Official allotment thread.

[AmexRuislip]

No hint of Asparagus up the plot today, I do have my first crop of Purple Sprouting Broccoli though

Usually grow this, as nice to eat and good for you.
Not growing much this year, only toms. Garlic and the usual tonnage of fruit.

 

[vegster]

Yes, yes you have

I tried sowing early tomato seeds and so far nothing has emerged even indoors.

Put them somewhere warm and you should get a result in 7-10 days, if nothing after 2 weeks I would re sow.

 

[AmexRuislip]

After a year out, weve finally managed to get up to our plot after rain has eased.
Anyone else started on theirs yet

 

[raymondo]

View attachment 180096View attachment 180097
After a year our, weve finally managed to get up to our plot after rain has eased.
Anyone else started on theirs yet

Nice big plot and tidy . Potatoes and onions going in today, the rest are in the seed house.

 

[tedebear]

View attachment 180096View attachment 180097
After a year our, weve finally managed to get up to our plot after rain has eased.
Anyone else started on theirs yet

Looks great! Looks really tidy and your beds look amazing, lots of hard work there! Yes, I'm on mine most of the year around. Have just moved plots on the site from a small one to one about three times the size which had needed a complete overhaul, so I'm a bit knackered, but its nearly ready to start planting out. Onions are planted out, broad beans are out, potatoes are out. In the greenhouses are red cabbage, cauliflower, and lettuces we've been eating loads of. Other seedlings are corn (just sown), tomatoes I've done far too many as usual, cucumber is up as is celery, pumpkins and this year I'm trying melons!

 

[raymondo]

Looks great! Looks really tidy and your beds look amazing, lots of hard work there! Yes, I'm on mine most of the year around. Have just moved plots on the site from a small one to one about three times the size which had needed a complete overhaul, so I'm a bit knackered, but its nearly ready to start planting out. Onions are planted out, broad beans are out, potatoes are out. In the greenhouses are red cabbage, cauliflower, and lettuces we've been eating loads of. Other seedlings are corn (just sown), tomatoes I've done far too many as usual, cucumber is up as is celery, pumpkins and this year I'm trying melons!

What type of melon?

 

[tedebear]

This is what I inherited:

This is how much rubbish I've pulled out of it, rusting metal containers, rotten tubs. Over 20 something broken and split composters (all full of great compost which I've tipped onto my beds, except one which was just egg shells) and some really weird things. The top of a roland lounge room keyboard organ, 4 microwave glass plates, the bottom of a fridge, several bathroom caddies, someones whole university notes being used as a bed end...The council are helping remove it all slowly...

and here is my friend, this was in the depths of January. I'm mostly around there on my own and see lots of them...they don't seem to mind me anymore...

 

[tedebear]

What type of melon?

Charentais. The orangey flesh type!

 

[knocky1]

Woodchipped the paths and seating area.
Been on a slug offence due to the rain. Collected nigh on 200 that have been placed in the slug farm. A few of them have a parasite, nematodes, and this spreads amongst newcomers. Currently they are dieing within 3 days. The resulting stinking solution is then watered down and 90% poured on veg beds and 10% kept for the next farm.
Also have 4" high asparagus, flowering broad beans but leaves a bit chocolate spotty, 8 rows pots in. Good tom seedlings. Just need some better weather to kick off.

 

[raymondo]

Charentais. The orangey flesh type!

That's a nice one, hope it works. Under glass/plastic...or open air ?

 

[tedebear]

That's a nice one, hope it works. Under glass/plastic...or open air ?

In pots in the greenhouse at the moment, haven't decided if it stays in or will go out...decisions decisions...

 

[tedebear]

Woodchipped the paths and seating area.
Been on a slug offence due to the rain. Collected nigh on 200 that have been placed in the slug farm. A few of them have a parasite, nematodes, and this spreads amongst newcomers. Currently they are dieing within 3 days. The resulting stinking solution is then watered down and 90% poured on veg beds and 10% kept for the next farm.
Also have 4" high asparagus, flowering broad beans but leaves a bit chocolate spotty, 8 rows pots in. Good tom seedlings. Just need some better weather to kick off.

Ooh whats a slug farm? Sounds interesting...

 

[WATFORD zero]

Ooh whats a slug farm? Sounds interesting...

Sounds more like slug soup

 

[tedebear]

Sounds more like slug soup

Generally the smellier and soupy-er the better feed it is!!

 

[knocky1]

Generally the smellier and soupy-er the better feed it is!!

Best to Google making your own nematodes.
I suppose it's actually a slug concentration camp and it's the nematodes being farmed. The idea is for the slugs to have some greenery to live on and then the nematodes pick them off and multiply thousands of times.
Is your allotment in Hove?

 

[tedebear]

Best to Google making your own nematodes.
I suppose it's actually a slug concentration camp and it's the nematodes being farmed. The idea is for the slugs to have some greenery to live on and then the nematodes pick them off and multiply thousands of times.
Is your allotment in Hove?

No, I'm in Shoreham

 

[Cheshire Cat]

What to do about the cat digging up the raised beds - to be fair to him he has had free range of them all winter and doesn't understand seeds, seedlings and growing seasons. He thinks he is defending his territory against his arch-enemy, the cat from the next door's hedge, and against the local pigeons.

 

[tedebear]

What to do about the cat digging up the raised beds - to be fair to him he has had free range of them all winter and doesn't understand seeds, seedlings and growing seasons. He thinks he is defending his territory against his arch-enemy, the cat from the next door's hedge, and against the local pigeons.

Same, but mine are foxes. I use diy cloches of different shapes and sizes. If you get a sheet of reinforced steel that is bendable or chicken wire at b&q or some such and bend it into a tunnel shape, should keep the worst off...or you can buy cloches of different shapes and sizes...might help. People in our allotment cut the bottom off 2 litres water bottles too and use them as little single cloches...works, but doesn't look the nicest if you are going for Chelsea standards...

 

[AmexRuislip]

Looks great! Looks really tidy and your beds look amazing, lots of hard work there! Yes, I'm on mine most of the year around. Have just moved plots on the site from a small one to one about three times the size which had needed a complete overhaul, so I'm a bit knackered, but its nearly ready to start planting out. Onions are planted out, broad beans are out, potatoes are out. In the greenhouses are red cabbage, cauliflower, and lettuces we've been eating loads of. Other seedlings are corn (just sown), tomatoes I've done far too many as usual, cucumber is up as is celery, pumpkins and this year I'm trying melons!

Nice big plot and tidy . Potatoes and onions going in today, the rest are in the seed house.

Thanks for that.
It's best to keep tidy, as means less work in the long run.
All seeds are growing nicely in polytunnel, so waiting for weather to improve.

 

[AmexRuislip]

What to do about the cat digging up the raised beds - to be fair to him he has had free range of them all winter and doesn't understand seeds, seedlings and growing seasons. He thinks he is defending his territory against his arch-enemy, the cat from the next door's hedge, and against the local pigeons.

We had to give up on raised beds, as the wood rotted too much and had unwelcome guests in red ants.
A pain to dig around as their bites are quite sharp.