Vinny's Allotment Plot

Spent a bit of time at the plot today. I took  a tray of 'Bright Lights' chard I had grown at home.It didn't seem to be growing the way it should and I believe it is probably the cheap duff compost the seeds were sown into? Anyway I figured it may pick up a bit if planted out.

With this in mind I cleared a bed of onions and and put them in a tray in greenhouse to fully dry out. After that , I weeded andl lightly dug over the surface and ran a string line down each edge shifting woodchip back onto path. After that, I planted out 24 clumps of chard, waterd them in and added slug pellets.

The only other thing done was to dig out any large docks or dandelions with a trowel and to snip back some rampant blackberrry vine emanating from nxet doors plot.

Left for home with a couple of courgettes.

Called at plot on the way home from a Barre session, specifically to water tomatoes in greenhouse. They were a bit wilted so were ready for water even though I only missed one days watering! On the plus side I got to taste a yellow and red ripe tomato, the first I've had . I was very late in getting them planted so anything is a bonus.
As always, while I was there, and the sun was shining I decided to do a little bit. I harvested the onions from a small bed, weeded bed and covered it, along with another bed with hay, a la Ruth Stoute! The last time I tried this I had an abundance of weed seeds germinating, but I will never learn. Maybe it will be different this time?
I took a photo of the beds in question, so out of two small beds I have two trays of onions. The rear beds onions are still growing so I left those. They are white onions planted late so at least they have come to fruition.
I also took a photo of another two long beds which had onions in them and now have late planted bright lights chard and the other is brassicas of some description. At a guess they may be PSB but I will just have to wait to see!

I don't like leaving beds barren and try wherever possible to grow stuff in them during the winter? I will have spring cabbage to plant out, broad beans to sow and various Japanes onions to plant in areas that haven't had alliums growing in them.

The bit of rain we have had has brought on the weeds of course so I need to devote some time to weeding!

The results of 1.5 hours tidying up can be seen below.....before and after. Nothing planted in these beds yet but all the beds on this side of plot had alliums planted thiis year, either onions,leeks or garlic. 
All have now had their second planting this year of 'not alliums'!  The beds I ave just tidied may be planted up with broad beans/ peas or possibly spring cabbage once they are big enough to transplant.

'Shirt off' weather at the plot this morning but started to rain heavily just as I was leaving.

I lifted the last bed of onions and stored them in greenhouse. Hand weeded bed then put a thick covering of hay on top until I decide what to plant in bed.

Dug up a diagnal bed of Kestrel potatoes which were smaller than usual but lovely and clean. Kestrel have slug resistance anyway but the dry conditions are not favoured by slugs I reckon? Raked over bed and planted 42 Senshyu onion sets. I have about 120 of these so thought I would try an early sowing of some of them as an experiment. I am also awaiting Radar, Red Electric and an Autumn planted white onion sets so I can afford to be experimental!

Dug up a small bed of Charlotte potatoes which I am very pleased with. Once again no slug damage and normal Charlotte size. After weeding bed and a quick tickle over I planted 16 leeks in the bed.

I took home some cougettess,potatoes and tomatoes.

The Charlottes looked so nice I had some for dinner with butter slathered over them and realy enjoyed them!

Below are piccies of Kestrel potaoes in bag taken from area planted with onion sets and upside down photo of Charlotte potatoes from edged bed next to them now planted with leeks.

Main highlight of the day was a fishing excursion with my youngest Son who's birthday it was. (Oh to be 34 years old again)

Because I was fishing I had to don trousers for the first time for ages, rather than shorts. The upshot from this was that after fishing I spent an hour at the plot and could actually kneel on the paths at the plot while weeding!  I had forgotten the pleasure of hand weeding, on my knees in damp soil.

I weeded a diagonal path which took me the full hour. I like to do a wee bit weeding each time I go and will tackle another digonal path next tme I am there.

Pictures below are of weeded path plus the last of the onion beds covered with hay until I decide which non-allium crop I will be putting in them. The fish will be turned into goujons for my dinner.

Fab catch!

More weeding. Weeded another diagonal pathe today on my hnds and knees using a trowel.Harvested some Desiree spuds and some french beans. Because I have left the beans too long I am harvesting FB's for the actual beans themselves. When I shelled them at home I didn't recognise the colours of the beans as being the same as when I planted them? Not to worry they were very tasty with my mince and tatties.. 

I also cleared offf a lot of the leves on the kale which had been munched by caterpillars and the new growth seems unaffected so hopefully it stays that way. Strangely I have what I think is PSB which hasn't been affected by the cbbage white caterpillars?

The recent rain we have had has brought some plants on immeasurably, I had pracytically given up on some of the spuds but they have a new lease of life now and should give me a good crop!

Site is being an arse and won't let me upload a piccie so I might try later!

I took car to garage for 8.00 am this morning for it's MOT. As the garage is a 1/4 hour walk away from allotment I decided to call there on my walk home which is another 1/2 hour.
I had a productive couple of hours. Firstly I watered toms in greenhouse.

Secondly, I hoed over a plot that had onions in it originally and tidied it up a bit. I then planted some Durham Early Spring Cabbage I had grown in an outdoor seed bed.
I then hand weeded around my PSB and the path between it and the Spring cabbage. All the beds I had alliums in on the left side of the plot now have some form of brassica in them apart from one bed of French beans.

I then moved on to the diagonal beds and lifted my two pumpkin plants which had the sum total of two small pumpkins!  After tickling over this area with a fork I then continued the rows of Senshyu Japanese onion sets by planting another 20 ish sets. I also found a use for a rake/hoe took I bought earlier in the year and loosened up the soil around the rest of my planted onion sets. (Shown in picce)

It was then on to weeding another diagonal path, accompanied at great detriment to my back as I had shorts on so couldn't kneel to do it!

I then had another half hour walk home where i will wait for my MOT result and spend another 3/4 hour walking to pick car up, hopefully with minimal expenditure.

Added a few random piccies to show progress.

All looking spic and span Vinny

All looking spic and span Vinny

Not really JJB, I only show you the parts that look tidy!