The Vegetable Patch Mark 2

[MereDintofPandiculation]

A continuation of the thread for those of us growing edibles, to share triumphs and failures, swap expertise and solve problems

@PoseyFlump Only five snails, the peas are still intact! Would recommend nighttime snail hunting, it's a lot less horrible than accidentally crushing one hiding under a pot rim.

What do other people do with their snails beyond killing? I throw them in a neighbours garden (it's a shit garden, no guilt) when it's just one or two, but relocate when there are more. I have a specific snail storage pot... But realised yesterday that I have the perfect sieve and bucket to keep them trapped, which I shall name snail jail.

I throw them onto a roof ledge where a family of pidgeons has learned that they can have a feast there.

I'm gardening in pots on a 3rd floor balcony. the amount of snails is surprising.

Haha, I hadn't considered the roof! Plenty of pigeons round here, I'll give that a go.

I don't see many snails in my garden. No idea why. But lots of slugs! I've got a head torch so must give hunting a go. Although I have a very nosey neighbour so I'd probably attract attention.

I read once that slugs are a bit like homing pigeons so if you chuck them into your neighbour's garden they'll travel back

Been out in the rain today - I'm a bit obsessed with filling my new raised beds. Really want to tell somebody (who might be vaguely interested) what I've done!

Yesterday I cut down some long hazel branches and have made a tunnel for runner beans between two of the beds, it's pretty. I've sown sugar snap peas in some little obelisks I also made. They're staggered - and I've direct sown purple broccoli between them with nasturtium around the edges in big submerged pots of a sand and seed compost mix as the beds are manured and possibly too rich? I've got wood ash mixed into the spots where the broccoli are to help with the pH. Sticks poking out everywhere to deter the big fat pigeons that are nesting our barn.

In another bed (one side of the runner bean tunnel) I'm planning to put my tomatoes. They'll be interplanted with borage and calendula which I've just sown.

Cucumbers will go at the end of each of sunniest beds.

Salad leaves, radish and beetroot in the shadiest one at the other end.

Aesthetics are almost as important as the end result (the produce) for me - I really hope it looks as pretty as I'm imagining. 🌸

Hope you're all having a nice, if soggy, Saturday.

It was a wonderful day in the garden for me.

DH lashed the bean supports to the metal frame and I sowed borlotti and french beans direct. Lots of potting on and also dividing the mint to refresh it. The herb garden is coming on well, the asparagus and rhubarb are thriving.

Unfortunately, my dratted cat took a nap on the seed tray with most of my lettuce seedlings and crushed them all, so I'm a fortnight behind on those now. Still, there's plenty of time yet.

Sounds lovely! I still remember the window box I once did, purple french beans alternating with fresh green lettuce

The main area where we're going to grow things this year has now been cleared. Some potatoes have gone in and beetroot sown. We have some courgettes and a butternut squash at home but won't move those across until risk of frost has passed.

Weeded around some of the fruit too, the strawberry bed is mostly cleared but still a lot to do around some of the other fruits.

Been and strimmed the allotment today and started getting a bed ready for the courgettes and pumpkins. I'll keep them in for a few more weeks. I pulled the black plastic off the big bed, to the annoyance of about 20 slow worms, who slithered off into the grass.

that looks really good titz

I'm willing my cucumbers to romp away so that I can plant them out soon. had a few nice days close to 20 degrees.
no more frost foreseen either with night time temps at 10.

Right!

French bean poles erected and beans planted.
Repeat sowing of carrots, kale and lettuce done.
Parsey seedinglings planted out.
Coriander sown.
Dill sown.
Grass paths cut and tidied.
Lawns cut.
Wildflower plugs (home grown) planted out
Chillis potted up
Weeding done.

Feeling very smug and very achy

I've finally had the paperwork for my allotment come through. It looks like there's no specific rules about what percentage of the plot needs to be cultivated, and it just says that fruit, vegetables and flowers can be grown, with no stipulations about percentage of flowers. I know some allotment sites are quite particular about that kind of thing.

It also doesn't say anything about fruit trees. I had thought, from looking at the other plots, that they might not be allowed, as hardly anyone has one. But it looks like they are, so I might look into some today. Dwarf rootstock though so as to not shade people out.

I've sown asparagus, PSB, pumpkins, mystery squash of unknown variety and courgettes.

My allotment is similar, not many rules other than ‘no shed or greenhouses’ and ‘no dogs’. The plot next to me is half fruit/veg and half flowers (roses mainly) and there are several plots that just have fruit trees on them. I have planted a damson tree on my plot but it will take years to get to a good size.

Ours doesn’t specify what has to be cultivated either, some do mainly flowers, there is one that is a proper cottage garden style with lots of tiny meandering paths and steps, lots of flowers and little beds with a little shed and bunting. I usually have about 1/4 of mine given over to flowers, such as calendula, cosmos, sunflowers, borage. I think we have to get permission for fruit trees and you have to position them and sheds/greenhouses so they cast minimal shade on anyone else’s plot. A few have small polytunnels but hardly anyone has a shed or greenhouse, those that do tend to be on the edge plots and have them up against the fence, its nice because you get an unobstructed view of the whole site - I drive past one in a neighbouring town on my way to work which is packed with them and it looks very crowded by comparison.

Help please! My peas are being decimated, not by the expected culprits but because the squirrels keep chewing through all the string wrapped around the canes for them to climb. Should I try thin gauge wire? Or chicken wire wrapped like a cage? This is for tall climbing peas. I think I might have to plant some more as they're lolling and the slugs are going to get them before I can rebuild the structure.

First year growing radishes though and they are great and really yummy. Loads more to come at various stages. The strawberry and asparagus bed is looking fabulous although it's hard not to want to harvest the asparagus this year!

I think I might finally have set a bumper crop of quinces on my two trees. As ever the potatoes are looking good, and have got some dwarf beans and a couple of courgettes and a pattypan looking really strong and hopefully ready to go out soon. My sweetcorn is shooting up so will be time to sow the climbing beans soon. I've had great success with the three sisters method in previous years so am hoping for similar success this year.

My tomatoes need potting on, note for next year for myself that the ones sown 3 weeks ago are not much smaller than the ones sown end of February so I might go for a middle ground and sow mid/late March next year.

Your radishes look great. Mine are terrible - everything is being eaten by slugs this year. They have eaten four whole lettuces! I don’t want to use pellets, and I don’t know if nematodes really work.

I used nematodes once in our garden and it did seem to make a difference. Prior to that it felt like a never ending battle with nightly torchlight patrols!

I’m not sure my slug nematodes made a difference.

Nematodes worked for me last year, this year I seem to have less slugs in the garden but my dwarf beans got munched on last night.

Any tips on growing butternut squash? I have my new freshly dug plot and plan on using it for runner beans and squash. I started off some BNS a few weeks ago and today potted them into bigger pots. I seem to have more than I expected (20 plants). I’ve never had success growing them in my garden so I am hoping on my plot they will be more successful. How close together do plant them? How many plants do I really need? (I don’t have to plant all 20). I also want to plant Spaghetti squash and some Jack be little pumpkin, can they be planted together?

You can plant them all in the same patch. I space them about ft apart.

3 ft.

And for butternuts I expect to get about 5 per plant.

Thank you. I think I will have to give a few away, I probably only need 4 plants?

@Lovemusic33 Mine doesn't allow sheds or greenhouses either. I only have a mini wooden greenhouse at home and it's packed full of things germinating at the mo. I'm out of space and not sure what to do now. Our house windows all face north east or south west so don't get much sun until mid summer. Previous years' experience has taught me that seedlings become very leggy there.

Today I've sown Brussels sprouts, sweetcorn, butternut squash, Uchiki Kuri squash, Crown Prince squash and sunflowers.

I'm very excited to have my allotment plot but getting it at the end of April has made me feel like I'm behind on sowing times already. I'm sure everything will catch up just fine though.

I have a potting shed (kind of half shed half greenhouse) so only half the space. It’s overflowing at the moment, once the squash are a bit bigger they will be going out, I have runner beans and tomatoes that are taking up the rest of the space, my windowsills are full with aubergine.