by Philippa | Jul 27, 2014 | Allotment
The time of year quickly comes round again when harvesting becomes a top priority on visits to the plot. It’s always exciting to literally see the fruits of your labour, but it is bittersweet as it signals to approach of the end of the season.
First up were the onions. Certainly not as impressive in size as last year, not really sure of the reason for that. We weren’t sure whether it was down to the soil needing some more nutrients, not feeding them enough, or the weather conditions this year compared to last. But there were a good number and if we hadn’t had the whoppers from 2013 we wouldn’t be so critical!
Next was the garlic and a similar story applies in that they are not as good as last years Best in Show crop! There are some good bulbs but some don’t seem to have fully developed their papery skin which hasn’t happened before. Those ones will still be good for the cooking pot but won’t stand up to the scrutiny of the show bench!
You can’t dwell on the crops coming to an end too much as you are always looking forward to the next few months. In place of the onions we planted the wallflowers out. They may need to be brought in if the winter is harsh but for now they can get the opportunity of some good growing outside.
We set up loads of pots of compost around the strawberry beds and stuck a generous selection of the runners into them. They will sufficiently regenerate those that are tiring next year.
The curly kale, cavolo nero and the purple and green sprouting broccoli was planted out into the tunnels that were prepared a week or two ago.
And there is always some colour to make you feel like summer is still winning out!
by Philippa | May 3, 2014 | Allotment
Glorious sunshine on Saturday and given the forecast worsens for the rest of the bank holiday weekend and Neil has the minor distraction of another marathon to run on Monday we thought we would make the most of it today.
In a fit of giddiness of being ahead with our ‘things to do’ plan we did some more planting. The first of the seeds to be sown straight outside this year were parsnips (countess and imperial), spinach (medania and perpetual), chard (red and rainbow) and beetroot (boltardy, forono, golden and barbabietola di chioggia).
More planting in the greenhouse of green and purple basil, melon (Blenheim orange), courgette (zucchini, jemmer, tondo chiaro di nizzi and dundoo) and cucumber (gherkin and burpless tasty green). Things that had not even germinated last week, such as the cucino cucumbers or Savoy cabbages, had grown pretty tall, all in six days. Some of the brassicas were growing so well that they needed thinning out, especially as we have no need for 50 plus red cabbages! Neil got busy snipping with the scissors-cruel but necessary! He also pricked out the pak choi and in a bit of an experiment put some in black growing bags and some in a seed tray to see which fares best.
Due to the warmer weather the onions and garlic looked like they could do with some water so I watered them with some organic feed which should perk them up. I always worry about how much this feeds the weeds too as I’m sure things like mares tail must love it! We did some outside sowing of flowers too. Cornflowers were sewn in ‘deep masses’ and poppies were cast in ‘majestic drifts’ according to packet instructions. Otherwise known as fling ’em in and see what happens!
Neil, always one to be tempted by an internet purchase, had added a white marker to his order when getting some seeds online and now it had arrived was keen to try making some signs for our crops. So we used it on some slate pieces that we have previously written on with chino-graph pencil with only short term success. Apparently it is waterproof but can be easily removed with soapy water. Stand by for reviews of its progress in a few weeks time. Meanwhile Neil thinks any allotment judges will like the extra effort to make the place look nice!
Having emptied the manure bay on plot 97 with recent loads to dig into the plots, Neil filled it back up again while there was spare manure in the communal bays. He also put about 6 barrows of it at the end of plot 118 which was only cleared of the kale a couple of weeks ago. I’m sure digging it all in will appear on the ‘things to do’ list for coming weeks! So much for being ahead, there are always jobs to be done!
by Philippa | Apr 20, 2014 | Allotment
The long weekend started off uncharacteristically sunny and Neil managed a full afternoon down at the plots on Friday. He had a plan to do some DIY and build a new gate for the back of plot 118, as our ‘temporary’ one has been in use for about two years! He finished the gate in record time but didn’t quite manage a full coat of woodstain as it takes longer than you think to do a good job of it.
We both returned on Saturday. Lots of signs of Spring, blossom open on all the fruit trees which looks beautiful. Also, the tulips at the front have opened and added some colour. The daffodils that we unceremoniously shoved in far too late after we found them starting to sprout in the shed have even made an attempt at flowering! Very full blooms but only about 3 inches tall!
However, it is that time of year where it seems all you need do is turn your back for a moment and the weeds are abound. It gives you itchy fingers to just get blitzing everywhere and so for the first hour or so that is what we did. I weeded all of plot 97 and down the outside of the fence by the path as there were a lot of flowering dandelions that will soon be sending their seed out so heavily it looks like it is snowing! Neil cleared all along the back of plot 118 and I then cleared in front of the greenhouse where the weeds were coming through the membrane. After a bit of hard work it looked much neater all round.
Neil completed painting the new gate which I am very impressed with! He then started to dig over the front left side of the plot ready for planting the chitted potatoes sometime later over the weekend. As soon as you start digging, the robin who hangs around our side of the site pays a visit. He is so tame it’s almost like having a pet, he will come right up to you while you work and you sometimes catch him with a worm in his mouth! It’s easy pickings when you’re turning up hundreds of them at a time!
While Neil was digging I did some planting as I had a bit of a panic when I realised it seemed like we were a bit behind with sowing. I’m sure it’s all in your head at this time of year, all it takes is a couple of sunny days and it suddenly feels like you are running out of time to get things done! So I planted cauliflower (snowball), cabbage (candissa), broad beans (masterpiece green longpod), Brussel sprouts (hastings and Evesham special) and Spring onions (white Lisbon and lillia). So we felt quite smug on leaving on Saturday with how much we had achieved and there looked to be quite a difference between when we arrived and when we left!
by Philippa | Apr 5, 2014 | Allotment
After Neil came back from a work trip on Thursday, we were both able to get down to the plots for a mid week visit. This was good timing as the red onions suddenly looked ready to plant out and by the weekend would probably have roots really poking out of the bottom! Our digging the other week meant they could go straight in. It seemed like a lot of onions but whenever we think that we realise how many we get through and they will never go to waste so we keep on planting! The red onions looked really healthy and had caught up with the white onions completely after a burst of warmer weather.
Inspired by our previous bout of digging we were tempted to keep working towards the front fence. As tiring as it was we just kept going and before long we had finished the whole of one side. Due to Neil’s difficulty in sticking with one job for too long, he broke up the digging by clearing the front of plot 118. We had some well rotted manure at the bottom of the manure bay and he put this across the front to neaten things up. With two pairs of hands at work it doesn’t take long to transform an area.
It was tempting to start on the next side but our stomachs were rumbling and it’s better to stop before you get sick of digging!
The blossom that only a few days ago was just in bud has opened up and the fruit trees look really cheerful. Let’s hope there isn’t a harsh frost or high winds to blow it all away!
by Philippa | Mar 23, 2014 | Allotment
It soon comes round to that time of year when the seed packets come out, they get stacked in little bundles with post it notes on saying when they need to be planted and the seed sowing starts afresh.
The earliest seeds to start off were some flowers, so I sowed dahlias, marigolds, lupins, phlox and a colourful selection of sweetpeas. As per Neil’s usual instructions, I planted lots of marigolds!
The tomatoes we brought from the propagator at home were ready for transplanting to larger pots and were looking really healthy.
To make room for the burgeoning collection of seed trays Neil was busy putting the extra staging up. As a result of the B&Q offer on woodstain we had bought some dark red stain and Neil painted the pieces as he constructed. It looks pretty smart!
Meanwhile, outside, the white onions in seed trays were bursting out the bottom and ready so we planted these on plot 118 in blocks of three rows with enough space to walk between them for weeding. This first required a good bit of digging and I think we got a bit carried away with trying to get to the next fence panel as we ended up with a cleared space about twice the size we needed! It’s a really good plan starting them off in the trays first as by the time you plant them out they immediately look green and on the it way and you can see your progress as you work.
There are signs of Spring all around and the trees are in bud. It suddenly feels like there is lots to be done!
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