Anyone with an allotment?

Enjoyable couple of hours pottering on the plot yesterday. Barely any rain forecast for the next two weeks, though. Not exactly ideal (especially as I have quite a bit I need to rotavate/dig over. Need to apply my nemaslug, too. It says to do it after rain but not really sure how bad it would be if I don’t. Could water the plot first I guess?

Our is in its third year and it’s being fairly productive. We’ve had some every other day. But the season is really short unfortunately

Finally got a strimmer. 36v (2x18v) cordless. Seems alright, got about 45min of trigger time on a full charge. Sadly the janky old wiring in the clubhouse doesn’t have enough oomph to charge the batteries.

Nice to find the boundaries again.

1 Attachment

Moved this post to garden thread

How will that affect the consumer when the stuff is eaten. Obviously wash well. But rhubarb are very poisonous

Whoops, was meant to post this on the garden thread. Don't put it on anything you're planning to eat!

Plot is looking very big today. Nearly made it up to the clubhouse. I’m supposed to be maintaining a 1m wide path down the side but it’s never been there before, just a dumping ground. Filled another ton bag today with shite from that area. We’ve almost regained enough space for a 2m x 8m bed tho down that side which is ace.
Still need to find a cunning use for the trampoline.

1 Attachment

Still need to find a cunning use for the trampoline.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/a-ufo-chicken-spaceship-coop-that-is-out-of-this-world.73235/

Haha that’s ace! Unfortunately I don’t have the legs, just the hoop ;)

Talk to me about hoops and mesh. We’ve got a bunch of cauliflower seedlings and don’t want them to get munch when we plant them out.

Have seen all sorts of options from water pipe to constructed but what do we want? Are we best off building a cage to cover the whole bed?
Is bamboo and rubber ball connectors good enough to do a decent bed?

Harvest!

1 Attachment

Now is the time for wilko seed potato bargains.

Spuds gone in today, the last ones from last years harvest have sprouted and gone mad in the box so hopefully they’ll do ok.
Went up to Gardening Club at Crews Hill this morning- loads of bargains to be had and ended up coming away with some fuschias to brighten the plot up a bit.
Was an open day yesterday so hopefully some of the many vacant and overgrown plots will get cleared.

1 Attachment

The small amounts of rain over the last few days have done wonders for the patch and the spuds are making a break for it.
I'll be earthing up by next weekend at this rate!

2 Attachments

Watered the whole plot with nemaslug yesterday. Places where the squash are going got some extra attention. Will see how we do.

Would it be madness to plant my squash out now? I’ve got a tonne of healthy seedings and looks like some great weather the next couple of weeks but even in May you’re never completely clear of a frost.

even in May you’re never completely clear of a frost.

This.

We’ve got a couple of squash in already but holding most back for another week or so.

Bit hot but done a ton of digging

3 Attachments

Roasting here, weeding and watering this evening once it cools a bit.

John the water man showing us all up on plot 1.

1 Attachment

Who is it that has the perennial cauliflower? What do you do with them when they stop producing so well? Online advice is to cut them back but is that chopping into the main stem or just cutting back some leaves? Ours all have really tall bare stem (about 2') with leaves at the top so if we cut off the top I'd be worried about killing it. Although some have branching lower down.

It's all been more leggy and loose than I was expecting. Like the cauliflower version of sprouting broccoli rather than compact heads.

Wow, that's absolutely next level alotmenteering. I'm just happy my spuds have come to the surface.

This year I didn’t trench or mound for spuds. Cleared the weeds, dug pockets, dropped in chitted spuds and just covered with manure-ey straw. Everything has come up, soil is in incredible condition. Some weeds (mostly the evil that is couch grass) have also come through, but way less than I expected. 1/10 the effort and 9/10 the results. Very happy with this approach so far.

Oh happy day!!!

2 Attachments

It’s how little there is left.

1 Attachment