Scrapheap Challenge

[Snadger]

My plan for today was to move my late flowering chrysanths indoors. Needless to say i got waylay-ed.

Started by sorting chooks, checking on broody hen and palming off another marrow on them!

Took a carrier bag and half filled it with Japanese onions (includingg red oinions) for home. Harvested some tomatoes as well.

Pulled up some beetroot and popped that in another carrier bag along with half a dozen eggs. Fed the tops to the chooks.

Savoured my first sweetcorn!



Very nice it was too, eaten raw, freshly picked! The chooks got the bit I left for them plus a seeded leek!

Weeded where my peas had been and after a quick hoe of bed planted out some spring cabbage and kale.



. Watered each plant, applied some granular fertiliser and a few slug pellets. Covered with debri netting to keep the flying rats off

Took another piccie of (as yet un-named) pumpkin which is hiding under my french bean wigwam.



As he/she has turned orange I don't know whether to harvest. The allotment show isn't until end of October and I am frightened it rots, either left where it is or in the summerhouse?

[Snadger]

Meet Onslow! To the right can be seen my Daubertons kale cuttings which have rooted well.

Decided my only half decent pumpkin needed harvesting for our allotment show at the end of the month.

I haven't posted on this thread much recently because I've had car problems. Believe me a 14 mile round trip walk to the plot each day after a days work,takes it out of you and when you get there you only have enough energy to do the basics ie sort chooks).
With it being Saturday though I thought a leisurely walk in the rain, some tidying up, and a leisurely walk back would suffice.

Best laid plans................... before I set off, I took my allotment gate key off my car key ring. It wasn't until I got there I realised I hadn't brought my actual allotment plot key!
After a climb on top of my summerhouse and a drop down to other side I eventually got in. Broke my bolt cutters trying to cut the chain to get out. Finished up having to use and axe and a cold chisel to hammer through the chain. The old blacksmiths skills took over!

Anyway..............once I was in and had forged a way out I set to stripping the remaining french beans from the bean wigwam and binning the the foliage. I put the remaining beans on top of the carrot mesh frame to dry out.Took the wigwam down and fully weeded the area. I also stripped out most of my sweetcorn which has done surprisingly well this year.
At least the walk home was in the sunshine.

[Greenleaves]

Good job you never put razor wire on the summer house Snadger

[Snadger]

Good job you never put razor wire on the summer house Snadger

It was still a heck of a struggle for an old timer like I to get in! I'm fit enough, just to heavy and to auld to be climbing about!

[Nicos]

Know the feeling Snadge
I can manage to clamber up things but by 'ek the landings are pretty risky!!!!
Funny thing is that when I was younger...and a lot lighter of course .....peeps used to joke that I didn't 'land' when I fell off a horse....I used to bounce! ( yeh...I used to ride the ultra nutty ones for that very reason!)
Wish that was the case now....more like an uncontrolled moon landing!!!

14 miles??? Flippin 'ek...that's a pretty decent walk!.....I'd of had to borrow a bicycle to do that distance!

[Snadger]

Know the feeling Snadge
I can manage to clamber up things but by 'ek the landings are pretty risky!!!!
Funny thing is that when I was younger...and a lot lighter of course .....peeps used to joke that I didn't 'land' when I fell off a horse....I used to bounce! ( yeh...I used to ride the ultra nutty ones for that very reason!)
Wish that was the case now....more like an uncontrolled moon landing!!!

14 miles??? Flippin 'ek...that's a pretty decent walk!.....I'd of had to borrow a bicycle to do that distance!

I have a bike Nicos but I've seen two people knocked off there bikes through no fault of there own whilst riding mine to the allotment. I use 'Shanks's Pony' now as I deem it safer!

[Greenleaves]

I used to be very fond of of Shanks's pony.....now more Shanks's nag

[Snadger]

Shifted my frames off my carrots and placed them in two new positions. Planted pot grown red kale plant- lets under one (15) and put Dauberton kale plant-lets to harden off under other.

[Greenleaves]

How did you do with Onslow in the competition Snadger?

[veggiechicken]

Tell us about your pumpkin, Snadge

Snap GL

[Snadger]

Well with poor Onslow doing a vanishing act it was business as usual at the scrapheap. Decided to do some tidying up and try and bring a semblance of order to the plot.

Leaves, leaves and more leaves. Started by gathering them off the paths and carting away but finished up just spreading them around growing stuff as a deep mulch.

Harvested some beetroot for pickling and some carrots for the dinner. Carrots eaten within a couple of hours of harvesting is the only way to go in my book!



A major job was retrieving the hose which was in a maze shape around plot and burried with leaves.
Managed to wrestle the yellow Anaconda onto the fire hose real which is attached to the wall which allowed me to sweep up some more leaves.

With having car problems lately the plot has been neglected to some extent and the chrysanths, including the ones I put in pots to flower indoors for cut flowers, have went crazy.

I now haven't got the heart or the inclination to cut them and may have to console myself by labelling them for next years cuttings.

[Snadger]

Dug another Yacon this evening and tried a few new tastes care of Jay-el!

Paul & Beccy's Austurian Tree Cabbage from REAL seeds tastes nice, is a big cropper and as well as being handy as chook feed leaves resemble pak choi a bit. Very mild cabbage taste.Must get some of these seeds for next year!

The other was a Garden Huckleberry. Flesh taste was sweet but the skin had a liquorice taste.Something else to add to the seed list for next year.

Jay and his plot are both like being on another planet.

[Snadger]

Pulled a few carrots for din-dins!



Very nice they were too. The cages I made have been a great success and along with the sand filled 'vee's' they were sown into this has meant a decent crop of clean carrots which should see me through until April/May next year.
The cages that surrounded them have now been moved as I don't think carrot fly will be around this late and are now used to cover my winter brassicas.

Dug up a ginormous parsnip for din-dins!



Only needed three of its 'fangs' (which were nice) and kept the bulk for another day.

Dug up the majority of my Yacon tubers.



I need to figure out how to store these along with the top tubers for planting in spring.

Took the opportunity to clear out my polytunnel and gave any 'ropy' tomatoes to the chooks and kept the edible ones (Including green ones for chutney rtc) Found a few cukes in there that i didn't know I had.

Next job will be to get the bench taken out from the rear of the polytunnel. Move the onions I am storing indoors and take the cover off for the winter. I intend moving the frame further back on the plot anyway so that another job to add to the list.

[veggiechicken]

Paul & Beccy's Austurian Tree Cabbage from REAL seeds tastes nice, is a big cropper and as well as being handy as chook feed leaves resemble pak choi a bit. Very mild cabbage taste.Must get some of these seeds for next year!

Jay and his plot are both like being on another planet.

Any chance of a photo of the Tree Cabbage please? I grew some a few years ago and a couple of other big cabbage/kales. One of these is still growing and has self seeded. I'd like t identify it if poss.
So, I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours

[Snadger]

Any chance of a photo of the Tree Cabbage please? I grew some a few years ago and a couple of other big cabbage/kales. One of these is still growing and has self seeded. I'd like t identify it if poss.
So, I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours

Its on Jays plot but I'll gladly take a photo if I can catch him at the plot (elusive man). I don't like going on peoples plots when they are not there so maybe if he sees this reply he can add a photo of his own?