Filed under: my allotment | Tags: Alicante, Anaheim, Asparagus, Aubergine, Basil, Big Banana, bindweed, Borlotti Beans, brambles, Broccoli Claret, Burpless Tasty, butter bean, Cambridge Favourite, Cannellini Beans, Celery, Chillis, cloche, Common Thyme, Connovers Colossal, Coriander, Coure De Bleu, Cucumber, Curly Leaved Parsley, dwarf french bean rocenforte, Flat Leaved Parsley, Full White, garlic, Gartenperle, germinated, Harlequin, Heatwave, Jalapeno, Judibell, Lemon Grass, Lovage, membrane, Millefleur, Mint, netting, onions, Oregano, Pepper, poly tunnel, potatoes, propagator, rain, Runner Bean Best Of All, Russian Tarragon, Sakura, Salad Festival, sowing, Stevia, Strawberries, Summer Savoury, Super Roma, Sweet Cicely, Tigerella, tomato, veg plot, weather, weed suppressant, weeds, windowsill
Well, last Sunday I decided I really need to brave the weather and go and do some allotmenting. The previous two weekends had brought snow, and the forecasts for Sunday were for rain showers and hail. However, it turns out that the weathermen got it wrong.
I trundled over to the plot and decided to start on the veg plot. The fruit plot - as long as the weeds and brambles are kept down and we get some netting in place - will give a decent crop of fruit without us having to do much at all so it can be left for the time being.
I moved the huge pile of debris from the previous effort’s weeding. I’ve put it in the corner where we have decided the compost heap will be. At some point we will incinerate most of it.
After clearing the debris, I started marking out the pathways I have planned between each bed. I then marked out (with pegs and string) the first two beds. I even managed to dig over one of the beds and remove most of the weeds!
The bindweed is horrendous. It’s roots are like looking at a map of the London Underground when you get the fork in the soil. However, the soil is quite good - not too compacted and quite a light clay mixture so its easier to dig over. Rain stopped play though, and after a good 3 hours work, I made my way home.
I came back to it again on Tuesday after work. The children had fallen asleep in the car, so I took the opportunity to park up, right next to my plot and get stuck in. I managed to dig over a third of the second marked out bed, which is also riddled with bindweed, and laid down some weed suppressing membrane on the sections marked out as pathways. I uncovered the weed suppressant covering the onions, garlic and potatoes that I’d planted up and used it on the pathways too. Most of the garlic has sprouted! the onions too. No sign of the potatoes yet though……….
The children woke up, and that signalled time to go home. Before leaving I met one of my plot neighbours! They occupy three plots opposite mine. They are very well tended and in excellent condition. I look forward to absorbing some of their wealth of knowledge and tips on allotmenting in the future.
I came back again on Wednesday. The children were awake this time, and, despite being a handful I managed to dig over the rest of the second bed! I also put up a 3 metre long cloche/poly tunnel on the second bed and hope that it will heat the soil up read to take some sweetcorn seeds on Sunday!
So, in a week I have 2 usable beds, and am ready to start sowing some seeds - it’s going well so far! Just 7 more beds to mark out and dig over……….BUT it’s not as hard as I thought it would be.
I’ve also been busy sowing seeds at home in propagators. I have 4 propagators. Three half sized modular trays, and one specially designed windowsill propagator. It is long and slim, and filled with Jiffy 7’s. I’ve sown my various varieties of Tomato seeds in there - Gartenperle, Tigerella, Cuore De Bleu (an oxheart), Millefleur, Alicante, Super Roma, Harlequin, and Sakura. They have all germinated and are doing well so far. I have also sown Pepper - Big Banana and Pepper Salad Festival. Big Banana has also germinated….no sign of Salad Festival yet.
The other trays contain herbs - Lovage, Curly Leaved Parsley, Flat Leaved Parsley, Coriander, Basil, Common Thyme, Lemon Grass, Sweet Cicely, Summer Savoury, Oregano, Mint, Russian Tarragon and Stevia. All but the Sweet Cicely and Stevia have germinated so far.
I also have Cucumber - Burpless Tasty, Broccoli Claret, Celery Full White, Asparagus Connovers Colossal - the Asparagus hasn’t germinated either.
In the last tray I have Aubergine, Chillis - Anaheim, Heatwave and Jalapeno varieties. None of these have germinated yet.
Outside in the 5 tier propogator I have 6 Yacon tubers (thank you Gardeners’ World for that tip!), Strawberries - Cambridge Favourite x 10, and Judibell x 5. I have also planted some beans - Butter Bean, Dwarf French Bean Rocenforte, Runner Bean Best Of All, Cannellini Beans, Borlotti Beans.
So, that’s it for now. I’m hoping to go back on Sunday to sow some seeds under the cloche. Maybe more digging if we’ve had no rain. I’m so excited!
