Photo journal of the jonah plot

It looks fabulous!
I also start planning now....I love seed sowing and so I always start browsing websites at this time of year - especially if it's raining.

Thanks all And Scarlet, how did you know I'm also seed shopping?! We only buy seed potatoes, garlic/onion sets, and fruit bushes (oh and flower bulbs/tubers). Everything else from seed. Buying/sowing seeds is also one of my favorite things.

Here we are after about another month. In an in-between phase for most of our flowers. Harvesting beans, peas, courgettes, kale, and potatoes regularly. Perversely already planning for how we'll put the plot to bed to improve yields next year. We've liked the bits we've done no-dig-ish, so we'll try more of that next year. Eagerly awaiting cucumbers and tomatoes and pumpkin(s).

Nice one DJ

A bit of shaggy dog syndrome on the plot without access to the shared strimmer this year. You can also see loads of stuff that's come out of the quite dilapidated, actively falling down shed on the plot. However, still getting beans, tomatoes, kale, potatoes, courgettes, cucumbers, and flowers from the plot. Harvested a couple of beetroot and my first ever turnip Awaiting the complete ripening of two future jack o'lanterns. Some parsnips, leeks, and PSB in the ground for some time yet. Lots of wind and rain lately, which hasn't helped the general appearance, but I still enjoy getting down to the plot whenever possible. Hoping for enough dry weather to dry some peas and beans I'm hoping to save, but who knows what we'll get.

   

           

All lovely!

All lovely!

Thanks, Scarlet I grew my hollyhocks from seed started last autumn (hence my plotting about flower seed for this autumn!)

It's been a while since I've updated, but we're still plugging away at the plot.

   

We have lots of garlic and some elephant garlic, a handful of broad beans, and pigeon-chomped PSB growing. The early rhubarb is almost a foot high. I've been consolidating many of my flowers into a single bed to make clearer spaces for the veg to go this year. I've sowed some turnip, beet, pea, and mangetout on the plot, more in hope than expectation. I typically start everything that will tolerate a transfer in the GH before taking to the plot, but I can't wait to see things sprouting and growing, so thought I'd try some direct sowing.

We gave a big haircut to the massive rose on the plot. It might not like it this year, since we're getting on toward spring, but it cleared up so much space and I have no doubt it'll rebound.

We got the nod to burn the dilapidated shed, so I'm hoping we have time for that next weekend before the burning season is over. If I don't have to haul that mess off site, I might be excited enough to buy something to replace it.

We have loads of onions to go in soon. Hoping to get organized to cover things appropriately this year, so the pigeons don't have all the brassicas and fruits.

So, yeah. That's where we are.

The rose will be fine! DA no site says if you haven't pruned yet ( march) it is still better to do so.
I did one that I'd forgotten today too


All looks fab...I wish I had more energy. I managed one flower border today. It took me all day and 3 trugs of prunings and weeds.

Here is the former shed. It's been a "former" shed since we took the plot, and apparently for some 10 or more years before that.
   

Our bonfire to clear branches etc
   

The plot as it's looking currently. Doesn't look much advance on March, but the broad beans have come on a lot, we have direct-sown peas and broad beans coming up, even more onions have gone in (!), and we've cleared the area for the parsnips (to be sown this week).
   

Seedlings are coming along very very slowly this years on the dining table and we all know about the cold nights, so who knows when I'll have anything more out at the plot. I'm sure I'll be laughing at myself a month from now, when I'm overrun with things that need to be planted out and trying to find a corner of space on the plot. I thought I had too few seeds a year ago. Treated myself to a few packs, and then a few more. Then...the seed swap happened...I no longer feel the need for more seeds. Although, we could do with some chard or...

There was a bit of sun this morning, so we went to the plot. Things are coming on and it's almost time to plant out my favorites (beans and pumpkins...and corn and tomatoes...and and and). Lots of strimming and clearing to be done in the next couple of weeks.



If you'll please excuse the weeds and general untidiness, I've taken some update photos.



Overview

   

Some teeny leeks left from last year, Oregon Sugar Pod sugar snap peas and Bijou mangetout, garlic, broad beans

   



Flower bed with carnations, foxgloves, poppies, daises, cosmos, sweet peas, and hollyhocks

   


My first poppy of the year
   

Foreground: garlic, background: elephant garlic, obscured in center: tayberry and loganberry, left: spring-planted broad beans

   



Red or white currant, few strawberries, onions

   



Strawberries!

   

Blackcurrants and lemon balm

   

It's been a busy year in general and the plot has been a bit worse for wear. We've put up a fruit cage (already vandalized...) and now have the components of a shed on site waiting to be constructed. The fruit has been pretty good this year - best year yet for blackcurrants and boysenberries. Some of the other fruit plants (strawberries, raspberries, loganberry, tayberry, cultivated blackberry) settling in. We harvested five plums this year and they were lovely and sweet-tart!

Charlotte potatotes were a success and the King Edwards are awaiting our attention.

The beans have been slooooow and low yielding. The peas all went over after setting few pods, so we've eaten basically no mangetout or peas!

The courgettes are sad and small and not actually yielding a single courgette. The tromboncincos have seemingly set a fruit each but the plants are so puny...The white pumpkins croaked and only one of the several orange pumpkins (Big Max) has set a fruit........Cucumbers - puny and no properly developed fruit this year.

Corn in the fruit cage is an absolute dud. Corn at the back of the plot has alternately failed and grown beautifully - probably not leaving enough plants for proper germination.

Beetroot - <raspberry sound effect>. Chillies and peppers - didn't make it past seedling stage. Carrots - a few but extremely ordinary in flavor. Tomatoes - suffering in small pots and not eaten one yet. Spinash - a few leaves before going over. So..........better luck next year (and with some very late sowings in a hope against hope type scenario...)

Here are some pictures of nice bits to reward you for reading this far.

   

Beans with a lovely flower color

   

   

Trombo according to my labeling...
       

Don't mind my ratty label for the sunflowers. These beans have been the only ones interested in producing much this year.
   

Looking forward to seeing this one with its lovely dark stem
   

Jacob's Cattle Gold (I think that's the name!) beans. So few but so pretty