Allotment/Veg Patch Thread 16 Weather weirdness prevails !

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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 found a source of spent mushroom compost and they're delivering 10 tonnes next week. That'll move things along nicely : )

The weather here has deteriorated terribly; the day before Paddy's Day, the kids were out in the garden in shorts and t-shirts, spraying each other with the hose. Today we had howling wind and hail, lit the fire and made stodgy pie for dinner. I'm not sure what my poor pea seedlings will have thought of it. I'm going to do a few more gutterfuls of seeds tomorrow. They're balanced across two garden chairs in the hope that the mice won't get to them.

I found a strange thing in my onion bed the other day. It looked like conchiglie pasta. We've had foxes take food from out bin before but that's not a shape we use. Then I came across a load more patches and was really wondering who was leaving someone else's leftover pasta in my garden beds, till I copped that it was a fungus. Cup fungus, specifically. Not suitable for cooking for breakfast, but at least a less unsettling explanation than mystery pasta shells.

A lovely few hours at the allotment today. Area dug for potato planting. Wondering when best to plant - as my 2nd earlies have chatted almost too successfully! Think will wait until after Easter, as nobody else has planted at the site yet.

Fruit area all planted. Now have the inherited blackcurrants! A gooseberry and rhubarb, with our tayberry and blueberry plants. Think only a few berries off new plants this year as they are tiny, but the children will love picking and eating them. So glad I tried to prune the overgrown currants as now green leaves appearing!

@Azuretwist your fruit area sounds lovely!

Continuing with building the raised veg bed today. It can either be 40cm high or 65cm high (building with breeze blocks). It is 4 x 1m. Which height would you suggest?! I keep going between the two. A higher bed would allow more drainage material but is it too high?!

@Azuretwist I have fond memories of my DF's allotment with its inherited fruit trees I don't remember him getting much actual fruit & veg from it - the slugs used to eat most of it before we got anywhere near! - but he's 70 now and still fit and healthy, so it must have helped!

DS1 chose some flower seeds today in Wilkos (I only ever let the DC buy cheap ones as they tend to pull everything up fairly often 'to see how it's growing'!), hopefully we'll be able to do a big garden tidy up tomorrow and start our planning. Although I've just remembered that we lose an hour tomorrow

Ok. I have spent an awful lot of my day washing pots. Think I am going to adopt Meredint's approach to a 30 year cycle.

Thanks @Chunkymonkey123 - we awaited to grow things hard to get in shops or that the children can pick and enjoy!
I am hoping my children have fond memories also @ClaraTheImpossibleGirl - and great he is healthy! It is definitely some much needed exercise for me right now,

@indignatio having done that job last weekend I think it is going to be delegated to my oldest child next year - for extra pocket money ( not that said child gets any yet!)

Both my grandads grew veg until a ripe old age, both lived into their 90's, I have fond memories of pinching broad beans and peas from the garden, my nan is still alive and still has a few big plum trees and rhubarb but the veg patch has been grassed over.

I planted peas yesterday but im now thinking I need to plant a few more. I never have enough as dd pinches them. How many do I need to plant to give us enough to use for a few meals as well as dd pinching a few? Every year I swear I won't grow peas again 🤣. The weathers looking better next week but still some chilly nights so I'm still weary about planting things. Other than my rhubarb everything is still looking very bare and boring.

@ClaraTheImpossibleGirl have you tried the traditional game of growing a bean seed half way up a jam jar, held in place by a cylinder of bottling paper? It might distract them

@Lovemusic33 try planting a few more every fortnight or so to stagger the season. Sugar snap give you more meals for your money as you eat the pods too, and DD will still get her peas as you don’t pick them immature like mangetout

Thank you, I have planted 2 lots but as they are in the greenhouse they are only just germinating (the first lot), dd usually picks the, early and eats the whole pod, I am going to grow her cucamelons too which she will pinch, she’s a bit of a monkey, she has ASD and has no control but I love the fact she eats almost anything we grow 🤣.

I went back to Aldi to get more flexi tubs today so now I have extra growing space as well as my raised beds. I’m going to put the tubs on top of a pallet and possibly grow potatoes, cucamelons and peas in them.

@UtterlyUnimaginativeUsername that’s funny, I found a system of fungi growing in my toilet roll holders with the sweet peas. Had no idea what they were till I read your post and Googled. I figured they’re not doing any damage as the sweet peas look healthy, so I’ve planted them on together.

@MereDintofPandiculation we did it last year during the first neverending lockdown but will have to try it again this year!! See also: growing mustard and cress on kitchen roll and getting them to watch for pea pods developing...

Too cold today here to get out in the garden, but it's supposed to be nicer this week, hopefully we can tidy it up soon

Hello there, have lurked in the gardening board and asked a few questions and had great help and advice from one or two of the contributors to this thread so I hope nobody minds me joining in to say hello. I'm an absolute beginner to veg growing but have caught the bug completely!
Lucky enough to have a polytunnel to plant in, have planned raised beds outside too but nothing certain yet as it's a joint family venture so moving at a pace that suits everyone.

I am wondering about brassicas and polytunnel, at first I had thought I might need to try grow everything in tunnel as wouldn't have room for beds outside too but looks like will have room for some. The more I'm learning it would appear brassicas won't do well in tunnel over summer months as too hot? Quite a lot of what we were planning to grow is brassicas so I'm just wondering is it a general rule they won't do well in summer in tunnel or will some veg fare better than others?
Thanks for all the lovely posts and chat on this thread it's a lovely calm place

Evening all!
welcome DameWashalot - Polytunnels are fab , but beware , they get incredibly hot in summer , so I would stick to things that need that heat . Brassicas are really hardy cold outdoor plants , so I think they would definitely be better outside ( I grow a lot of brassicas ) . My seedlings are going to be out of the greenhouse tomorrow here in Yorkshire . What you do need is good pest protection - against cabbage white butterflies , pigeons etc .
Lovemusic - I tend to do a succession of pea sowing . I have just put in the first - just a shortish row .As soon as I see these have germinated , I will sow another - gives you a longer picking time :)
I dug up a load of 'runt' savoys on Saturday to use up as leaves ( these shouldn't really have been planted out , but I'm soft! ) Yesterday was the big seed sowing day , at home in the greenhouse . I sowed Brussels sprouts , purple sprouting broccoli , , brokali , first succession calabrese , second lot of leeks ( first lot just popping up ) tomatoes , aubergines ( these are on my sunny windowsill in the house) and a mixture of cheap flower seeds . Only 2 peppers have so far germinated from my first sowing , so going to start off a few more tomorrow .

It is getting going!

Brassica cage up today!

Ooh it's all happening. I LOVE seed sowing time of year!

Welcome DameWashalot you're a beginner you say but you have... a polytunnel? I am with jealousy! You must grow tomatoes, obviously, in your tunnel. And basil.

Right, what exciting things is everyone growing? I have more (temporary, borrowed) space this year so I want something new. But nothing that needs covering as I'm bad at that.

I'm planning: tomatoes, courgette, squash, sugar snaps and mange tout, leeks, many beans. Sweetcorn. Have garlic and onions in. Spring onions if they germinate. Lots of turnips, beetroot and will try carrots/parsnip.

I'll do some flowers too and I'm at Peak Fruit nowprobably. What am I missing, apart from potatoes and brassicas? I've done cucumbers and cucamelons before, not interested in achocha and I hate celery.

Give me ideas please!

Seedlings that successfully germinated moved to greenhouse today. Worried they might get too hot tomorrow.

My radish, lettuce and rocket sprouted, nothing from the leeks, courgette or pumpkins.

I’ve also planted some chitted potatoes but I don’t think they’re doing anything.

Oh, I've failed with peppers, and have a freezer of chillies from last year.
Brassica wise I DO grow chard and perpetual spinach. Also have herbs and salads at home.

I’m not having much luck with peppers, dd chose some chocolate bell pepper seeds when we went to the garden centre, first lot did not germinate, waiting on the 2nd, not even sure why I’m bothered as none of us like peppers 🤣.

Kohl rabi are one of my favourites to grow, they are great in coleslaw or roasted. I hade some more seeds arrive today so I will be sewing a 2nd batch.

I have sewed quite a lot now, just beans, courgettes, cucamelons and squash left to sew. Potatoes going in tomorrow.

Love reading what people are sowing and when!
I have potted on the cherry tomatoes, need to the other tomatoes and have 5 chilli seedlings that are almost ready to leave the propagator! The peppers went in and the lettuce in the greenhouse has two leaves on!

@TheSpottedZebra I have. A pack of different types of squashes - yellow and green courgettes, patty pans and 3 other varieties I have never heard of. Also am going to try kalettes.

The only seeds that have germinated so far for me are.....

Cucumbers!

They along with peppers, several tomato varieties and some basil are currently sat in a propagater on my large old boiler in a cupboard under the stairs.

Worked really last year for starting off the 'greenhouse' dwellers but I'm becoming a little nervous that neither the tomatoes or peppers are showing any signs yet.

It's too cold and windy here currently for me to risk them going out into the polytunnel.

I also fear the seeds sown outside may have drowned in the bad weather we have had here over the last few days.

I've only had a 30% success rate on germination with my chilli peppers which is slightly disappointing. Still plenty of time to start some more off.

New things I'm trying this year - tenderstem broccoli and tromboncino squash.

I still haven't got any seeds sown. The wind has been diabolical lately so I've not been able to get outside to do it. Was contemplating in desperation dragging my bag of compost inside and doing it at the dining table but thankfully the wind seems to have died down overnight so the children and I will get busy this afternoon!

I'm going to do cherry toms, broad beans (will get them started inside then straight out; I've still to prep my garden beds), courgettes, peas and some different kinds of beans. And some lobelia for my new planter.

Finally got some seeds done. We have sown:

• cherry toms and Maskotka toms (the latter tried hard for me last year but I didn't take good care of them so I've vowed to do better this year)
• basil (I'm always so hopeful and it never works, but one day, Basil, one day)
• purple beans and climbing beans
• semi-dwarf peas
• lettuce
• rocket
• broad beans (am going to start some inside then plant more outside once I've finally got around to sorting the garden beds)
• courgettes (the dog and I had an argument after she immediately tipped over the pot I brought inside; we've made up now)
• and some lobelia and cosmos, plus sunflowers for the children.