Allotment and stuff!!!

[British Red]

Look rhubarby to me! Also looks like a big crown that may well benefit from dividing Give it a good feed (bury it in a couple of inches of poo), don't over harvest this year and you should get a few crowns off that

 

[tommy the cat]

I know you can divide but not read about when how etc.... there is another crown a few feet away....muck you say?? I've got some of that 😃ta d

 

[dave53]

looks an interesting place whereabouts is it dave regards dave

 

[British Red]

Divide in the Winter Dave - its waking up now. Chop into lumps with a big old leaf node on and re-bury in well mucked ground. Done.

 

[tommy the cat]

Shropshire Dave in the shadows of the Wrekin. BR yep just googled it and as you said when the plant is dormant so
Ill leave alone till the winter... might put muck on it... did I mention I've got some 😉 d😄

 

[British Red]

Muck is good - brown gold

 

[tommy the cat]

Not a lot to post I'm afraid!!!
We had a pretty good dump of snow and now every night were having frosts...
Today we had a few hours clearing in the garden.

this is just a couple of hours raking and pulling at ivy!
Another bird box put up..

Now I'm hoping BR is going to come along and tell me this is a gooseberry bush?!?

That's it I need to fetch the blocks so I can get the greenhouse up + plants loads of stuff!!!!!!
D

 

[British Red]

Dave - its a gooseberry bush

Looks nice and healthy - prune the middle out when you can (Winter is best) and turn it into a "goblet" (wine glass) shape - with an empty "middle". That will let you pick from the centre and get light and air in. If you have a long branch, scratch the bark off and peg the scratched off bit in the earth. By next year it will have made a new bush (its called latering if you want to be posh)

 

[tommy the cat]

Just a few pics but got to say not a lot of progress....Toddys black currant doing well

My raspberry not so good..

First early spuds at last doing something

Recycled blocks and a free gas hob..?!

As you can see I'm no brick layer!!!
Just trying to get the blocks in dry for the greenhouse base.

Beans ( thanks BR ) salad leaves... Hopefully the greenhouse will solve my seed planting woes as the house looks a bit like er er well a greenhouse!

So how's your allotment looking?
Pics please d

 

[Toddy]

Looking as though all your hard work is starting to come together

My blackcurrants here are looking healthily green too and full of flowers and bees

The greenhouse does make a difference; it clears the worktops in the kitchen if nowt else ...and every windowsill in the house too come to think on it It also saves me running in and out with trays of seedlings every morning and evening hardening things off.

My rhubarb's ready for a first picking and some of the strawberries have flowers. Rasps not looking that lively yet though.

atb,
M

 

[British Red]

Pretty good - I should take some pictures.

Peas are up, beans are looking great, garlic and onions well away. Carrots seem to have germinated but parsnips are slow. Strawberries perking up nicely. Just sowed Oca
Had to net off the peas (pigeons)

Will be planting our brussel sprouts soon.

In the processing of creating a new Rhubarb bed - raised a load from seed so going for around 25 crowns.

Gooseberries are doing well - up to 20 bushes now - have another dozen or so but nowehere to put them so will probably sell those.

 

[tommy the cat]

Yes the greenhouse will be a great addition Toddy!
It's a big learning curve and I'm still working out when, where and how much?
Aherm BR my carrots and onions are hopefully going in soon!! 😒
The goos gogs looking healthy here too... and the rhubarb is getting there..d 😀

 

[tommy the cat]

Ok no pics as it would be just of dirt .... but.... carrots, spinach, parsnips, and beet root finally in!!!
First early spuds starting to grow a wee bit more although still not big enough to earth up..
Spent the morning at a car boot, dithered over a petrol stihl strimmer at £90 as nettles are gonna be a problem here but really I can't afford it at this moment in time. I also need a new mower really saw one for £60 but again dithered and ran out of time.. Oh we'll ill have to go to another car boot when finances are better! 😒

 

[petrochemicals]

brussels out, cabbage out, carrots out, leeks out, parsnips out, onions well out. runner beans in pots (late)

try a bill hook on the nettles, long shaft one, as a strimmer won't do bramble. Or a scythe !

 

[British Red]

a strimmer won't do bramble.!

Mine does!

But then its a petrol engined Husqy brush cutter with metal blades . The Stihl should be similar I suspect. They do need a proper harness

 

[petrochemicals]

Mine does!

But then its a petrol engined Husqy brush cutter with metal blades . The Stihl should be similar I suspect. They do need a proper harness

har,,,,,,,,, ,, har,,, har . !

 

[tommy the cat]

I was looking at a trimmer that I could fit a brush cutter on to be honest... we've just been attacking them with pruning shears as they were so tangled it was easier, but were getting to see the back of them now!
Went to a friends woods who I've been helping coppice and brought home some hazel..... Thicker than I'd like but the woods have had little management so I got the best there was!

Haven't been out for a while so lovely to see the edibles coming out.

Bluebells always a show in the woods

A bit of garlic knocking about then!!

😄

Wig wams and runners a priority after the winds have passed here 😒
Oh and the greenhouse, must get on with the block work!
D

 

[petrochemicals]

I have now read your original post Tommy, very nice.
Also I have been reading about planting recently, farming raised beds are just raised soil piles and furrows, easier to dig over (or petrol cultivator) than having wood. Helps ol farmer with water management.
Do you know of anyway to sow carrot seed without waisting it, for failures you need one seed every inch, but they're so small I manage probably 4 at best.

Edit.

Ps geese work as exellent lawnmowers, just think of christmas !

 

[tommy the cat]

I've only tried carrots 3 times.
First crop excellent.... I thinned them out when big enough to do so, the second crop I did the same and the crop was rubbish, the third crop are in now...
Carrots are a hard one.. lots don't bother with them as carrot fly can be a real problem. There are lots of ways that may help reduce the likelihood of carrot fly but it all seems hit and miss.
The last info I read was from Alan titchmarsh saying NOT to thin carrots?!
I thin then out when it wet and in the evening and the thinnings I get rid if quickly away from the plot.
I believe the fly only flies at less than 18" do some grow carrots in car tyres stacked on top of each other?!
Anyway I'm sure lots of people know more than me!!!
Good luck growing your own,its the way to go if you want to try to avoid gm's and chemicals!
D

 

[Elen Sentier]

I've only tried carrots 3 times.
First crop excellent.... I thinned them out when big enough to do so, the second crop I did the same and the crop was rubbish, the third crop are in now...
Carrots are a hard one.. lots don't bother with them as carrot fly can be a real problem. There are lots of ways that may help reduce the likelihood of carrot fly but it all seems hit and miss.
The last info I read was from Alan titchmarsh saying NOT to thin carrots?!
I thin then out when it wet and in the evening and the thinnings I get rid if quickly away from the plot.
I believe the fly only flies at less than 18" do some grow carrots in car tyres stacked on top of each other?!
Anyway I'm sure lots of people know more than me!!!
Good luck growing your own,its the way to go if you want to try to avoid gm's and chemicals!
D

Yup, carrot flies don't go higher than 18" so any kind of barrier - even boards - will do to give them a headache when they run into it . Carrot seeds need to be well firmed in to germinate well, I usually put a board on each row and walk on it.