Penellype's Allotment

[Penellype]

Little chance to do anything much yesterday. With appointments and phone calls scattered through the day and showers and thunderstorms around, I had zero inclination to spend time at the plot. I went down first thing in a gap in the rain and collected about half a dustbin of water probably mostly from the torrential shower that woke me up at 1.30am. I picked a few ripe raspberries, which got eaten on the spot, checked everything else and went home.

After the thundery showers cleared north in the mid afternoon I went back to pick some peas and collect more water. The bins are nearly full now, and I'm sure I am not alone in identifying with a cartoon I saw posted on Twitter a few days ago of 2 people sitting on the roof of a house surrounded by water, with one saying "at what point does it stop being good for the garden?". Its nowhere near that bad here, but the ground is saturated now and could do with time to drain. Its raining again this morning, but after that, hopefully, we have a few dry days before more thunderstorms probably arrive at the weekend.

[Penellype]

Today I was hopeful that I might get some gardening done. Yesterday the forecast had implied that today would be dry, this morning it was forecasting a wet morning but drier afternoon. Both were wrong - it has rained or drizzled all day.

I went down late morning while it was drizzling and took the nematodes with me. These are quiet fussy about conditions when you apply them and as you are supposed to water them in having already used 40 litres of water to apply them with, I thought a wet day was a good idea. I collected the water (and several slugs) first, then followed the instructions, except I didn't bother trying to put a rose on the watering can. Past experience has taught me that even the coarsest rose is quickly blocked and it more trouble than it is worth. I just spray the solution liberally in all directions.

By the time I'd finished (I'd already put nematodes on the garden at home before I started at the allotment) it was raining harder and I was getting fed up of getting wet. I picked all the ripe strawberries to take home before they spoilt. There was a reasonable number although some were damaged. Then I ate the ripest of the raspberries and called it a day. I will be stopping off on the way back from the stables to collect yet more water.

The remainder of the week is supposed to be drier. I hope this time the forecast is right.

[Penellype]

Well, I went back to the allotment to collect the water (its still drizzling) and replaced the whole 40 litres that I used for the nematodes from my trays and wheelbarrow. I was thinking that it was so cold (currently 13C), dark and damp that it would easily be mistaken for April, so I decided to check my solar panel generation today (bearing in mind we are less than a week from the longest day). The total today was a magnificent 3.7 kWh - a sunny day at this time of year generates over 20 kWh. The last time it was below 4 was on 16th March!

Did someone mention a heatwave?

[Penellype]

Another good bucketful of water to collect yesterday morning from overnight rain. It was still drizzling a bit in the morning, but it soon stopped. However, the forecast afternoon sunshine didn't appear until about 8pm and it was cold enough for me to wear 2 layers all day.

The day revolved around the cauliflowers, which are desperate to be harvested. In order to make room in the freezers I needed to rearrange the contents and defrost one of them which had a lot of ice at the top. I started at 7am and was able to put things back where they should be by around 2pm. Meanwhile I got on with little jobs at home having been down to the plot to collect the water, check everything and harvest a lettuce, some peas and raspberries for lunch. This time there were enough ripe raspberries for some to reach home.

After lunch I went back to the plot and pulled out some horsetail along the hedges and trimmed back all the long bits of hawthorn, which had grown a lot in a short time.

I'd noticed this morning that the 2nd bucket of Lady C in the potato bed was not looking good. Closer inspection revealed blackleg, something I find Lady C is very prone to despite being given a resistance score of 5 for this on the potato database Varieties. I therefore harvested the whole bucket, which yielded 1.65kg of decent new potatoes after I removed one that was clearly affected by the blackleg - they develop a sort of translucent brown tinge visible through the skin, and then start to smell revolting. In the very early stages the point where the potato attaches to the plant is black, but the potato is still edible. Once this starts the potatoes won't keep more than a day or 2.

Potatoes rescued, I started on the cauliflowers. There were 2 that were particularly urgent, 8-9 inches across and starting to open up. I cut both of them and took them home (carrying these plus the potatoes home was quite hard work!). One of them went to my friend and I ate about 1/4 of the other for tea, the rest going in the freezer. I still have a total of 9 cauliflowers left to harvest (and there are 5 at my friend's, 2 of which are about ready as well), but I am already running out of freezer space again.

[1Bee]

Penellype, do you find bumbles and other insects seem to try and kill themselves in the receptacles you put out for water? I temporarily store water in garden tubs/trugs during dry periods (so I can do a quick dunk and water with a can when passing) and I'm often rescuing insects. Wondering if it's something to do with the colour of the tubs.

[Snadger]

Another good bucketful of water to collect yesterday morning from overnight rain. It was still drizzling a bit in the morning, but it soon stopped. However, the forecast afternoon sunshine didn't appear until about 8pm and it was cold enough for me to wear 2 layers all day.

The day revolved around the cauliflowers, which are desperate to be harvested. In order to make room in the freezers I needed to rearrange the contents and defrost one of them which had a lot of ice at the top. I started at 7am and was able to put things back where they should be by around 2pm. Meanwhile I got on with little jobs at home having been down to the plot to collect the water, check everything and harvest a lettuce, some peas and raspberries for lunch. This time there were enough ripe raspberries for some to reach home.

After lunch I went back to the plot and pulled out some horsetail along the hedges and trimmed back all the long bits of hawthorn, which had grown a lot in a short time.

I'd noticed this morning that the 2nd bucket of Lady C in the potato bed was not looking good. Closer inspection revealed blackleg, something I find Lady C is very prone to despite being given a resistance score of 5 for this on the potato database Varieties. I therefore harvested the whole bucket, which yielded 1.65kg of decent new potatoes after I removed one that was clearly affected by the blackleg - they develop a sort of translucent brown tinge visible through the skin, and then start to smell revolting. In the very early stages the point where the potato attaches to the plant is black, but the potato is still edible. Once this starts the potatoes won't keep more than a day or 2.

Potatoes rescued, I started on the cauliflowers. There were 2 that were particularly urgent, 8-9 inches across and starting to open up. I cut both of them and took them home (carrying these plus the potatoes home was quite hard work!). One of them went to my friend and I ate about 1/4 of the other for tea, the rest going in the freezer. I still have a total of 9 cauliflowers left to harvest (and there are 5 at my friend's, 2 of which are about ready as well), but I am already running out of freezer space again.

I had blackleg on two of my Charlotte early spuds which I have never had before. Pulled them up and binned them as this was a few weeks ago and they were devoid of any tubers.

[Penellype]

Penellype, do you find bumbles and other insects seem to try and kill themselves in the receptacles you put out for water? I temporarily store water in garden tubs/trugs during dry periods (so I can do a quick dunk and water with a can when passing) and I'm often rescuing insects. Wondering if it's something to do with the colour of the tubs.

I don't often find insects in the water, no. It isn't around for very long in the open as I am allergic to mosquito bites and therefore don't want to provide an open breeding ground for them. That's why all my butts and bins have lids on and the trays are emptied as frequently as possible.

[Penellype]

I had blackleg on two of my Charlotte early spuds which I have never had before. Pulled them up and binned them as this was a few weeks ago and they were devoid of any tubers.

I think the blackleg is encouraged/made worse by watering from the top. I find it is much more likely to appear in wet weather or when I have been sloshing water onto the buckets and I've had much less of it on plants grow in quadgrow pots. However, the quadgrows are expensive and take up more space than buckets, so it isn't practical to grow all the potatoes in those.

[Penellype]

Yesterday was all about the fruit cage for the blueberries. My past experience with blueberries is that if you don't net them you get no fruit - the birds appear to prefer them to raspberries and strawberries which I can get away without netting at a pinch.

The carrier had tried to deliver the poles I ordered on Wednesday during the half hour I was out in the morning, so I made a point of staying at home until it had arrived, which was about 11am. It then took the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon to construct the frame, move the bushes inside and put the net on. The sun was out and for the first time for ages it was really warm.

Once I was happy with the blueberries I dug over the area by the tunnel door where they had been and removed some horsetail. Then I harvested 3 large cauliflowers, one for my Mum, one for my brother and one for me and the freezer. These were the best ones of those remaining, and I may find that by the time I have time to do anything with the others they are past it. There were a lot of slugs in amongst the leaves and several appeared out of the heads when I submerged them in water.

Apart from watering the potatoes and melons, checking everything (turnips are starting to bolt) and eating a few raspberries, I didn't have time for anything else.

[1Bee]

What's your pole recommendation for a blueberry cage, Penellype?

Maybe I should get a butt I can empty water in to. Hmmm.

[Penellype]

What's your pole recommendation for a blueberry cage, Penellype?

Maybe I should get a butt I can empty water in to. Hmmm.

The poles I bought are these https://www.harrodhorticultural.com/...m-pid8727.html. I like the aluminium because it is light for me to carry and work with and doesn't rust or corrode. I fixed them together with the "slot and lock" connectors, which I found a little fiddly to attach because they are tightened with screws, but the whole thing seems stable enough as teh poles are pushed into the soil about a foot. I then covered the frame with bird netting that came with an old fruit cage (some of the original steel poles and plastic connectors from that are currently in use in my garden forming the frame of my carrot cage).

At home I have my blueberries and strawberries in a fruit cage made from a 4ft x 6ft metal frame from a cheap plastic walk in greenhouse of the sort you can easily buy at discount stores, and I've used insect mesh because there tends to be a wasp's nest in the nearby leylandii hedge and the wasps eat the strawberries. The frame sits on a paving slab patio weighed down with bricks, and I attach the netting with the frame saver clips as the mesh acts like a sail when its windy and would break the frame connectors.

[Penellype]

Not much time yesterday but I did manage a visit in the morning to harvest a large bag of peas, some beetroot and a courgette for my brother. The peas have loved the rain and are producing a massive crop - these are Meteor, which I plant early for a little taste of fresh peas before the "proper" peas start. I already have far more than I can eat and the maincrop will be ready very soon.

Apart from watering in the evening and eating the ripest of the raspberries I didn't have time for anything else.

[1Bee]

Thanks Penellype.

[Penellype]

Saturday was forecast to be very hot, so I made a point of getting out early and managed about an hour at the plot before I needed to go to the stables. I took 3 PSB seedlings down with me and spent the time digging bits of horsetail out of the tunnel - there still seems to be plenty of it left to grow.

As anticipated, by the time it got to afternoon it was getting very hot and humid and all I could face doing was taking the beetroot seedlings down, picking peas, cauliflower and a few raspberries and strawberries and watering everything.

Sunday was better as I had more time and it was much cooler. I went round pulling out horsetail from the raised beds (some of which was getting quite big) and forked over the bed next to the hotbed, removing the cauliflower stumps and adding bfb. I then planted 3 romanesco plants here (I know, I shouldn't really follow brassicas with brassicas but its the only arrangement that works), and added some french marigolds to deter whitefly and copper rings and slug gone to deter slugs. I put back the net to keep the butterflies off and that's that bed finished for a bit.

Next I planted out 20 leek seedlings (Northern Lights) in the tunnel. These got bfb and a mulch of used lettuce compost to keep weeds down, and some slug gone. Finally I planted the last 2 romanesco next to the leeks. The west (hedge) side of the tunnel is now full, although the 2 buckets of potatoes will be harvested soon.

That done, I harvested yet more peas, a lettuce, strawberries and raspberries and went home. The fruit has really ripened since yesterday - it must have liked the heat.

I went back in the afternoon and tackled one of the troughs of strawberry plants, which has finished fruiting. This really hasn't done very well at all. One of the plants had died and another looked to be going the same way, a lot of the fruit was dried up and most of it had powdery mildew, which was also on the leaves. I cut off all the affected leaves, all the runners and fruit stalks and took the trough out of the tunnel and put it by the fence. The 2nd trough is much less affected and still has a few ripening fruit and some runners I am rooting, so it can wait a few more days.

I then went round the whole of the tunnel removing annual weed seedlings and a few bits of horsetail that I missed on Saturday. By the time I'd done this I had had enough and went home for tea.

I was back in the evening to water and decided to remove the turnips which had bolted. I simply haven't been able to eat more than a few of these as I would always rather eat things like broccoli, spinach and cauliflower. It was a shame to ditch them as they were decent turnips but once they flower they are not nice to eat. i thought it would only take me a few moments, but I found that the roots had swelled to fill their copper rings and were thoroughly stuck. It took me about half an hour of gouging and chopping with secateurs to remove the rings so I could put the roots in the compost bin.

[Penellype]

Although yesterday was a (mostly) fine day, I didn't spend all that much time at the allotment because I had quite a few jobs that needed doing at home. The most important of these was defrosting the kitchen freezer, which I needed to get done before I freeze anything else. The large amount of frozen cauliflower made this really difficult.

I went down in the afternoon and was quite surprised to find about a bucketful of water in my trays. There had been a light shower around lunchtime but there must have been rather more rain over night.

The main job I wanted to get done was to cut back the grass near the fence, as the ground there is not at all level and is very difficult to mow. I will eventually cover it with weed matting (part of this has already been done at the shed end) but I wanted to remove the grass and horsetail first. Digging was difficult but is getting easier as the bits of leylandii start to rot, and I got the job done.

That done I harvested a cauliflower, some peas and some raspberries for tea. I noticed there were a few bits of raspberry on the floor, so I think the birds are helping themselves.

As it was 1st July I took some photos:



Melons on the growhouse now have flowers (all male at the moment). The french beans in the same bed are starting to produce the odd bean, and the lettuces are nearly all eaten. Beetroot in the hotbed is getting very large. The remains of the last couple of cauliflowers are under the green net.



Runner beans behind the rhubarb are growing quite well. The peas are astonishing.



Another view of the peas, with the recently planted romanesco under the white net. The potatoes behind are starting to die down.



The view from the other end, showing the courgettes behind the potatoes and the onions which are doing really well.



The view along the fence, before I dug up the grass (I cleared about a foot wide area from the fence). The raspberries are weighed down with fruit and the blackcurrants are starting to turn black.

More photos to follow.