Allotments and gardening 2011

[Tin basher]

Okay spring is near what have you done to get ready? Spuds chitting, seeds all bought, plot plan finalised, manure/compost dug into spud patch, bean canes ready etc etc etc.

My bit. So far spuds chitting nicely 1st earlies (pentland javelin) 2nd earlies (maris peer) main crops (desiree), overwintered onions and aquadulce beans going ok, sown some spring onion and some carrot seeds under cloches 10 days ago, nothing through yet. Waiting for mid March to really crack on with sowing seeds and planting spuds. Rhubarb just about showing through. Maybe Tom seeds indoors this weekend.

TB

 

[Hot Shoes]

Garlic is in and like you Pentland Javelin are chitting away. Only other thing is, I fancy growing Comfrey at the end of the plot as a free nutrient so I have 9 roots in pots on the window sill (1 has already gone).

Almost forgot, the rhubarb has gone mad, currently 3 crowns under buckets, this w/e will need to find bigger containers to cover them, the buckets are too small

 

[grumpyoldb]

I have five variety's of spuds chitting. 1st early's Lady Chrystl and Pentland Javelin. 2nd early's Charlotte and Marfona. Maincrop Cara. Approx 35 of each.
Got all my seeds ready but too cold to sow up here on the edge of the pennines. Going to spend this weekend cleaning my greenhouse then I can put the bags of seed compost in there to warm up a bit.
Rhubarb is about 6" high and strawbs are starting to show a bit of life.

 

[Tin basher]

Only other thing is, I fancy growing Comfrey at the end of the plot as a free nutrient so I have 9 roots in pots on the window sill

Wow 9 roots is quite a lot, which variety is it? If it's not bocking 14 it may well be very invasive. You can however be quite brutal with Comfrey once it's established it will stand being hacked down two or three times a summer providing you let it grow back before autumn sets in. Chuck whole leaves in your compost bin periodically to help speed up the composting process. If you buy your milk in those plastic containers then wash them out then put lots and lots of comfrey leaves inside then top up with tap water and leave for a few weeks. It stinks but is great plant food dilute to around 1 part Comfrey tea to 10 parts water then use. I have around 20 of the 2 litres milk containers full of last years "tea" ready for this season.

 

[Hot Shoes]

Wow 9 roots is quite a lot, which variety is it? If it's not bocking 14 it may well be very invasive.

yes it is bocking 14. Got 10 roots of Ebay, calculated that all may not grow. One has rotted in the pot (over watered, my fault) and another looks gone. Wanted to be compost self sufficient this year.

Also grew a mixture of over winter green manure across the whole plot. All nicely dug in now

 

[Tin basher]

Also grew a mixture of over winter green manure across the whole plot. All nicely dug in now

Tried using mustard as a green manure and wether it has had any benefit on my soil only this growing season will tell.

 

[Hot Shoes]

Tried using mustard as a green manure and wether it has had any benefit on my soil only this growing season will tell.

I grew a mix, including mustard (forage peas, rye, clover, winter tares) all with their individual advantages (check out the website link ). The reason for mustard was:- a new allotment and last year the potatoes suffered the worm, allegedly mustard disrupts their (wire worm) season so I tried it. Also this year, trying "Sante" as my main croppers as according to Marshalls its the most resistant potato on the market?

 

[Martin Blank]

garlic and elephant garlic been in since last year.....now 6" sprouted
broad beans and peas direct sown in raised beds
rhubarb sprouting
Spring cabbage almost ready, savoy almost over just 3 left to harvest
overwinter onions took a bashing in the cold but starting to sprout
spuds are chitting, pentland jav for first earlies and pink fir apple for main crop
got purple beans to plant later with a variety of beets and brassicas to follow

 

[grumpyoldb]

Just to give this thread a wake-up.............

I didn't intend growing much fruit but I inherited a patch of rhubarb, no idea what variety it is but it tastes good. I also rescued 20 strawberry plants which had been neglected. They are coming along nicely with plenty of flowers on them. One of my neighbours on the plots thinned out her summer raspberries and gave me 20 young shoots with a decent amount of roots and this week I picked up a couple of Hinnonmaki gooseberries for £3. So I've started a nursery bed for them this year to allow them to build up a decent root system and I'll start building a fruit cage and move them into it in the autumn.

Pea's coming on well. I've got 60' of hurst greenshaft in for freezing. Spuds all in the ground. Onion sets (300 white and 50 red) coming on well. F1 Shirley toms about 4" high on the greenhouse bench, together with sweet peppers.

Two trays of lettuce to go in the ground tomorrow, and white Lisbon spring onions and beetroot.

How is your garden growing?

 

[Killer Queen]

My Strawberry plants are coming along well really looking forward to see if I can taste the difference when eating straight from the bush. Chilli plants doing well as are cucumbers and beetroots. Carrotts just getting going.

Slightly concerned about my toms though the money maker plant is doing very well but Gardeners Delight seems very slow in starting.

I think I am not doing too bad considering everything is being grown in containers ;-)

 

[vim_fuego]

Having given up my plot in Lincoln due to moving I've lucked in by inheriting my dads plot as he becomes too old for the manual side of things up in the Lakes so I'm back in the alotmenteering game in a couple of weeks!

 

[Hot Shoes]

Pea's coming on well. I've got 60' of hurst greenshaft in for freezing.

When did you put them in?? I have gone for the same variety, only put them in 12 days ago, nothing showing yet.

As for everthing else:-

All that I have started off at home are doing well, seeds sown direct are not taking, we haven't had any rain around here in 6 weeks I guess, and watering is not enough.

 

[grumpyoldb]

When did you put them in?? I have gone for the same variety, only put them in 12 days ago, nothing showing yet.

I put mine in about three weeks ago and I soaked them overnight before hand. I had poor germination last year. I've probably got about 90% this year.
They should germinate in 7/10 days.
Give them a good watering, you wont drown them.

 

[Tin basher]

Everything is in and going well spuds, beans, peas, beetroot, parsnip, carrot, radish, etc etc but hasn't rained for 5/6 weeks in the tropical midlands so I have a current watering routine more like mid July than late spring/early summer. The real bu99er would be a late frost as everything thinks it's high summer and is bombing along nicely yet one bad night of frost and there would be so much work to do to get back on track.

 

[grumpyoldb]

Keep your eye's on overnight temps. Dropping to 0c here in Manchester so tender plants may suffer.

 

[Tin basher]

Big chance of a frost tonight 03/05/2011 here in the arid midlands.

 

[grumpyoldb]

Big chance of a frost tonight 03/05/2011 here in the arid midlands.

We have a forecast for heavy rain on Sunday. That'll do some good.

 

[Hot Shoes]

We have a forecast for heavy rain on Sunday. That'll do some good.

Rain forecast in Norfolk also, if it doesn't then, thinking of giving up planting anything now this year.

Been down on the way home from work, last nights cold got my runners, broad beans and marrow's. Rhubarb is dying in the drought and the seeds refused to germinate.

And yes I have watered loads, just not enough in heavy clay.

Only thing left are my 50 sweetcorn, 35 in the ground and 15 at home to fill in the possible losers.

 

[grumpyoldb]

Rain forecast in Norfolk also, if it doesn't then, thinking of giving up planting anything now this year.

Been down on the way home from work, last nights cold got my runners, broad beans and marrow's. Rhubarb is dying in the drought and the seeds refused to germinate.

And yes I have watered loads, just not enough in heavy clay.

Only thing left are my 50 sweetcorn, 35 in the ground and 15 at home to fill in the possible losers.

Broad beans are usually OK in cold weather, it may be the drying wind which has got them. My rhubarb looks very sad at the moment. I'm just giving it as much water as I can. Again, it's the wind which seems to be causing the problem.

 

[needsabiggerfuse]

... it's the wind which seems to be causing the problem.

What did you plant, baked beans? DT_Xtremez_30: