What I did today - 2019

[Jay-ell]

Took a load of bags of grass down to the plot today. Handy to mulch under the fruit. Just the vines, black currants, Strawberries and the fruit in the back of beyond that needs mulching.

Mulched the courgette bed with manure. Planted out the pumpkins and the courgettes. Made little forts around each of the plants with grass and covered with fleece. Thinking behind that is when grass is laid on thick it can heat up, whilst thw walls themselves will give some protection from the wind which combined with the fleece should hopefully mean that they get a nice microclimate going on


Noticed that the quince and Medlar are both flowering

[veggiechicken]

Sowed 8 varieties of mangetout peas - in 3' sections. Yes, that's 27' .
They were -
Bijou (my favourite) x2
Golden Sweet
Spring Blush
Sugar Magnolia
Opal Creek
Sugar pea N/K
Shiraz
Sugar Snow Green (which was a mistake as they only grow to 30").

Planted out 2 more courgettes and 4 pots of DFBs alongside the courgettes.-
Yugoslav No 4 (HSL)
Jumbo.
Red Swan
Purple King

Weeded Bed 19

Planted 4 Oregano "Country Cream" in Bed 15 O as the plan is to give it an Oregano Edible Edge.

[SarrissUK]

Today I planted out three trombas up on the plot after assembling the arch that they'll be climbing up. I gave one to a friendly plot holder that helps me out no end with all his knowledge of plants and what grows locally. He showed me a patch of self-seeding sweet peas that grow near my plot, and some lilies that still had some seeds in some seed heads, so I collected them and will sow them. He will get a few if they germinate too
I planted out two trays of beans too - blue lake and cosse de violette. I had taken four of the eight Ukranian purple tomato plants with me to the allotment. THey've been in the greenhouse at home for quite a while now, so I wasn't worried about putting them in the greenhouse up at the plot. The cardboard and manure has worked an absolute treat in there. Not a single weed has come up through it.

I cut back all of the nettles and put them on the compost heap, alternating with shredded paper. That should get hot fairly quickly, the perfect mix. I watered that in before I left.

My friendly plot neighbour came back, after I'd given him a tromboncino to try, with a bunch of comfrey! I was delighted, and planted that on a nearby plot that will never be let out to anyone, but set aside a little, so that it won't get mowed either. He also showed me there's horse radish growing near the huge pile of wood chippings, so I had a bit of a munch on the leaves, and the leaf veins are really quite strong in flavour! I wonder if you can eat the leaves as spicy greens?

I found an old tarpaulin that I spread out on the grass that needs to be a bed, and put pallets to keep it in place. It'll be better than nothing. THe grass is growing like mad!

I need to make a list of things I need to sow. I feel like I'm falling behind, and that it's getting a bit late to get stuff done. I know I'm probably just panicking a bit because I don't have a huge amount of time for the plot for the next week or two due to university work, so will crack on with making that list at least.

[Bren In Pots]

Planted out my gutter sown Telephone peas then potted on cucs plus sweet and cayenne peppers.

[Baldy]

Rescued my newly acquired metal water cistern from a fellow plot holder who had been a bit presumptious in taking it from the (admittedly generally know as the free for all area) place I'd left it yesterday when I ran out of steam. Lots of watering as I'm going to be away for a week and a bit - if it gets really hot and sunny then I'll likely come back to a scene of parched devestation...

Much of the rest of the day spent looking for missing cat... hope he turns up

[ameno]

Went out and brought back a load of free manure for my allotment today. I also got a number of offcuts of blue water pipe from some building work around the corner from me, which I shall use to make hoops to support insect mesh.
I did a little more digging, too, and managed to finish digging and weeding the old compost area. I just need to put some canes in and plant my beans there, now. Well, some of my beans, anyway.

[Greenleaves]

Planted out more beans and sowed some golden acre cabbages. Watered the brassicas and played on plot 3.

[bikermike]

Finally got the planting started
Onions, carrots and beetroots out of the greenhouse
Pea seeds planted
Cucumbers into a trough in the greenhouse
Carrot seeds directly sown into bed
Carrots netted.

Mowed some of the plot

[1Bee]

Took turns with the boys on Sunday. The 5yo took the morning shift and helped me water the plants with his water pistol. I watered everything thoroughly, then prepped the ground for the french beans and pumpkins and planted out 17 french bean Cobra, a crown prince and an uchiki kuri. Teh 5yo then set up an obstacle course through the bean tunnel, and perfected his time.

Later, with the 8yo, he carried on the water pistol watering, then I set up the hose for him to fill some buckets and watering cans for me. I did some more hedge trimming and planted out two rocket pumpkins and three sunflowers. The 8yo then set up an obstacle course involving a log-and-plank see saw, and three large trugs of water, having to traverse each without touching the ground.

After the boys were in bed, I burned off the hedge trimmings and some scrap wood on the bed that will be for the sweetcorn and anything else I don't have room for. In between tending the fire, I planted out the rest of my dahlias.

This morning I sowed a row of sugar magnolia peas for the other side of the bean tunnel, planted out two sunflowers and some sweet peas.

[bario1]

Planted out some broad beans that had outgrown their root trainers.
Watered a few toms in the polytunnel.
It's crunch time now, everything needs planting out (toms, cukes, squashes, flowers, leeks, corn), but I don't have the beds cleared and ready (or even built in one case ).
I've been promised a full day at the plot on Saturday, so hopefully everything will last in their cramped pots till then.

[bario1]

I forgot to add kale to the list - but I went to the plot in my lunch break and planted that out, so that's one less thing to worry about. This year I've got:

6 Cavolo Nero
2 Red Russian
3 Pentland Brig
6 Emerald Ice (my new try for this year)

[burnie]

Planted out some romanesc and white cabbage

[Gillykat]

It's crunch time now, everything needs planting out (toms, cukes, squashes, flowers, leeks, corn), but I don't have the beds cleared and ready (or even built in one case ).
I've been promised a full day at the plot on Saturday, so hopefully everything will last in their cramped pots till then.

Join the club! I made the mistake of listening to Neil when he said he'd dismantle the raised polytunnel beds but here we are, third week of May, and he hasn't even started!!! So I made an executive decision for him yesterday - the beds can stay and I'll use them for salad crops this summer and we can BOTH pull them down in the autumn!
The main top growing area I haven't done anything with yet as Neil had said once he'd pulled the corrugated metal beds down I could spread the soil from the beds over this area to level it off (it's very up-and-down LOL). I was a bit annoyed at this as I felt it would be cutting things a tad fine to get my summer crops into the ground and I didn't really want to lose a growing season This area is just beginning to get quite weedy so I'm going to clear it this coming week and sort out proper beds for peas, beans and squashes etc. I'm still sowing seeds so these can be growing in the greenhouse and I should have the beds ready by the time they can go outside

I'm determined to get the plot knocked into shape this year as it's been a touch neglected the past two summers

[Small pumpkin]

Lots of pottering about and achieving nothing.
2 more mystery chillies into pop bottles.
2 more mystery chillies planted outside.
Hoed all beds except bed 7, that got weeded.
Thinned out carrots.
Put a couple more things on barrow.

[Greenleaves]

Just a quick trip to water bits in the greenhouse