Vinny's Allotment Plot

I was about to say it only needs one eye (not two) then I had this crazy notion that fish only have one eye but it goes right through their head and can see out of both ends - like my old teddy bear..............but I realised it was a daft thing to say, so I didn't!!
As you were..........

That's what I like about you veggie, you tell it like it is!

About time for another update methinks. I have been visiting the plot quite regular but mainly just to water up and harvest a few bits and pieces.
Today I devoted a bit more time and dug a bed, cardboarded same bed then covered it with hay. I also put wood ash on top of this (purely because I brought a bucket full from home and needed to spread it somewhere!  I also brought some dried garlic and elephant garlic back to plot to plant. Unfortunately I didn't have time for this so will have to plant it another day.

I am a bit dismayed with the dwarf version of the cape gooseberry. It has very small fruit compared to its larger cousin and a different taste methinks? I think I will stick with the larger version next year. 
Glad to see I have a few tomatoes ripening now and they are a  good colour and size mix!

Spring planted onion sets are still growing well, which reminds me I will have to source some Autumn planted onion sets soon.

Went home with some Desiree potatoes, courgettes, a cabbage and a small handful of French beans which I had with my meal.

I haven't posted on here for a while but I've still been active on the plot keeping it ticking over!

Today I  thought I would have half an hour before the forecast-ed rain arrived but it didn't and being a nice afternoon I stopped for a couple of hours!
I kept two of my elephant garlic heads aside for re-planting. After cleaning and splitting heads into individual cloves I just dibbered holes through the hay mulch and cardboard and planted them. I then just added a handful of compost to top up holes and act as a marker for where they are planted.
I then weeded a couple of leek beds and transplanted a few more (using dibber again.) 

The allotment behind me has a cooking apple tree and I had my eye on some cookers that were hanging over my plot. When I looked they had disappeared and I assumed that the plot holder had picked them.Once I dug through the undergrowth to the base of the tree I realised they had become wind falls so I duly gathered a carrier bag full!  Now all I have to do is get into the hedgerows and gather the same amount of blackberries!

I also hand weeded a bed and laid cardboard then grass cuttings (not photographed) this will be for my normal garlic which once again I kept back from this years crop.

I even sowed some spring cabbage and turnips in modules in the greenhouse. I know I am a bit late for these, but they have two chances and I deffo wouldn't have got a crop if they were sitting in the seed packet.

I found 5 spring cabbage plants which I had for gotten about so these, even though they had been munched , were planted next to the elephant garlic.

I couldn't resist taking a piccie of three bees working a leek seedhead as well!

Back at the plot for a while yesterday. Planted some garlic dibbered in through grass cuttings and cardboard.

 Cardboarded some of the paths as I couldn't be bothered to weed them. I have planned and hopefully will do eventually, get some more woodchips to lay over cardboard but as on this site I have to BUY them, and I am reticent to do it (tight git). On my other site I organised a local tree surgeon to drop woodchip off for nowt, but times have changed and they are now charging for it.

Is that a tree surgeon under the grass clippings? That's teach him for trying to charge you.

Is that a tree surgeon under the grass clippings? That's teach him for trying to charge you.

Organic matter is good for the soil, so every little helps!

Was at Aldi fairly early and bought some soft fruit bushes. On the way home I stopped at the plot and harvested a couple of rows of onions and put them to finish drying off in some plastic crates in front of shed. Hoed the bed they had been in and brought out some turnips I had sown in modules in the greenhouse and put them under mesh to harden off.
Harvested some French beans and a courgette to go with my omelette when I got home.

It was dry and bright yesterday so had a couple of hours at the plot.

Started by lifting my remaining onions and hoe-ing and weeding the bed they were in.

Planted a summer raspberry and an autumn raspberry with an egg tray as a mulch around each.

Watered the toms peppers and cukes in greenhouse. Really pleased with these when I realise what I planted which were 'drawn' plants that I sowed far too early. Hopefully I have learned my lesson for next year, but all turned out well in the end.

I then moved on to a weedy patch at the edge of the plot I had planted spuds. Not sure what kind they are as they are purple like Desiree but have splasheds of white on them? the proofof the pudding will be in the eating and whether they taste ok. I only lifted a couple of plants as this gave me enough for what I can use fairly quickly.

I have three lots of Autumn planting onion sets this year. Autumn Champion, Senshyu and Radar. Yesterday I planted a double row of Autumn Champion. I don't usually like following 'like with like' but in this case it was the only area available, the other two lots of onions I will try to grow somewhere that hasn't had onions growing there this season.

Below are a few piccies I took when I was there. I had a leek growing from 'King pods' at the base which was seeding. as an experiment I shaved one of the heads to promote vegetative growth. It worked as you can see in one of the piccies with the unshaved head behind,
One of the sunflowers has put a spurt on and is the tallest at the mo being 9 to 10 feet and still growing!

Planted an Autumn fruiting raspberry and a summer fruiting raspberry in among the weeds. Tore a  hole in centre of two egg trays and used them as a mulch!