Allotments

[BensGrandad]

During the past couple of years there has been quitea number of threads on here about allotments and what people are growing and how etc but nothing so far this year.

I have an allotment and everything that I have planted has taken and is doing well, fingers crossed, but reading the bbc gardening message boards a lot of people are suffering with blackfly on their runners and broad beans.

 

[1066familyman]

OOOOh Allotments !

Don't get me started.

 

[Tom Bombadil]

I don't have an allotment, though I'm thinking it's a rather fine idea. The problem I'm having is the wind breaking the stems of plants. My Tomatillo's are going well but would be even better were it not for the damage they've sustained.

 

[turienzo's lovechild]

me and my flatmate are considering it as theres one down the road from where we're living, and it would save a load of DOSH on veg and that

plus i reckon it could be FUN

 

[1066familyman]

I don't have an allotment, though I'm thinking it's a rather fine idea. The problem I'm having is the wind breaking the stems of plants. My Tomatillo's are going well but would be even better were it not for the damage they've sustained.

Do you also call Tomatillo's....Cape Gooseberries ?. Those little bushes that have a lovely littlte paper like envelope around each delicious fruit ?

Only we're growing Tamarillo's at the mo ( in a poly tunnel ), and they're tree like with fruits that resemble something between a passion fruit and papaya. Haven't done any tinternet searching on this yet, so my spellings may be all wrong here.

I'm considreing getting the green netting that scaffolders put up to act as a wind break on my exposed plot.

 

[1066familyman]

May I refer everyone on this thread to my vastly under-rated thread.......All property is theft....the veg plot.

 

[B.M.F]

No allotment for me this year as I have plenty of land over here in the states.
We have already had lots of Rhubarb and Cherries. Our strawberries are just about ready, Corn, potato, spuash, broccoli, cabbage, tomato, pumpkin and watermelons are coming along a treat and the radishes have all been added to salads and eaten
Gotta love summer veggie growing

 

[Huple]

I went up my friends allotment once and sat in his shed and had a lovely cup of tea with him. I was amazed at the amount of porno mags he had in there.

 

[Gully]

I have tried to grow pretty much everything that I did last year but have added peppers (chilli and sweet), cucumbers, kale, basil, coriander and quite a few different salad leaf crops...all going fairly well at the moment, a caterpillar did some major damage to the basil after I planted it out, but I am hopeful that the plants will recover.

Last year I planted a row of carrots and only produced one, this year I have gone for earlies and lates, both rows look fine...courgettes are coming along nicely, should have some to eat in maybe 10 days time, they were my biggest success last year.

This is only my second year of growing veggies, can heartily recommend the experience to those who haven't tried it yet, it is a really good feeling to actually eat something you have grown...plus you have the added confidence in knowing how it has been produced.

My approach is changing somewhat towards crops that are expensive to buy, thus representing the greatest saving on the weekly shop, or things that it is just better to have fresh...home grown mini toms are so much better picked and eaten fresh than the cardboard version you get from the supermarket. Would really like to try things like asparagus, pak choi and broad beans...will save them for year three!

 

[Tom Bombadil]

Do you also call Tomatillo's....Cape Gooseberries ?. Those little bushes that have a lovely littlte paper like envelope around each delicious fruit ?

QUOTE]

No but they are similar. They produce a green tart fruit similar to a physalis in appearance. They are used in Mexican cooking to make green salsa and added to various savoury dishes.

To be honest I'll be lucky if they crop as they should really be grown under glass, but hey ho it's worth a try.

 

[seagull_special]

During the past couple of years there has been quitea number of threads on here about allotments and what people are growing and how etc but nothing so far this year.

I have an allotment and everything that I have planted has taken and is doing well, fingers crossed, but reading the bbc gardening message boards a lot of people are suffering with blackfly on their runners and broad beans.

Whats the solution for blackfly as i have some on my broad beans?

 

[Gully]

Not sure how to get rid of blackfly without using some sort of spray...is it them or greenfly that ants go for?

 

[1066familyman]

Not sure how to get rid of blackfly without using some sort of spray...is it them or greenfly that ants go for?

I believe ants 'farm' greenfly. They have a symbiotic relationship in that the ants protect the greenfly from predators - i.e. ladybirds - and in return the ants feed on the sugary secretion that the greenfly produce out of their arse....nice

I grow autumn sown broad beans as they are up and established earlier and ready for cropping before the blackfly get too bad. Being totally organic, the most I would ever use on blackfly is a misting of very weakly dilluted washing up liquid. But I usually find pinching out the tops of the plants sufficient to limit severe blackfly damage anyway.

 

[1066familyman]

Do you also call Tomatillo's....Cape Gooseberries ?. Those little bushes that have a lovely littlte paper like envelope around each delicious fruit ?

QUOTE]

No but they are similar. They produce a green tart fruit similar to a physalis in appearance. They are used in Mexican cooking to make green salsa and added to various savoury dishes.

To be honest I'll be lucky if they crop as they should really be grown under glass, but hey ho it's worth a try.

Thanks for that. Physalis is the cape gooseberry I'm thinking of. But that pic looks just like physalis to me, except fruit is green not yellow.

In return, here's a pic of tamarillo for you.

 

[BensGrandad]

Whats the solution for blackfly as i have some on my broad beans?

According to posters to the bbc website the best answer is to spray them with soapy water.

 

[vegster]

thats reasonably good, well, only if you use Organic Soap

 

[BensGrandad]

I am trying to 'find' a cheap or free greenhouse to put on my allotment (Friday Ad) but the society that runs them state that I must not have glass on it but perspex or similar. Trawling the net shows that this is very expensive to cover a greenhouse, anybody have any suggestions.

 

[dannyboy]

freecycle?

 

[Papa Lazarou]

I was trying to get an allotment in Worthing last year, but sadly the waiting list is closed here as there is so much demand for them..

 

[BensGrandad]

I was trying to get an allotment in Worthing last year, but sadly the waiting list is closed here as there is so much demand for them..

There is an old law that was quoted in a newspaper recently which states that if 6 people go to the local council saying that want land to grow vegetables on the council are duty bound to find them some land. Not sure whether or not that would be the same if they have already provided allotments etc. Also British Rail, when it was such, had a load of allotments on the north side of the railway just west of South Farm Road (back of the houses in Pavillion Road) and also a few on the other side of the line with access from what was the old signal box. They havent been used for years not sure whether Health and Safety would allow them to be used again or BR allow it but worth a letter or phone call.