Penellype's Allotment

[Penellype]

In the tunnel



Red salad bowl lettuces are starting to go to seed, which is the idea as I want to try saving seed this year. There are some smaller ones behind, plus yellow beetroot, florence fennel and summer leeks. The meteor peas this end have finished but are producing a 2nd flush of flowers. The Hurst greenshaft further down are getting towards the end. It isn't easy to see, but at the far end I have added one of the displaced black dustbins. That part of the tunnel is rather shady and has never grown things particularly well.



The strawberries have been great this year but are just about finished. Further down are 2 courgette sure thing, which is parthenocarpic so should not mind being in the tunnel. The cucumber (mini sprint) at this end of the tunnel is doing well. The mini munch at the far end keeled over and died one day for no apparent reason.



Across the end of the tunnel are 2 sowings of Terrain peas.



The leeks that will be planted in this apace are just visible on the shelf at the door end of the tunnel.



I really must tame the strawberries a bit before they take over the whole tunnel. The ones nearer the shelves will probably be removed as they are about 3 years old and did noticeably worse than the ones further down.

[Penellype]

More photos



Next to the door of the tunnel I have attached a net over the bed there to cover 3 romanesco plants.



The experiment with growing courgette Defender in the compost bin looks like being a success - the plant is growing rapidly and the first female flower is about to open. Behind the blueberries the hollyhocks in the hedge are starting to flower and are actually taller than the hedge.



The remaining displaced dustbins have been squeezed in next to the blackcurrant, which has some nearly ripe fruit. The old raspberries are producing fruit but the birds keep eating them despite black cotton and dangling milk bottle tops. I am reluctant to net them, but I have netted the blackcurrant and gooseberry. The chilean guava (unfortunately not visible in the photo) is recovering remarkably well. The barrow is out to collect rain water.



A different view of the potatoes, showing the difference between the Lady C (near), which is a first early and Desiree (maincrop). All 8 buckets of potatoes were planted on the same day, 27th March. The plants don't look very well, but it is just normal dying back - there is no sign of disease.



Tomatoes in the hotbed, from left to right Garden Pearl, 2 Oh Happy Day and Crimson Crush, with mixed lettuce and some leek seedlings in front.

[Penellype]

More photos



The peppers in the growhouse don't look particularly happy. I have not tried to grow peppers at the allotment before, but had some excess plants. The ones sown the same time that are still in the house are probably 3 times as big and starting to produce flowers.



A better view of the 2 courgettes in the tunnel. I am going to have to move the water trays soon, but it is worth noting that these plants were sown on the same day as the Defender in the compost bin, and were bigger when planted out.



New growth on the Meteor peas, with flowers and pods appearing.



Tomato Oh Happy Day near the door of the tunnel. This plant is the same age as the ones in the hotbed, but nowhere near as big.



The best florence fennel I have ever grown.

[Jungle Jane]

That’s a very good looking Florence fennel,you’re doing really well with lots of variety. I hope the water container makes things easier,waters so heavy carrying it around,hope you get some overnight rain

[Penellype]

That’s a very good looking Florence fennel,you’re doing really well with lots of variety. I hope the water container makes things easier,waters so heavy carrying it around,hope you get some overnight rain

Thanks Jungle Jane. I have been watching Huw Richards' videos and I'm trying to grow more things and make better use of (most of) the space. I would have planted the leeks earlier but I was so short of water that I thought they would be better at home until it rained.

I think short term the water container isn't going to make a huge difference unless we have a deluge and then another very dry spell. The plan is to fill it over the winter and hopefully start next year with double the amount of stored water, which should greatly reduce the amount I have to bring from home.

[Penellype]

August



Plenty of beans and flowers on the runner and french beans. Rhubarb has had a flush of growth since it started raining but I have had too much summer fruit to consider harvesting any. The new raspberries are mostly producing nice strong shoots, although the 2 plants nearest the rhubarb are not. Grass needs cutting again - if it ever dries out!




The tomatoes in the hotbed are doing well considering the relatively cool temperatures. Lettuces are bolting but some of the leaves are still edible. These plants (Crimson Crush, Oh Happy Day and Garden Pearl) look much healthier than the Sungold plant in the growhouse behind, but the Sungold has already produced 4 ripening tomatoes whereas the other plants are some way off.



The french beans are absolutely laden with beans, but most are hidden by the foliage. The melon in the hotbed is growing well and producing female flowers, but they are not setting - it is probably not warm enough. Romanesco in the bed behind is growing well.



Kale and calabrese under the net are growing ok, despite a flea beetle infestation. All but 2 of the buckets of potatoes have been harvested. Yields have been good this year despite the drought in June.



Parsnips and PSB under the white net. The calabrese under the further net has been harvested and sideshoots are growing. Most of the kohlrabi has been eaten, but one of them grew too big and tough to eat. Yesterday I sowed a row of spinach in this bed.

[Penellype]

In the tunnel



Cucumber mini sprint is growing well, although so far it has only produced 3 cucumbers. There are plenty more forming now, The lettuces on the right are deliberately being left to go to seed. The wind snapped the tops off them a while ago but they have recovered. Beetroot, florence fennel and leeks behind.



The strawberries need sorting out and some of the runners potting up before they take over. The courgettes at the far end are producing plenty of fruit and are in danger of blocking the path.



Leeks are growing really well, appreciating the rain. An experimental late sowing of peas (Terrain) have been planted in the middle, and further up the middle area the meteor peas have been replaced with beetroot.



Another view of the rampant strawberry plants and a better one of the beetroot..



At the shed end the terrain peas are starting to produce pods. I planted some french beans as an experiment after the cucumber died, and these are doing ok. The plan is to try to train them across the pea netting.

[Penellype]

Some experiments



PSB under the new net near the tunnel is growing so well that it seems likely to get too big for the net. I was expecting these to get demolished by slugs and snails living in the hedge in what is quite a shady area, but there is remarkably little damage.



These PSB in the bed with the parsnips were sown at the same time as the ones in the picture above. They were planted 17 days later as I had to wait until the cauliflowers had been eaten. They are in a sunnier position. The plant on the left has had slug gone sheeps wool pellets sprinkled round it while the one on the right has a square of sheeps' wool. Both also have copper rings. The plant on the left has significantly more slug damage than the one on the right.



The courgette plant in the compost bin is huge and has produced a steady stream of courgettes at the rate of about one a day. I was worried the leaves may be broken by the wind or it might get mildew but so far no sign of either.



The Sungold tomato was given free rein to use the whole of the growhouse, as last year when I planted 3 plants in here the Sungold took over completely. This year it does not look at all happy. It has been fed and I don't think this is blight, probably just an objection to the cool weather. I think it thinks it is autumn. So far 4 tomatoes have been picked and the truss showing above the growhouse frame looks set to ripen soon.



The experiment with growing onions in a hotbed to avoid white rot has been a great success. I have nice big onions and they have long, healthy roots.

[Penellype]

More photos



In complete contrast to the Sungold plant in the next door bed, the outdoor tomatoes look really happy. I have religiously removed every sideshoot I could find, but they seem to have managed to hide some, which are now breaking out from under the main foliage. Underneath all that, some nice tomatoes are forming. I just hope the blight stays away long enough for them to ripen.



The melons are struggling, but are trying to produce female flowers. I'm really not sure that anything is going to come of these this year - it is getting rather late.



The peas in the tunnel have suffered from what looks like vine weevil damage to the leaves, with little notches eaten out of the edges of every leaf. I sprayed these plants with a suspension of garlic granules in water about a week ago, and I think the newest growth looks better.




My attempt to train the gooseberry bush into a sort of fan against the fence. It needs pruning, and I am not going to be too fussed about pinning back every branch, but I want to stop it from overhanging the grass too much. The bush doesn't look as ill as it appears in this photo, although it has been attacked by gooseberry sawfly. It produced its best crop so far this year.



The cucumber in the tunnel is being trained along the pea netting now that the peas have finished.

[Andraste]

Hi Penellype,

I really enjoy taking a walk around your allotment each month - thanks for sharing

[Penellype]

Hi Penellype,

I really enjoy taking a walk around your allotment each month - thanks for sharing

Glad to hear you enjoy it. My aim is to give a true picture of what is happening rather than cherry picking the good bits, so that people can see how things vary from year to year and maybe get ideas for their own gardens. I find the photos extremely useful myself as a reminder of what things looked like in previous years in a given month.

It is only a snapshot though - today about 1/4 of the allotment is under water, some of it a couple of inches deep.

[Nicos]

Thanks for sharing Pen.

[Andraste]

Your aims are definitely achieved for me Showing the bad with the good gives novices like me reassurance that even the best & most experienced growers have fails sometimes. I try to take pics too so that we can look back & remind us of the progress we've made.

Sorry to hear about parts of your plot being under water - hopefully the weather will improve soon *hugs*

[Bren In Pots]

I’m another one who enjoys looking at your photos.

[Nicos]

Me too! Thanks for sharing