The Vegetable Patch 2024/2025

[MereDintofPandiculation]

Come and share your triumphs and failures in your vegetable plot or allotment.

Managed to get onto my plot today and dug some ground over ready to plat my beetroot. Whilst up there I was offered another half plot for next year, it’s the other half of the plot I already have (I have 1 and a half plots but my whole plot is smaller than my half), so next year I will potentially have 2 whole plots 😬. My whole plot is a bit of a nightmare, I took it on last year and it was covered in couch grass, it’s a side plot that runs along a fence (field the other side), I’m constantly battling with couch grass. I’m trying to decide if I should keep it or get rid. If I keep it I will just grow fruit bushes on it and possibly a couple of small apple trees, meaning I can just keep the grass cut in between them. I pay £25 a year for it so it seems silly to give it up when I could potentially just grow fruit on it (fruit costs so much to buy and we eat a lot), I already have gooseberry, blackcurrant, red current and raspberries growing on it. The other plot is much easier to maintain as it’s a middle plot, other than a patch of bindweed it’s pretty well maintained.

I managed to pick up a load of unwin seeds hugely reduced at the end of last year but I used to get a lot from Wilkos. Lidl often have a reasonable selection as well, I picked up some rondini and yellow patty pan courgette seeds for 39p the other day.

They don't just concentrate on heritage varieties, they also concentrate on seeds suitable for people growing in their own gardens rather than commercial varieties / varieties that need a green house (and they have new varieties of better for that purpose). They do have some AGM varieties, for example the Kelvedon Wonder pea does have one, but maybe they don't advertise it. I've had a lot more success with some of their seeds than I have garden centre seeds, for example the Real seed company bush tomatoes and outdoor cucumbers.

Wherever you decide to buy your seeds from, I think the next thing to do in your first year is to buy a broad variety of different seeds you might be interested in. Some of them will do well in your soil with the level of care you comfortably can provide (which might vary, e.g. if you really like broccoli having to faff about with netting it will seem worth it to you). Other veg won't and I'm not sure there's a short cut to getting that experience.

Re the bees / wasps / flying things, could be any number of things really! Probably not wasps if they were small. Try to get a photo and post it here. Most things don't sting. There's also the rather good iNaturalist app for identifying all sorts of wildlife.

I have just run amok in the Lidl gardening special aisle. Eek.

Ooooo..... I wish you hadn't mentioned this 😉
Anything in particular worth making a trip for ?

@omnishambles we all need to know what you got.

Did they have hose pipes? We need a new (unchewed by puppy) one.

My year old asparagus has just started re-emerging which is very exciting for me. Im
in Lanarkshire so it’s been cool this week but is warming up. 15 have emerged so far.

sorry @NerdWhoEatsMedlar @Lakeyloo I got two rose arches for 9.99ea and a small tray of dahlias but there were all sorts of tools, power tools like mowers and strimmers, kneelers, composters, lovely big brushes and types of hoe. Lots of solar lights and other electrical items.

Today I've thinned out the leek and onion seedlings and planted them in rows and transplanted a few cabbages out to see how they do as they were getting too big for their pots

Spinach is doing well in a container and plenty of flowers on the strawberry plants

I planted beetroot out today, I bought them as plugs. I know everyone says to plant beetroot direct but I planted plugs last year and they did great. I am hoping nothing eats them, I can’t remember if the slugs like them or not? I have netted them until they are a bit bigger so the pigeons don’t get them. I hoed over my no dig bed and it was full of worms, I covered it with manure a month or so ago and the soil looks amazing compared to my dig plot which is awful (big clumps and rock hard in some areas), I’m not sure how I’m going to get it dug over in time to get things planted.

I have ordered some last minute asparagus after having more beds than I had planned. Will get them in this week.

I would love to grow asparagus but i just don't have room on my tiny allotment 😞I think I'm going to put my name down for another half plot.
Am I right in saying that you can't harvest asparagus for 3 years ?

Yes 2 -3 years, definitely not next year anyway. I have watched a lot of YouTube videos on this - also the importance of choosing a site that will be permanent and ground prep. Slightly daunting but doable. My plot is 225sqm so have enough room.

Exciting ! Mine's only 37sqm so really tiny. I have to be quite creative with space and grow upwards as well as outwards, potatoes in bags etc.

Haven’t posted in a while as life got busy but have very much enjoyed reading peoples updates just now.

I am currently trying to harden off my young plants of various kinds but the weather is not doing me any favours at all. 1 degree tomorrow night here!! I’m lucky I have a lean to so I can move and rescue my flowers and veg I have already potted on.

I have acquired some extra growing space which I’m pleased about - my parents have a veg patch they no longer use. I have a squash problem and seem to have sown 6 different varieties and im terrible at culling seedlings 😂

red onions are going good and looks like I’ll be getting a lot of blueberries this year. Strawberries flowers are sparse but they are fourth/fifth year so was expecting them to start to fail.

I started red and yellow onions off in cell trays and planted the sprouted ones out a few weeks ago just below the surface of the soil. I’ve now noticed that they seem to have popped above the surface.
Is this normal and will they be okay?

The bulbs feel quite shrivelled although I understand that the bulb reserve goes into root formation and bulbs will eventually develop.

Shall I just cover the bulbs with some compost?

As far as I’m aware the tip needs to be slightly above soil level when planting - so they’re probably fine. Mine are above soil level and doing well.

Today was the first time this year I was able to say "no need to buy, I've got some in the garden!" - grabbed a handful of spinach for the curry DH is cooking. Lovely feeling ☺️

The beef tomato plants are pretty sizeable now - have potted one into its final pot and just waiting for the warmer weather from tomorrow on the. Will put into the greenhouse for a few days then outside. Need to pot up the cherry toms too.

My direct sown peas have appeared now, I thought they might have rotted in the ground or been eaten so I'm pleased. I've potted on some courgettes and need to do tomatoes too. Torrential rain today so haven't made it to the allotment at all. Sweetcorn and beans are now on the windowsill in the outhouse to harden off.

My potatoes have been damaged by frost, will they recover? I planted them early as I wanted something in the ground before I went for surgery so it was always a bit of a risk.

Managed to dig my most of my first plot ready for planting, I will do the last bit tomorrow then start on my 2nd plot which doesn’t need much work. Everything else is looking good including my peas that have been out for a while. My rhubarb is slowly growing, am I too late to give t some manure?

@Wildflower2022 - hope so! Was tempted to chuck them and start again but will see what happens.

@Lovemusic82 - assuming you aren't somewhere that saw a real hard frost, your potatoes are almost certainly fine.

The leaves might be a bit frosty but most frosts this time of year are too light to penetrate down to the tuber. Unless you are somewhere particularly frosty?

Following. Want to set up some trellis for cucumbers and tomatoes.

sowing rainbow chard as it always seems to do well.

Thank you, I’m in the SW so not a hard frost, just enough to upset the potatoes, there are a few fresh leaves showing that look much healthier so hopefully all will be ok.