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

Thanks, bookbook and AppleJane, the strawberries are in! I got three barrowloads of lovely compost from my compost bin, two dug into my new strawberry bed and one going in where I’m planting my raspberry canes, when they arrive.

Today I’ll prepare my potato bed, it’s had a few barrows of manure rotting down into it over winter so I just want to turn it over.

DeepNorthFarmGardening, your set-up sounds wonderful! Well, apart from naughty sheep maybe, at least that is one pest I haven’t had to contend with...

TheSpottedZebra, I have a load of San Marzano, some Super Marmande, Alicante, Black Krim, Sungold, Indigo Blue Berries and Christmas Grape.

I've nothing ready for supports yet, I'll have to get onto that. And prep somewhere to plant them. I'm starting out on decades-old compressed lawn, and planned to do no-dig but haven't been able to get anything like enough compost so I'm having to improvise a lot. I'm going to put the toms in hay bales, and I'm going to soak the bales in chicken manurey water today to kickstart composting.

I also have to plant a climbing rose, some peonies, a big potted rosemary that would be happier in the ground, and some bay trees that have been in a pot for years and are looking quite tired of it (though I might just separate them into individual pots with fresh compost - they were originally a supermarket buy for cooking, so there's about 8 of them in the pot!). And I've loads of flower seedlings that are going out in the food forest in a few weeks so I'm going to have to dig up a load of sod and flip it over.

Good morning everyone! It's nice to know spring is officially here

Another silly question if I may:

I'm looking for some good quality plastic pots that will hopefully last years to put tomatoes etc in. I can see black or terracotta coloured ones. My silly question is would black pots get warmer in the sun and would this be better or worse for the plants?!

Hello everyone! Hope you don’t mind me joining in. I’ve done some tomatoes before and I have fruit trees but we’ve just landscaped the garden and my DH is in the process of building a 4m x 1m raised bed so I’m getting excited and have bought a lot of seeds (probably too many!) 😳
Currently I have sweet peas, lupins and snap dragons growing on window sills and my strawberry runners went in pots yesterday.
Running out of window sill space! I have a mini green house so thinking of moving the flowers outside into that now?!
Do you have much success with cherry tomatoes outside? I know they did well last year but it was a very sunny year.
I’m in the Midlands so average warmth here.

Another new poster but very long time reader ot this thread.

I have raspberries in large pots, they fruited very well last year.
I experimented with tomatoes last season; tried some in greenhouse, some outside in garden soil ( we are lucky to have lovely soil), some outside in very large pots of compost and some in our raised beds, which are topped up with copious amounts of mushroom compost.
I like cherry varieties so grew mainly those. The heaviest crops came from the Gardeners Delight planted in the mushroom compost; the plants literally dripped fruit.
This year I have sowed only cherry varieties: GD, sungold, a very lemon/yellow one and my favourite Cherrie Kisses, which is pink. They will make a glorious tomato salad all mixed in!
Cherrie Kisses is a dwarf bush variety, great for potsx

@Chunkymonkey123
I’m in the midlands too; cherry toms fine outside

That sounds a lovely area to from things @DeepNorthFarmGardening even if naughty sheep may be a challenge!

Tomatoes sown - thanks, @tizwozliz - squashes at back fo the queue for windowsill space! Heading off to the plot to make another raised bed and then do yet more weeding!

Holy shit I just got an allotment. I've been on the waiting list for SIX YEARSSS, I'd bloody forgotten I'd put my name down.

Currently cramming in every single thing I can find on shitty allotment plots (it's not big, it's exposed and it's next to a main road, but I am THRILLED) and how to make them beautiful! Ahhhhhh!

Welcome to all the new posters, love this time of year when the thread gets busy.

I’m a bit behind as I spent the weekend I’ll and some of it at hospital, I was so worried I would have to stay in, not worried for the kids but worried about my seedlings 🤣. Anyway, I’m back on it, my seedlings seem ok other than one lot of tomatoes but I have loads of extras.

My pea’s are starting to germinate in the greenhouse, does anyone manage to do 2 crops over the sping/summer? I’m trying to decide if I should plant a 2nd crop in a few weeks as they don’t seem to produce for very long?

I think I’m going to have to make a decision between French beans or runner beans, I don’t have space for both and last time I did both I couldn’t keep up with eating them ,haven’t got a big freezer either so can’t store them. The choice is a hard one.

I'm only starting to get my head around which beans are which! Though I'll never forget which ones are broad beans now, I'm starting my third batch today. The first batch was eaten by mice and the second got too leggy when I kept them indoors to avoid the mice.

I started prepping my tomato beds with hay and 'alpaca beans' as apparently they're called. And I've found someone who'll deliver 10 tonnes of mushroom compost for a not unreasonable sum, so things are looking up : )

Congrats, KnobblyWand! Just in time to start seedlings, as well! What state is it in?

I think I’m going to have to make a decision between French beans or runner beans, I don’t have space for both Can't you do a half quantity of both? I usually grow 8 runner beans and 8 climbing French beans, spread over 4 big pots. If I had only two pots, I'd grow 4 of each instead. They keep nice and crisp in a plastic tub in the fridge tiull you have enough for a serving.

@DeepNorthFarmGardening Have a look at the Northern Fruit Group for advice on varieties to grow.

My silly question is would black pots get warmer in the sun and would this be better or worse for the plants?! I've got both. I've never noticed any difference. My father had an above-ground swimming pool which he painted dark grey to absorb more heat - I can't say I noticed the difference with that either

@MereDintofPandiculation an above ground swimming pool, I like the sound of that 😂

Thank you for the pot advice!

I could it’s possibly do half and half with the beans, in previous years runner beans have been a bit hit and Miss (either really good or really poor), French beans always seem to do well but I prefer eating runners.

I’ve read that courgettes need 1sqm per plant, is this right? I’ve bought three varieties and wanted one of each but only have 1sqm to fit them in if I want to keep everything else! Do you think it would be ok if I put supports in?
Anyone got a raspberry or blueberry bush? Are they worth it in terms of yield?
@KnobblyWand congratulations! That’s exciting!

@Chunkymonkey123

I’ve read that courgettes need 1sqm per plant, is this right? I’ve bought three varieties and wanted one of each but only have 1sqm to fit them in if I want to keep everything else! Do you think it would be ok if I put supports in? Anyone got a raspberry or blueberry bush? Are they worth it in terms of yield? *@KnobblyWand* congratulations! That’s exciting!

You can grow courgettes vertically which may allow you to plant 2 in a square foot but they need something strong to climb due to the weight of the fruit. I, attempting 2 varieties as well as patty pan which I will be attempting to grow vertically. I hope you love courgettes as they can produce loads 🤣

I have just planted 4 raspberry plants but I’m not expecting much of a crop for the first year, though they are autumn fruiting which gives them a bit longer to spring to life, I also have a blueberry plant which is on its 2nd year, I didn’t plant it until late last year, it was a lidl special and it didn’t fruit but I have been feeding the soil to make it acidic and it’s looking good for this year (coming to life with new branches). Fruit can take a while to establish a good crop.

Thank you @Lovemusic33 that’s really helpful. I do enjoy courgettes and going to try and pick them small before they get too big!

Morning all!
Welcome to the newbies and lurkers :)
DeepNorthFarm - sounds an amazing set up !
ChunkyMonkey - check your varieties , and hope the summer weather is good for your tomatoes - I know lots do grow successfully outside . Keep the courgettes well watered and fed - you may start to pick them small , but I do not know a single one who grows courgettes who doesn’t find a marrow some time! And if you get over run , as you may , we have lots of good recipes :)
I have raspberries , only ever grown in the ground , not pots . If they are new canes , you may not get a big crop the first year , but once settled , should be fine . They are thugs , and will spread everywhere - so if you are putting them in the ground , work out where you want then carefully :
Knitterbabe I love my cherry tomatoes too , ( I grow Sungold ) and make a lot of tomato sauces to freeze for overwinter , so have cooking ones too .
KnobblyWand - oh , good luck with it all - sounds like lots of work ahead .
The mantra I have always trotted out ( as the long timers on this thread know ) - Growing veg and having an allotment/veg patch is a marathon, not a sprint . Don’t get carried away and then run out of steam !
I have just had one trip to the plot on Sunday - I direct sowed broad beans . I pulled up a load of slug eaten spring cabbages to bring home - ( just the middle bits as they had been shredded ) , dug over and manured the area ready for squashes .
All my veg that I sowed ( cauliflower /cabbage/beetroot are up and germinated , and first signs of leeks too . I may even see ( if I look carefully ), as sweet paper showing a tiny bit .
I am going to hold off tomato sowing for a few days yet - we are still getting very cold nights here , and due a frost on Friday

Good afternoon, occasional poster here. We too are just really getting going. The ground has been too wet for much work on it. Mainly been working in the tunnel. I have promised myself not too get everything started too soon. Our last frost date is middle of May and I have been caught out too many times by a hard frost which hasnt read that memo.

Got the poo coffin (2m*1m by 80cm high) filled up with lovely fresh manure to act as propagation heat for the seeds I have started. So far started are broad beans, leeks, shallots (I grow these from seed), peas and brassicas.

We have frogspawn in our pond and DH accidentally scooped out a dragonfly larva which then slithered back in (they are revolting with huge jaws!).

Spring is here (if a bit chilly still).

Lovemusic I'm beginning to feel that runners do better in damp years and French in hot dry ones.

Chunky That sounds about right for courgettes. They're hungry beasts, need a lot of soil - it's the soil that is critical rather than the space for leaves. I grow them in tubs which are probably not much more than 0.25sq m, but I don't get the bumper crops that other people do, so under your plan I think you'd be the same.

You can grow courgettes vertically which may allow you to plant 2 in a square foot Did you really mean "2 in a square foot" Or did you mean "square metre" (which is about 10 times the size).

@MereDintofPandiculation

Lovemusic I'm beginning to feel that runners do better in damp years and French in hot dry ones.

Chunky That sounds about right for courgettes. They're hungry beasts, need a lot of soil - it's the soil that is critical rather than the space for leaves. I grow them in tubs which are probably not much more than 0.25sq m, but I don't get the bumper crops that other people do, so under your plan I think you'd be the same.

You can grow courgettes vertically which may allow you to plant 2 in a square foot Did you really mean "2 in a square foot" Or did you mean "square metre" (which is about 10 times the size).

Oops, meant square metre. The best results I have had with courgettes is just planting 2 plants in one small raised bed (I use pallet collars) and have also grown them in a compost heap and had loads.

I have been potting mini cucumber plants today, I think I planted too early, didn’t expect them to germinate so fast, literally a couple days, I’m unsure if it’s going to be too cold in the greenhouse for them? I am down south so not frost forecast at the moment. Luckily I have spare seeds to plant another lot of all goes wrong.

My family tried 'square foot gardening' last year. The courgette was put in one square (according to the book!) with the intention of it being grown vertically. It was abandoned and took over about 9 of the squares so about a square metre loads of courgettes too. If I grow them this year I think I'll use a pot!

Courgettes do get out of hand, I put them in the same category as rhubarb for how much space they take up and how much they produce, 1 plant produces loads. Im planting yellow and green variety this year bit will try and encourage them to grow up a frame 🤣

Courgettes do take up masses of spaces, and if they’re too close together you’re more likely to end up with mildew - they benefit from plenty of circulating air

A decent bit of digging over and tidying the edges of the beds achieved today - potatoes m broad beans and onion sets to go in over the next week or so

Hope you don't me joining you, absolute gardening beginner here. Got into it last year like so many others. Currently have a vegetable patch under construction in our back garden. Attempting to grow our own from seed this year rather than from free plants like last year. 🤞🏻

I haven't done any gardening recently but the Easter holidays have been earmarked for tidying up the garden and planting some fruit and veg!

There's a concrete bit of our garden which I'm trying to utilise more, as CF neighbour is trying to encroach on it - I'd like a few vegetable trugs but they're very expensive, especially as I'd probably need at least 4! I'm thinking maybe a cheap secondhand greenhouse (although not sure if the surface is stable enough, frustratingly), a compost bin, some planters/ trugs... essentially anything large/ heavy/ too difficult for CF to move

We made a trip to Poundland a couple of weeks ago and bought raspberries, blackcurrants and blackberries to plant. The DC are already watching them keenly for signs of fruit, even though we haven't actually planted them yet