18/06/12 Update Half Plot

Well its been nothing but rain here for the last week or so, and as we have a short break from the rain for a few days, I thought I'd get down the half plot and get some weeding done. The plot was really damp but workable, so I planted some more brassicas and two butternut squashes. I got most of the weeding done, I've just the onions and garlic to do later. There's a couple of pic's of the plot and greenhouse. 

Went back down the lottie this afternoon and finished the weeding off. I also put the second sowing of leeks in, I don't think they were ready to plant but they'd all started to fall over, so thought it was best to get them in the ground. I didn't want to lose them. As I emptied them out of the polystyrene box, I found that ants had made a nest in the compost, so that's why the leeks weren't happy. I've also strimmed round the edge of the plot.

I'm hoping to get up to the full plot tomorrow and weed the beds there. I've also got some brassicas to go in up there too.

Till next time thanks for reading!

Greenhouse number two planted up.

Following on from the last tomato update here's a look around my full plot and in the new greenhouse now its full of chilli/sweet peppers and a couple of aubergine and cucumbers.

Tomato update

Went to the allotment this morning to get the tomatoes into their final positions and tied to their canes. Took a couple of pics and shot a little film when I'd finished.

I have a few spares in the blue punnet's and it has been suggested by VVG and Zazen999 from the grapevine that I could get another row down the middle.  I think if I could still get in to water and harvest, I'll do it. I'm not a small chap though so we'll see eh.

Time to plant those tender veggies.

I've not done an update for a little while as I've been busy planting and weeding on my plots. The heat wave we had at the back end of May sent the allotment into overdrive and I'm just starting to catch up now. Here are a few photos of the full plot and what veggies have gone in.

French Beans went in around the 30th of May 

In this bed three Squash's (seed from the Grapevines Virtual Seed Parcel) and a row of Hurst Green Shaft Peas.

Courgettes and Peas in this bed. I only managed to get one Yellow courgette to germinate out of 4 seeds, the rest are Green and Black. The peas are Hurst Green Shaft Peas.

Rhubarb still coming. We've had a few crumbles and given some a way. 

Garlic and Onion bed. Red onions trying to bolt but the rest doing OK.

The sweetcorn germination was pants this year. I like to grow around 100 plants of corn but this year its going to be around 30. This is the first little block I put in. There will be a couple of other blocks around the plot but the plants are hardening off just now.

A view from bottom of the plot.

Our sons strawberry bed.

I split my comfrey into 4 plants.

This is how I grow my Brassicas. Over the last year or so we've started to get a lot of pigeons coming onto the allotments. Netting young brassica is a must.

Here are a couple of rows of early onwards dwarf peas & a couple of rows of main crop potatoes.

Still some plants in the greenhouse. All but what I'm growing in there (peppers, chillies, aubergine and cucumbers) will be moved into my mate Dave's coldframes shortly.

The view from the top of of the pallet box I keep my FYM in.

The view as I walk on to the plot.

A photo from the main path looking down the plot.

I hope you've enjoyed reading & seeing what I've been up to over the past couple of weeks.

All the best Chris.

First Harvest of the Year

Its been 84 days since we planted the 3 bags of early Swift potatoes in the greenhouse.  I paid £1 for 8 seed potatoes so nothing to lose really as I used last years compost. This morning I watched Dan from the allotment diary.co.uk  harvest his early potatoes which were in the polytunnel for about 70 days I think. So when I went to the allotment to lock the greenhouse up this afternoon I decided to empty one of the bags (one with my name on it). I'd put 3 seed potatoes in the bag but only two had grown the other had rotted off in the bottom of the bag. 

Here's a photo of the potatoes.

Pound and a half of new organic potatoes

I've added a few photos from the new greenhouse on the full plot.

Not in the greenhouse but here's the garlic and onions 

French climbing beans

View from the door

Right hand side are radish, left of middle are lettuce.  

Some Chinese cabbage to the right more caulis  and some marigolds. 

Thanks for visiting my journal :)

Growing Journal Update 14 of May 2012

The last month has been a little frustrating for me on the seed germination front. I never seem to have much luck with sweetcorn, once its germinated its fine. This season I thought I'd try soaking the corn overnight before sowing in in a heated propagator. In total I sowed around 50 sweetcorn and only 27 have germinated. I'm having the same problem with germinating my Dwarf French Beans :0(   Oh well, I'll stick some more in and try again.

Took a few photos at the allotments today..

Tomatoes ready to go in their big pots.

The experimental bags of swift potatoes about a week away now.

Brassicas under the hooped nets.

Peas under the back net.

Peas are up bottom left.

Thank you for taking the time to look at mi blog :)

Wet and Windy

Hi folks, Its been a wet and windy month here so I've not been able to get everything done on the lottie that I had planed. I have my pea's in and some of my brassicas so its not been a total wash out.

The rain has helped the rhubarb.

The rains not been as helpful with the potatoes.

I put the bamboo canes up for the French climbing beans today. 

I hope that May is warmer month for us all but a little dryer up here in north Derbyshire would be nice too.