Rooko's January Top 10 Tips & Tryouts!! (Not)

 With the current Winter weather conditions here in U.K. being what they are, if anyone is outside doing any gardening they are either a true gardening fanatic, a paddy field owner or a few sandwiches short of a picnic. I've decided not to post my top 10 tips for January in sympathy with all the people currently affected by flooding in various parts of the country at the moment. My sympathy and best wishes for the new year go to them all.

This area of the back garden was an old overgrown rockery by the back gate.

 Christmas is already a long forgotten event, (in my book anyway), with time already seeming to be flying by, accompanied by the usual stream of seed catalogues and other gardening related literature popping through my letterbox. Many thanks to Sally Nex for sending me the free vegetable seeds she was advertising on her blog, a few weeks ago. Speaking of Christmas, a little while before it, I decided to buy myself an early present, consisting of one of those touch screen all in one computer thingies. My old "wind up" one, was well out of date and slower than a garden snail moving through super glue. I've finally got the new one working how I want it to, so for future blog posting and other uses, it should be much easier to use now. I'm not sure about the touch screen bit, lots of finger marks all over the screen, colourful though, paint, putty, adhesive, undercoats etc. saves messing about with screensavers. Should have got a self cleaning one??    Quite honestly I stopped working in my garden a few weeks back, due to the extremely wet, windy and rainy conditions. Only about one tenth of my originally planned re-designing of the garden has been completed so far. I must have a word with my project manager, trouble is I can never remember my new phone number, yet. With only 1 visit to my plots a couple of weeks ago, to collect some equipment for use in the garden and to drop off a lawnmower grass box, for Chris one of my allotment friends, any outside work is currently out of the question until the weather improves, (a lot).

Looking at the patio from the eastern end of the back garden. Borders cleared of weeds and ivy.

 Recently I have been concentrating my efforts on the seemingly endless decorating and updating of my bungalow. Well lets face it you can never get plumbers, electricians or other tradesmen these days, they all seem to be busy elsewhere when you require a job doing. Anyway if you want a job done properly, D.I.Y. Not sure if that's flooding in my lounge or I just whacked a nail into a hidden water pipe? I am currently sanding down walls and door frames and prepping them ready for re-painting. I gave up todays efforts about 15 minutes ago when the last light bulb in my hallway popped its clogs, closely followed by darkening skies, gusting high winds and yet another torrential downpour of rain, making it too difficult to see what I was doing (mainly lack of light, that is, the roofs not leaking, yet)!! Anyway sanding paintwork down is about as interesting as watching grass grow, which come to think of it, the grass in my garden and down my plot is still growing due to the unseasonably mild weather, (along with the daffodils on my plot flowering, at the beginning of November). I suppose the sceptics think global warming/climate change still isn't happening. It won't register until they are up the creek without a paddle.

The old garden shed was dismantled some time ago and having had some repairs done it was re-assembled. After 2 coats of paint it still needed more adding. 3 coats later I await an improvement in the weather to complete its painting.

Do I miss not being able to work down my allotment due to the bad weather, yes to that!! it looks like a late start to 2016's growing season.

This area of the back garden will eventually be decking and a strawberry bed

A HAPPY AND FRUITFUL NEW YEAR TO ALL

There's always tomorrow!!!
 

Rooko's Decembers Top 10 tips & Tryouts

A MERRY CHRISTMAS HAPPY 

AND

FRUITFUL NEW YEAR TO ALL 

 


Gifs courtesy of fg-a.com 

2015 In A Flash

Where's this year gone (and what the heck was I really doing) would sum up my allotment and gardening efforts for 2015. As my readers will already know, I put my house up for sale early this year and prior to that, from about November 2014 until the first week of February this year I was concentrating on preparing that house for sale. The rear garden was re-designed somewhat and various D.I.Y. and decorating jobs done, prior to its sale, so very little "Winter work" got done down my plots. I made the first visit to the plots during the first week of February just after several frosts had abated. One of the first jobs I remember doing was to replace my poly tunnel, damaged by high winds during January. After that a start was made on sowing various seeds into pots and getting them settled into the new poly tunnel. A period of early hot dry weather then did little to aid the germination of some of the seeds, especially 2 different types of tomato seeds. Several weeks later the said seeds still hadn't germinated, so thinking I had used a bad batch of compost, the pots had their contents emptied onto my compost heap. Whilst doing some weeding around my asparagus plants on N1's No1 bed earlier this month I came across a couple of dozen tomato plants about 2 inches in height, happily growing away among the weeds (November???). I had mulched the asparagus with sieved compost earlier. That's what I call "sods law", perhaps an apt term in the gardening world.

 About the second week into March temperatures dropped somewhat, accompanied by heavy rain, which caused me more delays in working the ground down the plots. Frosts persisted into April, despite them, various crops such as, potatoes, beetroot, cabbage, broad beans, spring onions and lettuce were developing well from seed sown earlier. Parsnips also germinated very well this year. By the end of April more brassicas had been planted out, pea plants were doing very well on N2 Plots No 3 bed. Sweetcorn plants were being kept back in the poly tunnel for a later planting out than I usually attempt. Most beds were sown/planted by the end of May after a few weeks of dry weather. The persistently cold North Westerly wind continued, keeping temperatures down. Rainwater stocks were running low. The cold wind continued into June. Runner beans germinated. First tomato plants germinated in the poly tunnel, slow and late. No rain for several weeks again, up until almost the end of July, with the dry conditions adversely affecting oriental greens, turnips, swedes and my water harvesting containers. First sweetcorn harvested 29th July. House sale still not completed.  The usual sowing planting and harvesting continued during most of August and September. Some rain came by the end of August and the first few days of September. Temperatures were dropping noticeably overnight by the first week of September. My house sale concluded on the 1st of October and the move to my new abode went well. Six days later was a family wedding followed, next day, by my bonfire night down the plot. I think that was my last visit to the plot due to various work that requires doing on my current house and garden. With a hospital operation yesterday and another due before Christmas, i think it will be 2016 before I get anything more achieved down my plot. Oh! and the planned breakdown of my lawnmower just prior to Black Friday was a stroke of luck??

Who's This Guy?? (Nov 8th 2015)

Starting the Bonfire (8th Nov 2015)

Well Lit  (8th Nov 2015)

November Harvest 2015

Summing up: based upon a combination of quality, quantity, ease of growing, cost effectiveness of each crop.

Apples - excellent crop 10 out of 10
Pears - 5/10
Plums - 4/10
Cherries - 5/10 (Good quality, lost most of them during the June drop)
Red currants - 10/10
Black currants - 10/10
White currants - 9/10
Blackberries - 0/10 (1st year)
Blueberries - 4/10
Grapes - 10/10
Grapes white - 3/10 (needed late sun, didn't get any)
Rhubarb - 10/10
Strawberries - 7/10
Raspberries - 4/10
Asparagus - 8/10
Carrots - 15/10
Beetroot - 9/10
Swede - 0/10
Turnips - 2/10
Parsnips - 10/10
Potatoes - 8/10 (Would have been 10 but for high starch content and some blight).
Spring onions - 10/10
Broad beans - 10/10
Sweetcorn - 8/10
Bridgwater beans - 6/10
Runner beans - 5/10
Oriental greens (all) - 0/10
Sprouts - 9/10
Cabbage - 8/10
Lettuce -10/10
Onions - 10/10
Tomatoes - 4/10
Cauliflower - 7/10
Marrows - 8/10
Squashes - 8/10
Courgettes - 8/10
Calabrese - 6/10

There's Always Tomorrow!!  


 

How Many Hours In A Day??

 If things don't change they'll stay the same, well that's no surprise, so what's changed since my last post at the end of July. Well the weather has changed for a start, although its very mild for this time of the year and a little damp caused by recent, frequent early morning mists. I made the first visit to my plots (or should I say plot), today, for a few weeks. I sold my house at the beginning of October and having purchased a bungalow, (still in Taunton), with a rather large rear garden I decided it would be prudent to hand back N2 Plot and utilize my rear garden, turning part of it into a vegetable plot. Moving house, clearing N2 Plot and being involved with the planning of a family wedding for this coming Saturday, (or maybe not, seeing as the bride and groom have just contracted tonsilitis??), has kept me extremely busy over the past month or so. Hopefully things will settle down a little within the next week or so.

N1 Plot, No 2 Bed + Bonfire October 2015

 N1 Plot now consists of 3 vegetable beds as before 1, 2 and the L-shaped bed, with the fruit cage still in place on No 1 bed. No 2 bed has been turned and covered with plastic sheeting for the Winter, except for the top end of the bed, (North end), where this years bonfire currently stands, awaiting its demise on the 8th of November. No1 bed still has carrots and parsnips left in the ground. I lifted about half a 15 foot row of carrots this afternoon, they were still in very good condition and a good size too. Most of the plot looked slightly neglected with the grass paths and borders needing mowing but being too damp to cut. The inside of the fruit cage requires a good weeding and removal of the fruit bushes foliage which is strewn across the ground, under the bushes. With the runner bean plants still standing on the L-shaped bed, needing to be removed and the lower end of the L-shaped bed requiring a good clearing up of the fallen leaves from my fruit trees.

Last of the Tomatoes Ripening Mid October 2015

A high percentage of the "flower borders" in and around the rear garden of my bungalow, were well overgrown with ivy, both variegated and the old english type as well as periwinkle and various other plants and shrubs, which had been neglected for quite some time. Thousands of Spring flowering bulbs were once planted under and around the border plants, shrubs and ivies. I have almost completed removing the ivy and periwinkle from the borders and fencing. Digging out the massive ivy roots without the use of a J.C.B. was rather physically challenging. Most of the various plants have been lifted, split and re-planted or discarded, depending upon their condition. All of the spring bulbs have been lifted, split and re-positioned/re-planted. The old garden shed which was in a state of disrepair, except for its roof, has been repaired, after removing the roof, dismantling and repairing the sides and replacing the roof, it is once again a viable work and storage area.

Unidentified Grub October 2015

Unidentified Grub November 2015

As this is supposed to be an allotment/gardening blog I won't mention the various other D.I.Y. jobs which have been required since the beginning of October even if I could remember them all!!

There's Always Tomorrow!!

Rooko's Novembers Top 10 Tips & Tryouts

Well after I missed last months top 10 (only the 2nd time since I started blogging), its about time I got back into some posting and allotment work.

1. Well I'm about to stick my neck right out with the first tip. 2 weeks is your deadline for getting out those protective fleeces, covers and any other plant protection items you can find. I'm predicting a cold snap across U.K. starting in approximately 2 weeks time, that will last into February 2016 with temperatures well below freezing day and night. Be prepared.

2. Deciduous and fruit trees can be planted this month but do not plant them on waterlogged areas of ground.

3. Many gardeners and allotment owners will be celebrating bonfire night soon. If you have built a bonfire, remember to check under/inside it for any hibernating animals such as hedgehogs, before lighting the fire.

4. Vacant patches of ground on your plot can be dug/rotavated if not too wet. Add compost/manure. Winter frosts should break down any heavy clumps of soil.

5. Cover rhubarb crowns with a mixture of soil/manure or soil/compost to feed and protect them over the Winter period.

6. November is usually a good time to repair and maintain garden tools and machinery, ready for next seasons gardening adventures.

7. Cuttings of evergreen shrubs can be taken this month.

8. Grapevines can be pruned this month, cutting back all fruited buds to 1 or 2 shoots from the main stem.

9. Protect the crowns of globe artichokes from frosts by adding straw around the base of the plants.

10.

SOWING/PLANTING IN NOVEMBER

1. Garlic cloves can be planted out.
2. Sow peas (round type) if the ground is not waterlogged.
3. Parsnips can be left in situ.

OTHER JOBS TO DO IN NOVEMBER

1. Lift and store any remaining carrots.
2. Harvest Winter Cabbage and Cauliflower.
3. Prune back fruit canes.
 4. Remove any rotting fruit/vegetation

Rooko's September Top 10 Tips & Tryouts

1. After several wet days in the past fortnight and temperatures dropping quite noticeably, especially overnight, check the ventilation of greenhouses and poly tunnels if you still have fruit and veg ripening within them. My tomatoes have been very slow to ripen this year. It may be prudent to strip all the leaves and stems from the plants to aid ripening.

2. Lifting potatoes is best done when the soil is reasonably dry. About this time of year slugs/worms are more likely to attack tubers and blight can set in after being spread around after rain showers.

3. If your beds are clear of veggies, now is the time to dig or rotavate them, ready for next season, adding manure or compost as required. This will save time next Spring.

4. If you prefer to dig/rotavate in the Spring, try sowing a green manure such as mustard. Mustard (a biofumigant) not only keeps many weeds at bay but is also useful in deterring soil borne pests.

5. Now is a good time to plant out Autumn onion sets & garlic.

6. If you don't have the positions of your perennial plants in the garden indicated with markers, why not draw up a map, before they die back, so you can remember where they are.

7. After harvesting the last of your Autumn raspberries cut back their canes.

8. Don't leave those runner and french beans too long before picking them otherwise they will become tough and stringy. Better to freeze them than waste them. Top and tail, slice, blanche for 2 minutes, open freeze then keep in the freezer in an airtight storage container.

9. Slugs and snails are still out and about especially under and around decayed vegetable matter. Keep beds and borders free of their hiding places. A sharpened stick or pair of garden shears will put an end to most molluscs.

10.

SOWING/PLANTING IN SEPTEMBER

1. Winter hardy lettuce can be sown in September as well as hardy Spring Onions.
2. Spring Cabbages can be planted out now.
3. Parsnips will taste better if left in the ground until after a frost.

OTHER JOBS IN SEPTEMBER

1. Prune Summer fruiting Raspberries.
2.  Runners from Strawberries can be planted now.
3. Add manure, lime or green manures to your soil, depending on each beds condition and your crop rotation.

Rooko's August Top 10 Tips & Tryouts

1. August is probably a good month to spray weedkiller, (if you use it), onto those nasty perennial weeds, whilst they have a good covering of foliage to absorb it.

2. Pick veggies, such as runner beans, french beans, peas regularly, which will encourage the plants to produce more fruits.  Biggest is not always best, small and sweet is often the best.

3. If you have an abundance of veggies, why not invite some friends over for a B.B.Q. and utilize the extra fruit and veggies in a salad/meal.

4. August can be a fairly dry month, regular, consistent watering, particularly of seedlings, potted plants and hanging baskets may be required. Don't get dehydrated, have a drink yourself too.

5. Taking cutting from half hardy bedding plants is a good idea this month.

6. If the weather has been particularly dry add mulches around beds and borders to aid water retention.

7. Watch out for signs of late blight on tomatoes/potato plants. Remove any infected plants and burn or bag and bin them, don't add them to a compost heap.

8. Weeding is usually a year round chore, but many weeds have seed heads throughout August, make sure these seed heads are not added to your compost heap, unless you can ensure temperatures within the heap are high enough to kill the seeds off. Remember the old saying, 1 years seeds = 7 years weeds.

9. On the subject of weeds, many of them or different parts of them are edible. Check out which ones can be useful before discarding them.

10.

SOWING/PLANTING IN AUGUST

1. Sow the following this month: Spring Cabbage, Chinese Cabbage, Kohl-rabi, Lettuce (Winter hardy), Spring Onions, Radish, Spinach and Turnips.
2. Plant out Savoys, Cauliflowers and Kale.

OTHER JOBS IN AUGUST

1.  Keep weeding & hoeing.
2. If you are storing potatoes for later use, ensure any damaged ones are used, not stored.
3. Pinch out side shoots on tomatoes, leaving 4 or 5 trusses on each plant in general.
4. Turn your compost heap and spray with water if it is very dry.
5. Compost & manure heaps are attractive places for wasps to build their nests, so be wary when disturbing the heaps.

9. 

Tray Bien???

Another good harvest today, salute the kernal 2015.

Todays Harvest (29/7/15)

There's Always Tomorrow!!

Parched

Some rainwater at long last pouring from the clouds, at least I think that's what it is, with weeks without any its difficult to remember what a good downpour of rainfall looks like. Although over the past couple of months we have experienced a couple of thunder storms and a little drizzly, muggy weather the allotments have been parched, up until last night when the rain started. My recent visits to the plots have been intermittent for a while now, mainly due to the fact that my house sale is still progressing and the priority has been, jumping through the various hoops associated with organizing completion of the sale. Watering the plots has been a pain lately with some varieties of veggies not liking the hot dry weather conditions at all. To compound problems it looks like the water fittings around our allotments will have to be updated, special underground tanks fitted and hose pipes and water meters banned in future. So far this year I have managed to use water from the drainage ditch at the southern end of my plots to water my plants. That source dried up about a fortnight ago. In fact over the past 2 years the only "mains water" I have used has been approximately 30, 2 liter watering cans full. If these long dry Springs and Summers continue, which I think they will, in this part of the country, I am seriously thinking of dispensing with growing certain crops. The main ones adversely affected by the dry conditions so far being, turnips, swedes, some oriental greens and certain brassicas. Germination of some seeds has also been hit and miss with temperatures being above their germination limits.

The Last of The Water (and mulch) Duckweed from the Drainage Ditch (17/July/15)

 Despite the dry conditions most of my crops have fared well with few problems along the way. Weeding has not been a problem, with many of the usual annual weeds not making an appearance, or the ground being too dry for them to fully develop this year. My sweetcorn has done exceptionally well so far, with up to 5 cobs per plant, (usually 2 max). I expect some of them to be fully ripened within the next week or so. Tomatoes, both inside my poly tunnel and growing outside are also excellent this year but slow to ripen. The fruit crops have done well, apart from cherries which I thought had been taken by birds last month, but on closer inspection, many were lost due to the June drop. Strawberries were rather disappointing this year, despite being well watered, both during and after cropping. Alpine strawberries on the other hand, have done well and are still fruiting vigorously after each picking. You win some and lose some!!  My apple crop in particular is very good this year. My 4 fruit trees, cherry, apple, pear and plum, were originally planted on the bank of the drainage ditch which is more or less the southern boundary of N1 Plot. Being close to a large hedgerow this area is home to hundreds of different weeds and wild plants as well as the insects and other wildlife they attract. In previous years I have kept the ground under and around the trees cultivated. This year I left it to grow wild. The result seems to be a lack of disease on the foliage etc of my fruit trees, which had been apparent in previous years. Bio-diversity at work no less. Runner beans again have been slow growing with the dry conditions this year and are only just producing a few beans. Looking around other plots on our allotments, very few seem to have lush growth on the plants. Climbing french beans (cobra) have again come up with the goods and several harvests have been done lately along with dwarf beans (purple teepee). 6 rows of peas have been harvested from No 3 bed, both (Hurst greenshaft) and 2 rows of  mangetout peas were prolific and good quality.  Marrows, courgettes and pumpkins currently growing away on N2 Plots' 5 bed don't seem to mind the dry conditions and seem to be producing fruit almost as fast as it can be harvested. Cucumbers within the poly tunnel are both prolific and gigantic. The specimens planted outside, (from potted seeds), have been slower to grow and are only just flowering. Onions again this year have been excellent with the majority of them already harvested. My sprout plants are in good condition in No 4 bed, which is more than can be said for the cavolo nero and the romanesco, with most of the romanesco quickly running to seed. Cabbages have remained in good condition, although a couple of seeded drills in No4 bed failed to germinate. Lettuce (mixed and crispheads) have done well again, even with little watering along with the reliable bolt hardy beetroot. My potato crop taking up the whole of No 2 bed seems in reasonable condition. The plants are not as tall or lush as last seasons specimens and the rain today will certainly freshen them up somewhat. 3 "trial" plants were lifted last week. One plant contained 10 rather large tubers with the other 2 plants containing a dozen tubers each, which I would class as medium sized. As these are main crop desiree spuds, planted early, another fortnights' time should see them being lifted. The quality of the carrots in No1 bed remains to be seen, again the top growth is not as lush as in previous years. My asparagus bed has come on leaps and bounds this year with plenty of strong growth, on the downside, picking off the ever increasing hoards of asparagus beetles has been a full time occupation. What looks like 2 good rows of parsnips are also doing well in bed No1, which I attribute to the mud and silt taken from the drainage ditch, which was spread over this bed last year, in lieu of manure.    

Tomatoes Poly Tunnel (Mid July 15)

Fruit Picking (Late June 2015)

No 4 Bed (7/7/ 2015)

Cucumbers Poly Tunnel (7/7/15)

There's Always Tomorrow!!

Rooko's July Top 10 Tips & Tryouts

1. Temperatures in many parts of U.K. have been in the high 20's to mid 30 degrees C making some gardening tasks physically challenging. Grass cutting being one of them. Lawns and grass paths etc can usually be left to grow for a while longer, which will prevent the grass scorching/drying out and save you some time and energy??

2. If you have house plants on windowsills in hot weather the sunlight can be magnified through glass windows, ensure plants are not being scorched or frequently drying out due to the extra heat.

3. Many types of fruit will be ready, or almost ready for harvesting this month. Consistent watering is required for fruit to bulk out. Water around fruit bushes and trees and avoid splashing water onto the fruit.

4. This year has seen a rise in the number of asparagus beetles attacking my asparagus plants, (hot dry weather conditions). The common asparagus beetle is about 1 cm long with cream, red and blue/black markings. The adults generally appear first in Spring and can produce several generations per year. Large populations can kill off a full crop of asparagus. Insecticides containing pyrethrum are effective against asparagus beetle. Hand picking them off the plants is an alternative if you don't use chemicals, but the beetles are very adept at dropping to the ground when threatened, where they are difficult to see.

5. Inconsistent watering of cucumbers may give them a bitter taste. Keep the soil around cuc plants evenly moist, add some good quality compost around the base of the plants with mulch on top of it, as they begin to fruit.

6. Continue with successional sowing of quick growing veggies such as, lettuce, radish, turnips, spring onions, beetroot, cucumbers etc.

7. Regular hoeing of beds and borders and removal of weeds will help to keep your plants healthy, whilst keeping the soil hoed will help water to soak easily into the soil. Some weeds are useful as host plants keeping certain insects away from vegetables.

8. Thinning out fruit if a heavy crop is expected may be an option this month. Thin out any diseased or damaged fruits first and support branches, stems of plants/trees to prevent them snapping under the weight of their fruit.

9. There are over 200 types of  hoverflies in Britain. They are useful insects to gardeners. Their larvae will consume aphids whilst the adults are good pollinators.   

10.

SOWING/PLANTING IN JULY

1. Sow French Beans, Beetroot, Carrots, Chinese Cabbage Spring Cabbage, Chicory, Kohl-rabi, Lettuce, Peas, Radish.

OTHER JOBS IN JULY

1. Watering is usually a major task during July.
2. Mulching may help to retain water in the soil but be on the lookout for slugs and other pests.
3. Keep weeds at bay with more hoeing.
4. Feed tomatoes and Onions.
5. Check Brassicas for caterpillars/eggs.
6. Water brassicas with a salt & water mix to keep caterpillars off them.

As Is (June 2015)

The annoying persistent stiff, cold breeze returned a few days ago with a change of direction, now blowing from an easterly direction rather than westerly across the allotments. So what difference has that made down my plots. Yellowing of my sweetcorn plants for a start, they don't like a fresh breeze. Direct seed sowing is frustrating, trying to ensure the seeds don't blow out of my hands before I get them safely into their drills. I don't use the plastic contraptions for sowing seeds as I have found them pretty hopeless in the past. Any tall plants such as peas and beans are being blown over but not to any great extent yet. Some time ago I began the task of putting up pea sticks to support (obviously) my pea plants. Having completed both outside ends of several rows I got distracted from this task at the time. Anyway I didn't complete the job, but what has become apparent is that the plants around the perimeter of the bed are supported with sticks and as such are sheltering the rest of the plants in the middle of the bed. All are standing erect despite the breezy weather. This might be a time saving trick for the future.

Leeks L-Shaped bed (11/June/15)

Runner beans L-Shaped bed (11/June/15)

Well that's the annoying stuff out of the way, except for the fact that the birds have decimated my crop of cherries for this season, twas a good crop too. I expect they were taking revenge for the fact that they can no longer feast on my strawberries and currants since the completion of the fruit cage on No1 bed. The weather recently, despite the cold breeze has been mostly sunny with alternate overcast days, so planting, sowing and various other tasks have continued on a regular daily basis. No4 bed has been planted out somewhat, with marrows, courgettes and squashes. More successional sowing of lettuce, spring onions and brassicas has been completed. Little weeding has been needed lately, mainly due to the continuing dry weather, although another session of grass mowing and edging was done a couple of days ago.

More Strawberries Fruit Cage (11/June/15)

Currants Fruit Cage (11/June/15)

With the poly tunnel almost empty of trays and pots containing seedlings, I spent this afternoon reorganizing it. The borders had some compost added to them and were hoed over before some seed sowing took place. A large inverted plant pot was left on the ground in the back corner of the tunnel as shelter for the resident frog who currently lives in there. The first few tomatoes have just developed, inside the tunnel, since yesterday and back out on the L-Shaped bed, only 1 runner bean from the 42 sown a few weeks ago, had failed to germinate, although I found 1 well developed plant pulled from the ground this morning, possibly due to bird damage. After completing the work in the poly tunnel, I decided to replenish one of my water tanks, taking more water from the drainage ditch, utilizing a metal bucket with its handle tied to a piece of rope, I really must get around to installing a water pump, sooner rather than later. With the temperatures at about 25 degrees C this afternoon and 30 degrees C in the poly tunnel, with the door open, it was warm work. By the time the water tank was half filled it was time to spuddle off home for a cuppa.

No1 Bed (Roots)(11/June/15)

Gooseberries 2 Bed (11/June/15)

No 2 Bed Top (11/June/15)

No3 Bed Legumes (11/June/15)

2nd Batch of Broad beans Bed 3 (11/June/15)

Bed 4 Brassicas (11/June/15)

Bed 5 Marrows Squashes Bridgwater beans Broad beans (11/June/15)

First Tomatoes Appearing Poly Tunnel (11/June/15)

There's Always Tomorrow!!

Rooko's June Top 10 Tips & Tryouts

1.  Add some colour to your veggie patch (or planters/flower borders) this month by sowing some Chard. The leaves usually appear in varying shades of green with different plants having a wide variety of colours. A useful vegetable which is normally pest free and easy to grow.

2.  Believe it or not, but the E.U. (in their infinite wisdom) huh!! have deemed that the use of coffee grounds to enrich your garden soil is O.K. but using them to kill certain garden pests is NOT.

3.  O.K. so most people don't like wasps. They do cause some damage in the garden especially around fruit. They are probably of more use though, 1 worker wasp will take out around 100 aphids in a day. Being predators they will also take flies and caterpillars as food.

4. Along with Spring and Summer comes the vast armies of pests and diseases. Here's a link to some preventative measures, mainly organic. Click Here.

5.  Are you growing Ferns and/or Gardenia and like eating pickles, try pouring the pickle juice around the ferns/gardenias to promote their growth??

6. Banana skins are rich in potassium, don't throw them away, use them underneath plants or put them on your compost heap.

7.  Earthing up developing carrot plants periodically is one method of deterring carrot fly.

8.  If you intend to add manure to your planting beds remember that REGULARLY adding a lot can result in trace elements being "locked up" and not being available to crops.

9.  Rainwater is in short supply around my allotments so far this year. When watering your plots or garden do so either early morning or evenings to conserve water.

10. 

SOWING/PLANTING IN JUNE

 1.   Plant out Brassicas, Broccoli, Calabrese, Brussels Sprouts, Summer Cabbage and any beans which are in pots.
2.  Sow the following: French Beans, Runner Beans, Beetroot, Cabbage, Cauliflowers, Chicory, Courgettes, Cucumbers, Endive, Kohl-rabi, Marrows, Squashes, Swedes, Sweetcorn and Turnips.
3.  Successional sowing of certain seeds, should be done throughout the Summer.

OTHER JOBS IN JUNE

1. As June is usually warm and dry do not neglect to water plants, a good soaking of plants is better than frequent amounts of a little water.
2. Keep weeds down, hoeing will aid water to soak in also.
3.  Salad crops should be ready for harvesting, along with other early crops.
4.  Check Lettuce/Brassicas for slugs/snails especially after rain or watering.

Remembering (A Look Back In Time)

A.W.O.L.

Although the current overcast, grim looking, leaden sky and the first heavy downpour of rain for some time seems to be clearing somewhat, a visit to my plots is off for today. Although the rain is very welcome after several weeks of mainly dry weather the continual, cold north westerly wind isn't. So what's missing from the allotments recently, I thought?

1. Slugs and snails, a distinct lack of them on my plots for most of the year so far which is good news for the developing seedlings and plants. The topsoil has remained dry for some time now due to lack of rainwater, keeping these beasties at bay and in their hiding places. I expect they will be making an appearance shortly, after the rain today.

2. Wood pigeons, the normal (for our allotments anyway), batch of them, which nest yearly in the trees close to my plots seem to have moved away this year. This appears to be due to the fact that a pair of Jackdaws have built their nest in the trees normally used by the pigeons, effectively scaring the Wood pigeons away. Well done to the Jackdaws.

3. Rainwater has been in short supply for a while now with about 50% of my water butts and tanks needing to be replenished already this year. Although more rain is needed the vegetable beds are still quite damp below the first few inches of topsoil. Many pleasant, warm sunny days recently have been welcomed, despite the temperatures not being hot, long enough to completely dry the soil out to any considerable depth.

4. Greenfly and Black fly, several of my fellow plot holders are already complaining about black fly infesting their veggies. Although I have seen a few on my overwintered broad beans, not enough to even bother spraying them off.

5. Weeds seem to have gone A.W.O.L. this year too with very few infesting my plots, hurray. The main ones to be seen have been chickweed, creeping veronica and thistles. I think the fact that lots of frosts earlier this year stopped or slowed down the initial germination of many weeds this season.

6. The frog population which usually breeds in and around the drainage ditch, situated on the lower reaches of my plots, seems to be depleted compared to last year, with very few sightings of tadpoles or frogs.

7. Peat based composts are becoming more difficult to obtain. Although I appreciate the conservation aspect of peat bogs I think that many "substitute" composts are just an excuse to add other "rubbish" to them. I am currently making my own compost from leaf mould etc. At the end of the day, on a larger scale, if seedlings germinate less well, using none peat based composts, where are future food crops and oxygen supplies going to come from? Even trees begin as seedlings, (not forgetting cuttings, layering etc).

This season I have streamlined the variety of veggies being sown which has cut down my workload somewhat and at present most of my beds are fully sown and planted out. No 4 bed which is this seasons brassicas bed is the last one to be completed. The successional sowing which was hit and miss last season is faring reasonably well so far this year, with, in particular spring onions, lettuce, onions and carrots into their second and third stages of development. Various types of beans have been planted/sown on a variety of dates so that they don't all fruit at the same time, causing a glut. The last 16 of my runner bean plants were planted out yesterday, (prior to the forecast rain today), with 42 more sown from seed earlier, approximately a dozen are just showing through the soil on the opposite side of the rank.

 2 or 3 changes to my allotment plan for this year, were to plant out leeks, in the L-shaped bed alongside the runner beans, switching the planned planting of marrows, squashes and pumpkins to No 5 bed, from the lower end of  the L-shaped bed, into less used soil, which, hopefully contains more nutrients for the benefit of these heavy feeders.  Oriental greens have been sown into the raised bed area instead of into the L-shaped bed where the leeks are now residing.

Several strawberries are currently ripe enough for picking with what looks like a good crop developing close behind, inside the fruit cage. The roof of the fruit cage was covered, a few weeks ago with some old netting which I reverted to using, as apposed to running lengths of string across the top, a method which was becoming too time consuming after several attempts at completing this method. Anyway no problems so far this season with birds taking the fruit or nipping out the fruit buds.

1st 6 Runner Beans Planted Out Last Monday (29/5/15)

Water The Pots/Trays Thoroughly Before Planting Allow To Soak In (29/5/15)

Dig Holes Loosen Soil @ Base of Hole Add Water Allow to Soak In (29/5/15)

Remove Plants From Their Pots. Separate Plants If Necessary (29/5/15)

Place Plants Into Holes & Firm In Cover Roots with Loose Soil Part Way Up Stem Don't Water In Unless The Weather/Ground Is Very Dry/Hot (29/5/15)

 

 

The 1st Nice Pair (29/5/15)

Roots Bed Weeded/Hoed Carrots Earthed Up Before The Rain (29/5/15)

They'll Be Out In Force After the Rain (29/5/15)

Overwintered Onions Drying Out (29/5/15)

Video Update Don't Lose The Plot (21st May 2015)!!!

The sun has got its hat on and the cold westerly wind has dropped its time for a video.

Rooko's May Top 10 Tryouts & Tips

1. If you have flower beds or veggie beds edged with raised wooden planks/battens to separate them from grass paths, try the following method to easily remove them to facilitate edging/mowing the grass. Sink plastic down pipe offcuts at various intervals along the edges of your borders. Screw supports to the wooden planks/battens to fit into the pipe. Ensure a correct level and insert the fixed supports into the pipes. Lift out the planks/battens as required.

Removable Edging Support (30 April 15) From re-cycled Materials

2. Flea beetles can be a nuisance this month causing untold damage to small plants/seedlings. Try and keep the soil around plants/seedlings moist and disturbed (hoeing). Flea beetles don't like damp loose soil.

3. Asparagus is best cooked soon after picking it. It will keep fresh for about a week if the cut ends (bundled) are placed into about 1 inch of fresh water in a bowl.

4. If you are sowing cucumber seeds (or similar) into pots/trays, sow the seeds on their sides cover with approximately half an inch of compost or soil but do not firm down after covering the seeds.

5. Whether you have a vegetable or flower garden, now is a good time to plant some lavender as it will attract both butterflies and bees to your garden.

6.The following are just a few of the BENEFICIAL insects in your garden, don't kill them. Ladybirds, lacewings, dragonflies, ground beetles, centipedes, hoveflies, wasps, bees, bee flies.

7. Peas dislike being grown near members of the onion family.

8. If you are growing peas this season, many varieties require supports. Either use pea sticks, pig wire or twine threaded around garden canes.

9. Using weed and feed type products on your grass areas may mean that any grass cuttings may contain toxins. Check instructions on packaging as to whether the clippings can be composted safely.

10.

SOWING/PLANTING IN MAY

1. Sow the following this month: Runner Beans, French Beans, Beetroot, Broccoli, Calabrese, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Chicory, Kale, Kohl-rabi, Lettuce, Peas, Radish, Spring Onions, Swedes, Turnips.
2. Sow Sweetcorn, Marrows, Pumpkins (under cover).
3. Plant out seedlings such as, Brussels Sprouts, Summer Cabbage, Celery, Leeks. Winter Cauliflower, Spring Cabbage, Sprouting Broccoli & Kale should be ready for harvesting now.

OTHER JOBS IN MAY

1. Keep weeds down by hoeing.
2. If late frosts are likely keep fleece handy to cover plants with.
3. Thin out plants as required.

Frosty But On The Up

Busy but leisurely is how I would describe the past few weeks working down my plots. Frequent overnight frosts have put paid to planting out certain crops, which in previous years would have been hardened off and established by this time of year. My emerging main crop potato plants were affected by frost last Monday night, luckily not enough to cause any permanent damage to them. Our climates, cool weather crops, carrots, beetroot, swede, turnips, spring onions, lettuce, cabbage, broad beans, sown from seed are faring well despite the night time drops in temperature. Working down the plots recently has been pleasant enough in the warm sunshine, although its on with my jacket as soon as any clouds appear as temperatures tend to drop quickly, funny old game. 2 rows of sprout plants were planted out into the lower end of No 4 bed this afternoon, probably the coolest area of my plots. How they fare will be seen by next week after more frosts have been forecast here for this coming weekend.

Lettuce & Spring Onions 5 Bed (30 April 15)

A week ago I decided it was time to sort out the compost heaps situated on N1 Plot. I needed quite a large amount of well rotted compost to add to No 4 bed, mainly due to the fact that numerous attempts at breaking the heavy clay down this season, on this bed, was having little effect. 5 large plastic barrels which have been used as planters for the past 4 years on my L-shaped bed, were emptied of their contents consisting of a mixture of soil and well rotted compost. This mixture was transported by wheelbarrow to No 4 bed and spread over its surface. The barrels then had their bases cut away before being used as compost bins. My compost heaps were turned and stacked to one side of the wooden compost bin area, allowing me to get the bins into position, before re-filling them with the previously stacked compost. More of the well rotted stuff from the compost heaps was also moved to and spread over bed No 4. I currently have 8 large barrels being used as compost bins with more to be added within the next few weeks. I noticed some time ago that compost placed into similar bins seemed to be breaking down to a usable condition, more quickly than heaped compost as well as reaching higher temperatures inside the individual containers. Global warming or container warming?

Broad Beans Bed 5 (30 April 15)

With a couple of rain showers recently helping to kick start germination the roots bed is almost completed with sown seeds and the 2 rows of parsnips sown a while ago at its lower end have germinated well. Outside night temperatures are still too cold to chance planting out, sweetcorn, marrows, squashes and cucumbers which are ready to go, in pots and trays inside my poly tunnel, along with various bean plants. No 4 bed is now breaking down reasonably well since the recent addition of compost. This bed will be planted out next, with more brassicas.

Blackbird Waiting For Me to Rake Up More Insects Bed 4 (30 April 15)

Sprouts Planted Bed 4 (30 April 15)

Peas Bed 3 (30 April 15)

Poly Tunnel (30 April 15)

Spot The Carrot Plants (30 April 15)

A Few Blossoms On The Drainage Ditch Bank Bed (30 April 15)

Building Up To Bonfire Night (30 April 15)

There's always tomorrow!!!