Plotting At Christmastime

Since the beginning of December things have been slow and restful down my plots, compared with previous years. Over the past couple of weeks, air temperatures have risen and I have spent several pleasant days in the sunshine, mainly replacing the storm damaged vents in the walls of my poly tunnel. This involved fixing wooden battens along the sides of the tunnel, inside and out and replacing the original torn vents with stronger pieces of nylon mesh. To date one side of the tunnel has been completed and the other side partially completed. A bit of a fiddly job to say the least, trying to fix battens to both sides of the tunnel walls at the same time and definitely a 2 man job.

It Always Looks Good On Paper (Next Seasons Squash Seeds) Dec 2014

Most of the allotments are looking tidy if not devoid of crops at this time of the year and compared with previous years, few plot holders seem to have been tending their plots lately, compared to last year over the same time period. With the final pruning done to my blackcurrant bushes two days ago, just some pruning to the red and white currants and fruit trees remains to be done later this Winter, leaving the plum tree pruning until June. My rhubarb plants are already showing early signs of new growth. If this mild weather continues it could well be an early start to next season. I mentioned in an earlier post that I thought this Winter would bring extremely bad weather with it. Wrong so far!! But I wonder now if Winter will be late with snow, frost etc around Easter time. I had a good harvest of cabbage (round headed and cavolo nero) parsnips, carrots, mixed lettuce and lambs lettuce today most of which will be eaten and hopefully enjoyed on Christmas day.

Poly Tunnel Vents Needing Repair (Dec 2014)

New Vents & Battens Being Fixed To My Poly Tunnel (Dec 2014)

A Few Veggies For Christmas Day

A FEAST OF VEGGIES

(A gardeners poem with apologies to any poets reading it)

It was Christmas day in the kitchen and the turkey was cooking well

The giblets still inside their polythene bag were exuding an odorous smell

Brussels sprouts were purchased from Asda this year

I forgot to sow some last Spring

My planning was wrong, my memory was short and definitely needed some zing

The carrots were simmering nicely smelling sweeter with each passing minute

The pan they were in was full to the brim, after I spilled some bleach right in it
Parsnips and peas looked delicious, as they cooked alongside the spuds
But the yorkshires were somewhat deflated not rising just how they should
The runner beans were a wonderful green and looking ever so tasty
But the gravy was thick and lumpy, because I had been too hasty
 The custard and pud were coming along very well, as I added a little more rum
Spirit and flame from the gas hob combined, to give off a bl**dy great flash
Christmas dinner was lost in the blink of an eye, just as the first guests appeared
Sod it I thought I'm off down my plots, to sow some more seeds for next years'
 

A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE 

 

Autumn Colours

After another chilly and drab Autumn week, but with a beautiful sunny day yesterday, which cleared away the dampness in the air and on the ground I decide to spuddle off to my plots today in the late morning. With not a great deal to do around my allotments, the intention was to make a short visit and do a cursory inspection of everything. Most of the ground areas were reasonably dry, except where the fallen Autumn leaves were strewn around, holding in moisture, mainly across the southern lower parts of my plots, close to the hedgerow. The grass areas of the plots were also a little damp, as only recently has the grass stopped growing to any degree. As I wandered around my plots checking the beds, borders, paths, cloches and ground covers, I noticed a surprising and varied amount of new growth, despite the recent cold, damp weather. Many spring flowering bulbs were showing well above soil level. The autumn sown veggies which would be expected to develop were doing well and even my mixed lettuce, (uncovered as yet), was growing away, unaffected by the recent frosts. 

Passiflora Still Flowering End of Nov 2014

 Seven or eight other plot holders were working away on their plots when I arrived and were in the process of some rough digging or clearing decaying vegetation from their planting areas. By about midday most of them had left for home. I dug over a few feet of soil at the top end of No1 bed. After about forty minutes of digging, I decided to remove my runner bean plants, which were still in situ on the L-Shaped bed and still growing, although they were looking bedraggled, having been ravaged by a recent heavy overnight frost. This task took me longer than I anticipated. After cutting away the plants ties, removing the supporting canes and cleaning them of soil and sooty mould, salvaging some beans for seed, disposing of the foliage onto the compost heap and putting away the hundred or so canes, into my shed, 2 hours had gone by. I then cleared the ground, on the drainage ditch bank beneath my fruit trees, of more fallen leaves, depositing them into my "leaf mould bin". By the time this task was finished I called it a day, locked up the sheds and spuddled off home.

Camelia In Full Bud End of Nov 2014

Groundsel Flowering End Nov 2014

Inkcaps Like It Damp Dec 2014

More Inkcaps Dec 2014

And More Dec 2014

(This One Usually Dies Back in Late Autumn) Dec 2014

Feverfew Flowering Dec 2014

There's Always Tomorrow!!!

Rooko's December Top 10 Tips & Tryouts

1 to 10.

HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR

If you don't celebrate Christmas be happy anyway!!

Now Remember Don't Overeat This Christmas

  

There's Always Tomorrow!!!

2015 Re-designed Plots N1 & N2 Plots

 There's Always Tomorrow!!

Free Vegetable Growing E-Book

Just a quick link to obtain a free E-book for my U.S.A. viewers (and others)

 (100% free P.D.F. download)

CLICK HERE

Another Overcast Week

With just 2 visits to my plots this week again, today and last Monday. Only a little tidying up needed doing and a few weeds required pulling and disposing of, onto the compost heap, so things are moving slowly. I may get around to the 2 main tasks I have left over this year, some time next week, those of repairing my poly tunnel vents and replacing several water butt taps which have worked loose. The plots are mainly damp and looking very Autumnal, although the soil is still workable, (using walking boards), any remaining preparation can now wait until early Spring next year, as I am taking a few well earned breaks from most gardening tasks until then.

Broad beans (Aquadulche) Mid Nov 2014

 In one of my earlier posts I remarked that I thought this coming Winter would bring some extremely bad weather. When I visited my plots last Monday I found beds 3 and 4 already had approximately 6 inches of standing rainwater across their lowest ends. Despite some heavy overnight rain and daytime showery rain this week, the water had drained away by the time I visited the plots today. Hopefully the clearing of the drainage ditch I carried out earlier this year has paid off, as there was no sign of further underground water running into the ditch from the plots, as there was on Monday. Anyone who watched the Andrew Marr show this morning, on the B.B.C. (Bulls******s Baffling the Country) may have heard him comment about the wettest Winter on record, to come, this Winter.

Having harvested a couple of excellent sized cabbages and some spring onions earlier today the rest of the crops growing around the plots need little attention at this time of the year. My parsnips growing in one of my raised beds were weeded out for the first time this season, mainly due to a wasps nest close by them. Having been left to their own devices since being sown, I forked over and weeded the damp and compacted soil around the plants, uncovering the shoulders of the roots to discover some excellent sized specimens. Just some frost needed now to add a little flavour to them, or so the experts say??

Parsnips (Hollow Crown) Mid Nov 2014

 There's Always Tomorrow!!!

Motivation

With outdoor temperatures dropping somewhat this week compared to ones of 20 degrees C last week, I've only made a couple of visits to my plots on last Monday and Tuesday. Both days were pleasant enough with some weak sunshine during the late mornings to mid-afternoons. This allowed me to rid a couple of areas of N1 Plot of annual weeds and fallen leaves which were added to my compost heaps. Tuesday was spent harvesting my remaining marrows and squashes from No1 bed On N1 Plot, before any expected frosts take hold. The squash and marrow plants, along with some sparse weeds also being consigned to the compost heaps.

Some Weeds Will Grow Almost Anywhere (Oct 2014)

No1 bed was then partially forked over, adjacent to my fruit cage, and then the heaps of nitrogen rich mud I had recently cleared from the drainage ditch, situated at the southern end of my plots, was broken down and spread across the bed, in lieu of animal manure. Later in the afternoon the remnants of my tomato and cucumber plants were removed from my poly tunnel and after adding some compost to the poly tunnel borders the compost was then forked into them. With the grass paths and other grass areas of my plots having been mowed a fortnight ago, it just left some tidying of the edging around various planting beds to do.
By about 3-30 p.m. and sunlight fading it was time to call it a day. The rest of this week has seen colder temperatures with some rain and breezy weather conditions, so I have stayed indoors doing some decorating and D.I.Y. tasks.

Still Growing End of October 2014

Strawberries Still Growing (End of Oct 2014)

My Asparagus Can't Figure Out the Seasons Either (End Oct 2014)

Winter Onions & Lettuce N2 Plot (End of Oct 2014)

4th Flush of Rhubarb (End of Oct 2014)

Some More Runner Beans Left to Seed (End Oct 2014)

Pampas Grass Split from Another Gardening Job (Oct 2014)

Gooseberry & Extra Strawberry Bed N1 Plot Weeded (Oct 2014)

There's Always Tomorrow!!!


 

Rooko's November Top 10 Tips & Tryouts

1. With the warm sunny weather still continuing in most of U.K. there is still time to plant /sow the following: Lambs lettuce, chard, chicory, lettuce, oriental greens, winter hardy spring onions, spring cabbage, asparagus crowns, bedding plants and from seeds, overwintering peas and beans. Keep fleece or cloches handy in case of unexpected frosty weather appearing.

2. If your house plants start to shed leaves as Winter approaches, try moving them near to a window or warmer position which benefits from some direct sunlight.

3. When potting up bulbs for Spring flowering use a cheap compost in their pots to save money. Add feed later as the bulbs start to flower.

4. Remove any rotting fruit and vegetation from your plot/garden, keep lawns as free as possible from fallen leaves to help stop the spread of diseases. If the weather is mild then grass is likely to keep growing, so mowing it will also make the job of removing leaves easier utilizing the mower to do so.

5. Make regular checks of your stored vegetables, ensuring any diseased ones are disposed of.

6. Adding grease bands to the trunks of fruit trees this month should stop winter moth damage.

7. November is a good month to check, maintain and repair, gardening tools, machinery, greenhouse heaters, cloches, water butts, downpipes as well as checking outbuildings for rainwater leaks.

8. Windy weather probably accounts for more damage to allotments, gardens, trees and plants than most other weather conditions. Ensure tree and plant stakes are well secured. Other outdoor items and structures such as sheds, greenhouses, fencing, planters and pots may all need to be secured or taken indoors if high winds are forecast.

9. Any rotted down compost that you have available can be spread around borders or next seasons veggie planting areas to enable it to work into the soil over the Winter.

10. November is possibly the best month to plant out Tulip bulbs. 

Been & Gone

With a general lack of my blog posts for a while now, I thought it may be a good time to re-cap on the past 12 months down my plots. I've been busy doing D.I.Y. tasks at home for several days now, mainly due to the murky, damp and rainy weather and lack of major gardening tasks at this time of the year. Pumpkins and squashes are still growing and developing in No 1 bed on N1 Plot and I have plenty of well developed brassicas and lettuce growing to last me for a few months yet. Leeks are currently of a good size growing on N2 Plot. With late sown carrots doing well, along with over wintering onions, Winter hardy spring onions and lambs lettuce producing a good crop and even a few strawberries in evidence, the next round of sowing and planting will be for next season. I ventured down to my plots this afternoon, not expecting to achieve much, after torrential rain for most of last night. Although the soil was quite sticky, I managed to fork over the final patch of ground on No 4 bed on N2 Plot, surprisingly the soil crumbled down nicely as I forked it over. After the bed had been forked I completed the broadcasting  of mustard seeds across this bed. All in all a pleasant warm afternoon, quite different to the moment, with rain lashing down and a massive thunder storm in progress, well it is Autumn after all.

THE PAST 12 MONTHS DOWN THE PLOT UPDATE (well most of it anyway)

October 2013
14th - Bed 3 N1 weeded and composted.

16th - Poly tunnel, ground prepped and mixed lettuce sown.

17th - N1 Plot No2 bed prepped and onion sets sown/planted.

18th - Summer raspberry plants being removed from N1 Plot.

19th - ----------------------"--------------------------------  Rubbish taken to re-cycling centre.

20th - Raining

21st - After overnight rain worked in shed, rotavator repairs.

24th - Shed roof repair N1 Plot. Shelling runner beans, Removing more raspberry canes.

25th - Rotavator repairs. (heavy overnight rain with standing water on bed 2 N2.

26th - Rhubarb manured along with bed 2 N2.

27th - Potting up blackcurrants.

28th - L-shaped bed N1 Plot weeded after heavy overnight rain.

29th - Removing raspberry plants from N1 Plot. (rain and hail).

30th - Last of raspberry plants lifted N1. Final pumpkins harvested.

November 2013

2nd - Weeding and clearing leaves on drainage ditch bank.

3rd - Rain.

4th - Rain.

5th - Cleaning canes and tools.

6th - 7th - 8th - 9th - Rain.

10th - Runner beans and canes removed N1 Plot.

11th - Rain.

12th - Tidied plots, 2nd batch of onion sets sown/planted, shelling beans.

13th - Topping up raised beds with soil.

15th - Installing water barrels, cleaning canes.

16th - Broad beans sown.

17th to 28th Rained.

30th - Digging L-shaped bed N1 Plot.

December 2013

3rd - Digging L-shaped bed N1 Plot.

5th - L-shaped bed finished, clearing fallen leaves.

Rain

18th - Checked plots for flooding.

Rain

27th - Checked plots for flooding.

28th - Tidied plots checked for damage.

Rain

January 2014

1st - Rain

2nd - Checked plots, composted this years brassica bed.

Rain

February 2014

7th - Checked plots for flooding.

Rain

15th - Checked plots for flooding.

19th - After 2 dry sunny days, dug runner bean trenches and turned compost heaps.

Rain

22nd - Worked in poly tunnel, runner beans potted up.

Rain

March 2014 

1st - Potting up.

2nd - Potting up.

Rain

5th - 6th - 7th - 8th Digging roots bed N1 Plot.

10th - Thinned onions/leeks N1 Plot.

11th - Some poly tunnel repairs.

12th - Main bed N2 Plot weed clearing.

13th - Main bed N2 Plot weed clearing.

14th - Weeding N1 Plot.

15th - Strimming grass, rotavating, weeding, potting.

16th - Rotavating, sowing peas.

17th - Forking over top bed N1 Plot.

18th - Potting, lettuce and tomatoes sown.

19th - Potting, sowing.

20th - Forking over top bed N1 Plot.

21st - ------------"------------------

22nd - -----------"------------------

23rd - -----------"------------------

24th - ------------"-----------------

25th - Top bed N1 Plot finished.

26th - Digging small beds N2 Plot.

27th - -----------"----------------

28th - Working on raised beds, potting brassicas.

29th - Digging small beds N2 Plot.

31st - Removing grass paths N2 Plot.

April 2014

1st - Weeding raspberry bed N2 Plot. Removing grass paths N2.

2nd - Removing grass paths N2. Tidying another plot ready for renting out to new tennant.

3rd - Sowing peas a.m. rain p.m.

4th - Sowing peas, leeks lifted, roots bed prepped.

5th - Top 2 beds N1 Plot & L-shaped bed prepped.

6th - Strawberry bed weeded and hoed.

7th - Carrots & lettuce sown.

8th - Bed 3 N1 Plot digging.

9th - Bed 3 finished.

10th - Weeded potato bed N2 Plot & extended its length by 4 feet by removing turf from parking area.

11th - Digging potato bed N2.

12th - ----------"------------

13th - ----------"------------ beetroot sown.

14th - Peas, runner beans, cucumbers & marrows sown.

15th - Digging potato bed N2.

16th - Finished potato bed digging.

17th - Strimming grass, rotavated potato bed. 

18th - Potato planting.

22nd - Turned 4th bed N1 Plot.

23rd - Potting (rain)

24th - Grass mowing, Asparagus weeded, spare potato tubers planted N1 Plot.

25th - Seed sowing, potting.

26th - General weeding.

27th - More peas sown, shed tidied.

28th - Potting, weeding/hoeing poly tunnel.

29th - Potting.

30th - Seed sowing, thinned onions. (first birds ground feeding).

May 2014

1st - Seed sowing. Installing a salvaged water tank.

2nd - Runner bean canes installed. Lettuce, leeks sown.

6th - Watering, weeding, seed sowing.

7th -  Digging L-shaped bed, cabbage & parsnips sown. Rotavator obtained from re-cycling centre.

8th - Watering, installed more water butts.

9th - Rotavating, runner beans planted, marrows planted.

10th - Potting beans, edging beds, water butts maintenance.

11th - Peas filled in, more runner beans planted, more potato planting, earthing up potatoes.

12th - Leeks sown, sweetcorn sown.

13th - Watering, evening.

14th - Wigwams erected N2, lettuce sown.

15th - Squashes planted, poly tunnel weeded.

16th - Strawberry bed weeded.

24th - Squashes sown, courgettes sown.

25th - Old leeks removed, weeding.

26th - Marrows planted, weeding/digging small beds N2.

27th - Weeding/digging small beds N2 Plot.

29th - Weeding roots bed N1, thinned beetroots, earthed up carrots.

30th - Weeding & hoing various beds.

June 2014

1st - Potting, sowing peas, weeding.

3rd - Sowing cucumber seeds into pots.

4th - Poly tunnel work. Digging 2 bed N2 removing creeping thistle roots.

5th - Removing creeping thistle roots N2.

6th - Pak-choi sown, removing creeping thistle roots N2.

7th - Digging, weeding fruit bed area N1.

8th - Potting fruit bushes.

10th - Clearing drainage ditch bank, edging beds N2 Plot.

11th - Clearing weeds under fruit bushes, edging N2.

12th - Hoed L-shaped bed, french beans planted N2.

16th - Roots bed N1 hoed, rotavator maintenance, tomatoes pinched out, watering (evening).

17th - Squash & Cucumbers planted out, more runner bean plants added.

18th - Removed 1 grass path from N1 Plot, watering, filled main water tank again with drainage ditch water.

19th - Brassica bed hoed, cabbage seed sown.

20th - Removed another grass path N2 Plot, rubbish to re-cycling centre, cleaned rotavator.

21st - Watering, more cucumbers sown, re-filled water butts with drainage ditch water.

22nd - Filling water tanks and butts with drainage ditch water.

23rd - Obtained some re-cycled fence post (for fruit cage), removed another grass path N2.

24th - Sowed carrots into raised bed, re-filled main water tank.

25th - Lifted Japanese onions, watering. Everything is very dry, peas struggling to grow.

27th - Weeding & spuddling.

28th - Started erecting the fruit cage N1 Plot. Prepping new strawberry bed. Some rain.

29th - Prepping and marking out the new strawberry bed and fruit cage measurements.

30th- Building fruit cage.

July 2014
1st - Building fruit cage, watering (evenings)
2nd - -------"---------
3rd - -------"---------
4th - -------"---------
5th - -------"---------, harvesting various, transplanting leeks.
6th - Thinning & weeding.
7th - Building fruit cage, lifting strawberry plants ready for moving into fruit cage, harvesting.
8th - --------"---------, harvesting. (light rain).
9th - --------"---------.
10th - Fruit cage finished.
11th - Removed grass path N1 Plot, harvesting, re-filled main water tank.
12th - Major harvesting session.
13th - General tidy up of plots.
14th - Hoeing N2.
15th - Removing wooden edging N2.
16th - Removing grass paths & turf N1.
17th - Lifted carrots, harvesting, removing grass path N1, prepping soil inside fruit cage.
18th - Applying preserver to fruit cage woodwork.
19th - Harvesting, laying ground cover inside fruit cage.
20th - Moving alpine strawberry plants into fruit cage.
21st - Cabbage plants thinned out, watering (evening).
22nd - More strawberry plants moved into fruit cage.
23rd -Thinned out more cabbage plants, more lettuce sown.
24th - First potatoes lifted, more strawberry plants moved into fruit cage, watering.
29th - Watering.
30th - Digging N2 Plot, harvesting.
31st - Finished digging N2, pea plants removed, harvesting.
August 2014
1st - Rubbish removal to re-cycling centre, sheds cleaned up, (overnight rain).
2nd - Rotavating N2, more potatoes lifted.
3rd - Marrows, courgettes, squashes harvested.
4th - Asparagus bed weeded and hoed, lifted more potatoes.
5th - More waste taken to re-cycling centre, working in poly tunnel, (some rain).
6th - Weeding and digging top area of N2, welsh onions split and re-planted.
7th - Leek growing area weeded, removed more wooden edging N2, digging over lower end of N2.
8th - Harvesting, lifting more potatoes.
10th - Lifting potatoes, (some rain).
11th - Lifting potatoes.
12th - Re- prepping and digging main potato bed N2 Plot.
13th - Finished prepping potato bed N2, old strawberry bed digging.
14th - Gooseberry bush pruning.
15th to 19th - Digging N2 bed.
20th - N2 bed finished digging, harvesting.
21st - Removing more wooden edging N2 Plot, lifting and moving corms, digging strawberry bed.
22nd - Corms re-planted, removing couch grass N2 Plot.
23rd - Removing grass path and wooden edging N1 Plot.
24th - Finishing off preserver on fruit cage.
26th - Re-designing edging @ top of N1 Plot by the allotment road, lifting potatoes.
27th - -------------------"------------------, harvesting.
28th - Lifted carrots, edging beds.
29th - Edging.
30th - Edging, rotavator maintenance.
31st - Edging finished, grass mowing.
September 2014
1st - Re-designing edging @ top of N1 Plot.
2nd - Covered potato bed N2, Brassica bed weeded, rotavating.
3rd - Harvesting, old strawberry bed rotavated.
4th - More potatoes lifted, digging L-shaped bed N1, removing brambles from drainage ditch bank.
5th - Weeding, hoeing, painting garden furniture.
6th - Shed painting, carrots sown N2.
7th - Rubbish to re-cycling centre, sowed lettuce & spring onions.
8th - Onion sets planted, daffs & tulip bulbs planted, shed tidied.
9th - Weeding, sweetcorn plants removed, 1 red currant bush removed from fruit cage.
10th - Weeding, lifting potatoes.
11th - More tulip bulbs planted, (lettuce showing within 5 days).
12th - Weeding, concrete blocks positioned inside fruit cage as edging along the ground covers.
13th - More daff bulbs planted, edging beds.
15th - Weeding, turning 2 bed N2.
16th - Shed painting.
18th - Edging, watering.
19th - Edging.
20th to 28th Clearing out the drainage ditch and its banks, mud from ditch spread on 1 bed N1 Plot.
29th - Weeding & watering.
30th - Edging beds, broad beans & onion seed sown.
October 2014
3rd - Top part of N2 (now bed 4) being forked over.
4th - ----------------------"------------------------, sown with mustard.
12th - Compost heaps turned, usable compost removed for spreading on various beds.
16th -  Remainder of bed 4 N2 forked over and mustard sown.


There's Always Tomorrow!!

Autumn

With frequent mentions, in the media lately, of the driest September on record for the U.K. in general, it got me thinking of the weather in my area so far this year. If my memory serves me correctly, with approximately 3 and a half days of some patchy rain in Taunton, since the deluges and floods of last Winter, then that must be a record also. Although surrounding local areas here have had more rain and a few thunder storms since last Spring, in general they have bypassed Taunton. The recent t.v. weather forecasts have been correct and as predicted, last night saw the first heavy downpours of rain and high winds this Autumn. I liked the terminology in one forecast which mentioned persistent rain, rather than heavy or torrential. I was hoping to visit my plots this morning but the persistent overnight rain has put paid to that idea.

With only a handful of tasks to complete down the plots before Winter, such as some repairs to my poly tunnel and part of 1 growing bed plus the L-shaped bed on N1 Plot to prepare, things can be left until later this week. I expect that last nights high winds may have caused some damage, which will give me an indication of what needs battening down for the Winter. Another job I was hoping to do today, was to cover my late carrot plants and lettuces with cloches, but as the latest weather forecast mentioned air temperatures rising a little by the end of this week, there is no hurry to do that either. With 50% of the pruning done last week, to my fruit bushes, I expect the rest can be completed by the end of this week or before any frosts are forecast. Once the remaining marrows and squashes have been harvested, that just leaves any odd jobs and keeping the plots tidy for the rest of the year to do. This season seems to have flown by but has been more leisurely than past seasons and the plots are now in the condition and layout that I want for the foreseeable future.

Just thought I would add a couple of photographs I missed in earlier posts. Its persisting down again outside, so its time for a cuppa.

1st 2 Strawberries of Any Appreciable Size on One of My Strawberry Trees N2 Plot

Strawberry Plants Moved & Re-planted Into Fruit Cage Earlier This Year

There's Always Tomorrow!!

Rooko's October Top 10 Tips & Tryouts

1. Many squashes and pumpkins should be mature enough to harvest this month. If the skins cannot be punctured using your finger nail they should be ready to harvest. Cut the vine/stalk (away from yourself) about an inch or two above the pumpkin/squash.

2. Keep your lawns, borders and growing areas free from falling leaves to alleviate the spread of diseases. Leaves could be left in heaps in sheltered places as a place for hibernating animals to use, during the Winter.

3. Cuttings can be taken from Currant, Blueberry and Gooseberry bushes this month.

4. Check and maintain any equipment you may need to use over the Winter months such as greenhouse heaters. Remember, if you have petrol driven machinery stored away for the Winter, such as a rotorvator, unleaded petrol will start to "go off" after about 3 months, possibly giving starting problems later.

5. Although the weather here in U.K. is still sunny and warm at the end of September this year, it may well change to wet and colder in October. Now would be a good time to bring, tender/half hardy plants, inside, to protect them from frosts/cold winds.

6. October is usually a good month to plant out strawberry runners and also to split rhubarb crowns for re-planting.

7. Plan your garden/allotment sowing/planting areas for next season as well as ordering seeds, plants and seed catalogues.

8. Although asparagus fronds can be cut off after they have started to die back they can also be cut back this month. Add a good amount of compost/manure around the plants after cutting back the fronds from them.

9. Just a few plants that can be pruned in October but beware of hard frosts when pruning. Blackcurrant, Birch, California Lilac, Common beech, Dogwwod, Evergreen clematis, Firethorn, Hydrangea, Lilac, Nectarine, Roses, Rowan, Tamarisk.

10.

SOWING/PLANTING IN OCTOBER

1. Japanese onion sets can be planted in October.
2. Broad Beans can also be planted as well as Garlic and Shallots.
3. Hardy Lettuce can still be sown.

OTHER JOBS IN OCTOBER

1. Pull and store Carrots.
2.  Lift any remaining potatoes.
3. Manure empty areas of the plot as required.
4. Clear away dead/decaying foliage.
5. Tidy fruit beds removing dead leaves from Strawberries. Re-plant runners.

The Plot Thickens

With most of my Summer crops harvested, used, languishing in my freezer or better still in their final stages of development, it was time, last week, to take on the mammoth task of clearing the drainage ditch bank of vegetation before the Winter rains?? set in. The drainage ditch runs past the lower end of my plots with a large hedgerow well established on the opposite bank. This area behind my fruit trees gets overgrown with many wild plants and weeds. Some of the annoying ones being, brambles, bindweed, couch grass, dandelions, creeping clover, docks and nettles. Left to their own devices a combination of these "weeds" would quickly invade the lower reaches of my plots. Although the drainage ditch is almost devoid of water at present, when it is flowing it runs from west to east along the ditch. At present another invasive plant is making its way towards my plots, following the same direction as the water would, and will soon become a problem if not kept in check, (the dreaded mares tail).

Drainage Ditch Lower End of N2 Looking East (Uncleared) Sept 2014

Starting last weekend I began by pruning back the larger bushes, trees and brambles on the far bank, using a telescopic pruner to reach across the ditch. The ground level vegetation on both banks was then raked loose and bagged off into potato sacks and other containers for disposal. The mainly larger wild plants/flowers were left intact apart for trimming their foliage back somewhat, using garden shears. After 3 days work, the banks and bottom of the ditch were clear of weeds, cuttings and debris. A couple of years ago consignments of animal manure to our allotments was found to be contaminated with pesticides. Since then, finding a regular source of manure has been hit and miss. Taking this into consideration I decided to clear out the humus rich mud from the bottom of the drainage ditch and deposit it onto my vegetable beds, in lieu of manure, as well as keeping the ditch clear for water to run off from. Using a walking board on top of the thick black mud I began to dig it out, starting work last Monday.

Vegetation Cleared Mud Digging Started Below N1 Plot Sept 2014

Digging Out the Mud Sept 2014

Walking Board Sinking in the Mud Sept 2014

Mud Removed Lower End of N1 Plot Sept 2014

1st 4 Barrow Loads of Mud on No1 Bed N1 Plot Sept 2014

 Once the vegetation had been removed the full width of the ditch was about 1 and a half meters with the useable mud being about half a meter deep, thick black and very smelly due to its high nitrogen content from rotting vegetation. Each spadeful had to be wrenched out and thrown up the bank into my wheelbarrow. With the mud sticking to just about everything it came into contact with, progress was slow but to date I have completed approximately 10 meters along the length of the ditch.
Its now Sunday afternoon 28th September 2014 and clearing of the drainage ditch has finally been achieved.

Drainage Ditch Clearing Finished 28 Sept 14 Photographed East to West From Lower End of N2 Plot

The Marrows Kept On Growing Whilst I Worked In The Ditch Sept 2014

 There's always tomorrow!!

Cheap Bulbs

Just a quick message for my U.K. readers. My local Lidl store was selling (U.K.) daffodil bulbs today @ £5 for a 5Kg bag.
Maybe yours is too.

There's Always Tomorrow!!

Septembers Spuddling

A relatively slow, quiet and relaxing month so far down my plots, apart from harvesting a variety of different vegetables, some for immediate use, with others prepped and crammed into my freezer. Due to potato blight still rearing its ugly head around the allotments, the mountain of potatoes stored in plastic trays in my garage have been checked regularly for it. Any potatoes showing signs of blight have been disposed of because if they were to come into contact with other tubers they would quickly pass the blight on, another reason the potatoes are stored in trays this year rather than in bags or sacks, less contact between tubers and the ease of being able to spot any disease at a glance. My early sowing of runner beans this year were not up to their usual standard but a second later sowing is now producing an excellent crop due to the much improved weather conditions of the past fortnight or so. With temperatures just short of 30 degrees C in my poly tunnel today, tomatoes and cucumbers are in abundance, although my water melons (sugar babe) are dire. Over the past couple of days more spring onions, along with lambs lettuce and senshu onion sets have been sown/planted at the upper end of N2 Plot into No. 2 bed. Daffodil bulbs have been added to the upper end of No 1 bed on N2 Plot with tulip bulbs being added to 1 of my raised beds, which will eventually be filled with more bulbs.

Another Good Harvest (Sept 2014)

 The re-designing work I have been doing to both plots this year is almost finished and a high percentage of the beds are, or soon will be ready for next years sowing/planting, after some compost or manure has been added to them. 2 areas from 3 where potatoes were grown this year will need the soil cleaning before they are used again, to guard against any blight spores that may remain. A relaxing afternoons painting last Sunday saw a new coat of paint/preserver mix applied to the shed on N2 Plot and at the same time to the adjacent water storage tank, which is now darkish brown rather than a light grey colour, (along with the t-shirt I was wearing at the time). The idea being for the tank to soak up more sunlight rather than reflecting it. If so, when the rainwater is applied to plants/seedlings it may be slightly warmer giving less "shock" to the plants. With a couple of days of pruning and general clearing up of rubbish and vegetation that cannot be composted the plots are looking in a reasonably tidy condition prior to the onset of Winter. I expect the Autumn leaf fall will alter that somewhat.

"Grilled" Cucumber September 2014

Keeping The Bugs Down in My Poly Tunnel Sept 2014

This Years Main Potato Bed Cleaned & Covered N2 Plot Sept 2014

Old Strawberry Bed N1 Plot Rotavated Sept 2014

Most Brassicas Looking Good Sept 2014

Water Tank Painting Sept 2014

Re-Designed N2 Plot September 2014

Re-Designed N1 Plot September 2014

There's Always Tomorrow!!