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

[bookbook]

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

Afternoon!
Gorgeous day here , so finally managed to get down to the plot . Spent twice as long as normal , as loads of people wanted a quick chat!
I have planted out the broad beans , tidied up around the garlic and shallots , which are looking good , and picked kale .
I have taken out borlotti beans I have had in the freezer to do a bean and kale casserole - the joy of having last years harvest still available is a bit of a joy .
I managed to get all my weed buckets emptied in the green grass trailer too , so looking tidy at the moment ( maybe not for long)
Tomorrow is tomato/peppers and aubergine sowing day . I know it must be warming , because the automatic window openers worked on the greenhouse this afternoon !

@bookbook - can you grow peppers outside here?

We got courgettes repotted today and they're on the windowsill. Also tried some rocket in one of the raised beds - probably too early but we're experimenting!

I grew peppers outside last year, had a few problems when I first moved them outside (they were not happy) but some survived and I had quite a few peppers by the end of the summer. I haven’t planted any this year as they caused me too much stress last year, they became my baby’s and took over the house before moving them outside.

Sally - I grow mine in the greenhouse - haven't tried them outside , they are fairly tender.
So I will sow and have them indoors on a windowsill until germinated and getting going . Then pricked out and in the greenhouse . But they will still come in overnight whilst there is still chance of getting any cold snap - sort of hardening off from house --> greenhouse

Ooh, thanks, @Lovemusic33 ! We wanted to try them because we eat so many but didn't think they'd grow!

I managed to get up to the plot today, only stayed half an hour because of the bitingly cold wind. Cut down about half of my autumn raspberry canes, will hopefully do the rest over the weekend, plus get some seeds started (finally). Looking forward to lighter evenings.

I’ve had to move all of my seedlings into a plastic grow house outside because DH now WFH and needs the desk which I’d been using for the seedlings-it feels much too early and I’m sure they are going to struggle but needs must and all that.
Have some blueberry bushes to plant this weekend and going to move a black currant bush as well. Really hoping I will be able to keep visiting the plot it will be a saviour in the coming months.

I put some potatoes in the ground yesterday, a few weeks early really but I needed to burn off some anxiety! I might sow a few flower seeds this weekend. I'd quite like some blueberries to grow in pots at home, might have to have an online shopping spree!

I am planning to try and support our local garden centre who are starting a delivery ir bring out to your car service, really hope it works out for them. Up at the plot now, just finished the raspberry canes and have met a new plot talked to from a safe distance.

New plotholder I should have said.

Just found some ancient seeds today - a few packets of different radishes, creeping thyme, dill, and spearmint. They all say sow by 2015. So people reckon it's worth sowing these anyway? And herbs go straight into the ground (except mint!) or start indoors/conservatory?

Hope everyone is enjoying the lovely weather despite what else is going on in the world.

I've been out weeding and tidying this morning, and relocating primroses from the lawn into pots. I attempted to mow yesterday but it's still so wet it's a bit of a lost cause.

Will get cucumber and tomato seeds planted later on. After all that tomato advice, I ended up finding a multipack of seeds that I'd been given which includes Maskotka tomatoes so am doing those and the recommended sungold.

Also going to put some radish in a container up by the house where it should stay warm enough and get some beetroot in one of the raised beds under fleece.

I've once again cocked up with my labelling, i wrote with what i thought was permanent marker on lollipop sticks - oops. It's only really the various courgette varieties that i'll not be able to tell apart.

Also trying to decide whether to bother with any brassicas this year. Last year was a lot of effort fending off pests for not a lot of reward and I'm not sure it's worth dedicating the space to them when we're fairly limited on that.

Luffa is just for fun really @TheSpottedZebra - we'll use them if they work, but it won't be replacing any plastic.

Went into town today but only because I needed to collect a (delayed) Boots order - picked up a few growing bits from Poundland too - onions etc. I have plenty of their fruit plants to go in as soon as the weather improves a bit! It's actually been pleasant today in the sunshine but the wind is still very chilly.

We have a garden centre nearby still encouraging people to visit and (till yesterday) go in their cafe... they have switched over to home delivery now within a limited area, much better plan.

Hope everyone is well and that we can keep supporting each other on here

Been to the plot this morning. It looks like we are going to have a few days of dry weather which will be a relief. DH ran the rotavator over one of the beds. It was heavy but not too bad which is good as it was under water a few weeks ago.

Lots of seeds are germinating in the tunnel. Broad beans are ready to go outside before they get too comfortable where they are.

Alliums are now netted for the first time as we had an attack of leaf miner last year.

Advice lovely veg growers.

Where can I buy potato seeds online at a good price? Which variety do people recommend (earlies and lates)?

Also planting red onions, how deep do I plant the bulbs as I’m worried I’ve planted too deep?

Afternoon!
I have been down at the plot this morning a really sharp breeze , but sunny . - I did some weeding , and dug leeks , picked PSB . Just need to prep up area for the first succession peas
Again lots of people down there , .
I looked at the advice from the NAS , and they say its okay so far to go , keep the social distance , self isolate etc , but also consider not using any seed swaps/toilet facilities or shops on your site , so I panic bought an extra bag of compost .

Onions netted today, fruit beds weeded, early rhubarb picked. Potato bed duh ready for planting.

One raised bed cleared of chard which we decided we did not like eating and ready for planting when squashes have germinated, grown and no frost!!

Lovely sunny weather. Only 2 other people there which was easy to keep away from. Spoke from a good 5m away!

still have rainbow chard growing in our trug from last year. I don't know if I should just leave that as it is or if it is better to dig it up and plant fresh plants this year. It will "bolt" some time this year and put up a tough flower spike - that's the time to ditch it. Remember we're just approaching the "hungry gap" - the time when all the winter veg have run out but the broad beans aren't yet ready to pick. You may be glad of the chard!

But yes, you do need to sow new plants every year.

Lovemusic33 in theory I believe the very top of the set is supposed to be just visible. In practice I dib a whole and drop them in. I back fill loosely and so far this has worked. Some are deeper than others but they all come up.

Allotmenteering is the perfect asocially distancing hobby: outside, by its very nature people are separated.

Thank you @MereDintofPandiculation. That's really helpful. I will keep it going then until it grows a flower and then I'll grow new ones. I tidied it up and ate some yesterday. It's so pretty.

I had some tiny turnips that had flowered too (I planted them along with some carrots too late last year) which I picked yesterday but I left the tiny carrots to pick if at some point we can't get them in the shops! I added some radish seeds alongside the carrots in the shallow edges of the trug after reading that some of you also have planted radish seeds. I loved how quickly they grew last year.

Lots of our seeds are growing now. DS2 likes petting them! Luckily he is gentle. I don't think he really believes that they can become big enough to produce fruits and vegetables. He looks so doubtful when I say it.

I’ve dug my veg plots over today. They’ve been neglected the last couple of years but with things been as they are in the world I thought I’d be organised and grow veg again this year. My little plastic greenhouse was tatty so bought a new one and built that today.

So far I’ve planted butternut squash seeds in pots inside.
I’ve ordered seed potatoes.
I have carrot seeds which I’m going to sow some tomorrow.
I’ve ordered cucumber seeds.
Also got pak choi seeds and fennel

Can anyone recommend any tomato types....only ever get green ones!

Viva where have you ordered your seed potatoes from? I don’t want to go out and buy them.

@VivaLeBeaver - TheSpottedZebra gave me a whole bunch of recommendations up the thread a bit

I ordered some seed potatoes for DM on amazon yesterday:

seed potatoes

Great, I've ordered tomato seeds now.

I ordered my seed potatoes from amazon as well.