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Allotment/garden thread 2013
Allotment/garden thread 2013
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You won't be disappointed Delta, each fruit has as much edible flesh as at least half a dozen butternut squashes. If you can't eat it all in the space of a week (time a cut one will keep in the fridge) then cut into chunks and freeze. The seeds can also be roasted and eaten.
Tried to find the relevant part in "Sunday Brunch" but keep copping for endless tiresome adverts. About how far in is it? |
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Soooooo......as mentioned previously, my gladioli bulbs (stored over winter to plant in different place)) are sprouting - ground still too wet to work here. Now what?
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Foinavon - about 21:20 in...
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Thanks Delta, found it
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update on my previous post
4 bareroot fruit trees for £15 (they are usually £14 each) - 2 years old and 5ft tall. http://www.leadthegoodlife.com/bare-root-clearance.html?promo_mechanic=6543&utm_source=e-dialog&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=14_03_25_BareRootLC&utm_term=trial_group |
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Sounds like a bargain bigH, go for them....... but
No-one would pay £14 for an ordinary bare-root fruit tree, even if two years old, so the original price is irrelevant. Not sure where you are, but this is coming to the end of the planting season for bare roots hence the low prices. Why do they give you loads of detail, but do not mention the rootstock type - Mind this only determines when your tree will fruit and how big it will grow  |
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Thanks for the link BigH, I've bookmarked the site, it might throw up a decent deal in the future.
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Lovely spring weather today and thought it's time to get cracking.
Planted four rows of potatoes, two of Ratte and two of Charlotte. Still have maincrop Desiree to do in the next few days. Also collected some sticks of forced rhubarb for my tea. Felt good to be out there in the fresh air again. |
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Rhubarb pics finally approved. Just look at these fabulous colours.
Anyone else planting today? [ This image is no longer available. ] [ This image is no longer available. ] |
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Morning Foinavon...
I'm sowing a few seeds this morning, ... then going outside to see what I can do/plant there...  will report back latersssssssssss |
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Good morning Delta.
I'm about to go and finish the job planting potatoes. Looks like another brilliant day. |
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What are you going to do with the Rhubarb Foinavan?
Great stuff, I've a "pot" full of it out my back but I don't really eat too much. I said earlier in this thread I might try and make a Rhubarb wine but don't think I'll have enough Rhubarb to do so. |
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Should add, there's free bedding plants picked up from Homebase worth "£7" in today's Sunday Telegraph, there's also a save £5 when you spend £15 on Houseplants but not sure if this applies to veg growing, I'm trying to find out but if it does then that could also be a few quid saved even though Homebase would be more expensive than my garden centre. I picked up a copy today for £2 and will plant them in Window boxes.
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Took the fleece off the veg patch this morning - radishes, carrots and mistakenly sown swedes all sprouting. No sign of action from the spring onions yet.
Looks like there's going to be enough cloud around here in the West Country for the foreseeable future to make cold nights a non-issue, so transferred the four surviving pepper plants from last year from the spare bedroom to the greenhouse. Gave them their first good watering since the autumn and mulched the pots with the year's first lawn clippings. Bought a Victoria plum tree at Taunton farmers' market on Thursday and have stuck that in the ground to the south of the big apple tree. It should get enough light there. |
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The rhubarb looks healthy enough Ovalman. Will need plenty of liquid feed in such a small container if you don't have anything bigger for it to grow in.
The sticks in my photo were gently stewed for a few minutes with a squeeze of orange juice and a spoonful of sugar. It was so tender that's all it needed. Orange juice makes a big improvement to the taste and it makes a delicious desert when cooked and added to orange jelly. Basically you can use it in the same way as any fruit to make pies, jams, jellies etc. I know someone who grows masses of it to make wine. You do need a lot for this. It doesn't seem to do him any harm although I would expect that the wine would be very acid. A lot of my crop is cooked and frozen for eating after mid-summer when I stop picking the stems. Any excess is given to neighbours who like it. I have five mature plants so pick in the region of 150 to 200 sticks each year. |
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Thanks for the recipe tip! I love rhubarb. Tried to grow it last year but got spots/fungi which it seems was due to being in too wet a position. Will have another go. Amazed by how expensive it is in the shops.
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so w/e hence saw
Parsley and Coriander started in small trays in g/house Radish in - [cherry belle + scarlet globe] Beetroot [rhonda + burbess golden] Spinach Rocket no Tomatoes peeking yet [day 7] |
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Good selection Delta. Not too keen on rocket myself but it grows well in Britain.
Haven't tried the beetroot varieties you mention, are they new ones? I used to grow the old favourite Boltardy as it's reliable but have recently switched to Wodan as it's sweeter and has better colour. it stands well too, even old roots don't become wooden. |
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funnily Foinavon, Boltardy was our number one in the Beetroot planting until a couple of years back when didnt perform too well one year, so changed to Rhonda as a try and been ok last 2 years so sticking with it - the other one this year was a freebie packet so no idea tbh - but threw it in to see...
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oh and 80% of Tomatoes thru day 8 - oi oi
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as its Sunday again - thought I'd better do a bit... so
Cucumber seed in pots - Muncher and Lemon Crystal [freebies] Peppers - Marcolli Rossa and Sweet Nardello Chillies - Ring of Fire garden digging next else no room for tates and onions next week - booo! |
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I can see myself having the same problem finding space for potatoes. Is it OK to dig over a bit of lawn and immediately plant spuds, or do you need to allow a long period for potential pests to disperse?
By the way, delta. How did last year's experiment of not earthing up your potatoes work out? |
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hi screaming, good memory
I put a bit of fleece over them one night of frost when they had just peeped thru' [not all of them] and it did no good - so after that left it off and never ridged up although doubt we had any frost after that. the growth of the plant [height and foliage] was the best I have had and the crop was also one of the best as in plenty per root, so will do the same this year - the only benefit i can see from ridging is covering to avoid the frost... I would say I did get good water onto them last year to help... I have previous put spuds in immediately following it being lawn and was OK |
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I got my free flowers from the Telegraph offer last week but the £5 off voucher was only for Sunday so I missed out.
Lidl (NI) have 2 £10 off a £30 spend vouchers in a local paper. Lidl do some great gardening stuff and they've strawberries and tomato plants this week so I'll definitely be taking advantage of the offer. Gonna build myself something similar to this: http://www.diy.com/nav/garden/garden-d-cor/pots-planters/planters/Step-Planter-11987716?skuId=12498422 As I said I don't have much space and I want to keep the back neat and tidy but I'd still love to grow things. It will soon be time to get my upside down planters sorted. |
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this might be worth watching on Tuesday BBC2 8pm - new series - The Big Allotment Challenge!
What Bake Off did for cakes and Sewing Bee did for needlework, The Big Allotment Challenge hopes to do for growing vegetables. Nine pairs of “allotmenteers” are given seeds and a patch of earth in a beautiful Victorian walled garden. Over 15 weeks of temperamental spring weather followed by a very hot summer, they will be challenged to produce the best fruits, vegetables and flowers. The film cuts backwards and forwards so we can follow the progress of the produce as it grows and ripens before being exhibited. Thankfully the three judges are as picky as their GBBO counterparts: gravelly voiced and eagle-eyed Jim Buttress (a TV natural) inspects the radishes for the horticultural equivalent of soggy bottoms; Jonathan Moseley is brutally honest yet occasionally lyrical about their hand-tied bouquets; while Thane Prince spots when a fruit preserve has been cooked a few seconds too long. Despite that, it’s all fearfully genteel and as comfy, soothing and British as a fête on the village green. About this programme 1/6. New series. Fern Britton presents a contest in which nine pairs of gardeners have their skills put to the test as they attempt to produce high-quality fruit, vegetables and flowers, and are also challenged to produce jams, chutneys, cordials, pickles and jellies. They begin by having to present three matching radishes and seven perfect spikes of sweet peas, before they face a timed flower-arranging task and finish by making fruit jam and curd using ingredients from their allotment. Royal Horticultural Society judge Jim Buttress, floral designer Jonathan Moseley and food writer Thane Prince give their verdicts on their efforts and decide which of the teams will be first to leave the competition. |
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Wish I could have a patch of ground inside a Victorian walled garden.
Favourable micro-climate and good deep rich fertile earth. Anyone could grow good vegetables there. Should be interesting though, so long as the emphasis is on growing tasty veg rather than show-bench niceties like "three matching radishes"  |
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Spuds in today
 Nicola Robinta Cara |
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How deep do you put the tubers for your no ridge method Delta?
The way I do it is scoop a 6 inch hole with a trowell, put in the tuber, then cover the row with a small ridge about 6 inches high. Afterwards they are progressively mulched with as much grass cuttings and leaf mould as I can get hold of. Most of the other guys on our site dig a spade depth trench for planting in then ridge up several times as the plants grow. Seems too much like hard work to me. |
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It's like the bucket method Foinavan, you yield more spuds as the tubers grow further up the stalk. I think the more work you put in the more spuds you yield but then it's all a question of space v work. Iif you've more space then don't worry, just plant more tubers.
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Thanks Ovalman, the less work the better
.Usually get enough to last past Christmas so not worth flogging myself for more. The best ones are the new harvest in July which taste out of this world. The old ones are no better than shop bought, apart from the excessive spraying by commercial growers. |
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I tried it for the first time last year - as in ridging too much like hard work and in dry weather ridging falls apart and exposes tates, ... to go green
ridging works for frost imo but nowt else so tried other way [ 4in deep ] and best crop ever and less green ones maybe year as in little / no frost and also got water on them and a bit of muck in soil - but 2nd year go now and see how it goes, ridging was too much like hard work and on restricted space meant planting 12/18 inch apart was nicking soil off next row hence more green ones fingers crossed [green ones] |
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Thanks Delta. Have already planted for this year but will try your method next year and save some energy and some space. Currently planting 24/30 inches between rows (earlies/maincrop) so would be advantageous to reduce gaps to 12/18 inches. The roots definitely don't need all that space although the foliage expands to fill it.
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Many thanks for the discussion re potatoes. As usual will pick up whatever seed potatoes fall by the wayside when the neighbouring farmer plants his. Will dig over some lawn as per delta's advice and grow half with ridging and lawn clippings as mulch and half with just mulch alone and see what happens.
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Many thanks for the discussion re potatoes. As usual will pick up whatever seed potatoes fall by the wayside when the neighbouring farmer plants his. Will dig over some lawn as per delta's advice and grow half with ridging and lawn clippings as mulch and half with just mulch alone and see what happens.
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Question re. lawn clippings...
Do you put the freshly mown clippings on the spud rows, or let it compost a bit first? btw, I've always used ridging method, but now I've moved to a new property and have 2 large lawns, one of which I'm turning into a veg patch (slowly but surely). This year I've just turned over a patch of lawn approx 15ft x 10 ft and have 4 rows of spuds in already. I've got a trench filled with compost and fym for runner beans, 2 raised beds 12 x 6 for onions, leeks, and other stuff, yet to decide what to do. Onions, shallots looking good so far. |
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Easiest to put the clippings on fresh. Once they start to rot they form smelly clumps which are difficult to spread out. What to grow is the easiest decision, just grow what you like to eat. If you like strawberries then plant them. If you don't like broccoli then no point in trying to grow it.
Be interested in your results screaming fbtw. I expect that Delta's method is ideal for earlies and salad potatoes where you want lots of small tasty tubers. If you want baker sized maincrop spuds then they might need more room although I suspect I've been giving mine more space than absolutely necessary. |
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dont forget tonight ...
this might be worth watching on Tuesday BBC2 8pm - new series - The Big Allotment Challenge! |
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Working on my new garden. I have shifted tons of gravel in preparation for laying new turf. Now under all this gravel is the black material weed barrier stuff.
So my question is, do i leave the weed barrier down and level the new top soil onto it before laying the turf ? Or do i pull it all up ? |
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