Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Penellype's Allotment

Collapse

X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • More photos

    Click image for larger version

Name:	017.JPG
Views:	329
Size:	1.47 MB
ID:	2534311

    The old raspberry canes have been removed, revealing the weak and unhappy looking new canes. The current flooding won't help them at all.


    Click image for larger version

Name:	018.JPG
Views:	327
Size:	1.14 MB
ID:	2534312

    Strawberry runners have been potted up into a self watering pot in the hope they will be happier there than in the ordinary pots. Leeks are growing nicely. Peas have finished and been removed.


    Click image for larger version

Name:	019.JPG
Views:	332
Size:	1.11 MB
ID:	2534313


    The romanesco plants get bigger and bigger, but no sign of flower heads yet.


    Click image for larger version

Name:	020.JPG
Views:	333
Size:	1.16 MB
ID:	2534314

    Broccoli and romanesco from the other end of the tunnel. The strawberry plants are still taking over at the door end and need drastic action this winter.

    Click image for larger version

Name:	021.JPG
Views:	329
Size:	1.18 MB
ID:	2534315

    Calabrese which has been harvested and leeks from the other end.
    A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP. - Leonard Nimoy

    Comment


    • Photos for November

      Click image for larger version

Name:	010.JPG
Views:	300
Size:	1.27 MB
ID:	2535808

      Runner beans are still green but need removing.

      Click image for larger version

Name:	011.JPG
Views:	299
Size:	1.44 MB
ID:	2535809

      Melon has all but been removed from the growhouse - I have left one small melon to see if it will get any bigger, but I doubt it somehow. The bottom corner is flooded again.

      Click image for larger version

Name:	012.JPG
Views:	299
Size:	1.40 MB
ID:	2535810

      The outdoor melon has been removed from the hotbed. The nasturtiums are still growing really well and flowering, having earlier been decimated by caterpillars, but the tomato plants that were growing with them got blight and have been removed.

      Click image for larger version

Name:	016.JPG
Views:	301
Size:	1.10 MB
ID:	2535811

      The parsnips are probably ready to pull, but I am waiting for frost to improve the flavour.


      Click image for larger version

Name:	018.JPG
Views:	303
Size:	1.31 MB
ID:	2535812

      Courgette plants are looking worse for wear but are still producing the odd small fruit. They don't seem to mind the flood, unlike my poor raspberries.
      A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP. - Leonard Nimoy

      Comment


      • More photos

        Click image for larger version

Name:	019.JPG
Views:	303
Size:	1.26 MB
ID:	2535814

        Leeks are growing well and the strawberries in the green self-watering pot are looking very happy.


        Click image for larger version

Name:	020.JPG
Views:	307
Size:	1.20 MB
ID:	2535815

        The romanesco is so big it is falling over. Underneath the tangle of leaves some heads are forming.

        Click image for larger version

Name:	021.JPG
Views:	306
Size:	1.14 MB
ID:	2535816

        The PSB is also huge and it is now quite hard to get down the east side of the tunnel.

        Click image for larger version

Name:	022.JPG
Views:	297
Size:	1.20 MB
ID:	2535817

        The calabrese on the other hand is still much smaller than usual, and so far no sideshoots have appeared.

        Click image for larger version

Name:	013.JPG
Views:	300
Size:	1.47 MB
ID:	2535818

        Blueberry bushes looking very autumnal and lots of leaves to clear up. The hollyhocks in the hedge are still flowering as you can see on the far right of the picture.
        A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP. - Leonard Nimoy

        Comment


        • Penellype, this morning I began reading your posts about how your allotment has developed. I started on page 1 and thoroughly enjoyed gardening vicariously (far too windy and rainy all day here to be doing anything outside). After a bit, I decided I probably ought to get up. I looked at the clock and 2 1/2 hours had gone by! I wasn't even half way to page 80 so I've got quite a bit more to read. Thank you for posting the details of what you've been doing and all the accompanying photos. Reading it has been relaxing, enlightening and given me ideas for what to do with my own plot.

          Comment


          • Originally posted by Purple Primrose View Post
            Penellype, this morning I began reading your posts about how your allotment has developed. I started on page 1 and thoroughly enjoyed gardening vicariously (far too windy and rainy all day here to be doing anything outside). After a bit, I decided I probably ought to get up. I looked at the clock and 2 1/2 hours had gone by! I wasn't even half way to page 80 so I've got quite a bit more to read. Thank you for posting the details of what you've been doing and all the accompanying photos. Reading it has been relaxing, enlightening and given me ideas for what to do with my own plot.
            Glad you are enjoying reading it - I hoped people would find it useful when I started, and although I now have much less time to post, I do try to keep posting the monthly photos at least.
            A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP. - Leonard Nimoy

            Comment


            • December photos

              Click image for larger version

Name:	008.JPG
Views:	268
Size:	1.10 MB
ID:	2537526

              The net was taken off the top of the tunnel when snow was forecast last week. This year I have experimented with rolling it up and attaching it to the top at the ends rather than letting it trail on the floor. Loads of leaves to clear up, but they are horribly wet and soggy at the moment.

              Click image for larger version

Name:	009.JPG
Views:	264
Size:	1.07 MB
ID:	2537527

              Everything looking very empty now. The wind has blown the weed matting about a bit and the frost has killed the nasturtiums in the bed behind the growhouse. Everything needs a tidy up.

              Click image for larger version

Name:	010.JPG
Views:	274
Size:	1.28 MB
ID:	2537528

              The hotbed needs emptying to make room for next year's horse muck.

              Click image for larger version

Name:	014.JPG
Views:	273
Size:	1.23 MB
ID:	2537529

              Parsnips under the net should be ready to eat now that they have had a frost.

              Click image for larger version

Name:	015.JPG
Views:	272
Size:	1.40 MB
ID:	2537530

              Still some water round the raised beds at the lowest part of the allotment.
              A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP. - Leonard Nimoy

              Comment


              • More photos

                Click image for larger version

Name:	013.JPG
Views:	275
Size:	1.10 MB
ID:	2537532

                The raspberries have now lost their leaves. The cover has blown off next door's polytunnel (despite very sturdy looking guy ropes) and the little chilean guava in the pot at the far end was blown over in the gale. I had harvested all the fruit the day before as I thought that might happen.

                Click image for larger version

Name:	016.JPG
Views:	270
Size:	1.24 MB
ID:	2537533

                Leeks look ok from this angle. One of the strawberry plants in the tower has a decent bunch of green fruit (out of picture) but I have no hope that it will ripen before it rots.

                Click image for larger version

Name:	017.JPG
Views:	270
Size:	1.38 MB
ID:	2537534

                The romanesco has been blown over by the wind...

                Click image for larger version

Name:	018.JPG
Views:	268
Size:	1.30 MB
ID:	2537535

                ... as have several of the leeks.

                Click image for larger version

Name:	019.JPG
Views:	276
Size:	1.20 MB
ID:	2537536

                The PSB, on the other hand, is the only thing on the allotment that looks really happy. Flower shoots are just starting to form.
                A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP. - Leonard Nimoy

                Comment


                • Not a lot has really changed, but here are a few photos for comparison

                  Click image for larger version

Name:	009.JPG
Views:	257
Size:	1.10 MB
ID:	2539172

                  Things are looking a little tidier - not so many leaves lying about.

                  Click image for larger version

Name:	010.JPG
Views:	247
Size:	864.1 KB
ID:	2539174

                  The hotbed is now empty and will soon be filled with fresh muck.

                  Click image for larger version

Name:	013.JPG
Views:	248
Size:	1.18 MB
ID:	2539173

                  The chilean guava has been planted and the strawberry tower removed at the far end of the grass path (the strawberry plants had died).

                  Click image for larger version

Name:	015.JPG
Views:	251
Size:	994.7 KB
ID:	2539175

                  After some drier weather the water level has gone down around the raised beds at the fence end. There is a pile of compost in the middle of this bed which is from the hotbed, and will either be used for potatoes or spread on this bed, depending on how far the compost in the bin stretches.

                  Click image for larger version

Name:	011.JPG
Views:	251
Size:	1.20 MB
ID:	2539176

                  The blueberry bush is growing into rather a strange shape and probably needs pruning. Most of the leaves have been cleared off the path as they were making it very slippery.

                  Otherwise everything looks almost exactly the same as it did in the last lot of photos.
                  A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP. - Leonard Nimoy

                  Comment


                  • February photos

                    Click image for larger version

Name:	012.JPG
Views:	236
Size:	1.68 MB
ID:	2540577

                    Bluebells are growing under the hedge.


                    Click image for larger version

Name:	013.JPG
Views:	231
Size:	1.12 MB
ID:	2540578


                    Experimenting with a different shelf in the growhouse. A trough of strawberries is now in there. The hotbed has been filled and covered and lettuce, spinach and beetroot were sown in there a few days ago. The parsnips under the white net at the far end have died down and are being eaten (slowly).


                    Click image for larger version

Name:	019.JPG
Views:	225
Size:	1.01 MB
ID:	2540579

                    This view shows that the growhouse and hotbed are now in the sun (photos taken around 10am). The hotbed cover is getting old and coming apart round the zips, so I have covered it with split shavings bags clipped onto the frame to cover the gaps. The wind keeps blowing the clips off in places, particularly the central ones, but so far (touch wood) most of it has stayed put.

                    Click image for larger version

Name:	025.JPG
Views:	224
Size:	1.11 MB
ID:	2540580

                    Views from the road end of the tunnel were impossible due to the sun. Leeks are slowly being eaten.

                    Click image for larger version

Name:	026.JPG
Views:	239
Size:	1.13 MB
ID:	2540581

                    The romanesco has been covered with a plastic sheet to keep rain and frost off the developing heads as they went brown last year. So far it seems to be working. I will need the frame in another month to cover potatoes though, so hopefully I will have eaten the romanesco by then. The PSB is still doing well - most of it is just out of the photo.

                    A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP. - Leonard Nimoy

                    Comment


                    • Really hard to see much change this month - here are a few photos:

                      Click image for larger version

Name:	008.JPG
Views:	210
Size:	1.45 MB
ID:	2542201

                      Rhubarb in the foreground is beginning to grow.

                      Click image for larger version

Name:	011.JPG
Views:	200
Size:	1.54 MB
ID:	2542202

                      Crocuses and one daffodil flowering in the hedge.

                      Click image for larger version

Name:	016.JPG
Views:	209
Size:	1.50 MB
ID:	2542203

                      Lettuce and beetroot germinating in the hotbed, but no sign of the spinach yet. I think the seed must have died (open packet from last year) so I have sown more from a new packet.

                      Click image for larger version

Name:	020.JPG
Views:	203
Size:	1.17 MB
ID:	2542204

                      Romanesco is ready to cut and has gone slightly brown after the frost, but much less so than last year.

                      Otherwise there is no noticeable difference from the photos posted last month.
                      A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP. - Leonard Nimoy

                      Comment


                      • April photos

                        Click image for larger version

Name:	010.JPG
Views:	183
Size:	1.49 MB
ID:	2543654

                        "Snow" on the tunnel is actually hail - I shook about 1/2 an inch of snow off earlier in the day. Rhubarb is growing well and I have started to harvest it. The growhouse has been moved down 1 bed so that I can use the compost (old hotbed) and make a new hotbed here. I have had to net the peas because the birds (either pigeons or sparrows) ate all the leaves:

                        Click image for larger version

Name:	013.JPG
Views:	179
Size:	1.05 MB
ID:	2543655

                        Hopefully there are enough buds left for the plants to grow, but this will not have done them any good!

                        Click image for larger version

Name:	012.JPG
Views:	180
Size:	1.21 MB
ID:	2543656

                        Remnants of snow and hail from the tunnel and hotbed cover. The onions in the bed behind the hotbed are growing well and the other half of the bed has been planted with cauliflowers.

                        Click image for larger version

Name:	014.JPG
Views:	175
Size:	1.59 MB
ID:	2543657

                        More snow. The blueberry bushes are covered in flower buds, some of which are just starting to open. The daffodils are in full flower.


                        Click image for larger version

Name:	017.JPG
Views:	186
Size:	1.52 MB
ID:	2543658

                        The parsnips in the nearest bed are being eaten fast as they are starting to grow. Potatoes will be planted in the buckets soon.

                        A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP. - Leonard Nimoy

                        Comment


                        • More photos

                          Click image for larger version  Name:	018.JPG Views:	0 Size:	1.46 MB ID:	2543660

                          Cauliflowers in the nearest bed were planted on 21st March. The bed behind will soon be sown with parsnips in half and beetroot will be planted out in the other half. Just strawberries in the growhouse at the moment but another lot of peas will be in there very soon.

                          Click image for larger version  Name:	019.JPG Views:	0 Size:	1.81 MB ID:	2543661

                          Lettuce, spinach and beetroot in the hotbed. The beetroot is rather patchy so I have sown some more in modules at home. The net is to stop the cat from getting in.

                          Click image for larger version  Name:	021.JPG Views:	0 Size:	1.49 MB ID:	2543662

                          The romanesco has nearly finished - I am just waiting for the last few sideshoots to grow. This area needs a good tidy up!

                          Click image for larger version  Name:	022.JPG Views:	0 Size:	1.60 MB ID:	2543663

                          PSB is in full flow. The hailstones were shaken off the net shortly after these photos were taken.

                          Click image for larger version  Name:	023.JPG Views:	0 Size:	1.61 MB ID:	2543664

                          Leeks are being harvested. Beyond the shelf are 4 cauliflowers near the tunnel door.
                          Last edited by Penellype; 02-04-2022, 10:11 AM.
                          A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP. - Leonard Nimoy

                          Comment


                          • Is it May already? Where has the time gone?

                            Click image for larger version

Name:	Screenshot 2022-05-03 08.35.36.jpg
Views:	173
Size:	264.4 KB
ID:	2545058

                            Bluebells in full flower in the hedge. The part of the hedge nearest the camera is a self-seeded redcurrant which last year provided 2 butter tubs full of currants. Not bad for a free plant that takes up no growing space!


                            Click image for larger version

Name:	Screenshot 2022-05-03 08.35.51.jpg
Views:	161
Size:	249.3 KB
ID:	2545059

                            Rhubarb is in full flow. The bed behind is being emptied of rotted hotbed to make space for a new hotbed for melons. Several containers of strawberries in the growhouse to protect them from frost.


                            Click image for larger version

Name:	Screenshot 2022-05-03 08.36.03.jpg
Views:	158
Size:	170.2 KB
ID:	2545060

                            Cover still on the hotbed. The green net behind covers onions and cauliflowers

                            Click image for larger version

Name:	Screenshot 2022-05-03 08.36.14.jpg
Views:	152
Size:	260.6 KB
ID:	2545061

                            Cherry tree is just finishing flowering, blueberries are covered in flowers.


                            Click image for larger version

Name:	Screenshot 2022-05-03 08.36.28.jpg
Views:	167
Size:	293.5 KB
ID:	2545062

                            I love the honesty in the hedge at this time of year - it is all self-seeded. The rhubarb in the bucket is some I forced last year which surprisingly is still alive. It usually dies.
                            A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP. - Leonard Nimoy

                            Comment


                            • More photos

                              Click image for larger version  Name:	Screenshot 2022-05-03 08.36.40.jpg Views:	0 Size:	192.6 KB ID:	2545066

                              Raspbeeries have flower buds despite not growing at all well. Blackcurrant and gooseberry bushes are in flower against the fence.

                              Click image for larger version  Name:	Screenshot 2022-05-03 08.36.55.jpg Views:	0 Size:	184.4 KB ID:	2545067

                              Potatoes in buckets under the cover are just starting to show above the compost. The parsnips have been cleared from the nearest bed and it has had compost added. I will grow courgettes here.

                              Click image for larger version  Name:	Screenshot 2022-05-03 08.37.27.jpg Views:	0 Size:	195.8 KB ID:	2545068

                              Cauliflowers (Maybach) under the green net are growing but as usual I am highly doubtful that they will be edible in May. The bed behind contains parsnips which are just germinating, beetroot that has been planted out, and rows of lettuce and beetroot sown direct yesterday. I rarely sow direct because of slugs and the soil drying out, but I am trying a new method here. I've sown the seeds in drills as normal, watered well and covered the rows with planks of wood. I will lift these every day to check for slugs and remove any I find, and the wood is removed when the seedlings emerge. The idea is that the wood acts as a slug trap and also stops water evaporating. I will report back!

                              Click image for larger version  Name:	Screenshot 2022-05-03 08.37.38.jpg Views:	0 Size:	221.7 KB ID:	2545069

                              Strawberries in flower in the growhouse.

                              Click image for larger version  Name:	Screenshot 2022-05-03 08.37.50.jpg Views:	0 Size:	270.4 KB ID:	2545070

                              Spinach, lettuce and beetroot ready to harvest in the hotbed. The beetroot didn't germinate well and there are slugs on the lettuce, so I have put a plank of wood in the gap as a slug trap. It has only been there 2 days but I have caught 1 slug already. I've also doused the whole plot in slug nematodes yesterday, something that I usually do but never got round to last year (mainly because of the awkward weather).
                              Last edited by Penellype; 03-05-2022, 09:05 AM.
                              A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP. - Leonard Nimoy

                              Comment


                              • More photos

                                Click image for larger version

Name:	Screenshot 2022-05-03 08.38.02.jpg
Views:	170
Size:	392.2 KB
ID:	2545073

                                The peas that were eaten by birds are slowly recovering (right) but the later sown ones on the left are much bigger.


                                Click image for larger version

Name:	Screenshot 2022-05-03 08.38.25.jpg
Views:	172
Size:	236.4 KB
ID:	2545074

                                The tunnel still looks rather empty as it is waiting for late peas and winter crops of leeks and broccoli. There are piles of compost waiting to be spread and the strawberry shelf is empty as the pots have been moved to the growhouse.

                                Click image for larger version

Name:	Screenshot 2022-05-03 08.38.37.jpg
Views:	167
Size:	252.7 KB
ID:	2545075

                                The strawberries (Marshmello) are still taking up too much space and the whole tunnel needs tidying up.

                                Click image for larger version

Name:	Screenshot 2022-05-03 08.38.51.jpg
Views:	171
Size:	258.3 KB
ID:	2545076

                                These are an unknown variety of strawberry which flowers earlier than Marshmello, so I have rigged up a temporary frost cover.


                                Click image for larger version

Name:	Screenshot 2022-05-03 08.39.01.jpg
Views:	172
Size:	305.7 KB
ID:	2545077

                                PSB is rapidly going to seed now, although there are a few shoots that are still edible. I may well finish them today.
                                A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP. - Leonard Nimoy

                                Comment

                                Latest Topics

                                Collapse

                                Recent Blog Posts

                                Collapse
                                Working...
                                X