The Vegetable Patch

[MereDintofPandiculation]

Now bookbook has sadly left us, and stirred into action by @DobbleDobble, I think it’s time to start a general thread for those of us who try to grow edible produce, fruit, veg, herbs, to share successes, failures, questions and answers

It can't be an old one as I planted them there a couple years ago and throughly dug up any old ones last year, the shoots are coming up really strong and I have none coming up on the potato side 🥴 which makes me think it must be this years potatoes.

I don't think I've ever seen a badger in these ends @valerianaofficiana but I think you're right, some animal must have moved them. Now to dry and dig them up without damaging everything else.

I managed to get my potatoes in before coming away. Everything else will have to wait until I return from holidays. Suspect it's going to be too late for some things but c'est la vie

Spent yesterday & this morning sorting out our loganberry - it's now pinned up on our painted fence & looks great.

Hi everyone, following for advice as I'm a novice! Just been to my allotment and my beetroot are showing tiny leaves and my shallots showing strong shoots. Very exciting. Was tempted to pluck the rhubarb but will leave it for another week or so. I also found a random potato sprouting away from where I'd planted.

Hi all, hope everyone has enjoyed the weather and garden prep time this weekend.

Quick question, first year attempting potatoes here. How long should the sprouts be before they go in the ground? They’ve been sat out in the obligatory cool light area for about 10 days so far and look like this.

CaveMum, mine looked like that this year and I've planted them, I did the same last year (with only a short sprout) and they all grew beautifully. I've read that some gardeners don't bother chitting at all and put them straight into the ground.

Spent a bit of time this afternoon digging over the vegetable plot, putting up the bean frame and net, and then planting my beans out. I'm hoping it's not too early for them as they were all thriving and about to start tangling in each other! I am also very much hoping that the foxes don't destroy my netting this year - I have lots more than I did last year in an attempt to make sure some survive, and I watered in my first batch of nematodes as a slug defence a couple of weeks ago.

It's the time of year where i realise I'm really behind!

I've only sown a few of my beans. My Tom's are still tiny and need pricking out. I have hardly sown much else.

I was onna go-slow this year as the last 2 years we've had a really dull grey sprung and all the things I grew struggled with low light. So I held off...

But this spring has been glorious! But dry. I could have sown loads by now and be well ahead. I need a big sowing session!

(I also got distracted by Dahlia Fever)

@TheSpottedZebra im not so sure .
I planted loads end of February into march in greenhouse and it hasn’t grown much, lost some cucumbers and pumpkins too as frost got in.My tomatoes are still tiny seedlings only just coming through now.
I was thinking I actually need to start and end of march next year so they get less frosts on them.
who knows but I think you have plenty of time still and they’ll grow faster and stronger .

I'm going to sow my French beans probably next week, have usually done dwarf beans in large pots and had my first crop early June, but too much faff, too much work still to be done in greenhouse before anything could move there. 🫤
Could anyone recommend a small fruit tree or large bush of something edible, a space has come available in a quite decent spot and want to use it for something delicious.
Have the usual, raspberries, black and red currants, gooseberries, fig, apples ( but could do with a prolific tasty one) pears, plums, cherries and a line damson.
Any suggestions greatly appreciated 🫠

Discovery apples are delicious, although not long lasting. My favourite pear is Beth, a Comice. For a bush sized space, how about a loganberry or tayberry, or some other interesting hybrid?

We have loganberries & they're really nice, great for jam as well as eating direct off the bush; however, they have definitely inherited the bramble gene of spreading, rooting upon touching the ground etc. Found about 15 suckers & two new crowns when we moved ours back up on to the fence.

@valerianaofficiana We have a Fiesta apple tree that's prolific, and the apples store well - I finished our last ones in February.

Otherwise, if you wanted something different, I've put in a Hauszwetschge tree, www.orangepippintrees.co.uk/trees/plum-trees/cooking-plums/german-prune-hauszwetsche , they are very prolific and great plums for baking with.

@valerianaofficiana you could add a russet apple, which have a distinctly different taste. The one that is slowly disappearing from the shops is Egremont Russet, Rosemary Russet s well thought of, I have Brownlees Russet with very pink flowers. Or one of the spicy flavoured apples - I have Herrings Pippin and Cornish Aromatic. Or a mulberry. They eventually grow into largeish tree (about 8m?) but not that quickly. Quicker growing is a quince, very pretty in flower, highly aromatic fruits with uses in meat cooking as well as for jellies and membrillo.

or any of the hybrid blackberries like loganberry, tayberry.

blog.firsttunnels.co.uk/12-interesting-berry-hybrids/amp/

Oh thank you all for such brilliant suggestions 🤗!
I have thought about Tayberry or Loganberry but don't these need proper support and space to trail out?
My space is a gap in a sort of large informal border type arrangement 🙄, nowhere to attach the sprawling stems😒.
We have a russet - love Russets btw- it's not doing it's best, I must say. Also put in an American mulberry last year, apparently fruit in couple of years unlike proper English ones that take their time. However, the thing has barely few leaf buds so not holding my breath.🤨.
Will have a look at all the suggestions, thank you again!!

@valerianaofficiana ah yes you do need to have somewhere for the loganberry vines/stems to go - we've pinned ours to the fence & some of them were over 8 feet long! & once they touch the floor they root, so probably not the best for that space.

Hello all, quick weed-related question - anyone know what this is? Is it bindweed?

Whatever it is it’s popping up all over my beds. Like bloody Medusa I dig up what I can see only to find a few days later more shoots have replaced it!

My beds are empty at the moment so it’s not too much trouble to dig them all out but once stuff is in the ground I don’t want to risk damaging them.

@CaveMum yes unfortunately that is bindweed & it is a PITA! It'll grow from like a 1mm piece of root so it's very hard to get rid off. Don't put it in your compost heap either; if possible dry & burn whatever you find.

Ah bugger! Thanks @APurpleSquirrel, we don’t have a compost heap so it all goes in the council green recycling.

I may go and give the beds a good dig over tomorrow to get out as much as I can.

New to allotments so joining the group

With bindweed I found that really staying on top of it kills it quite quickly. After a first fork about, just be really constant in pulling it every little bit you can find asap. It pulls out deliciously easily and is so nice when you get a good long bit. By staying on top of it for a season you do take the vigour out of it and it will give up. I only get a very rare small bit now.

Drowning it is good too, you could keep a covered bucket at the plot and chuck in all your bindweed and dandelions rather than cart them home. They turn to stinking slime which you CAN then compost, and use the honking liquid as plant food.

Welcome, Easter - have you got your plot already?

Hi! Yeah got one booked yesteday. It’s a new place and they’re getting it ready for us.

where should I start looking for getting seeds from ? Was thinking about onions / peppers / carrots / tomatoes ? Husband wants chilli peppers as well

How exciting!

Onions I'd probably get from sets. If you don't know they're like tiny bulbs -growing these from seeds takes ages. My Wilko had some in last week.

Peppers /tomatoes / chillies it is possibly a bit late for growing g these from seed. They need a good long season and most people sowed them months ago (well, at least a month ago). Still worth a try though! But maybe get some plants in too. Garden centres will have them but they'll also pop up In supermarkets -Aldi and Lidl are surprisingly good for plants and if you have a Morrisons with a garden centre bit have a good look there too.

For buying seeds, it depends what you want! For basic varieties, Wilko and garden centres have a good range, as does Lidl. Online, for non fancy varieties and for good value I like Premier Seeds, Seekay seeds (sp?), Chiltern Seeds. For lovingly grown, special varieties I like Real Seeds. The Sarah Raven website is great for inspiration.

Ooh, and if you know any veg growers, talk lovingly about your new allotment. Many of them will have started too many tomatoes/ peppers /chillies and will be keen to share them with a good home!