Penellype's Allotment

[Penellype]

May

Lots of photos yesterday - it was such a traumatic day with workmen and stuff to arrange that when I finally got the camera to the allotment I just ran round taking pictures of everything I could think of.



The new raspberries have loads of flower buds so I am hopeful of a decent crop this year.



The hotbed cover is now off at night, but I have left it there just in case we get more frost. The net is to keep the cat and birds off.




Peas are growing well, cauliflowers, which are supposed to be ready in May, are still small.




Parsnips and beetroot in half of the near bed - I am going to try the summer leeks in the other half but I need to be sure there is no frost first.



The PSB under the near net has finished and needs removing. This bed is then waiting for courgettes (if I can get the damn things to germinate!)

[Penellype]

In the tunnel

It still looks a bit empty in here, partly because I am very restricted as to what I can grow ( no brassicas or alliums) because of pests.



The centre is now fully planted with peas - 2m of Meteor (nearest) and 2m of Hurst Greenshaft. Normally I would have planted some of these at home, but the soil there is so wet and compacted that I daren't. The only peas I have planted at home (in a raised bed) have been totally destroyed by slugs. The right hand bed will be used for tomatoes (near end), and catch crops like florence fennel, salads and beetroot.



The strawberries are just starting to flower. The pieces of wood at the far end are covering rows of seed. More tomatoes will go at the near end.



This is an experiment with wood covering rows of seed. My expectation is that these crops will be a total failure, but I have the seed and the space, so I thought I would give it a go. I sowed 3 rows of seed - carrot Nandor (new seed, nearest), beetroot Boltardy (very old seed) and carrot Autumn King (old seed), the rows being the width of the photo. Most of each row is covered with a piece of wood which I turn over each day to check for slugs (there are 1 or 2 most days). The idea is to test how well (if at all) the seeds germinate and compare with and without wood. I expect the beetroot and Autumn King to fail completely and the Nandor to be eaten by slugs, but I like experimenting so it is worth a try.




Another view of the strawberry bed.




A few pathetic leeks remain - these are now starting to bolt.

[Penellype]

Fruit



the blueberres are in full flower and look like producing a decent crop. I have had to net the cherry tree as the leaves and flowers are being stripped by birds (typical jagged tears in the leaves) - probably sparrows from the hedge, or possibly pigeons.



The gooseberry has flowers - not that many, but this bush is up against a north facing fence and has been flooded all winter, so I thin it looks remarkably good.



The blackcurrant also has flowers - again not that many. This bush had a bad attack of scale insect last summer but seems to have recovered, although one of the branches has died and needs pruning back to healthy wood.




Strawberries in the growhouse are in full flower. These have been under glass but with plenty of ventilation all winter.



A similar tub of strawberries on the shelf in the tunnel - same variety (Marshmello). The difference between these and the ones in the growhouse is obvious.

[Penellype]

More photos



The over wintered spinach is showing signs of bolting. The current warm weather will not help.




PSB near the tunnel entrance is flowering and has just about finished.



The first hotbed is looking good, with onions, beetroot, lettuce and spinach all now growing quite nicely.



The 2nd hotbed also looks good with more spinach and lettuce, salad leaves and turnips. The mizuna in the middle has quite a bad attack of flea beetle.



The first lot of Meteor peas is flowering. The net is to stop the sparrows from eating the new growth.

[Penellype]

More photos



The potatoes are growing well. Lady Christl at the front, Desiree at the back.



2 rows of parsnips are germinating.




Cauliflowers, Kohl rabi (top right) and florence fennel behind it (the fennel has fallen over - they are not that close together), plus a self sown nasturtium plant. This bed had the growhouse on it last year and has a lot of horsetail which has crept in from the next door plot.




More cauliflowers.



Horsetail gets everywhere - here it is poking up between the side of the hotbed and the weed matting path. All I can do is pull out as much as I can.

[Penellype]

June already!



Raspberries are doing well and the grass desperately needs cutting but has been far too wet. Beans have been planted around the teepees but have been decimated by slugs and snails.



Spinach in the hotbed is bolting, as are some of the beetroot. The onions are looking good. Cauliflowers and kohl rabi in the bed behind are growing well. Trays in the foreground have been collecting copious quantities of water and most of the water bins are still almost full.



More cauliflowers with peas in the foreground.



Beetroot and kohl rabi in the nearest bed are doing ok. The potatoes are an enigma - the Desiree are growing really strongly and flowering, whereas the Lady C in front, which have been treated exactly the same, are still quite small.



The nearest bed is still empty apart from horsetail pushing up the weed matting. This bed is very wet - the paths have been under 2 inches of water a lot of the time. I will either plant broccoli in here or possibly courgettes, depending on which (if either) consents to germinate.

[Penellype]

In the tunnel



Plenty of peas in the middle are growing well - the nearest lot (meteor) are just ready to harvest. Leeks have been removed from the far end as they were bolting. Out of picture at the road end are 2 tomato plants under a cloche (see below).




Strawberries are doing well and some fruit is just starting to turn red. At the far end I have tried sowing carrots and beetroot but they disappear as soon as they germinate. I have just got some nematodes which I hope will get rid of the slugs.



More peas at the shed end of the tunnel. Normally I would grow these at home but the soil is impossibly wet and the one batch of peas I planted at home has been shredded by snails.




More strawberries on the shelf.



The 2 tomato plants under a fine mesh cloche to protect them from the current cold nights. These are Oh Happy Day, which did ok in the tunnel last year. I have put a black plastic mulch down (an old compost sack) to absorb heat during the day and radiate it at night in the hope of increasing the temperature a bit.

[Penellype]

Things that couldn't be seen from the first set of photos



In the growhouse are 2 more tomato plants (1 Oh Happy Day and 1 Crimson Crush) waiting to go in one of the hotbeds. There is a tray of Florence Fennel on the shelf which will be planted in the tunnel.



Strawberries in the growhouse are further ahead than the ones in the tunnel - I have eaten several of these already.



The first hotbed is looking quite full, although the spinach is almost finished. The Lollo Rossa lettuce has survived the slugs (a green variety earlier didn't). The beetroot, both Boldor (yellow) and Boltardy are starting to bolt, which is disappointing. I think they didn't like the brief very warm spell we had a few weeks ago. So far, touch wood, there is no sign of either white rot or allium leaf miner on the onions.



The 2nd hotbed is almost ready for tomatoes. The mizuna bolted and had been removed, and the red vein spinach is awful. The ordinary spinach is bolting so it won't last long and the lettuces are doing well. The turnips under the smaller net are growing and one of them is nearly ready to eat.



The first lot of peas (Meteor) near the raspberries are in full flow and about half the pods have been harvested.

[Penellype]

A few crops that are doing well



Parsnips.



Kohl rabi - I am eating this one tonight.



Cauliflower - hopefully heads will start to develop soon.



Florence Fennel.



The new raspberries are covered in developing fruit.

[Penellype]

Some that are not doing so well



The cherry tree is encrusted with aphids to the point where all the fruit has shrivelled up, the leaves are curled up and going brown and there is no new growth.



French beans on the left and runners on the right. All of them looked like the undamaged plant 3 days ago.



The old raspberries are once again hating being flooded. There are a few fruit at the drier end but compared with the newer plants at the road end (same variety) they are absolutely pathetic.



The blackcurrant bush is covered in scale insects.



The gooseberry is fine, I had room for an extra photo so I included this one.

[Bren In Pots]

Looking good Pen apart from a few plants but that's gardening for you.

Any Kohl rabi tips, mine never seem to do very well.

[Snoop Puss]

Inspiring as always, Penellype, despite the odd failure. I love kohl rabi in coleslaw instead of cabbage. How do you use yours?

[Penellype]

Looking good Pen apart from a few plants but that's gardening for you.

Any Kohl rabi tips, mine never seem to do very well.

I do what I usually do with brassicas - sow a few seeds in a small pot and pot them up into individual pots or modules when they have 1 or 2 true leaves. Then I plant them out when big enough adding bfb before planting and surrounding each plant with a ring of plastic bottle with copper tape round. I sprinkle slug gone wool pellets round the plants and net them against butterflies and pigeons.

Like most brassicas they don't like to get too hot. Other than that, I just water as necessary and harvest them small before they get woody and tasteless.

[Penellype]

Inspiring as always, Penellype, despite the odd failure. I love kohl rabi in coleslaw instead of cabbage. How do you use yours?

I prefer them cooked to raw, either as a side vegetable just diced and boiled or steamed, or in a risotto, which I am doing today.

I'm lazy with risottos, so this is what I do:
Cook any "hard" vegetables (kohl rabi, carrots, turnips, beans, broccoli etc) with the rice, in water or stock.
Fry onion and sometimes florence fennel in butter
Add garlic, chopped cooked meat (ham or chicken usually) and sometimes tomato puree
Add the rice mixture and any fresh greens (spinach, kale, mizuna, peas) and some cheese.
Stir and serve.

Today's mix is kohl rabi, onion, florence fennel, garlic powder, tomato puree, spinach, ham and cheddar cheese cooked as above

[Snoop Puss]

That sounds good. I have to admit I've never thought of kohl rabi in a risotto. I should give it a try.

And I'm even lazier than you when it comes to a risotto. I use a pressure cooker (small one of 2.5 litres is perfect for two or three). I sweat an onion first, stir in the rice for half a minute or so, stir in all the other ingredients (except cheese), add the stock, bring to pressure and cook for seven minutes. Allow pressure to release naturally. Stir vigorously and serve with the cheese. Much as it galls them, even my Italian friends say it's good like that.