Mayday update 2014

Spring is here again and this has been a major tidy up weekend - dandelions have featured heavily on our plot for several months but they are handy for feeding these girls-

 

 

They are not ours but we are helping to feed them -I am glad we didn't get any as I find them hard work and a bit boring to be honest - I think they only work when you have them running free in your yard.



 

I strimmed around the fruit area - we have gooseberries , blackcurrants, raspberries and rhubarb as well as the plum tree- for wine making - of course.

 



 

These are the cabbages already in with my patent fireguard netting frame to keep the pigeons off!

 

Lots of seedlings still in the greenhouse - we had a frost on Friday and our courgettes  and most of the cucumbers copped for it - even in the greenhouse! 

 

I have trimmed the frosted leaves from these to see if they survive and put new seeds in ! Luckily we had loads of tomato and aubergine seedlings that have got through.



 

This is the worst bit that is yet to be cleared - last years parsley still going strong and those dandelions . I am in trouble as they have gone to seed - whoops ! 

 This is the main-crop potatoes - not through yet but nice salad leaves intercropped around the rows - desiree variety of spuds of course.

 The strawberry bed is doing well we have weeded and fed with comfrey feed - will need to net soon to keep the birds off.

 This is the long view down the middle path - or dandelion alley as it is now known. Below is the compost I have just got from the dalek bin - I found the potato peeler we lost last year in it !

 

So this is where we are so far - hoping for a good year !

Happy allotment- ting ! 

Greenery beanery and chilli news !

I know these titles are so witty !

I have just looked back on my posts to suss out the names of my chillies as I only know them by numbers from 5olly's chilli trial. It is amazing how much has grown and changed since the first post.

We have had heat and rain this week so all the veg is going mad - the cabbages and caulis are spectacular - doubled in size this week .

 

 

I will take some thinnings and use them as spring greens yummy.

 

The spuds onions garlic and beans are galloping away as well - some spuds are already flowering. Here  is a strange person pointing at the chard, which has bolted, but look at the garlic and early potatoes.

 

 

 



Here are the beans going up the poles already.

 

 

The sweet corn is doing well too and we have some strawberries already ripening - but something has eaten two already - from under the net so probably a mouse .

 

 

 

The first courgette of the year is here - we may have quite a few more soon - no doubt.

 

 

And look at the peas !!!!

 



 

Here are some of the aubergines - they are flowering so I will pinch out the growing tip tomorrow to limit number of fruit and get good size fruit. We have started feeding them and the tomatoes chillies and courgettes with comfrey feed. Smells foul but does the trick for free!







 

Right - update on the chillies. They are all in the ground in the greenhouse now with the tomatoes so it's a bit hard to get a decent picture. There are 3 number 3s - Hungarian yellow wax I believe - they are flowering and the biggest plants about 18 inches high in old money. I also have 2 number 4s and 2 number 5s I think . Here they are - the 4s and 5s are in front of the tomatoes.

 

 



The number 4s have variegated leaves and are bushing out nicely - the number 5s were very slow but are catching up now. Here are some close ups.

 

 

number 4 above number 3 below-can you see the flowers and small fruit?

 

 

 

Here are the number 5s - or number 2s???They are about 10 inches high.

 

 

Anyway cheers 5olly it has been good fun so far - glad I have taken part and I know it is NOT A COMPETITION.

 

 

 





 

Nearly finished planting-

This week has been the final leg of planting out seedlings lovingly nurtured in the greenhouses and coldframe- only the basil and leeks remain in pots.

The sweetcorn is in we grow this in loo roll tubes to minimise root disturbance - this year we have 84 plants!  We sowed two varieties  - a bicolor one from real seeds and some left over seeds from last year. Can you tell that I can't remember the names ?

Anyway they have filled one of the biggest beds - we always plant sweetcorn in blocks to allow pollenation.Here they are - still small but with plenty of room.
 

 

Here is a more romantic view from across the herb bed.

 

 

 

I sat outside the new shed this afternoon and took some low level pictures dowm the path and close ups of the Bhudda of the herbia and flowers to share with you.

 

 

 

I quite like that one - here is Bhudda nestling in the herbs .

 

 

Next him are these aqualegia - self seeded of course.

 

 









The chives flowering at present look really lovely.

 

 

We also have some webbs lettuce that is ready spot the ant on this one !

 

 

 

In the coldframe we have baby basil- sweet genovese and greek - as well as parsley seedlings .

 

 

Here is the view from the main path - as you can see I haven't earthed up the spuds - seems  a bit late and pointless to me.

 

 

 



 Finally here is a picture of my left foot complete with toe ring and birkenstock sandal for all you fashionistas out there.

 

 

Planting like crazee!

I can't believe it's June already - till I look at all the seedlings in the greenhouse that are ready to go out  so this weekend has been about beans !

Putting up the canes and planting out the hardened off plants.



Here you see the deft use of old clothes poles and wire to create the bean row- over the trench that was filled with last year's brassica and sweetcorn remains. To add to the fun in the scorching sun a MAHOOSIVE ant colony inhabited the bed. It took a while to dismantle and genocide the poor insects.(

This has now been planted with climbing french beans Blue Lake - 2 plants to a stick. I have another row of  beans called Cherokee veil of tears that are not on a trench - here is a picture of them. They were the original beans grown by Native Americans as they were driven from their lands by invaders.
 

 

Also in this picture are the strawberries which I netted yesterdayto keep the birds off.

 

As a result of the chili trial I have 20 aubergine plants in the greenhouse ready to go in the ground they look very well -we will start to feed them and the tomatoes with comfrey feed now so we get plenty of fruit.

 

Here are some young peas that are netted and doing well they are short self supporting variety hence the close spacing we are very pleased with these.

All in all the plot looks fab at present - Kym even weeded the raspberry canes look !







 

 

The herb bed near the shed is full of oregano ,lemon balm ,lavender rosemary ,mint and chives great home for Bhudda.The sweetcorn will go in the bed behind this one.

 



 

 

The next major job once the planting is finished is to put gutters on the new shed recycled of course.

 

 



Right off to finish making sunday dinner . Cheers x

 

 

Red shed and lots of weeds

The new shed was a freebie from a neighbour and a bit of a bugger to put together as twitter followers will know - it is the one on the left blushing at the attention.

 

The paths are sprouting dandelions like crazy at present despite being weeded assiduously last year still it never ends I suppose. We have peas in the ground and onion sets and onions from seed as well as lettuces looking good. The garlic is also going great guns .

I have just harvested some of this chard and put it in my curry - with lamb if you must know.
The plum tree had loads of flower that has been blown off by the wind so I am not sure if the harvest will be good.Rhubarb is doing well and I will be starting the firs of this year's wines tomorrow.



What happens to all that junk from behind the shed?

This time of year is when the reason for all those blue crates and weird bits of wire netting become clear - it is useful junk for keeping off pigeons , carrying pots and growing things in general . Here is my neighour's old garden fence doing it's lob on the brassica seedlings as they harden off.

 

 

I'm not sure you can see , the cloches and domes are for covering at night if there is a chance of frost.- also the blue piping etc is for netting once these are planted properly.

NO ITIS NOT A SCRAP YARD !!

 

This is not just a pile of sticks and old poles ( not polish people, long poles like fishing poles) it is going to be the frame for the beans when they are ready , it is like an incipient horticultural wonder - NOT A BUILDING SITE OK?

 

The biggest news is at the other end of the plot where a NEW SHED - which will be for potting up - drinking tea etc. has been erected over a long and arduous weekend .I am very pleased with it.

 

Spital is sprouting !

Well it's been a while as additional work hours have seriously impeded my blogging but not stopped progress on the allotment.

The chillies are doing well from the chilli trial - they are now in the greenhouse ready to be potted on in the next week or so I have put the camera case there as a scale they are all doing well just different varieties.

 

 

 

The main outcome of the chilli trial has been my venture into early heated propogation and this many aubergine plants - also moved to the greenhouse and already repotted- I am very pleased with these as I love aubergines so I hope to get a good harvest !

The rest of the greenhouse has climbing french beans - just sprouted and courgettes doing well. We have tomatoes and various flower seedlings in the other greenhouse.
Oot of doors the potatoes have come through overnight following some much needed rain -
all 3 varieties seem to be doing well so far.

 

These are the first and second earlies - kestrel and winston - also have desiree maincrop.