Grow Your Own Magazine

Mrs Dobby · #**3711** (**permalink**) 11-06-2008, 11:27 PM

Day off today, so down at the plot for 10 am, and didnt come home until it had gotten too dark to see any more!

We've managed to move some 8' by 1' reinforced concrete pavers from the back of our first plot into the bean bed to act as paths, cleared the last but 3 bed and dug out another cross path, rotorvated the last bed on the new plot, fitted cardboard and planted brassicas into it, then erected a frame and covered it with netting, plus planted out another 12 cabbages into the existing brassica beds, given everything a good feed and water, sideshooted the toms in all 3 greenhouses and had a thoroughly enjoyable day (even if we are both knackered!)

There's now only 3 beds left to clear (all about 8' by 6') and another 2 paths to put in (edge and line ready for barking up when more bark chippings arrive!), then the strawberry bed to sort out (its full of rasps and weeds - tho we did have the first strawb from it today, shared in a kiss!), and then the plots should be looking good! On holiday the week after next for 2 weeks, so we're planning on having the plots totally sorted and be able to have a good relax!

Cucumbers now have cukes on them, we've 4 tomato plants with trusses of toms on them, the first courgettes are nearing edible size and the mange tout is producing, as are the broad beans! Late sowings of peas and beans that went in last week are also now showing! The grapevine has LOADS of small grapes on it, looks like we're gonna have some crops this year!

Winged one · #**3712** (**permalink**) 12-06-2008, 10:52 AM

Went over to the plot en route home last night - took an hour and a quarter to get only half the distance to the house (while OH and he toddler only took 45 mins all the way - different road). Oh well, despite the "light precipitation" being more like a flood, I enjoyed my hour and a half there.

I pulled up the last of the white sprouting brocolli plants (will move them to common copmposting area next time as it was too wet) and decided that the carrots will go there after all as it needs quite a dig-over.

So instead, I pulled the weed suppressant membrane off the area I was going to use for carrots (main old brassica bed) and planted my borlotti beans (6 4" pots at 3 to a pot) up canes there. I finished off the double row with some dwarf french bean seeds (sprite). There is still a space covered there which I will use for another row of peas.

Apart from that, and pulling a few weeds, putting out slug pellets and coffee grounds, and adding my office compost caddy and 3 bags of coffee into the composter, replacing a net that had blown off and watering in the new plants (soil was actually quite dry there despite me being soaked) - I mainly harvested.

I got enough peas for all 3 of us to have a serving, and enough broad beans for 2 nights of dinners (it just got too wet so I only took the ones getting really big - must get the rest next week and freeze a few). I got 2 heads of lettuce that were small but just about to bolt (almost all has bolted now of the winter sown), but there was one head of perfect proportions that I did take as well. 2 more onions just to keep us going. And a quick littel furtle under the new potatoes - I only took 2 (1 each for OH and me) but they are a good size so we'll probbaly have a decent root around on our next visit.

Squelched home, where OH had the dinner ready (ah, bless him!!) - chilli saussies, tom and chilli sauce, and the last of the tagliatelle. And the toddler SOUND asleep in bed (2 hours ahead of previous night sleeptime!).

Flummery · #**3713** (**permalink**) 12-06-2008, 04:24 PM

Yesterday I snuck through the village with a scalpel, paint brush and small glass jar. I took some pollen from some of my Lancashire Lad peas and came home and 'assaulted' some Oregon Sugar Pod with it. Fiddly little job and due to my ineptitude I suspect that some of the Oregons I tried to pollinate were probably already self pollinated by the time I got to them. I took smaller and smaller buds to try it with and I think the last 2 probably worked. I intend to have another go in a few days when I hope a few more buds will be at the receptive stage. Tied a bit of ribbon onto the 'done' ones so I can recognise them and not spoil the experiment by eating them! I hope eventually to produce a pure-breeding purple mangetout of my own selection. Only time will tell!

Today I took the last of my yin-yang beans and a couple more types of climbing french round to my Ma's and put up a bean frame and planted them out for her. Good deed for the day accomplished. Can now be naughty again!

Mrs Dobby · #**3714** (**permalink**) 13-06-2008, 12:15 AM

I worked today, bt Mr D was off to the plot all day, so I met him there from work!

He's been busy again, has cleared the small bed next to the fartichokes, another of the larger beds in the middle of our original plot (only 2 left to dig now!), done a lot of weeding and hoeing, tied up the toms in the greenhouses, sowed final successin of mange tout peas, watered and had a nice day pottering around! I got a load of piccies of the plots and uploaded them to the blog, so its looking good on our plots now! We're on holiday for 2 weeks in a weeks time, so looking forwards to getting the plots absolutely pristine (and to a few days away camping with friends)!

We also harvested the first pepper, first courgette, more broad beans and mange tout, which all went into a lovel rissotto for tea!

Snadger · #**3715** (**permalink**) 13-06-2008, 10:06 PM

Won't be able to get to lottie tomorrow as there's a cycle race and all the roads will be blocked off!

Decided to bunk off work early today instead!

Watered all indoor plants first as I hadn't been for a couple of days. Did a bit of sideshooting and tying of tomatoe plants. Ate a few indoor strawberries. Pulled up half a bed of garlic that was keeling over and planted calabrese where I took it out.
Whilst I was there the tame tree surgeon arrived with another load of woodchip so after unlocking the gate for him I gave him a hand with tipping. Asked him to bring another load next week if he could!

Finally got around to planting my Ne Plus Ultra and Purple podded peas which I'd saved from last year. Decided to put them either side of an arbour I've built so had to pull up a few recently planted spuds and some garlic to make room. Added a couple of buckets of compost to the area and covered with mesh to keep mice out. Had a few blue lake frenchies left so mixed a few of these in with peas.
Collected a couple of barrow loads of chippings from the pile by the gate and added them to some more paths. Put old grass seed sacks down first tho to keep the weeds down.
Was glad to see my maincrop carrots have finally germinated and my sweetheart cabbage should be ready to start picking in a weeks time.

Finished the day by tipping out one of my early potato pots I started in the greenhouse and along with a few sprigs of mint had enough for supper. One of the other plot holders also kindly donated some calabrese as mine isn't ready yet!

gemlady · #**3716** (**permalink**) 14-06-2008, 08:40 PM

Spent all afternoon (1st day of my weeks holiday

) lugging lumps of concrete from DD's back garden to her front garden to fill in before putting sand and gravel down. Have got to go and water plants as neglected over past couple of days but don't know if I can muster the energy.

Mrs Dobby · #**3717** (**permalink**) 14-06-2008, 08:55 PM

Got to the plot at a reasonable time this morning, and came home at gone 7pm! Fed all the greenhouse crops, hand weeded the mares tail and bindweed (which finally seems to be getting a bit weaker), then prepared one of the last 3 beds and planted out 2 rows of turnip, 3 rows of swede (3 types) and another 3 rows of parsnips! Moved some of the comfrey plants from the half plot and planted them into the small bed in the middle of our original plot, then gave everything a really good water - it took an hour and a half just to water!!

The first earlies are looking good on the half plot, so I'm going to harvest some for tomorrows tea, along with some more broadies, mange tout and courgettes!

shirlthegirl43 · #**3718** (**permalink**) 14-06-2008, 09:23 PM

Levelled off the brassica area that Madmax kindly finished digging for me last weekend. Planted out the rather miserable looking cauli and cabbages that I grew from seed - think they waited too long so will have to see how they come along now. Spent hours pottering - weeding the patio (hasn't been done for 2 years and I couldn't even remember what pattern I laid the slabs in

) - emptied out some terracotta pots whose contents had long since succumbed to something and planted up the two lavenders I bought at Homebase last weekend for 75p each (originally 6.99) after cutting the dead bits back to new shoots and generally taking out all the rubbish bits - hope they perk up now - they certainly look better. Still need to mow the hay field that sometimes passes for a lawn.

Wren · #**3719** (**permalink**) 14-06-2008, 10:22 PM

Spent a pleasant day wandering in around the gardens at Wakehurst place ( the sister garden to Kew gardens) Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Visitor Information for Wakehurst Place and grabbed myself a couple of Horse Radish plants from the shop there.

I love horse radish and this will be great for chutneys and sauce.

Wren

Garden_girlie21 · #**3720** (**permalink**) 15-06-2008, 10:25 AM

Yesterday, I spent ages at my 'plot' (It's actually my elderly next door neighbour's garden, but since they can't manage it all, they let me garden in some of it). It's funny, when I type the list of things i did, it doesn't seem like much, but I was there from half past 1 till about 9pm, with only breaks for a cup of tea and dinner briefly.

I weeded our entire potato bed (with a little help from mum), and mulched around the actual plants with grass clippings. I'm now waiting for the next load of grass clippings, as I really want to mulch some more!! I planted out some courgettes and Italian summer squash/courgettes/pumpkins. It depends on what stage you harvest them at, you can treat them as different things at different stages. The great thing is, I think they're immune to slugs and snails. There were slime marks over a couple of leaves, but nothings been eaten!!! Woohoo!!

I also dug over another area for some pointed summer cabbage (yes they are a bit late). I them planted 16 of them (the strongest plants) and collared them. I then build a cage with fleece to stop butterflies getting in there - not completely finished, but will finish it off today.

Then I went home.

Jennifer

Flummery · #**3721** (**permalink**) 15-06-2008, 11:23 AM

Yesterday I planted out the last of my courgette, patty-pan and butternut squash. all now big enough to throw off slug attack. Tied up the tall peas again - Lancahsire Lad and Latvian - from the Heritage Seed Library. Why's it called a Library? We don't read them. Had a second go at cross pollinating some peas. I would love to see someone do this. It's not quite the same reading a book!
I had another session on the bark path in the front garden. I started removing a nasty, mossy, scrubby little grass path and putting membrane and bark chippings down in about April. Job got put on hold when veg took over! Back to the garden reclamation!

Snadger · #**3722** (**permalink**) 15-06-2008, 07:42 PM

Cut up numerous 25Kg grass seed bags that I salvaged for to use as a permeable layer under wood chippings on lottie path. Applyed a thick layer of wood chippings on path (about 50' long)
Planted out a few onions I had left, planted Tagetes around tomato plants, planted cornflowers in border plus annual chrysanths and opium poppies (for edible seeds!)
I sprinkled a packet of mixed annuals and some nasturtium seeds around. They've got two chances.
Tipped out another bucket of tatties and pulled a few sprigs of mint for supper.
Did loads of hand weeding and watering and left about 6pm!

PS Forgot, I also planted Cardoon and Sea Kale along with perennial Gypsophila!

Mrs Dobby · #**3723** (**permalink**) 15-06-2008, 10:18 PM

Harvested the first batch of overwintering Garlic today (the cloves bought from the GC rather than the cloves saved from last years crop - which are still growing on storng), 44 bulbs, the majority reasonably sized, with a couple of large ones (that will be replanted in September for next years crops) and a few smaller, but still usable!

Also harvested a few first early spuds for tea, another lettuce, more mange tout and 2 more courgettes. Didnt stayy too long as Miss D has an exam tomorrow and needs to be revising (and of course she forgot to bring her revision books with her! D'oh!)

lynda66 · #**3724** (**permalink**) 16-06-2008, 01:46 AM

looked at veg patch, dug a bit, looked at veg patch, dug a bit more, looked at veg patch, dug a bit more, looked at veg in airing cupboard dug a bit more, built a new compost bin, looked at veg patch, laid a couple of paths from bricks, found when digging over the garden (i think it used to be a brick factory or something

) looked at veg patch again, broke a nail, finished digging another 2 beds,got a blister and a huge bruise on my leg where i bashed it with a fork, checked veg once again ......... i can definitely confirm ....... nothing has sprouted above the surface yet lol ..... though a couple of broccoli seeds in my airing cupboard had risen to the top of their pots ...... and they are busy germinating ..... it's so exciting, wish i hadn't buried them again now lol

Lynda xx

Winged one · #**3725** (**permalink**) 16-06-2008, 12:47 PM

Went to the plot for "an hour" yesterday. Had to buy slug pellets en route (cue half an hour wandering around tescos getting a couple of "useful" things). Arrived and got chatting to neighbour whose plot I have to go through to get to mine.

Finally arrived at mine. Dug over bed for carrots (took almost 2 hours!) and planted 2 short rows, with some radishes and spring onions. Was going to cover with fleece, but need assistance as the hoops weren't working well and I was under serious time pressure by now. Planted 1 each of butternut squash, pumpkin spooktacular and pumpkin Dill's Atlantic Giant amongst the remaining spring cabbages. Need to pull the rest of cabbages next weekend to plant the other plants (1 each of both pump's, and 5 more BNS's).

Also planted my 10 pots of sweetcorn from home amongst the 4 (of 15) seeds which germinated in situ - I left those pots which had 2 come up (2 seeds per pot and 12 pots - 2 no shows but about 7 doubles) as 2 together rather than risk losing the seed off the plant.

Had a quick harvest - few broad beans, 1 cabbages, couple of peas, 5 onions and 7 new spuds (from a quick rummage - will start digging next weekend as entertaining the IL's!!). Noted parsley has all gone to seed, and pulled a lot of bolted winter lettuce.

Then dashed home, VERY late, for bringing the toddler to a birthday party - where I got to sit and enjoy a lovely glass of vino in the sunshine (had been cold and windy, threatening rain, earlier).

Hope to have an evening weeding during the week - onion beds need a bit of attention, and so does fruit area, and I want to sow some more peas - might get another night's worth of spuds while I am there. And next weekend, apart from showing IL's, hope to have the OH up to help out for a couple of hours general tidying up (pull rest of cabbages and caulis, plant out squashes, plant out some lettuce and beetroot from cells and spinach from pots at home, start digging spuds in earnest, cover the carrots with fleece and harvest all the broad beans ebfore they go over, will freeze any spares, and clip the paths as the grass is starting to take over a bit).

Winged one · #**3726** (**permalink**) 17-06-2008, 10:13 AM

Last night, I mainly watered my garden. But I also planted out 3 pots (5 plants) of sweetcorn minipop and one pumpkin spooktacular (and hope it doesn't grow toooo rampantly!!). And I potted on the peppers big banana as they had stopped growing in the small pots - 8 in total, 2 staying indoors on the playroom windowsill and the other 6 going outdoors on the patio.

If I get time tonight, I will be planting a couple of coffee cups worth of peas to bring to the plot in a couple of weeks and possibly some mangetout for the garden as well.

Still no sign of my latest T&M order being sent though (not charged to CCard yet) so I may not get a second crop of broad beans this year after all.....

jackie j · #**3727** (**permalink**) 17-06-2008, 04:59 PM

Today .
Planted 12 spring greens plants
Moved two butternut squash
Planted sweetcorn
Picked my first courgettes 4 in total
Picked strawberries
Picked broadbeans
Pulled up my onions
Tommorow I need to get some more netting from the market if there is any left to cover my spring greens and to plant my Calabrese.

Snadger · #**3728** (**permalink**) 17-06-2008, 08:38 PM

Today I had a flying visit to the allotment after work, watered everything that needed watering indoors and cut my first sweetheart cabbage!

wellie · #**3729** (**permalink**) 17-06-2008, 10:34 PM

Please do forgive me. Today, and Trousers DOES say quite often that I need to 'get out more' (!), but I did make another intended FlowerPotPerson (affectionately known to those of us who, like me and the very brilliant Flummery, are FLOBALOBS: Bill and Ben, The FlowerPot Men).

WHO actually said that grown-ups can't have a larf?
Daft....
X

Winged one · #**3730** (**permalink**) 18-06-2008, 09:13 AM

Yesterday evening, I sowed 5 coffee cups of peas (greensage) - 4 to a (venti sized) cup. I also sowed 10 purple sprouting brocolli redhard, 10 savoy cabbage osmoy and 10 little gem lettuces - in a module tray. While in the final bedding plant container (old one from GC), I sowed 3 large modules of cornflowers, 3 of Apple Blossom and 4 of corn salad.

Did some more watering, and harvested todays lunch (salad leaves, mangetout, peas and a carrot thinning from garden, with 2 carrots, 5 baby plum tomatoes and 8 olives from the shops).