Vinny's Allotment Plot

Arrived at plot after an early Boot Camp then Barre session,solely because it was on my way home and I hadn't been for a few days.  I was greeted by a bloke with a wheelbarrow, a shovel and a pile of horse muck he had to get rid of. He got it delivered to site for free but others want to pay for a load of cow muck between them and asked if he would move it.He thought he was doing others a good turn and was going to haveto shift it himself. He asked me If I wanted what was left,and not being one to turn down a freebie I borrowed his barrow and shovel and carted the remainder to my plot!

I wasn't really dressed for the job having my indoor gym shoes and gym kit on, but needs must. He was very appreciative that I had saved him a job as he had to get it cleared by tomorrow when the cow muck load was coming.

I watered the greenhouse stuff, squished a few caterpillars and noticed that my Japaneae Senshyu onions were showing a bit of greenery. The other Japanese onions I ordered fro DT Brown apparently won't be sent out until 12th October and postal strikes could mean I won't get them until November!

I stil lhave more Senshyu to plant yet so it will be interesting to see how the staggered planting goes this year?

The muck I got was added mainly to the three beds that had onions planted directly into cow muck last year. I'm not sure what I will plant into it this year once its levelled and settled a bt.
Piccie of three beds I dumped six barrow loads of hoss muck onto below. Looks to be well rotted stuff anyway with plenty of brandlings in it  

Flying visit to plot today because I was in the vicinity. As usual, no one was there, even though it was bright, if not a bit parky!

ecided that while I was there I may as well pull up all my Frenchies and gather the beans. I was surprised how little weed growth therewas in the rows so methinks the bean foliage blocked the light out so weeds couldn't prosper. I hae put a piccie of  a tray full of beans and not looking forward to shelling them.

I also tied up some chrysanths that had taken a battering from the wind. Harvested a couple of cougettes and three leeks. Fancy making a drop of allotment produce leek & potato soup. I might even make enough to freeze some for the winter nights!

Spent a little bit of time in the sunshine at the plot this morning/afternoon.

Dug up the last of my Desiree potatoes. They came good in the end even though they were water deprived earlier in the year.

After digging over the bed again and raking it down I planted half the bed with red onions and half the bed with white onions.

I then moved on to one of the smaller beds that had  four inches of well rotted hoss muck dumped on it. I raked it roughly level and dibbered and planted 32 The Sutton broad beans direct  into the manure.Last year these beds had onion sets planted directly into manure, with good results, so I am hoping the same will happen for broadies.

The plot isn't looking too bad ging into winter. Most of the beds are occupied with crops and I still have more broadies,onion sets and brassicas to plant out.

The tree cabbage and the kale is starting to recover from the caterpillar attacks earlier in the year, so all in all I am pleased with progress!

I have added a few plot piccies below.

Quite a produtive couple hours on the plot today and what I planned to get done, mainly got done.

I noticed, and was pleased, that my broad beans have germinated in the pure muck bed they were planted in close to the gate!

I started by clearing a bed of cabbages and found two useable ones, one open leafed and dark green leaves,and one more tightly bound with light green/white centre.
After clearing and lightly forking in some hoss muck, I planted 50 Senshyu onion sets with about another 10 or so in the corner ofthe bed in case any of the others damped off? As soil was partly frozen with frost I put a couple of spare sheets of glass over bed to give some protection.

I then moved on to the bed next to it which has some rather nice parsnips in it, the crowns of them became evident once I had cleared the top growth. The rest of the bed had courgettes in it and I decided that after a bit of titivation I would plant elephant garlic in it. As elephant garlic needs quite a bit of room, I decided to only plant  9 elephant gatlic cloves in this area. Two of these were huge 'rounds' so I have great hopes for these. I still have loads of elephant garlic left to plant but ran out of time to get it planted today.

I then moved down the plot and harested the remains of my Gigantes runner beans, mainly for sowing next year.

After grabbing a handfrul of onions that had been drying in the greenhouse (half the glass is missing so it aint ideal!) and after having a mooch around the plot I spotted some cauli's, still with frost on them, which I harvested straight away. I also took a couple of leeks to make some leek and tattie soup and a few beetroot to boil and pickle. There were also a few brocoli spears which made there way into my carrier bag.

I was going to harvest some of the Austurian tree cabbage which appears to be doing well but decided I had enough brassicas for today.

It was cold but bright today so working on the asumption you don't get too many days like this at this time of year I decided to visit the plot on the way back from doing my shopping.
I prepared a bed and used a dibber to mark positions for planting some small spring cabbage I had sown in a seed bed earlier in the year. Because they were so small I planted them in clumps and if they all 'take' I will thin them out at a later date.

The bed next to it  I planted 24 Elephant garlic.

The broad beans have grown a bit since the last time I was at the plot so I put some slug pellets around their soft growth because if they look appetizing to me they will look appetizing to slugs and snaisl as well!

Before I left I gathered some of the Austurian tree cabbage leaves to give those a try when I got home. I wa pleasantly surprised and actully think I prefer them to Spring Greens!

Below are a couple of piccies of all three smller beds planted up for winter. I still habe loads of Jpanese onion sets to plnt yet but need to prepare a pot for them first. That'smy next job on the plot.

I love a winter plot! All looks very neat!

Managed an hour at the plot earlier today. I still had japanee onions left which needed to be planted as they were starting to put out roots.

I have a long bed that had French beans in it earlier in the year so set to hand weeding this followed by tickling bed over with fork and finally raking kind of level. I say kind of because there was still a bit of frost in the ground which took a bit of breaking up!

Once bed was prepared I planted two rows of Radar onion sets and one row of white onion sets. I still have a few white onion and red onio sets still to plant yet but need to find a spot for them.

Piccie of planted up bed below.

I left for home with a large tray of onions that I had stored in the greenhouse

Interesting, do the local birds not pull some of them out when you plant them like that?

I think if I planted onions like that on my old allotment, the birds would've had every single one of them - not to eat, just to pull them out.

Here in my back garden, I wouldn't have the same problem. Interested to hear what Vinny does

I think if I planted onions like that on my old allotment, the birds would've had every single one of them - not to eat, just to pull them out.

Here in my back garden, I wouldn't have the same problem. Interested to hear what Vinny does

Pops them back in each time I visit!