Have You Started Planning For 2017.

[Bigmallly]

I always have some onion and shallot sets in over winter and do the rest from seed. This year the sets were poor due to early onset of blight so I pinned my hopes on the home grown crop.

Well, you learn something knew everyday. I didn't know Blight affected Onions.

[burnie]

I've bought most of my seeds and once my greenhouse is built I will start more detailed plans for inside it. My 3 raised beds are pretty much sorted plan wise, lots of carrot varieties along with multi coloured beets, different beans to this year although the Purple Queen dwarf frenchies will be grown again. Ambassador peas were also a success in the kitchen too, might try some mangtout, never grown them before. After my first year ever of not growing onions, I intend to grow some from seed in the greenhouse,given up on sets for the moment, struggling with my very light soil.

[ESBkevin]

Well, you learn something knew everyday. I didn't know Blight affected Onions.

Botrytis to give it it's proper name, it's a blight on my bladdy onions this year to be sure. I was recommended to use antifungal for roses which helped give a new lease of life to some.

When it first hit the plots a neighbour went around spraying his and a number of others plots, I reciprocated the next week but once its on site it's hard to avoid.

the fact that you didn't know about it must be seen as a blessing, you'll know if it gets to you the deterioration is rapid over just a few days.

[veggiechicken]

Aaaaaaaaaah, Botrytis. Now I understand

[Small pumpkin]

My plans for next year are still on going. Just to add to what I've already posted.
There will be no strawberries next year they got removed this morning.
There will only be half a bed of potatoes and only varieties you can't easily get in the shops ( bl@@dy slugs )

[KevinM67]

I managed to shove about 60 MFB's in the removal van - much to the disgust of my better half.

Carrots were a big success in them this year, so will be doing that again.

Interested to see what else I can manage in them.

Also hoping to secure a plot - no idea if that's happening though.

[hamamelis]

Definite plans:

More parsnips! Yet again, I've way under sown, and wound up with about 8 (big, lovely) 'snips.

No more onion sets. Shallots are OK, they can stay, but onion sets that take up a bed for half a year and come out the same size they went in? No more, I say! I may experiment with growing them from seed, not sure.

More elephant garlic (already planted this, sort of cheating).

Fewer squash, better cared for. I love squash, but I sow far too many, run out of space then stick 'em out far too small, and they get slugged. I need to prep their ground better, and get them off to a flying start.

Salad leaves. More variety, more succession sowing, just plain more. More eating of the salads too.

Sort out the seed boxes, and actually *sow* some of the stuff that looked so exciting when I bought it, rather than leave it to languish in the stash until it loses viability. Ain't gonna grow it? Give it away!

More generally, use the back half of the plot more, which means seriously improving the soil, and keeping up with the weeding. I also need to move the greenhouse (plastic) forward a little. Not a lot, but enough that it's easy to get behind it to take out the sneaky brambles.

[KevinM67]

More elephant garlic (already planted this, sort of cheating).

I'm curious to know where you got them from - Wilc0s ??

[hamamelis]

I originally got two cloves in a 50p clearance bin in a local outdoor shop (which has since closed down), about 5 years back. I've been saving and replanting since, but of course planting more means eating less now, and I love it roasted...

Planted a record 11 good cloves (plus the tiny optimistic corm section) this year. Next year maybe I'll start a farm

[cheapskate chaz]

Been a very unproductive year for me, I suffer from a Hiatus hernia, which can be very debilitating at times, this year was no exception as I sufferd a small relapse, this knocked me back as I had hoped it was resolving it self.
What with the very high winds earlier, my polly tunnel was destroyed, I had only erected it 6 months before, so with those combined, I felt totally negative towards my two allotments.
I did get some work done, but not as much as I have should, planted out peas, they were a failure! planted out potatoes, some success , but I felt it was me that underacheived in my preparation. The tomatoes came out fine in the green house, but then they always do.
The only one thing that brought some good spirits back were the two Blueberry bushes...they survived ! previously I had lost three bushes, at £17 a bush!....aaah!
What killed them wre Vine Weavels..the bas...little devils. I since got a great tip on how to keep them away, place small coarse gravel around the base, and if they are in pots, like mine are, then always keep the pot saucer full of water, they can`t swim and they don`t like to lay the eggs on gravel, so far so good!
Lots to do so lets get cracking....digging i mean.

[lottie dolly]

as the dog says,,oh yes

[Guest]

Just an update on my 101 plans

I don't think I will do hot beds next year unless I get a fantastic crop of sweet potatoes
I want to try and grow microgreens on the windowsill, pots of roots in gh to extend the season etc.
Get new root veg seeds - germination has been patchy.(Done)
New cabbage seed - I am determined to grow a decent cabbage before writing them off.
Master brassicas.
Carosello will be on its last chance next year
Aquire a Joan J rasp. (Done - ty kind grapey - just waiting for springtime)
Grow less onions and try and get more leeks going. (fail already but will try cutting leeks and leaving stumps - hopefully)
Get some companion plants/ pollinators in gh2 for the melon plants.
Out - lady slipper achocha (Done)
I will only grow 30-40 tom plants with cherry types and long ones (black icicle, banana legs and buffalo horn) outside, salad and beefsteaks indoors.
The melon gh will have toms back in.
Try and grow less winter squash - also grow smaller types
I need to find a small pumpkin variety to grow though (just 1 - I must be good) (Done - small sugar)
If Georgia is back next year it is going at the very bottom of the patch.(Georgia is out)
Find space for three types of milkweed in the perennial cut flower section
Master cue growing.
Garden wise lift echiums and pot up, which I didn't realise were tender. That will give space for the other milkweed (Done)
Possibly plant out and create Belgian lattice fence - maybe the year after
Be ruthless on my hoard. If the count is 700 in Jan I am putting a seed ban on myself
Small chilli types are out
Currant toms are out
Find space for more cut flowers and flowers for drying (really chuffed with my flowers this year)

[FlowerpotGirl]

I'm planning loads of changes and can't wait for 2017. Its my first year with my plot and it was neglected before so I'm moving things around that were in before and trying new things. I've brought graph paper and painstakingly plotted it all out.

Out is old carpet, broken glass, beer cans, old strawberries and leggy fruit bushes.

In is Sweetcorn, potatoes, Cabbages (currently doing well), Kale (though the white fly love it), Parsnips, carrots, spring onions, red and white onions, garlic, peas 5 types, pumpkins, cucumbers, courgette (yellow), and a hundred and one flowers to attract the bees

[veggiechicken]

I'm going to concentrate on easy fruit and veg, especially the ones that give continuous cropping or are quick growers.

OUT
All brassicas except kale, since that can be picked a leaf at a time
Onions
Potatoes - maybe a pot or two but not in the ground
Turnips - don't really like the taste
Podded peas
Hearted lettuce

IN
Kale
Leeks
Cut & come again salad
Tomatoes - GH
Cucumbers - GH
Courgettes/squash
Beans - French flat podded like Hunter
Bijou mangetout - 'cos they're so BIG

PLANS
To clear all the 30+ beds and get them up and running - each bed to contain a fruit tree or bush, a herb, something edible and flowers. Still work in progress.

Extend the growing/picking season by making better use of the GHs

Once tomatoes in GH are finished replant the pots with summat for winter consumption.

I'm sure there'll be more good intentions before 2017 !!

An extra "plan"!
No tomatoes to be planted outdoors. Too risky with blight and they take up space that could be used for summat else.
If there are too many tomato seedlings/armpits to fit in the GH, give them away or compost them.

More "Extra" plans :-

Sow summat every week following the http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ighlight=roots method
Create 4/5/6 beds that are planted and cleared in rotation each month http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...tml?highlight=
Pick an allium of some sort every week http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...tml?highlight=
Grow more http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...tml?highlight=
Try http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...tml?highlight=
Grow more plants & flowers for the http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...tml?highlight=
Line a path with http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...tml?highlight=

There'll be more.............

[Cadalot]

Eagle eyed visitor to the diary / blog may notice that tags for Home and two new pages have appeared just under the Alan's Allotment banner. Home brings you back to my diary but the other two pages take you to the current plan for my Mill Green & Spencer Road Allotments.

These pages hold my thoughts and plans for 2017 and have been under development, review and reflection from October and over the winter months and will no doubt be modified on a continuous basis. Especially Spencer Road 23B as a lot depends on how many beds I get ready over the Winter months.

The attached plans which are off my diary are already out of date and need updating, I'm listing varieties and information I will need next year on the pages and finally I will produce a week by week sowing and planting out schedule.