Allotment/Veg Patch Thread 16 Weather weirdness prevails !

[bookbook]

Hello to everyone !
pull up a garden chair and join in with the trials and tribulations of growing your own , against the odds of weather , pests and diseases.
Previous thread is HERE

I've only planted (more) sweet peas so far. They'll have to do, as it's still a bit early for me to sow much. I'm not growing chillies or aubergines, and I dont have a greenhouse so anything else would struggle to get the light it needs. I have collected loads of loo rolls, newspaper pots and mushroom boxes though, in readiness.

Spent a lovely couple of hours in the sunshine at my plot, digging out my compost, spreading it and turning the non-ready stuff into the first bay. I have the most I've made so far, which is heartening, as I've been lugging all my green waste up there! And it was so lovely to be out in the light, with signs of spring all around.

Hi all,

So exciting reading everyone's posts! Love this time of year 😍. Had some spring-ish sunshine and mild temps today. So nice!

I've been working on extending my raised beds since yesterday, fingers crossed they'll be done by tomorrow! Also trying to get a trellis built against a fence for more space.

I've been reading up on square foot gardening so this will be my first time using it. I've got 8ft by 4ft to work with so really need to be efficient.

I plan to do tomatoes, aubergine, broccoli, peppers, peas, potatoes and carrots. I've sown some garlic and hoping that continues. This is more of a hobby for me so I'm happy with whatever I can yield, even a small bit of each. My first time gardening last year and I was late to the party. Managed some tomatoes, carrots and spinach

Oh I also want to do hanging strawberry baskets for LO!

Away from the veg patch my turf died over the winter, I lay it in July last year and 60% of it is dead and just soil. Need to reseed that. I get sad every time I see it

The sun was so lovely out there today. Didn't do much, just sat and enjoyed some quiet time.

My sweet peas are poking through! I've never planted them from seed before and tried the first time this year in loo roll tubes. I'm so excited.

Evening all,

My first working visit to the plot for ages today, dug out some buttercups, planted a new rhubarb crown and sat in the sun drinking coffee - a pop-up coffee van has appeared halfway between my home and my plot which is handy! It felt really good to be back, I’ve only been going up to dump things in the compost bin for the last couple of months.

Bella - I remember you too, I probably had a different name when you were last here, I’ve changed mine a few times. Welcome to all returners and new posters, I’ve only posted very occasionally recently but hopefully that will change now.

Hello all,

I've just prepped everything and have planted some carrots and onions.

Can I ask if it's too early to plant potatoes and the like?

Haven’t been on this thread for ages.

Was up at plot for first proper visit of the year. It’s been to wet and laggy up till now.

PSB is just starting.

Leeks, garlic and onions all doing well.

Beds aren’t too weedy.

@Notsogreenthumb. Depends where you are. Soil is very cold where I am so I generally leave it till about st Patrick’s day when it’s all a bit warmer. Im in the North West.

There’s an old saying that you don’t sow anything till the soil is warm enough to sit on with your bare bottom.

@MaryIsA thanks for the reply! I like that saying haha nice way to remember it. I'm in the South East. I think I'll wait a bit thank you

Lovely sunny day here today and yesterday, I have managed to squeeze in 2 more raised beds in my garden and 2 metal planters, managed to cut my finger putting the planters together 😬, dug out my big raised bed and removed a few leaks and a old swede, moved a blackberry bush and pruned them back (hope it’s not too early, they are budding)?
Had a delivery of 16 bags of compost yesterday and have used 14 bags already, in desperate need of some pony poo to top up my raised beds.

Can anyone suggest a fruit tree that doesn’t grow too huge, possibly plum? I already have a Apple tree so would like something different.

I've started some chillis and herbs indoors today and done a tiny bit of weeding.

Was hoping to buy a new plastic cover for my greenhouse but it seems that anything greenhouse related is in short supply. I need to come up with a plan for an alternative...

Evening!
Had a lovely couple of hours at the plot today - gorgeous weather . I pruned back the autumn raspberries , dug out couch grass around them , cut down all the old asparagus stems and weeded the bed too .
Picked veg for a couple of days - leeks , sprout tops , teeny cauliflower and celeriac
Notso - potato planting - rule of thumb - you plant 6 weeks before your last frost date . You can find that online , and the Garden Focused website is good - you can put your nearest town in , and what you want to grow , and it will provide a calendar for what to do when :)
Love - look at the root stock size - these days that is the way to keep a tree at a size that is suitable , some are suitable for pots even . You can google which root stock is which on the RHS

@Lovemusic33. I’ve got a plum on a st julien. Rootstock and a greengage. Love the greengage in particular. Very sweet but still plummy.

Neither have grown too large.

That website is really handy, thank you Book.

My dad always says to plant potatoes on Good Friday something about that traditionally being the working man's first day off (that wasn't a Sunday and therefore meant to be spent in church/resting as God did, my dad's not evefgn religious ).

We have a cherry tree in a big pot that I think will stay small.

I am relatively new to this (I grew courgettes, beans and toms last year). I bought a polytunnel last Autumn - it has lettuce and cabbage in at the moment. How much earlier can I plant out things like Tom’s in the polytunnel as opposed to the garden? I was too late with my toms in the garden last year. The garden focused website says planting out should be end of May in my area but I presume that is out into the garden

[quote MaryIsA]@Lovemusic33. I’ve got a plum on a st julien. Rootstock and a greengage. Love the greengage in particular. Very sweet but still plummy.

Neither have grown too large.[/quote]
I love greengages, reminds me of holidays in France as a child (the place we stayed in had greengage trees and the fruit was so good).

My garden is quite long but narrow, I’m thinking of being brave and sticking a tree right in the middle 🤔 but I don’t want to create too much shade of it grows quickly.

That website looks great, thank you @bookbook!

I'm hoping the weather stays fine this week so I can get the DC back in the garden whilst I do some tidying up... I have no idea how other people get their DC to actually help out, mine can be enthusiastic but the amount of 'helping' is debatable can't wait for them to get back to school and I can sort out my seed collection properly...

My light fingered neighbour took in my fruit & veg box when it was delivered the other night - said he saw the van dropping it off and thought he'd take it in 'for safekeeping' - neglected to tell me or DP though which left us hunting for it in the morning! We do now have it after DP sent him a text asking if he'd noticed anyone moving it. I'm thinking the asparagus peas may be a plan, he can help himself to them all he likes

Hi everyone,

New here I just took on an allotment end of Jan, and have spent the last few weeks clearing it of all the junk and weeds! Been pretty successful though due to me having loads of time from being furloughed from work!
It a full plot, and had blackcurrant bushes already established but nothing else. I've gone for a raised bed no dig method and they're 99% in place now!
Really looking forward to getting started properly, hope to pick up tips from you all here as this is the first time I've ever really grown any veg! Excited to get started 👏🏻
I'm in the south east (Outer London)

Any suggestions where to buy interesting/heritage seeds? Its been so long since I've been able to grow stuff, I'm out of touch! I used to buy from Tuckers in Devon but since I last bought there about 10 years ago they seem to have gone over to bulk agricultural seeds mostly. I was hoping to grow pink fir apple potatoes but they seem really expensive everywhere

For seeds, try:

Real seeds - very lovely but also incredibly busy at mo so not always taking orders
www.pennardplants.com/categories.php?cat=318
thomasetty.co.uk/seeds/index.html
seedsofitaly.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAvvKBBhCXARIsACTePW9H5RQXytWgcZCfi7pAUPI9z6GqHlIqd2MV-Gk2PRTN3r-UeKa9a8gaAgWEEALw_wcB aka Franchi. Italian varieties.

Also look at Premier seeds, Chiltern seeds, seaspring seeds (chilli specialist), Moreveg (do smaller packets of things)

I had good service from Premier Seeds last year and they had the slightly non standard things I wanted, e.g. luffa seeds and black hungarian chilli seeds. From what i remember their postage was very reasonable, especially if not doing a big order.

They don't have the Trombocino squash I want this year though so will have to look elsewhere for that.

My kids don't really help either Clara!

We've bought seeds from Sow Seeds this year, they had the varieties we wanted and delivery was pretty quick but I'm not sure how obscure they go.

Planted our onions this weekend, didn't realise they could go in this early till this thread made me check the packet

Thank you tizwozliz and TheSpottedZebra... I have just spent far too much

Returning to say hi.

Took on my plot in May last year (may have name changed since then) and managed Beans, Peas, Broad Beans etc but then discovered why it had been abandoned by the previous tenants.

I have been under water most of the winter, with the local brook flooding the beds and even my shed propped up on concrete blocks. The only thing to flourish seems to be the rats in the compost.

So am back to pull up the wrecked brassicas, dig out rotten parsnips, leeks and beetroot, evict the rats and replace my rotten wooden compost bins with black daleks with rat proof floors and generally rethink the whole thing.

It might be that I will have to accept that my plot will only ever be a summer cropper.

@Dreepmango. vital Seeds also do some interesting things

@inmylifeIlovedthemall

Returning to say hi.

Took on my plot in May last year (may have name changed since then) and managed Beans, Peas, Broad Beans etc but then discovered why it had been abandoned by the previous tenants.

I have been under water most of the winter, with the local brook flooding the beds and even my shed propped up on concrete blocks. The only thing to flourish seems to be the rats in the compost.

So am back to pull up the wrecked brassicas, dig out rotten parsnips, leeks and beetroot, evict the rats and replace my rotten wooden compost bins with black daleks with rat proof floors and generally rethink the whole thing.

It might be that I will have to accept that my plot will only ever be a summer cropper.

I would start collecting photos etc and seek a reduction in rent