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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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I can highly recommend a breed called Goldstar Ranger, they are a Sussex cross. 300+ eggs a year per bird if looked after properly. I'm thinking of getting a dozen grape vines, the selection of outdoor varieties now available is amazing.
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for rob:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/942872_457686747646071_1920849072_n.jpg |
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Dug up a couple of seed potatoes last evening - one from a section planted in February, and one from a section planted in March - nada, not even the slightest hint of growth, no stalks, no eyes, nothing, no decomposition either.
In future it's chitted spuds for me. On the positive side it looks like commercial farmers are planting in greater amounts than the same time last year . http://www.potato.org.uk/publications/potato-weekly-tuesday-7-may-2013 so shop prices should in theory be reasonable come late summer/autumn. It's just so much more satisfying growing your own. |
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Never worry too much about wether they are chitted Bongo,for me the soil being warm enough is key.
Once it is warm and dry enough then plant the seeds, along with any spuds from home that have gone over. Not had a bad plant yet in four years and usually leave some in over winter, although due to the wet summer last year this ploy was not so clever as bugs and then water got in. Will be planting maincrop at the weekend. |
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The farmer next door to me sowed potatoes at the weekend and none of them are chitted. I know this, because I recovered 7 or 8 from the footpath next to the field and planted them in my garden on Monday.
I wouldn't be too quick to jump to the conclusion that a lack of chitting is the problem - the low soil temps during Feb and March must have played a part. March was the coldest in the UK for 51 years and a startling 3.3C below average. I think we've all got used to successful early planting during the era of apparent global warming. Now that's over, we might have to take a bit more care about monitoring conditions. |
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did you know, Potatoes are 'gassed' to stop them chitting [eating ones obv.]
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If you want potatoes to chit buy some from Sainsburys. Takes about 3 days
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Thanks for the comments clough and sfbtw - the first year of having a plot ( spring 2011 it was ) my seed potatoes went in to the ground chitted in March, and harvested by end of June, and purple broccoli went into the same bit of land which was ready to harvest the following spring. When you have a year that successful, you forget that it was a bit lucky and conditions are different every year.
May be a product like this one is worth getting : . http://windyacresnaturalfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/soil-temperature-thermometer.html |
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I don't like to but-in as I'm no gardener - but I like this thread.
I like mangetout and just wondered if they were easy to grow or not - and it seems they are. These links may be of assistance to the gardeners on here re growing fruit and veg: http://www.gardenfresco.co.uk/ http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Grow-Your-Own |
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You should give it a go TT. You have a garden right? Dig it over this autumn, chuck in some manure and you will be good to go planting in spring. Spend perhaps a tenner on various seeds and chuck them in, surely something will come up. You will enjoy it, it is a bit of exercise, great watching it come up and harvesting, cooking and eating(ive not done it yet, must be so satisfying. Maybe just aim for spuds next year, I understand you are a fan, and you might become mr green fingers.
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Ha! Cheers Rob - but this is the Potteries: Built on clay.
Nothing grows here. It's like digging a mixture of pure sludge (when it's wet - can't even prize the ground open with a pick when it's dry) and tons of old pottery landfill if you dig down deeper than about 6 inches. |
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*prise
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That isnt the spirit that won the war ffs, surely there is something that will grow if you have an area that gets the famed stoke su shine. Well ive learned one thing. How to spell "prise".
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Hahaha!
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Seriously giveit a go TT. I actually enjoyed it on Monday, weather was great. The worst that can happen is nothing comes up and youve had a bit of exercise in the great british outdoors. The best that can happen is you are eating homegrown ve, and eating dont come much more satisfying than that.. Some veg will grow virtually anywhere.
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House i bought has a gravel back garden Tommy,had 180ft at the previous adress.
Wanted to grow something so cut a plastic barrel in half, filled both halves with compost and put a couple of seed potatos in,easy as that. Think about a wooden tray as a raised bed and get some mates to donate some decent soil, enough then for runner beans and peas as they do not need to be deep. Grow tomatoes in large plant pots and peppers in the window,finally got my allotment now so peas (easy),carrots and parsnips in the barrel with a mixture of soil/compost. Here is a handy forum fellas, http://www.seedparade.co.uk/forum/ |
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Cheers Rob and cloughandtaylor but I'm no gardener.
I've tried growing a few things and it's all been a load of labour for nothing - and when you've been enthusiastic and put in a ton of back-breaking work and it's been for nought - and you're not even committed to the cause anyway - there's just no desire to take it on again. Especially in Stoke: Clay soil. No Sun. No warmth. No bloody point. |
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- but I do enjoy reading about others who have success.
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Went out and bought some plants and some seeds. Got runner beans, peas, seed spuds, onions, peppers, strawberries, raspberries, sweetcorn, aubergine, sprouts, rhubarb, peppers, leaves, courgettes. Forgot the radish - but will put some in on Screamings's recommendation. Tried to layout the plot to take into account sun position, height of crops etc and separate permanantly positioned stuff. Not got too caught up on crop rotation - I think the main thing is not to plant stuff in the same place year after year. Cut some hazel out of the hedge for bean poles. Anyway, ready to start putting stuff in. A bit worried that there may be a frost next week - should that affect what I put in? Root crops must be OK, surely. If still doing it next year, will sow seeds indoors.
I think this will be a rollercoaster ride. |
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Get a couple of rolls of garden fleece from Wilkinson's, if frost is a concern:
http://www.wilko.com/top-3-garden-sheds+greenhouses/wilko-get-gardening-protection-fleece-15mx8m/invt/0299033?VBMST=garden%20fleece Protects seeds, fruit and salad crops against frost, birds and insects. Lightweight and very strong and the porous fabric allows watering without removal. Just weigh down each roll with a half-brick or large stone at each corner. You don't have to remove it until you want to, as it still allows sunshine and rainfall to penetrate. |
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Bongo: re soil temps, I've found the best value-for-money thermometer is weeds. If they're not appearing, then neither will your crops.
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blimey Jack Hackdsaw........ ur going for it!
GL This weeks tasks here - starting off [in doors in pots] sweetcorn french beans squash picking spinach lettuce radish |
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Thanks for the advice and support!
I have got some of these. http://www.webbsdirect.co.uk/haxnicks-giant-easy-fleece-tunnel-prod287681/ |
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hallelujah - rain at last here - #down south
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This morning planted spuds, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, onions, rhubarb, beetroot and sprouts. Was watering them standing in the rain!
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Dandelions bleeding everywhere.
I've tried frying the yellow flower heads in batter once, the way you'd make banana fritters, but they give me stomach cramps for a couple of days - not recommended. The leaves can be washed and eaten in salads, or steamed - not bad, but lettuce, spinach etc are far tastier. When the seed heads come out though, I've found you can collect the brown seeds ( you have to separate the fluffy floret bit and chuck it away ) and then add them to boiling rice. They must be quite high in protein being seeds and ime make the rice a nice bit crunchy if you add them late. Anyone else know of any uses for weeds? |
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Jack Hacksaw
make sure you cover/net the beetroot - the little red leaves when they pop thru will soon attract a nibbler... |
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Thanks Delta. They are plants and are under the cloches. I have also **** up some pieces of chicken wire to protect sprouts. Will probably need some netting for beans/peas/raspberries - not that we will probably get any fruit this year.
I would call my approach 'scattergun' at the moment. Prepared for failure and prepared to learn. Bongo, we have more dandelions than ever. All over the grassed areas. |
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I treat dandelion leaves as free fresh salad this time of year.
I agree that raw and on their own they have a bitter taste, but mix them up with greens which have a flavour and you have a cost-free and very nutritious way of bulking out a salad. Yesterday I bought a packet of fresh smoked salmon from Lidl (£2.18 for three generous and tender slices). Made sandwiches with mayonnaise and rocket, which is already growing in abundance from the seeds I planted in an old Belfast sink last month, and a handful of dandelion leaves. The occasional bitter taste of the dandelions actually worked well among the strong tastes of the other ingredients. Tonight I'm frying some pork, honey and mustard sausages I got from the farmers' market in Taunton last week. At the last moment I'll bung some dandelion and stinging nettle leaves into the pan. Cooked for a minute in the juice of the sausages they taste good to me. The bangers: http://www.ellisesfarm.co.uk/catalogue.php?cat=972&subCat=0&item_id=4689 Mind you, anything tastes good cooked in the juice of sausages. Worral-Thompson, Oliver etc. should give up their recipe rip-offs and just advise people to bung anything in with sausages and they'll taste all right. |
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Just thinking now. I am getting my bathroom sorted this week. There must be uses for the bath and sink(and toilet?) on the allotment rather than paying to dispose of them. Do people agree?
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you couldnt get better containers rob_ loads of uses,
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Sure i have seen baths on allotments before. Not sure about toilets, not sure what people would think about eating herbs or whatever grown in a toilet, though i am sure it will be as hygeinic as growing anywhere else.
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I would be tempted to park the bog outside my shed,wait for each arrival at the allotments, drop trousers and sit on the pan with an open newspaper.
See how many glance over as they pass.   Planted 140 onions yesterday and fleeced over as i have a resident mouse, went after work tonight and the s0d has still got in and turned loads of them. Got tomatoe and peas in tonight. |
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Rob is right - there must be uses for old Twyfords Adamant products on an allotment.
Mint can be invasive so is good in a container like a toilet bowl. Also some vegetables fluorish in gardens with frogs as they eat the caterpillars and such-like but I can't remember which. |
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the wife got me 2 bay trees today from Morrison's for £20, that is a BARGAIN. You can pay £50 for one at some places and they also had olive trees.
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rob_dylan
13 May 13 19:37 Joined: 26 Nov 11 | Topic/replies: 8,037 | Blogger: rob_dylan's blog Just thinking now. I am getting my bathroom sorted this week. There must be uses for the bath and sink(and toilet?) on the allotment rather than paying to dispose of them. Do people agree? Definitely the toilet would be useful on an allotment - and the washbasin, but there are privacy issues, particularly with the bath. A water supply might be possible, but very difficult to get rid of the sewage. You might be able to offset the installation costs by renting out the facilites to your fellow allotment holders. I have met a few characters on the allotments who, presumably, don't have washing facilities at home. |
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My mother has herbs growing in her old toilet.....
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Bongo's right ... sinks are good to stop stuff spreading and, conversely, for stuff you don't want to be invaded. That's why I grow rocket in a Belfast sink. Because it spreads and resembles weeds, it can be difficult to be sure which is which, but in the sink I know precisely what it is.
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not playing this w/e
too blooming cold here! |
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I've beans and peas to go in.
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