Hello from Yeovil

[anneski]

My car is like an extension of the shed and it doubles up as a dog kennel   

Your allotment all looks in ship shape shape    You really must like cabbage 

I planted my cabbages with pot marigolds and they look very good together.  That's just cos I get fed up looking at just cabbages.  Not that I've got many - only about a dozen

Did your mixed veg plants off ebay all turn out to be cabbages or did you get the kale and sprouts etc ?

Well the whippies enjoy drives out in the capri, but since my old collie lad left us there haven't been many dog hairs in it, so it was fairly clean up till getting the lottie...


No, I got the mix I asked for  This was the complete list I sent. There were several extra plants in with each variety too, which I was very impressed with.

PRIMO - 15
RUSSIAN   RED  KALE - 18
PURPLE SPROUTING BROCCOLI - 25
WHITE SPROUTING BROCCOLI - 25
SAVOY CABBAGE - 19
BRUSSELS SPROUTS -14
CABBAGE CHRISTMAS DRUMHEAD -14
JANUARY KING CABBAGE -14
CAULIFLOWER -10
RED RUBINE  BRUSSELS SPROUTS - 14
RED DRUMHEAD CABBAGE - 10
CALABRESE GREEN SPROUTING -  19
DUTCH WINTER WHITE CABBAGE -10   
COTTAGERS KALE - 14
MAYSTAR CAULIFLOWER - 10
GREYHOUND - 19

Should keep me going for a while 

[anneski]

anne, sow some dill in between, about 1m apart in all directions - if you see what i mean. it will keep the cabbage white butterfly at bay nicely - they dont like it at all.
they have even resorted to laying their eggs and hatching on my nasturtiums - which i assume must be a poor second. it's just as well, i can find them and squash them there before they even get a look-in with my brassicas.

svea

Ooh right, will do, thanks! You mean sow seed now, as opposed to buying plants of it? (Can you buy plants of it even?    )

[wardy]

Svea    I plant rows of nastirtiums at home for somewhere for cabbage whites to lay eggs other than on the veg

Now I have a lotty I'm going to do the same.  I love those dwarf variegated leaf ones 

[Svea]

you can buy plants - dill allegedly doesnt like root disturbance though - i would hatch my bets and get some plants for planting out, and some seeds sowing in between. the seeds will take a little while to eastablish, so if you have other dill there already so much the better

are you planning on growing anything else, anne? what about your rotation plan, with all these masses of brassicas?

[anneski]

you can buy plants - dill allegedly doesnt like root disturbance though - i would hatch my bets and get some plants for planting out, and some seeds sowing in between. the seeds will take a little while to eastablish, so if you have other dill there already so much the better

are you planning on growing anything else, anne? what about your rotation plan, with all these masses of brassicas?

Thanks for that, Dill planting in hand! 

Well, the rotation plan can go on hold for now. I just wanted to get something in right now to look at   

I'm planning on covering the top allotment with either a load of manure, or black polythene over the winter. I'm wanting the permanent stuff up there later on - dwarf apple trees, rhubarb, asparagus etc.

The bottom section I'm going to cover/manure/mulch whatever as I clear the brassicas, and slowly put in raised beds and paths.  It'll take time of course, but I'm not planning on going anywhere 

[wardy]

Good thinkin      My lotty is mostly slumbering under plastic.  I could, on reflection have put much of the manure under it so the worms were taking it in and turning the soil over for me.     I can't get to the manure now as it's got a wasps nest in it    I think you're right to get something in as that's the whole point.  I'd get dead bored if it two me years to get it dug first.  A bloke near me has been painstakingly weeding and digging for months and he's given up.  The bit he has dug deeply now has 5' high fat hen all over it 

[anneski]

Oh that must have been depressing!

Well, my brassicas are all doing well, looking strong and sturdy despite the cabbage white invasion! I've been watering every other day, a really good soak each time so that the water goes nice and deep.

Today I received my 'Juliette' seed potatoes, so am itching to get back up and get some in! However I've done for today as it's baking down here, so I'm going to put a few in containers on the patio and hope for new spuds from October onwards 

[wardy]

My container spuds on the lotty are looking good - even the ones in the upended compost sacks and old washbasket    I want to keep back a few of my early Arran Pilot and plant them in containers in Septemberish for eating at Christmas.  Well, that's the plan