What I did today - 2015

[kris1960]

Returned manure bags and thanked the horses responsible. Another 10 feet of border done, some onion bed clearance, picking and a lot of catching up with allotmenteers. All of of a certain age have been childminding/on "holidays" with grandkids so we haven't run into each other for a bit.

[SusieG]

Glad you decided eventually to thin your PSB!! Hope it wasn't TOO painful ...

[Lumpy]

I too qualify as 'feeling an idiot' - surprise surprise there then....

I have tamed my triffid outdoor toms and after admiring the long run of toms on one vine cut it off by mistake!

[Penellype]

I too qualify as 'feeling an idiot' - surprise surprise there then....

I have tamed my triffid outdoor toms and after admiring the long run of toms on one vine cut it off by mistake!

Oh dear If you still have them, they may ripen anyway if you put them in a warmish, dry place (light not needed).

[kris1960]

Completed long border - widened, weeded and put in some bedding plants(dead plant section at homebase), in extra space and a reuban blackberry.
Comedy accident with dock - it broke and I went flying ,painfully, into asparagus bed!

[SusieG]

Arrived back home to sunny Midlands- just to find the "mountain mist " was hot on our heels! Rushed out to my GH expectantly waiting to be greeted by an abundance of rosy red toms ... alas, as green as when I'd left 'em last Saturday morning!!! Chillies coming along nicely, despite almost being watered to within an inch of their lives... Lots of flowers, not a bean in sight on the runners ....
Oh well, it'll all happen when they're ready!! (I hope)

[kris1960]

Same here Susie, except for chillies coming along nicely- mine seem to be very slow, flowers but no chillies.
Continued tidying, fed tomatos, cucumbers(comfrey) and sweetcorn (comfrey and nettle mix). Began pruning blackcurrants,weeded polytunnel, more duckweeding and filled all the bird feeders.
Managed to stay upright throughout!

[Jay-ell]

Finally planted out the last three gooseberry bushes I bought earlier in the year and had growing in buckets - noticed that there were a couple of ripe red goosegogs - OMG I don't thing nine bushes is going to be enough.

Harvested the shallots - really pleased with the harvest. Prepped the ground and sowed some Radish Japana. Cleared out the bed I had the cauliflowers in and planted out some leeks I had forgotten about, some million radish and some radichio. Sowed some beetroot in a thin strip of bed outside the end of one of the blowaways.

Pulled off the lower leaves of the toms an filled up the compost bin. Spent a bit of time in the various greenhouse bits I have scattered around.

My chillies are coming on nicely. The Koral in pots are covered with green balls, as are some of the Cayane. The plants in the ground in the blowaway (which were the leftover runts) are bushing out and flowering. Even the chillies hanging upside down outside have flowers and chillies growing - although not many. Got some Scots Bonnet and Ghost Chillie seeds for next year.

The single flower on my aubergine has lost its petals. One of the other plants looks like it has half a dozen flowers developing. The runts planted in the ground in the blowaway are fighting back and reviving.

My melon plants are actually developing melons. The watermelon did have a little fruit but ended up throttling it with its own tendrils.

My cucamelons are making a move on the watermelon space, growing up the trellis and around the plants. They have itsy bitsy baby fruit on them.

My runner bean plants have loads of baby beans on them, as for the frenchies well the Borletto beans have white flowers, the Cobra has lilac flowers and the Purple Teepee dwarf have purple flowers. I think that there may be a single solitary Blue Lake growing but it's hard too tell. the broadies are still flowering but only have a couple of pods developing so far. The peas are fattening up.

My squashes are looking better - six more cigarettes today mainly because I couldn't eat nine so left a few of the smaller one on for a day or two. Little balls are starting to appear on the vines and I have a polo summerhouse developing. My trombone still have to take off though.


My brassicas are doing well under their new blue tents - mind you so are the weeds.

And to think I was thinking the other day that I haven't really grown much this year as I was focussing on the structure. At least my five year plans going on well.

[kris1960]

Did I mention that I hate you Jay! I may have to get an allotment in "Geordieland".

[SusieG]

So, Jay, didn't do much yesterday then, eh?

[Penellype]

Spent the morning at my friend's, removing peas which had finished and had the worst powdery mildew I've ever seen (spreading to the younger ones too ). Also removed some lettuces from the hotbed as they had gone to seed. Both crops have done very well so no complaints apart from the mildew. Emptied a bucket of Charlotte and a bucket of Desiree potatoes onto the hotbed to top it up for winter salads and harvested what looked like probably around 3kg of each (no scales available). Also removed a couple of clutches of slug eggs from the buckets, so I probably just got there in time as there were a couple of damaged potatoes. I just hope that my storage plan (on a high shelf in potato grow bags in the garage) is sufficiently inaccessible for the rats to look elsewhere. They ate nearly all last year's crop in the ground before we could get to it, which is why I have started harvesting and storing.

Also brought home a bolted kohlrabi and some carrots to make into soup along with a courgette that I swear has doubled in size over night and is now huge! Time to go and start chopping veg

[Snadger]

Took the debri netting off my brussel sprouts and hand weeded them. Have left it off for the time being but the first signs of bird attacks and it will be put back on!

Pulled some bindweed from around my outdoor pumpkin and was surprised to find a grapefruit sized pumpkin hiding under the foliage!

I was in a hurry so watered whatever needed it and put off the rest of the weeding until the next time!

[skeggijon]

Did some Sweetcorn pollinating in the polytunnel. Took yellowing leaves off the bottom of the cucumber and tomato plants and tied up a couple of very heavily laden trusses of toms that were threatening to break off.

Noticed the gooseberry bushes, which were fine yesterday, were suddenly vey short of leaves and upon inspection, they were absolutely covered in caterpillars. Far too many to squish, so resorted to my organic pest spray - checking the bottle first to make sure it really was pest spray and not weedkiller.

Disappointed to note that I still don't have a single flower on my sweet peas

[1Bee]

Tore up newspaper for the compost bin with my discombobulated 4yo for play therapy. Just spent time on the plot with DH and son, not doing anything at all....

[bario1]

Harvested my onions, both from sets and seed. Bit disappointed, nothing even as big as a tennis ball. Also tipped out a bag of Charlotte potatoes, again a small yield, but they look tasty!

Cut the comfrey jungle for the 2nd time this year, left some of it amongst the broad beans as a mulch, and put the rest in the compost bin. Should have made more comfrey tea, but I was too lazy.