Anyone with an allotment?

Oh cool, thanks for that. I know some posh nurseries sell established plants during spring so def going to look into it. Will prob just have it in a pot on the balcony like our other salad crops.

In other news a friend just got back from seeing her family in Singapore, her dad runs a nursery and sent her home with these for us.
He’s convinced we should be able to grow papaya in the uk as long as we fleece them in winter. Reckons they’re much tougher than people think and fruit over there even in bad summers. Worth a shot.

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In other news a friend just got back from seeing her family in Singapore, her dad runs a nursery and sent her home with these for us.

He’s convinced we should be able to grow papaya in the uk as long as we fleece them in winter. Reckons they’re much tougher than people think and fruit over there even in bad summers. Worth a shot.

At least if it goes rogue Japanese Knotweed style we can enjoy the fruits :)

I had no idea how they grow but just looked it up. Single stem with foliage at top, somewhere between a palm and a vegetable apparently. Seperate male and female trees but don’t flower for first year so guess I’ll need to start a few in pots and need keep them indoors for their first winter at least.

It blew my mind the first time I saw a papaya growing in Thailand, I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't this:

Looking forward to growing the chilli variety he gave us as well, apparently it’s an evil dry heat, not a fruity heat like the varieties I usually grow 😅 they dry them for flakes over there, not a variety they use for sauces.

Oooo thai chilli flakes are AMAZING, I brought loads back last time. So tasty. Please share updates.

I think we’re looking at 15 or so chilli/pepper varieties this year. I really wish I was allowed to put a 10x20ft tunnel on my plot

First visit to the plot of the year, just picking up some seed trays. All pretty frosty but no sign of weeds going mad or anything. Forgot to check to see if the onions and garlic had got started but sure they’re fine.

Gonna start germinating chillis tomorrow.
Anything else worth starting this early at home?

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Up the plot for the first time in ages today. Trev said not to bother using a fork as the ground was solid, but some of the small pallet collar beds were diggable. Dumped some chicken manure/bedding in one. Need a real dig over in the early spring.

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Our site looked much the same today, pulled up a few dead things, sadly the mega winds recently trashed my salvia bush but hopefully it’ll recover.
Put some fleece bags over our little olive trees, probably should have done it last week but they looked ok.

According to the shed thermometer it’s hit a low of -6°C in there which was lower than I expected so probably not going to sow anything in there quite yet.
I didn’t even consider trying to dig anything.

I can’t see myself even looking at the allotment until first earlies.

Popped up to ours, greenhouse is looking even worse for wear but I don't have the time to sort it.

Lifted some celeriac which went into soup yesterday, leeks and onions hanging in there.

We’re starting home sowings this weekend. Chillis went in last night, caulis, sweet pea and a couple of other bits today.
They’ll be windowsill until they leave the seed trays and go into the shed/tunnel in a few weeks.
Absolutely no ‘work’ on the plot til first earlies, unless my garlic are looking shit in which case I’ll do some more soon.

Any recommendations for most productive/not crazy hot chillis to grow?

Sugar rush peach bell was the runaway winner last year. Jalapeñoish heat but creamy citrus flavour, tons of berries and nice and bushy. Made loads of sauce from them and casually throw one in most dishes as they just add warmth. Got a load of them in the freezer.
Here

A couple of steps up is the famous lfgss aji lemon that a few of us have grown, I can post you a few seeds. We do our chillis in a chest high polytunnel but the aji lemon can handle it outside.

In terms of ease of cooking/processing I’ve decided I prefer larger berries as they’re so much easier to deseed and chop than going through tons of tiny ones.

This years sowing:
Evil white
Bhut jolokia white
Sugar rush bell
Padi
Podzilla
Basque
Jalapeño
Golden nugget
Sugar rush stripy
Hot wax
Misc Caribbean
Jalapeño white variegated
Turkish snake
Shishito

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I popped up ours too just to check the world hadn’t ended, it’s very peaceful in winter.
I think this year will mostly be flowers.

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Oh, and as soon as the ground thaws I’m going to start on the mother of all ponds.

Ha, 3 people have dug ponds at our site at the end of last season.
It’s the hot new trend for ‘25

Since I put my pond in we've had a reduction in slugs up our end I'm assuming thanks to the toads that have moved in

I understand the benefits I’m just not prepared to give up the space 😅. Maybe I can convince my neighbour to put one in on the boundary between us.

To be fair mines at the end of the plot where there's loads of trees the other side of the fence that suck up any nutrients so difficult to actually grow anything on that patch

If you can be bothered a few seeds would be great. I’ll message you my address.

No problem. I’ll make it worth the stamp and chuck a few things in. Want some bell pepper seeds as well?

I don’t have any sugar rush bell seeds at the moment but if I cook with one in the next few days I’ll pop them in as well.

I’m just going chilli this year. But any other varieties you’ve got going spare would be great.

Cool, will sort you out.