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These 941 comments are related to the topic:
Allotment/garden thread 2013
Allotment/garden thread 2013
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Replies: 941
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Ok that was the frame.
This is todays produce .http://tinypic.com/r/2mzieys/5 These are the slow worms on the compost, if you can spot them .http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2u8fl95&s=5 |
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Just eaten potato salad with spring onion, chives and 2 sorts of lettuce. 5 home grown ingredients less than two hours from soil to stomach. It was superb, mikes miles tastier than supermarket ingredients.
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Excellent stuff Rob, it's good that you're reaping the rewards for all the hours you put in during the winter.
Have you tried cold-pressed rape-seed oil with your greens? - it's expensive but with vinegar it makes a good product for tossing the veg with. Here's the latest photo from my patch, of garlic harvested last week . http://www.flickr.com/photos/97178879@N06/9173087205/ |
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Excellent photos Rob and Bongo.
Veg which really looks good enough to eat! I can see why you thought your worms were snakes, Rob. Big buggers aren't they?! |
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You have more produce than me, so far.
Yes. It works, but without the . in front of the address. |
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Great photos everyone. Shall try and reciprocate.
Building my compost box now. Hope I dont get slow worms. Cant stand snakes. |
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Nice one bongo
.http://tinypic.com/r/beu8mt/5 Forgot about these radishes. Just couldnt resist, wanted to know what was underground. Not much. Undortunately I dont think the leaves are good for salad either, theyve been eaten by something. The spuds i just dug because they were dead above ground. The spring onions and radishes arent really ready yet. Lettuce are fine though. How do you stop black fly on broad beans, There are some decent sized pods now, but the plant looks riddled with black fly, |
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Nice pics Rob, the Lollo Rosso is impressive. I'm jealous of the slow worms, my lettuce usually gets decimated by slugs.
Garlic is a good crop to grow Bongo. You can grow a year's supply in a relatively small space and is worth the allotment rent on its own. Keep the biggest for planting in the autumn and your crop will get bigger and better over time. |
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Oh you saw them then Tommy, bottom right. Two or three there, were half a dozen or more sometimes, very differing sizes, possibly the biggest was 18 inches or more. My tomatoes and cucumber at bottom. Can see some quite big green toms, cant wait for them to go red. There is a cucumber four inches or so hidden by leaves I think.
.http://tinypic.com/r/w8x9p4/5 |
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That green tomato looks big enough to be a melon!
Looks like you really have the knack for this veg growing lark Rob. |
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Cheers for the advice Foinavon - the biggest bulb is in a paper bag hanging in the outhouse and will be planted in September.
Slow worms will eat slugs afaik, as will frogs and birds. It's strange that slugs still exist given how many species regard them as dinner. I've heard of people going out with torche in thier garden at midnight and collecting them in a bucket. |
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Thats called "Big Boy". I have some alicantes behind it which look more like the normal toms I eat in a salad. Might have to try growing Tommy Toes next year
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Haha!
I remember when Dude first put up the seed packet for them Rob! I've just had a look on the Thompson and Morgan tomato seed site. Can't believe there are so many different varieties: http://www.thompson-morgan.com/vegetables/vegetable-seeds/tomato-seeds |
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There are hundreds of varieties of loads of veges that we normally only know of perhaps one or two from aupermarkets. Ive got some yellow toms in there somewhere, dont know what theyll be loke.
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Funnily enough, it was some yellow ones 'Balconi Yellow' which appealed to me by the picture - and the fact they look dead easy to grow:
http://www.thompson-morgan.com/vegetables/vegetable-seeds/tomato-seeds/tomato-balconi-yellow/390TM |
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I've just though Rob - you could stick some of those in that toilet you bunged up on your allotment. They'd fill it up a treat!
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I only put the bath on there in the end. Filled it with soil but not planted anything, maybe herbs.
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Rob, re your black fly on your broad beans:
On the Thomson and Morgan site it says to grow 'Summer Savory' as a companion plant to them to repel black fly: http://www.thompson-morgan.com/vegetables/all-other-vegetables/herbs/summer-savory/150TM |
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Ah, so the toilet and sink didn't make it? Shame really, as it tickled me to think of having your very own outdoors bathroom on your plot!
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great pics lads - thanks for posting..
broad bean black fly = nip/pinch top/head out - they say - never done it myself as not sure when to .... |
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Rob - those radishes look perfectly edible to me. The leaves and stalks will surely still be young and tender. What does it matter that some wildlife agrees and has been having a nibble? Just hold them under a tap before eating.
http://tinypic.com/r/beu8mt/5 Go on - have a munch of one and see what you think. |
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What a difference a bit of sunshine can make.
Spent the morning watering runner beans, courgettes and tomatoes. Harvested garlic, beetroot and strawberries. Need to keep the weeds under control as they can flower and set seed in no time. How is everyone else getting on? |
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Was asked by a teenage couple tonight how the veg plot was doing - it's visible from the road so quite a few people have seen it. I assume they're teenage as the lassie had braces and the lad rode a 2k mountain bike but just sold it to pay for driving lessons.
I said to the lad many things weren't doing well, much had died, and the only variety of spud doing well was the pink kerrs. The lassie swivels through a quarter turn, flashes a bracy smile and says 'Mmmm, I love pink ones'. I said to enjoy your evening, and made a swift depart. I can't get the image of what they'll be doing now out of my head. |
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water water water - no time for owt else....
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A very basic question, I know, but how much should I be watering?
I am on a water meter btw! |
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my 'guess' would be - how good is the soil [water retention etc] and also if you start watering you have then created a full time job, as you cant really start then miss, if you dont water or water less then roots do more work to find moisture....
having said that if you have started watering in this heat currently i'm sure you cant over do it and every little helps.... I've just turned the tap on to water the potatoes and will leave on and yep - no water meter  |
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I got a water butt, capacity 110 litres, at a cost of £28 two years ago.
Did some arithmetic and estimated that it the whole capacity will get fill up and get used for watering and washing 11 times a year. With metered water around £1.15 for 1 cubic metre ( or 1000 litres ) this represents about a 4.5% return on investment. About twice what you can get at the bank if you're lucky. So Jack, get a butt, smiles. |
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It is also better for the environment. Hard work this allotment business, i gave it all a long water on saturday morning but been busy after work every night since, gonna have to get up at six am tomorrow to go over it with the hosepipe and pick a lettuce and some radishes for work.
I would really like to only have half of the plot, wonder if the council would consider halfing it. I cant keep up with these full time pensioners. |
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As Delta says, the quality of the soil is key to how much you need to water. My plot is just a small raised bed, so I've always had enough compost to mix it in thoroughly. As a consequence just a small watering in the morning (half a watering can for the lot) leaves everything growing fine, especially as the spuds are earthed up and well mulched with lawn clippings.
What rainwater I have left I reserve for the toms and peppers in the greenhouse. Usually just the mornings, but this week I've been giving the toms an extra watering in the evenings and the peppers too today - the soil, even under the mulch, felt so dry and the leaves looked a little wilted. But again, these are all potted in 70% compost and 30% perlite or vermiculite. Otherwise I guess you'd need to water a lot more. If there's a lesson out of all this, bigger plots are not always the best. It can be better to have a small plot which you can equip and look after properly than a larger one where half-arsed care can lead to half-arsed crops. |
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Good post Screaming, especially regarding soil quality and the last paragraph.
If you have more space than you can comfortably look after this year then cover the rest with black plastic to suppress weeds. Watering with hosepipes is not allowed on our site as the council don't want to pay huge water bills. It's best in these circumstances to water each plant directly and give each one plenty so the water soaks right down where it can't evaporate quickly. The plants that need water most are the ones that are flowering such as beans, peas, courgettes. Potatoes need loads of water but if you have mulched well then there should still be enough in the soil for them. If you still have some energy, don't forget the rhubarb as they originated on the banks of the Volga and have a large leaf area. I give mine a liquid feed at this time to help them rebuild energy in their roots for next season. |
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Thanks for all of your replies.
Bongo, unfortunately the plot is about 50 yards uphill from the nearest roof - bad planning! I also understand that rainwater is much better than water from the tap. My gut instinct was to concentrate more on the summer crops. Screaming/Foinavon, are the grass cuttings you put on your spuds well rotted. I have capacity for loads in my newly built compost boxes, but know that you need more than grass clippings to make good compost. The spinach has bolted which I understand is due to stress, which may be the hot weather and possibly underwatering? |
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Jack,
The grass cuttings I put on the spuds were fresh but you can use compost in any stage of decomposition on them. The cuttings tend to rot down and are dug in when the spuds are harvested. It's OK to use fresh clippings around beans too but if used on other crops apply thinly. When adding to the compost bins I usually add a "dry" layer first such as shredded cardboard or newspaper. It's a good way of getting rid of shredded documents too, nobody is going to fish around in your compost bin for them. |
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Another thought, if you collect grass cuttings from your neighbours, check first that they haven't used a lawn weedkiller recently as residues could affect your crops.
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When adding to the compost bins I usually add a "dry" layer first such as shredded cardboard or newspaper. It's a good way of getting rid of shredded documents too, nobody is going to fish around in your compost bin for them.
I bet Rebekkah brookes would. |
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True, but she had better be careful bending over the bin, there's some hungry gardeners on our site.
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. http://i41.tinypic.com/11jbwyb.jpg
Hope this works, todays haul.. Radish, spring onion, mizuna, lettuce, onion, first broad beans and my first tomato... Possibly a bit early but it is meant to be yellow, honest, and i dug up two more potato plants.. In the bag. |
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Salad a la robdylan
Ingredients.. Fresh lettuce leaves, diced radish, chopped spring onion, one tomatoe sliced, mizuna, steamed broad beans Mix with balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil. Very nice. 6 different home grown veg. |
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That's an excellent haul, Rob (even if they're Aussie veg!).
What a massive spring onion and tomato. Looks like you have 'growers fingers'! |
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They look nice and fresh Rob (even upside down).
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