to rural Oxfordshire from London. Have a big plot outside for growing things. I am British but wasn't raised in this country so have no clue about the weather here - this late frost nearly destroyed all my plants and at the mice eating my peas and beans! I have an awful lot to learn!

the green house is maybe 12 foot by 6 foot - it would make a great solarium if you wanted to boil alive. It gets the sun all day but it is even more surprising that it is so cold in the winter (we got the house before it got warm but just didn't move into it so I put a remote thermometer in there to monitor it). Thanks re the tip of the white sheet - i will do that tomorrow and see if it works. I don't think there are enough vents. I've kept the door opening permanently since we moved here and it's still boiling during the day.

What should I be feeding the tomatoes? I have some seaweed feed and some miracle gro somewhere. Would the peppers like that too? They are all still in pots and may be too small. I saw your pic of tomatoes and your pots were really big - mine are still in the smallest single ones you can get.

I had a modest little harvest from my veg boxes (and a rogue chilli from my mini greenhouse).

I have some Savoy cabbages (Endeavour) which I bought as plug plants just before lockdown. Labels say 6-8 weeks for harvest but they haven’t formed tight heads yet. Any ideas how much longer (world’s most impatient gardener here 😄)!

First few radish today, these must be self sown ones as the ones I sowed this year were little tubular shapes - I forget the variety.

Most of my beans are now flowering and I've even got a few set. Mange tout also growing well, although they're requiring a lot of persuasion to climb, they seem to prefer to reach over and grab the neighbouring onions.

@BlueWave I tend to germinate peas and beans inside which avoids the mice problem. There's definitely at least one field mouse about

Hoping I can join you all.

Having waited for several years i was offered an allotment last Thursday.

I am a keen gardener, but have been without for the last 18 months as I am between houses in a temporary bolt hole with just a courtyard.

So my new patch, is solid clay, which floods in winter and is badly infected with couch grass. The last owner has rotovated and then abandoned it

There is no shed or greenhouse, two compacted compost bins and a sea of solid, clay clods.

None of that deters me, but I am struggling to find everything. The seeds I want seem to be out of stock and everything else , as in membrane, canes, grow bags, plants etc seem to be double the normal price. Ditto sheds, greenhouses etc.

I would really, really, appreciate any advice as to how I approach this project and whether there are any companies not trying to profit from our current lockdown.

Just to add to my difficulties I am on the ‘extremely vulnerable’ list, so relying on home delivery.

inmylifeIlovedthemall are there any seeds in particular you are after? Happy to look through what I have and mail some on as someone did for me.

I’ll echo @tizwozliz ‘s offer. I’ve still got quite a few seeds left of things and am happy to post out.

I bought some red sunflower seeds and also this small greenhouse for our tomatoe plants as my friend said they won't do as well on our patio very excited

Thank you so much tizwozliz and trebolla, your offers are very kind.

I have managed to get some seeds this morning. Not necessarily the varieties I wanted to try but more than enough to feed us over the next few months.

I shall leave my experimentation for next year.

I am now off to search for sheds and try to find 6ft Stakes costing a reasonable amount. I just cannot believe how much profit taking is going on.

Help..one of my gooseberry bushes looks poorly, I bought 2 last summer they are the red thornless variety, planted both in the ground, ground is quite heavy clay, one is doing great and has fruit on it, the other is turning yellow. I have been watering them, wonder if I have overwatered? There’s also some white patches on the leaves of the healthy plant but thought it was bird poop as there’s a lot of bird that sit on the dance next to where it’s planted but now wondering if it’s something else? My raspberry canes are also not doing that great, some have leaves, others don’t and one has flowers/fruit.

Afternoon!
welcome inmylifeIlovedthemall ( great Beatles song that! ) :) hmm , sounds like a job and a half , but as a seasoned gardener , nothing is impossible - I assume grit/manure/straw etc , or raised beds may be the way to go . Re greenhouses etc - are you on a well run site ? Could it be possible to see if anyone is selling a second hand shed/greenhouse . At ours , they come up quite often when people give up their plots , and can usually get help to dismantle and move . Check Aldi for weed membrane , but canes can be pricey it seems to me .
Bluewave - I use a regular tomato feed one ,but in truth , use what you have . Yes - big pots - the tomatoes have to work hard , and the bigger the pot , the easier it is to keep them happy - less chance of drying out ( which can lead to blossom end rot due to uneven watering )

Love - gooseberries are notorious for powdery mildew , so check the one with white patches . Too much water can cause the roots to be sitting in wet clay soil . I wouldn't normally water bushes in truth , they need to grow the roots downwards , not near the surface . . I would leave them well alone for the time being , see what happens . Maybe a foliar feed to perk them up as a possibility .
I was down at the plot this afternoon with DH - mainly moving a compost bin to reorganise storage space . But I did plant the last 2 purple sprouting broccoli , and saw that something has been nibbling the swede seedlings that had germinated . Covered the row with hoops and netting , watered , and now fingers crossed they recover .

Thank you bookbook I will stop watering them and hope for the best.

Hi all! V useful thread. I bought my house last year and one of the main attractions was the huge garden! (Very narrow plot as terrace but 80-100ft long). So it's a great opportunity to try some "home growing". My aim is to eventually make the whole bottom portion of the garden into a fruit and vege patch, possibly add some raised beds. I have a shed, potting table, and a small plastic greenhouse up at the sheltered part of the garden by the house, and also put pots down that side. I've got two mature pears and two mature apples (cookers really), and I collected and froze a lot of fruit last year for crumbles. As of now I've got planted: broad beans, gooseberry bushes, blackberry bush, strawberries, rhubarb, onions, a few potatoes (self seeded I think!), rocket. Also got courgettes, beans and tomatoes in pots, and starting chard, spinach, more beans, beetroot and red peppers from seed in the greenhouse. Any top tips for a beginner?!

Oh I meant to say soil is ok, it's quite clayey, but supports stuff fairly well

Oh bother. Can I have some help please? At the allotment today I noticed that my petit pois are a bit yellow in places - they're still starting to flower but have I overwatered? I'm wary because they were very droopy before because of the heat....!

@inmylife you could try asking on Freecycle to see if anyone has anything you need ? Our local one has greenhouses and all sorts.

Always worth an ask

Quick good Morning - off to the plot shortly

welcome MissB83 :) - the most important tip of all . as you seem to have most things covered - grow what you like to eat . The other thing I tend to think - grow things which are expensive to buy . I tend not to grow onions and carrots in truth , as these are readily available . I do grow lots of soft fruit , as they tend to be relatively easy to grow , and freeze well ( most of the cost in shops is due to having to be picked ) Other than that - enjoy , and remember to feed your soil- it will benefit the plants and the harvest .
@Wildernesstips - sorry to forgot to answer re savoys . erm - are you sure harvest is 6-8 weeks, not 6-8 months ? I harvest my savoy from November onwards , in fact I have only just sown them .

@missb83 I've just sown the beetroot out straight into the soil and it's come up so quickly. Less than a week! I was really surprised. Tiny little sprouts so far but definitely germinated. Maybe it liked the warm weather

I also sowed some of my squash seeds this week - the pumpkins have already come up

@bookbook it is funny how different things take in different years. I have never had tomatoes not flower for example but it may be the lack of food!

parsnips are still looking good but I transplanted the cauliflowers and they are v unhappy, all droopy and look v disappointed to be out of their pots and into the ground! Only have one broadbean left @tizwozliz so am keeping my fingers crossed it hangs on!

water melons are getting a third leaf! I will be so happy if I can get just one of them to work. Started with 3 seeds!

What should I be feeding the tomatoes Fertiliser has on its label the percentage of Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium. For anything where you want o encourage flowers or fruits, you need something where the N number is lower than the other two, rather than one where all the numbers are the same.

‘dangerous to store it at home‘ - not really sure what that means! Fire, vermin, risk of injury. Take your choice of "I saw a rat in it"/"It's so dry and I'm worried about it in this hot weather"/"My toddler has fallen into it twice and hurt herself on these thorns"

Mange tout also growing well, although they're requiring a lot of persuasion to climb, they don't climb, they scramble. So they need twiggy sticks or netting rather than canes.

inmylifeIlovedthemall Try your local facebook pages - because it's not easy to get to the tip, a lot of people are offering things they no longer need, usually on the basis "I'll leave it at the end of the drive for you" - would you feel safe retrieving things like that?

Off to water in a bit and plant out beetroot.