Anyone with an allotment?

every few weeks I'm going to lift the tarp, remove anything I can see and hopefully continually weaken it all

@edmundro, I doubt covering it over winter does a whole lot as it's dormant then anyway isnt it?

I’m sure you’re right. It’s mostly just wishful thinking that it’ll help.
With an abandoned plot opposite and the no man’s land behind the clubhouse next to us both being absolutely riddled with various weeds it’ll just be a constant battle.

I dug out 8ft long horsestail roots, so yeah, even if your plot is clear, you cant always do much about it anyway.

found the solution, just need to drop a grand or so on a swarm of these

Convolvulous (bindweed) Hawkmoth

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Nice, you could raise a fine swarm and hire it out to folks.

Riddle me this, allotmenteers. I planted out 4 cloves from last years elephant garlic crop. Two produced big strong stems and two produced smaller stems that looked fine, just not super-impressive. When lifting the two big stems had produced elephant garlic and the two smaller ones this weird onion-looking thing with no discernible cloves. Any idea what it is? Both are shown for comparison.

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Looks like it hasn’t got cold enough so the split bulb hasn’t formed. It’s just grown from the same bulb you originally planted. That’s my non expert guess.

Kohlrabis are doing well

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All my kohl got destroyed in one night during slugageddon, that looks fantastic.
First proper tom haul :)

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Damn you guys have some perfect looking veg…Most of my haul has been nibbled by various critter.
First ever apple, bit sharp though!

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Behold my munched swede

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Impressive haul! It’s quite early for apples they should get better tasting towards the end of summer

First time having a crack at growing corn. Have I picked this too early or has it not pollinated etc?

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First proper tom haul

San Marzano ?
Passata ?

Yes and yes.
We’re growing salad toms as well which seem to come in dribs and drabs which is fine.
We’ve also got some romas which are supposedly even more dense and used to make tomato paste.

I’m extremely worried about my plot. Watered everything about a week ago heavily. But just can’t face it in the heat.

romas which are supposedly even more dense and used to make tomato paste

General opinion is its the other way round - San Marzano > Roma.

But just can’t face it in the heat.

Get wet - keep cool 😎

The effort of getting down there alone is enough to put me off. I’m literally useless in the heat.

Hopefully going down at the weekend to survey the damage

I was going on the advice of my Italian mate but a quick google suggests you’re correct.

I want to have a hangout area, with picnic table etc

Currently all just black plastic on top of weeds

What do people do for ground cover - sow grass seed and just put up with regular (or knowing me, occasional) mowing?

Or would you go for woodchip like you might on paths

Our seating area is under our trees and we just do woodchip. Dandelions come through non stop but it does the job for us, just keep topping it up :)

I dibs’d a load of large concrete pavers from the local free-cycle and every time I have to move one I have no idea where I found the strength to get twelve of the fuckers up there.

Have removed a patio, shed and the base to enlarge the potato patch. Have now removed over 5 tonnes of concrete rubble and the end is in sight!
Putting the final 40 sacks of well rotted manure in from the Surrey Docks Farm to get the worms to help break up the compacted yellow clay below. Hard work!

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What variety are your black beans?
Would love to give some a try next year.