Allotment/Veg patch Thread 17 - onwards and upwards

[bookbook]

Wow - cannot believe we are on thread 17 !
As always , pull up a garden chair and join in with the joys and woes of growing you own .
Previous thread HERE

Tomato envy! Mine all got blight... Next year I will have the polytunnel though...

Lifted the last of the main crop potatoes for storage today and the last of the summer carrots. Beans are drying nicely and the sweetcorn is VERY happy!

The cutting garden is going well too - the sweetpeas are finally finished, after flowering prolifically since May, I've had the last bunch from them today. Cosmos is about 8 foot tall and has MASSES of flowers, as well as the sunflowers. Lots of buds on my chrysanthemums as well (growing big cutting varieties).

The brassica... calabrese is just all leaf and has been all year. I have hope for the sprouting broccoli though!

Everything looking a bit worse for wear, we've been away for 5 days and I hadn't really considered that things may need watering whilst we were away.

French beans, beetroot and little round carrots harvested today

A nice problem to have! Having to turn one of m heaps as I've run out of compost and need to get at the compost at the bottom - I've had to come in to get a fork - not to keep my hands clean or any nonsense like that, but because the half rotted stuff on top is too hot to hold.

I've come to the conclusion that a compost heap is like a sour dough starter or a ginger beer plant - your finally get a good one going and thereafter you get good compost whatever you do, provided you keep feeding it.

Quick question … what’s the easiest way of covering winter veggies when it gets colder? And where’s best (cheaper options preferable) to buy any bits and pieces from? We’ve got winter potatoes, caulis, broccoli and sprouts planted at the allotment and I’ve not a clue about what to cover and when Thank you!

You don’t need to cover broccoli or sprouts.

Thank you @MereDintofPandiculation I haven’t a clue so much appreciated!!

You could explore what information you can find on the Royal Horticultural Society website. Some of it's free some you have to join and be a member
www.rhs.org.uk/vegetables

Evening all
sorry to be awol - stuff going on that doesn't leave a lot of brain space for posting .
I have been busy still at the plot , harvesting and clearing for winter .
Cantthinkofabettername the brassicas are as hardy as anything , the only covering you may want to look at is some netting to deter pigeons from feasting - , and something to hold it up and away from the leaves ( when I started I used the old plastic frame from a material Wendy House ) . Winter potatoes are a different thing though , depending on where you live . Potatoes are not hardy , and will get hit by frost . Are they for Christmas ? maybe some cheap fleece if you expect frost . I haven't grown them , apart from an experiment a few years ago and had them in pots in the greenhouse . Worth looking in Aldi /Wilko/ B&M for cheap garden stuff , but it does depend on the season tbh when they have things in stock .

Does curly kale need to be covered with netting? Mine is doing well under its net but

the net limits room to grow. We have a resident allotment rabbit and a few slugs but no major pests...

@Gingerwarthog

Does curly kale need to be covered with netting? Mine is doing well under its net but the net limits room to grow. We have a resident allotment rabbit and a few slugs but no major pests...

You should be ok. We’re past the major caterpillar season.

Thanks Mere.

Spent the day putting a new cover on the polytunnel. We got it done in the day which we really didnt expect. Hadnt realised just how fogged the old cover had got until the new cover was on.

Quinces starting to come in. They are seriously big, and much heavier for their size than apples.

Afternoon all
the last couple of weeks have seen me harvest and dig over for the winter . So apart from lifting dahlias ,and a tiny bit of weeding , it is tidy and sorted and pruned ready for winter

I am well into harvesting the winter veg - leeks , swede and savoy cabbage today.
Still cutting dahlias , and there are still some autumn raspberries left too

I am however in the grip of having to make a big decision .
I now have a dodgy hip ( which may need replacing in the future ) , and though DH has always helped me when I need him for 2 man jobs and some heavy duty stuff , he is going to be out of action for a while ( on top of him already having a chronic illness ) , so I am trying to be realistic on how much longer I can keep up my plot , to a standard I am happy with . I have looked at alternative ways of growing , but that in itself is quite a big task to make the alterations on what is still a big plot , and I am not sure I have the wish to either.

I think I am almost sure that I would rather give up whilst the going is good. Probably after I have harvested over winter , let someone have it for start of growing in March .
So , I am going to bow out of this lovely thread .
I have enjoyed the chat and the advice over the years , and got to know some lovely people on it ( some even in real life! )
Happy growing

Sorry to hear this "bookbook" I've enjoyed having a corner devoted to chat about veg growing, where you can not only ask questions or share your sorrows, but also proudly display your produce. You've guided this thread wonderfully over the years that I've known it. You've kept the thread going with your pictures of produce, and always made sure that any newcomer is welcomed and every question has been answered. You will be missed.

I hope you are able to continue to garden in a way that gives you satisfaction.

Oh Book that is sad to hear. Your advice has always been useful to get me up and running I know it's a marathon not a sprint but I guess you will keep gardening at home and keep it manageable.

Oh @bookbook I'm so sorry to hear . I second what @MereDintofPandiculation said. You've always answered every question and kept the morale going when I've wanted to give up or had become neglectful. Your pictures and posts will be missed . Also wishing you good health for your hip and your husband

Hi
Sorry to post on a sleeping thread.
Was a new one started?

No. This one seems to have died now bookbook has given up

That’s a shame.

Thanks for your reply

@DobbleDobble I was thinking it might be worth starting a new thread, but if I did it it would be veggie/fruit growing rather than specifically allotment. I’m too busy at the moment, but you could do it and people would come. This thread kept going because bookbook posted her produce each week. I don’t read specific threads, I just go down the list until I run out of threads with new posts, and I reckon a lot of people do the same. It wouldn’t matter what the weekly post was, almost anything would stimulate a conversation.

@MereDintofPandiculation yes sounds good in theory.
I posted because I’ve just got an allotment for “anything” growing really.
I grow in my own garden an maintain it but now the allotment gives me more space to grow some of the fruit /veg an wildflowers I love, a chance to be free from my formal garden if you like!

You mean a chance to concentrate on the plants without worrying about the garden design?

Lol yes very true!