Some Things Doing Well, Some Not...

Spent our Sunday doing allotment things today and discovered we are perhaps not putting enough time into it.... the turnips on plot 69 have started to go to seed, a sure sign .that they have not been watered enough, been really dry this week too, the ground is quite cracked in places.  Unfortunately we have been watering 119 twice a week but 69 only once.  Shame, as the turnips were the one thing I was really pleased with up till now!  Will have to pull them all up and restart.  Up on 69 otherwise all is looking well, the onions are looking superb, a few flowers showing themselves and the beans holding their own, just a few casualties.  Overall though, not too impressed with this site, the whole soil quality is not half as good as 119 and it gets really dry really quickly.  And lots of bindweed coming up which is a real pain. Might have to rethink what to do with this plot next year, possible put half to fruit and do spuds and beans only and do the more fussy things down on plot 119 which is much more forgiving.



So after disappointment on 69 we went down to 119 and lots to do down there.  Courgettes are starting to form, as are the first cucumbers.  Polytunnel is now very full, all the tomatoes are looking good and did the centre row of cucumbers today and got the strings sorted so they are free to go beserk now.



 

Planted a couple of rows of mixed cauliflowers down there today, some  purple, some white, some romanescu, some yellow.  And some celery too.   Got some more of a different variety in the greenhouse but too small to go in yet.  Did lots of sorting out in the greenhouse at home.  Planted up 3 citrus seedlings that are getting bigger, potted up some celery, celariac and swiss chard.  Trying to get the greenhouse sorted in the next couple of weeks and emptied out so we can take it down and start building the chicken run......

 

Sunday Planting

Split the day between the two plots again today.  First to 69 and planted the climbing beans (Blue Lake) and the leeks (Mussleburgh).  Bit sad today as the birds had taken a fancy to the cauliflower and broccoli plants, they will recover as only the bigger outer leaves have been scoffed.  Put netting over them all today.  Typical, we had put on cabbage collars, put down slug pellets but hadnt thought about attack from birds!  Luckily the cabbages were under net already and they havent touched the curly kale..... maybe its not to their taste!   Not much more to put on this plot now, just the swedes (started off in the greenhouse) and the celeriac (also in the greenhouse but taking ages to get to a decent enough size to plant out) and the dwarf French beans (also in the greenhouse and just beginning to sprout).  Oh, and the marrows which have moved from the propogator to the greenhouse today to start hardening them off.  Unfortunately we lost both pumpkin plants.  Maybe need warmer weather before trying again.....

 

Then down to plot 119, all looking pretty healthy down there, the strawbs have flowers on, the broad beans are growing, the climbing beans are surviving.  Tomatoes in the polytunnel are doing very well - even got some flowers.  Should be able to put the cucumbers in the growbags next weekend (after I've got more growbags!)  Put in 4 rows of brussel sprouts today, and 3 rows of purple Kohl Rabi.  Just the sweetcorn, celery and rainbow chard to put in down there, and maybe a marrow or two.  Animal-proofed the little plants - netting to keep the birds off and Simon made a makeshift gate to hopefully keep the bunnies out - more droppings on the path today so they have been visiting.  Luckily they have left the important things alone and seem happy to stay and nosh on the weeds!  And put in a row of calendula to make the plot pretty and please the bees!

Courgettes are looking good in the greenhouse, only got 3 or 4 but we  dont  use courgettes much so I'm sure that will do us!   And Simons cape gooseberries are coming along very nicely.  All in all, a busy day but rewarded ourselves with a handful of rhubarb and made a nice crumble for pudding tonight!

      

 

 

Sunny Allotmenting!

Gorgeous day here today - managed to get to both plots today despite being busy with other things.  Few hours on each got them looking spick and span again.  First to 119 and planted all the runner beans that I have been growing in root trainers, only one bean failed to germinate which was good.  All the others had grown into healthy strong plants with a good root system and I was very pleased with them.  The Blue Lake climbing beans are a little behind in size so not quite ready for the big wide world yet, another week or two in the greenhouse then I will let them loose!



Did some hoeing, amazing how quickly the weeds come up, if only the veg would grow that fast...... all the young plants we put in last week are still intact, few slug/snail trails around but the slug pellets seem to be keeping them at bay.  Simon investigated the power garden tools in the allotment shed and did some mowing and strimming to tidy the paths up a bit.  The allotment site shed is a bit like Fort Knox but necessary unfortunately.  So after a bit of watering we headed off to plot 69.  Some of the tomatoes were a bit wilty in the greenhouse as neither of us have managed to get down there to water anything so far this week.  So gave them a drenching then put them into their gro-bags in the polytunnel where it is a little cooler. It's funny, the photo makes them look more wilty than they actually are!  Honestly - most of them are in tip top condition!

So, one grobag left for the 3 aubergines currently in the greenhouse, and hopefully enough room down the middle for another row of bags to put the cucumbers in, currently have 18 plants but will most probably give a few away, otherwise I will be able to stock a supermarket with cucumbers!  The 3 courgette plants will have to stay in the greenhouse I think... or I'll have to get another polytunnel!  Went up to another part of the  site to have a look at the chickens that someone keeps there too, looks like lovely father-in-law is letting us have his chicken coop and bits and pieces so went to have a nose.  Can't wait, they are adorable!  Going to keep them at home though as will be a lot easier to keep an eye on.  And dont want them getting lonely!  So, 2 allotments, home made beer and wines, jam making, chickens to come..... almost the Good Life!  Just need to start knitting again......

 

Nettle Ale - Taste test

A while back I made Nettle Beer so here's a little update on how it's getting on.

Nettle beer: Tasting time



Well, it's still not cleared down yet, but as you can see from the bottle quite a lot has.

It's not unpleasant. Kind of like ginger beer in mouth feel (ie Thin) Slight carbonation, but not fizzy by any means but that will increase over time in the bottle.

Taste wise, humm gingery, (that'll be from the ground ginger) and with a definite and quite strong nettle flavour, fresh and grassy in aroma.

I think it will be okay with time to clear and mature in the bottle served Ice cold.

Progress on 119

A quick dash up to the local garden centre first this morning for slug pellets, after seeing what the slimy fellows had done to Alans cabbages in the next plot along we decided we needed to protect our young plants we put in yesterday on Plot 69, so up there first to sort that out, then home for a while to do some sowing - got the sweetcorn sorted in toilet roll tubes, the swedes and the fennel in modules and the dwarf french beans in 3inch pots.  Also got the marrows started and some more bushy sunflowers.  The greenhouse at home is now full again!  Then down to plot 119, raining again but used to it now!  My wellies down there were full of water but never mind.  At least the flood waters had receded and the site looks more like allotments than a swimming pool!  No damage done really, all looking really fine.  Put some more broad beans out and a few climbing beans that had been grown from salvaged beans found on the site.  Got more climbing beans in the greenhouse, will put them out when risk of frost is well and truly past.

 

Pleased with the calendula in the allotment greenhouse, almost getting ready to plant out now.

And picked some more rhubarb for another crumble for tea..... really yummy -

cooked it with some ginger and marmalade and it was great!

 

No longer underwater! Grass paths could do with a cut but no chance while they are still so soggy and the heavens are still opening all the time!

Progress on 69

The plan today was to spend the morning at 69 then the afternoon at 119.  Didn't quite work out that way though... after a leisurely morning at home we got to the allotment about 12, car full of young plants.  Did some hoeing to try and make some headway with the weeds, if only the veg would grow as well as the weeds!  Managed to find a few carrots and beetroots poking their heads up through.  Simon planted some more Autumn King carrots as not many of the first sowing have come back, he reckons I must have planted them too deep.  Lots of planting to do today, took up the 3 varieties of cabbage and Simon planted them all up and put on their cabbage collars.  Noticed that Alans cabbage plants in the next plot along have been mauled by slugs so will have to nip back up again tomorrow with some slug deterrant.

 

 

Grass seed is starting to come up on the paths too.  Also planted out the kale, cauliflowers and parsnips today, all grown from seed in the greenhouse and big enough to go out.

So progress so far.......

Bed 1  Spinach, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Cauliflowers, Kale, Calabrese Broccoli  (all in and complete)

Bed 2 Red Onions, White Onions, Shallots, Garlic (just the leeks to go in, growing in greenhouse)

Bed 3 Rhubarb Green Chard, Turnips, Cabbages - 3 varieties (just the swedes to go in, still in packet!)

Bed 4 Carrots, Beetroot, Parsnips, Potatoes (just celariac to go in, growing in greenhouse)

Bed 5 Broad beans (lots to go in this one yet - runner and climbing beans in greenhouse, dwarf french beans in packet)

Bed 6 Jostaberry, 2 different gooseberries, 2 pumpkins (more pumpkins and marrows to go in)

 



Jostaberry looking healthy



2 transplated pumpkins, out of the original 5 only these 2 survived, very fragile stems that snap so easily :(     May direct sow some more or do them at home in the raised bed.

So busy day at 69, will have to do 119 tomorrow!

Water water everywhere!!

Popped down to the bottom allotment plot (119) after work yesterday, just to give the plants tomatoes a watering in the green house  and was confronted with a lake.

After sploshing through the water and stepping into water a good 6 inches deep, filling my work boots with water I got to our plot.

Looks like we faired pretty well over all, as about 70% of our beds where still above the water line. Not so good news for alot of the plots at the bottom of the site as you can see from the photo. A lot of the plots are completely underwater.

We have about 4 broad bean plants underwater, one sunflower, a rhubarb  and about 6 strawberry plants taking a swim.

One plus point though, I didn't have to go very far to fill up the watering can to water the plants in the green house.