Allotments 2010

[Fairynuff31]

They will be ready when the tops go over around about June July time. You are correct they do show leaf and stalk structure like an onion and not multi shoots like shallots. What you harvest will look like the supermarket garlic with luck. That is one bulb about the size of a small onion with a papery outer cover inside of which should be 6 or 7 usable cloves of garlic. They keep very well and some of the more frugal people I know save the best two bulbs for next years planting giving them around a dozen cloves to plant. Some have not bought new stock for years and years.

Be prepared for the difference between 'supermarket' and 'home grown'. Let's say that mine cleared my nasal passages and blew the wax out of my ears!

Thanks chaps!

Like the idea of planting on next year is good.
Looking forward to turning some of the product into the garlic sauce that goes soooo well with a good old shoarma!

 

[grumpyoldb]

Dug over a 10' x 20' spud bed today and planted 40 maincrop golden wonder spuds. Also pulled 12 rhubarb stems. The crumble was delicious............! DT_Xtremez_14:

 

[Tin basher]

A tad chilly next week

A tad chilly next week

Have a look at this not good news if it happens

http://chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=56279.msg664713

Seems we might get nipped by a very late frost.

As stentman says b u double g er

 

[grumpyoldb]

Have a look at this not good news if it happens

http://chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=56279.msg664713

Seems we might get nipped by a very late frost.

As stentman says b u double g er

I've been watching that thread with interest. My local forcast is for +2 from sunday till weds, but it's too close for comfort. I've only just put my maincrop spuds in this week so they are still well under earth. My 1st early's are still fleeced as they are in plastic dustbins. Onions and broad beans are up but hoping they should be OK and my only row of peas to come up are fleeced.
I still have to dig over and clear the weeds from the bed where the beans are going in. Not getting my plot untill march has meant that I need to dig and clear weeds as I go along, but luckily it has stopped me from planting early.

 

[Tin basher]

I've been watching that thread with interest. My local forcast is for +2 from sunday till weds, but it's too close for comfort. I've only just put my maincrop spuds in this week so they are still well under earth. My 1st early's are still fleeced as they are in plastic dustbins. Onions and broad beans are up but hoping they should be OK and my only row of peas to come up are fleeced.

I too have been watching the same thread unfortunatley as one of lifes chancers most of my stuff went in early. What with global warming and the forecast Bar B Q summer etc. I stand to lose the following crops, beans all types runners, french and broad all around a foot high, plus lettuce, rocket, my spuds are quite well established and earthed up as far as I can, sweetcorn, radish, carrot, parsnip, turnip, beetroot and mint. Though perhaps the mint will be okay as not even a tactical nuke could stop that stuff growing.

 

[grumpyoldb]

I too have been watching the same thread unfortunatley as one of lifes chancers most of my stuff went in early. What with global warming and the forecast Bar B Q summer etc. I stand to lose the following crops, beans all types runners, french and broad all around a foot high, plus lettuce, rocket, my spuds are quite well established and earthed up as far as I can, sweetcorn, radish, carrot, parsnip, turnip, beetroot and mint. Though perhaps the mint will be okay as not even a tactical nuke could stop that stuff growing.

Can't you scrounge some cast off poly sheeting from the stackers or whoever?
Keep your eye out for rubbish skips etc.

PS. Broadbeans should survive as they are quite hardy and some say to plant them in late autumn to overwinter.

 

[Tin basher]

Can't you scrounge some cast off poly sheeting from the stackers or whoever? Keep your eye out for rubbish skips etc. PS. Broadbeans should survive as they are quite hardy and some say to plant them in late autumn to overwinter.

My aquadulce claudia beans will be fine and yes they were planted last Nov but some of the others may be less fortunate. I have limited amount of bubble wrap so I shall do my best and hope a lot.

 

[grumpyoldb]

My aquadulce claudia beans will be fine and yes they were planted last Nov but some of the others may be less fortunate. I have limited amount of bubble wrap so I shall do my best and hope a lot.

Good luck with them, the forecast dosen't always turn out to be correct. DT_Xtremez_14:

 

[Tin basher]

Well allotment types did you lose anything to the cold spell? I had a trip down the plot today and things are holding up okay, though tonight could be even colder (It's mid May FFS) fingers crossed I reckon if my stuff gets through tonight I'm sorted.DT_Xtremez_30:

 

[grumpyoldb]

My forecast is for another night hovering around 1C but after that the night time temps look to be rising and even getting to around +7 by next Tuesday, so fingers crossed, it's going the right way.
Good luck with your stuff. DT_Xtremez_14:

 

[Tin basher]

beetroot leaf miner or mangold fly

beetroot leaf miner or mangold fly

I have the darn things. But it makes no sense to me. The things are supposed to over winter in the soil after munching last years crop so why me?? I moved into this house in April the rear garden was previoously set up for children i.e. lots of grass a few flower beds and no veggie area at all. I turned the rear third into a few veg patches and set to. Most of my beets are where a large circular kids tramopline was positioned bolted to some railway sleepers and placed on top of an big old tarp. Nothing had grown there or even seen the light of day for at least 3 years. My other beet bed was lawn 3 months ago. The trampoline beet are planted into the garden soil, the ex-lawn bed is a mix of old leaf mulch, new compost and garden soil. Yet after checking my beet 75% have lots of little road maps across some of the leaves. All the beet on my lotty is fine. (I like beetroot) I definatley have the beasties so what now? This evening I have diligently cut off all the affected leaves and been a tad more robust in my thinning than usual, to reduce the amount of targets. There seems little else I can do. Any suggestions? Spuds are doing well though.

 

[Fairynuff31]

Garlic - first harvest of the year

Garlic - first harvest of the year

All Goat Allotmenters.....

The garlic I planted in October/November did well and despite a cr@p winter of almost constant snow, ice and some such.... I noticed that my garlic plants had 'fallen over' last week. So following advice from some of you experienced allotment hands, left them for a week, then lifted them.

From 3 heads of 'seed' garlic, which cost me £2, I have harvested 36 bright white heads of the stuff - I reckon thats close to a years worth - given that its likely to be stronger and much more potent than the stuff sold in supermarkets.

So, yesterday, after the footy (no further to say on that one!) I tied my garlic together in bunchs of 12, arranged like a good Frenchmans crop, and am now leaving it in the sun for a copuple of days to start drying out a bit, before storage in a dark, cool place.

I am, however going to use some this weekend in a amateur homage to the Shoarma and will be making a batch of sauce for the aforesaid kebabage.

Anyone else harvested their crop....?

 

[grumpyoldb]

I haven't lifted my garlic yet, but got about 3lbs of 1st early spuds on saturday.
Lady Chrystl, and lovely they were.

 

[Tin basher]

My garlic were rubbish few and small but the autumn planted onions are doing great and are being harvested as needed. Also to make the journey into the kitchen so far, peas, turnips, lettuce, aquadulce beans, radish, rocket, shallots, spring onions and one lone carrot, thanks mini TB. Spuds not quite ready but they will be soon, I hope.

 

[grumpyoldb]

Had some really tender broad beans off the plot tonight. Had a delicious rhubarb crumble to follow it too.

 

[Tin basher]

HTB was doing his bit as a barrier tech for the week. I drive up with the nippers on board to go to the plot.

My lad - Is that HTB from the lotty dad

Me - Yes

I open the window to chat with HTB
My lad - HTB were do you get your tyre seeds from? DT_Xtremez_42:Your tyres have grown really well. They are all over your plot.DT_Xtremez_14:
HTB -I get my special tyre seeds from a chap in MT.DT_Xtremez_30:


Cheers Mini TB

 

[needsabiggerfuse]

So this year, for something new, I tried growing swiss chard. Variety 'Bright Lights'. Started off in modules, waited feckin' ages for the weather to buck up before planting it out, etc, etc. Up it came, exactly as the packet promised, very pretty too.

Only one problem. Yuck!! It's feckin' horrible to eat. Anyone else ever tried something as a novelty that they later wish they hadn't bothered with? :raf:

 

[Tin basher]

Anyone else ever tried something as a novelty that they later wish they hadn't bothered with? :raf:

The MrsDT_Xtremez_30:

Veg wise - Garlic was urged to grow some this time had a utterly rubbish crop and I never have liked eating the stuff anyway.

 

[Harry B'Stard]

I may be growing a large crop of empty tyres...

but it's an improvement to last years bumper crop of weeds!

HTB

 

[grumpyoldb]

I've grown lots of broad bean plants.....................f' all pods on them as they haven't been pollinated. DT_Xtremez_31: