We get alot of rain in this part of Lancashire so have had to check the forcast to plan when to go to the plot.
Mother nature can't wait to take back what's her's and the weeds haven't yet realised that the shorter days, mean, their time is over, so consequently have been doing alot of weeding. On a positive note, having stuff with big leaves or planting ground cover will hopefully prevent weeds from self seeding for next yr.
Planted out some winter veg today, Kale and green sprouting broccili, not so sure I'll get a crop but it will be a learning curve for planting Winter veg.
Never really got grips with winter veg , put onions and garlic in
last year put spring onion seeds in and a great crop for spring also sewed broad beans under clouches and I had a brilliant crop much better than those sewed this year
spent 6 hours at allottment , just got back having a beer or 2 before a bath and dinner , dug up 2nd early spuds , nadine , much better than the 1st ealies of Maris piper
o/h harvested some more beatroot , French beans , courgete , carrots , purple cauliflower and broccoli should keep us going for the week
lots of paper work tommrow ready for Tuesday meeting so time to recover
weathers been good today , Lincolnshire is I believe the dryits county
Today I have pulled up, roasted and pickled loads of beetroot, and relocated the compost bin. It is the one we use for the chicken bedding and poo so you can imagine what a job that was!
GWRS - The plot is such a big one, I wanted to plant up stuff, as ground became clear, and winter veg seemed to be the way to go rather than mulch and cover for Spring.
Already have some leeks in and cleriac. Bought another tray of leeks and have planted them in bunches to grow to pencil size in a nursery bed before planting out in place of spuds. In the spring they'll have been picked and something else can be planted to follow on.
Have also planted parsley and garlic chives for next year. Seem to recall rabbits, mice and rats don't like the smell of chives or garlic chives so the plan is to start planting them around the edges of the plot as close to the boundary as possible in rows. So a little bunny the other day, on neighbours plot, just disappearing into his cabbage patch
When do you plant out onions for next year. I plant garlic late September and plant onions in the Spring but keen to try anything new.
Took note of my compost area today, leaf mould has reduced to nearly nothing and I'm having trouble getting sufficient brown waste for the other compost heaps
Zoomer , garlic from September onwards did plant some in spring this year and it didn't grow
I do put Japnanese winter onion in to over winter
have you tried overwintering with green manure , I want to do a new raspberry and currant bed so have cleared plot and put green manure in which if I don't get around to it can be left in over winter
although our plot is fenced in still get things nibbled but far less than other plots garlic and onions definitely stops carrot fly but they get the carrots after you harvest so this year grew them in a very large box which worked
I over wintered onions and garlic (garlic was prolific but not very large,) will certainly do onions again though. I had put leeks and kale in a while ago so will leave in till used up. I do plan to make a proper strawberry bed as they are too shaded by raspberry canes at the moment and the slugs got more than we did Apart from that, the rest can be mulched and left .
Please with my squash this year, last year I gave up. Courgettes not so brilliant though.. its very much win some and loose some!!
Onions and garlic have done well, my garlic was also small but I'm not sure whether people who say they grow big garlic aren't telling a fisherman's tale because mines always been about as big as golf ball's, possibly slightly bigger in a good year. I seem to recall reading somewhere elephant garlic produces big bulbs but I've never grown it and small garlic does keep well.
Green manure sounds a good plan, will try it. I've grown nasturgiums, trained into area's, so as I harvest vegs they provide good ground cover to prevent weed seeds from settling in the soil and germinating. They also attract pests like blackfly, giving ladybirds a good feast and keeping vegs safe from flies.
Courgette's are doing well but squash, pumkins and gourds not so good. I've gourds still drying from last yr, hug around the plot which are now beginning to rattle in the wind. I'm drying them to paint.
I'm currently enjoying all the wildlife on the plot. With stuff in flower, there's lots of bee's, wasps. and butterflies. I've trillions of worms. There's also a frog living under black pastic at the top of the plot. Not seen any slow worms on this plot though.
Compost , I top up my bins with a bit of horse manure and grow bags compost and any other soil from the various pots in g/h and outside , also occasionally get packets of coffee grindings which I also put in
Posts
Yes rain at last , however , the weekend is forecast to be nice and sunny
will get up there Saturday or Sunday not sure yet
going to g/c to see about blackthorn bushes for sloe berries
also need to dig up 2nd earlies
We get alot of rain in this part of Lancashire so have had to check the forcast to plan when to go to the plot.
Mother nature can't wait to take back what's her's and the weeds haven't yet realised that the shorter days, mean, their time is over, so consequently have been doing alot of weeding. On a positive note, having stuff with big leaves or planting ground cover will hopefully prevent weeds from self seeding for next yr
.
Planted out some winter veg today, Kale and green sprouting broccili, not so sure I'll get a crop but it will be a learning curve for planting Winter veg
.
Never really got grips with winter veg , put onions and garlic in
last year put spring onion seeds in and a great crop for spring also sewed broad beans under clouches and I had a brilliant crop much better than those sewed this year
spent 6 hours at allottment , just got back having a beer or 2 before a bath and dinner , dug up 2nd early spuds , nadine , much better than the 1st ealies of Maris piper
o/h harvested some more beatroot , French beans , courgete , carrots , purple cauliflower and broccoli should keep us going for the week
lots of paper work tommrow ready for Tuesday meeting so time to recover
weathers been good today , Lincolnshire is I believe the dryits county
Today I have pulled up, roasted and pickled loads of beetroot, and relocated the compost bin. It is the one we use for the chicken bedding and poo so you can imagine what a job that was!
O/h pickling some beetroot tommrow also we like it roasted , don't like beetroot soup thou
chicken poo and bending doesn't sound nice but I would have thought makes great compost , how are the chickens doing ?
GWRS - The plot is such a big one, I wanted to plant up stuff, as ground became clear, and winter veg seemed to be the way to go rather than mulch and cover for Spring.
Already have some leeks in and cleriac. Bought another tray of leeks and have planted them in bunches to grow to pencil size in a nursery bed before planting out in place of spuds. In the spring they'll have been picked and something else can be planted to follow on.
Have also planted parsley and garlic chives for next year. Seem to recall rabbits, mice and rats don't like the smell of chives or garlic chives so the plan is to start planting them around the edges of the plot as close to the boundary as possible in rows. So a little bunny the other day, on neighbours plot, just disappearing into his cabbage patch
When do you plant out onions for next year. I plant garlic late September and plant onions in the Spring but keen to try anything new.
Took note of my compost area today, leaf mould has reduced to nearly nothing and I'm having trouble getting sufficient brown waste for the other compost heaps
Zoomer , garlic from September onwards did plant some in spring this year and it didn't grow
I do put Japnanese winter onion in to over winter
have you tried overwintering with green manure , I want to do a new raspberry and currant bed so have cleared plot and put green manure in which if I don't get around to it can be left in over winter
although our plot is fenced in still get things nibbled but far less than other plots
garlic and onions definitely stops carrot fly but they get the carrots after you harvest so this year grew them in a very large box which worked 
I over wintered onions and garlic (garlic was prolific but not very large,) will certainly do onions again though. I had put leeks and kale in a while ago so will leave in till used up. I do plan to make a proper strawberry bed as they are too shaded by raspberry canes at the moment and the slugs got more than we did
Apart from that, the rest can be mulched and left .
Please with my squash this year, last year I gave up. Courgettes not so brilliant though.. its very much win some and loose some!!
Onions and garlic have done well, my garlic was also small but I'm not sure whether people who say they grow big garlic aren't telling a fisherman's tale
because mines always been about as big as golf ball's, possibly slightly bigger in a good year. I seem to recall reading somewhere elephant garlic produces big bulbs but I've never grown it and small garlic does keep well
.
Green manure sounds a good plan, will try it. I've grown nasturgiums, trained into area's, so as I harvest vegs they provide good ground cover to prevent weed seeds from settling in the soil and germinating. They also attract pests like blackfly, giving ladybirds a good feast and keeping vegs safe from flies.
Courgette's are doing well but squash, pumkins and gourds not so good. I've gourds still drying from last yr, hug around the plot which are now beginning to rattle in the wind. I'm drying them to paint.
I'm currently enjoying all the wildlife on the plot. With stuff in flower, there's lots of bee's, wasps. and butterflies. I've trillions of worms. There's also a frog living under black pastic at the top of the plot. Not seen any slow worms on this plot though.
Happy growing everyone.
Compost , I top up my bins with a bit of horse manure and grow bags compost and any other soil from the various pots in g/h and outside , also occasionally get packets of coffee grindings which I also put in
happy composting