Vinny's Allotment Plot

And yet another couple of useful hours at the plot. Direct sown Tendergreen  dwarf beans and Saxa dwarf beans each to a pallet collar. Soaked each area and dibbered holes for planting stations (see photograph) Planted two beans in each hole and as an experiment covered each pallet collar with grass cutting to hopefully conserve moisture. Other piccie shows both bean beds with torpedo onions in me=iddle bed, courgettes in right bed and other bed ready for planting squashes.

Planted out 21 sweetcorn plants in another pallet collar on other side of plot. Did loads of watering and finished up with half an hours hand weeding of onions and leeks.

Hiya Vinny

How big is the pallet collar you planted the sweetcorn in please?

Just a normal pallet collar the same size as the ones I planted the Frenchies in (roughly 4 foot X 3 foot?)
Far too many in such a small space but I wasn't prepared to devote more space to summat that may, or may not come to fruition depending on the summer we have? Only me in the family who likes sweetcorn and then only eaten raw directly from plant.

Ok thanks, same with me planted 23 this morning

Just for reference Danny I took a piccie earlier, as I say far to close together but needs must. I thought I had two trays of 12 but one was a 9 tray hence the random planting, as I had already planted 12 before I realised.

Managed to get my swede seedlings planted out this morning and a bit of hand weeding of onion beds until I got sick of it and needed my Friday fish before the chip shop closed.

I've never grown it before so even if I get a few I'll be happy. Didn't realise Mrs B didn't like it!

I've never grown it before so even if I get a few I'll be happy. Didn't realise Mrs B didn't like it!

If she's never had freshly picked sweet corn before, Mrs B might find that she actually likes it.

Spent a happy couple of hours this afternoon weeding and watering. I had intended to sow some Radish China Rose but didn't have time. I have rainbow carrots sown in a container at home but no maincrop sown at allotment yet. I need to get my finger out as I haven't even bought the seeds yet.

Part of the weeding involved pulling up the grass along the outer edge of the fence just to tidy it up a bit. A strimmer would have made a better job, but I aint got one so needs must.

Once again, I was the only one on site. I don't mind though as I enjoy the peace and quiet!

Productive couple of hours at plot this afternoon. (I wonder how many times I have used the same terminology?)

After watering all that needed watering I planted out my squash bed. Three butternuts and another eight mixed squash added to a 5 foot by 8 foot bed. A bit close together but they can fight it out for space once/if they get growing. The butternuts were buried deeply as they were a bit leggy but should be ok.
 I must say I am impressed with this cardboard covered with compost covered with grass cuttings method. We have had no rain for ages yet when I punched through the cardboard with the planting trowel there was an abundance of moisture even though these are raised beds.
A bit of a disappointment that a fair few red onion sets have bolted but luckily most of my Autumn planted white onion sets are growing well and are usable 'in the green' now as my stored onions are about done.
This is the third year I have been self sufficient in onions so its very pleasing. Even some of the leeks could be used now, but having just finished eating last years leeks, a few weeks without will allow me to appreciate them more.
Hoed a couple of the strip paths and left the weeds on top to dry out. Hand weeded the strawberry bed on the plot perimeter which isn't doing as well as the other diagonal bed. I thought they would thrive on the south facing side of the plot getting sun all day but they have wilted a bit with the heat and the lack of water. They are contenders for the next batch of grass cutting as a mulch to try and conserve moisture in the soil.
Finished by flattening and covering more path areas with cardboard. I am the 'Cardboard king' on the site and don't think you can have too much. Its also handy for tearing up into small pieces and adding 'browns' to the compost heap to stop it getting too soggy.
Still didn't get my China Rose radish sown but I have beetroot,spinach and Kohl Rhabi in modules at home just about ready to plant out.
There was a lethargic rat sitting on the fence line and as I poked it with the hoe it slowly moved into next doors plot. I have feeling it had been poisoned as they usually aren't seen and move like lightening.

Settling down to watch the England Scotland game now as I haven't watched any games on telly lately.

The rain we were promised didn't arrive so I had to go and give some water to plants that were dying from drought.

While I was there I dug over a bed that had leeks in it, covered it with cardboard then a bag of compost. After a good watering I eventually got round to sowing main-crop carrots. I am probably a bit late but we shall see.

I also sowed three short rows of rasish China Rose after raking the soil in the bed that had carrots in last year.

I was pleased to see my French beans have had a good germination percentage where I sowed thenm through cardboard compost and covered with grass cuttings for moisture retention.

I always like to do a bit of weeding before leaving the plot and tonight it was the turn of the diagonal paths which got a good hoe-ing. I left the weeds dry up then will rake them up and use them in the compost heap. At home I got a dumpy bag of gravel for a project I was doing and intend to use the empty dumpy bag with a post at each corner as an extra compost heap.

22nd June and all courgettes and pumpkins blackened by frost along with recently germinated French beans.!

The joys of gardening. When Mother nature dictates the rules you just have to grin and bare it!

Anyway, I managed another 1.5 hours on the plot. set up the JT Doves dumpy bag as a compost receptacle and put grass cuttings and weeds in it that I had brought form home. Six bags in all so bag is now 1/3 full. Raked up weeds and swept path adding weeds to dumpy bag also.
Lots of tatties are now up so used grass cuttings around them on the long fence border to retain moisture. Surprised the frost didn't affect them? Did the same on the strawberries on the other plot border. Lifted the cold frame after removing seedlings from it, covered area with cardboard then replaced cold frame and seedlings
Watered stuff that needed it. Did a bit of digging of 'Poppy' plot, avoiding poppy's.

Took piccies of poppies,danmage to cougettes, and some general plot photo's including dumpy bag tied to IBC tank.

I took a bag of kitchen vegetable wasteand cardboard to plot to add to my 'dump bag' compost heap. By the time I had finished hand weeding the  bottom end of the plot the dumpy bag was nearly full . I did add torn up cardboard half way through as I have loads. This should be the equivalent of the 'browns' in the heap and aid composting.

I planted up half a  pallet collar with spinach seedlings I had grown at home.The other half has Radish China Rose sown in it but they haven't surfaced yet. Pulled out some of the squash that were badly hit with frost and put some spare ones in there place.

A failed tattie bed was hoed and raked and sown with a couple of rows of Purple Top Globe turnips. These did well for me last year so I have high hopes. I think the reason for the tattie failure in this part of the plot is because when I planted them there was standing water at the bottom of the planting holes (bed is a t the bottom of the plot) This must have rotted the seed spud methinks?

Finished off, as usual, with a bit of path hoe-ing

Munched on half a dozen ripe strawberries, which isn't far short of my total harvest last year. Things are starting to take shape now and come together the way I want it.
No piccies today I am afraid though.

I had just about given up on tomatoes and chillies in the greenhouse this year. I had bought the compost early and sowed the seeds far too early. Consequently with that cold spell where I had to keep them on the windowsill, they all became leggy and pot bound.

Today because it was raining and there wasn't anything I could do outdoors on the plot, I said sod it, I've got the compost, I've got the pots, why not try and rescue at least some of the tomatoes?

I picked the best ones I had, Black Russian,Heinz,Hartzfeur,Craigella, Black Russian Cherry and Golden Sunrise with a couple that I had lost the labels for as well and planted them all in large pots.

Because they were leggy I set them well down in the pots in the hope they will root from the stems. I fertilised them all and gave them a good watering with rain water I had collected. Hopefully I will at least get a few toms from them.

Next time I am at plot I will do the same with the Jalapeno's and Trinidad Perfume chillies along with the tiny Dwarf Cape Gooseberries. These will all be grown on the staging along one side of the greenhouse.

I ate half a dozen ripe strawberries while I was there and pulled up a couple of nice garlic plants to see how they were doing. I was pleasantly surprised at how good they were and may possibly lift the rest of the crop on a bit drier day.

Despite the downs it all looks fabulous! I've never had so many frosts but frost in June - OMG! O let my chillies get too leggy this year and shamefully I have to admit to putting them
In the compost. It was too cold for so long they didn't look worth keeping. Wish I tried now with just one for seed saving at least!

Another short session on the plot yesterday. Potted on some Jalapeno's,Trinidad Perfume chillies and dwarf Cape Gooseberries. All were just potted on into 5 inch pots and if they do manage to come to anything I will pot them on again into 8 inch pots.Watered all indoor stuff. The toms I potted into final pots have really perked up and I have high hopes for them.

I lifted all my garlic which was grown from corner shop bought corms. Probably the best garlic crop I have ever had!  I haven't lifted the Elephant garlic yet but think I maybe should as the scapes are five foot high!

Grazed on loads of strawberries while I was there. Finished off by hand weeding two onion beds and harvesting a spring cabbge for spring greens. I had the whole shredded cabbage for supper last night finished with knob of butter and loads of salt and pepper.

I need to formulate a plan for summat to put in my Jap onion beds once they are harvested? I don't like following 'like with like' but in this instance I may add some winter leeks which are like darning needles just now?

I didn't manage any photo's as I forgot my phone, which was a shame as I am quite proud of my garlic crop!