Allotments 4 All

---

What a story!

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/16/canadian-woman-engagement-ring-carrot

My mum lost a ring while gardening when I was little- and dug it up many years later- but not quite like this!

---

For the last few years I have had problems with my cauliflower curds going light brown. It's a general discolouration on the top and below they look OK. From the web it looks like boron deficiency and they recommend using borax. In the old days you used to get this from the chemist but I not sure whether they sell it now. Does standard tomato feed or seaweed feed have boron in it? If not what do I use?

---

Hello to A4Aers, sorry I have not been visiting the site recently! Life is in a bit of a whirl this year. Since my separation in 2015, I now have a new partner in crime. As my (rather grown up) kids live one week with me and the next at their dad's, I share my time between my flat and my OH's house, where we have a huge veggie garden.  So at the end of the season I am giving up my allotment so we can concentrate on our veggies. I am not sorry to leave my site, as the atmosphere has changed there, there is a new site manager and I cannot stand her, I find her totally patronising. She doesn't understand at all that you can garden in many different ways (her plot has no mulch, not a blade of grass and she is allowed to hose with a pipe because of a "medical condition"..?) so she has constantly nagged me because I do not remove the green waste from my plot, but rather put it back into the ground. As I am just waiting to move my plants after summer, this year I just did spuds, beans and tomatoes. Constant heatwave and drought has not given much of a crop! I explained that I am leaving, and that I am just waiting to shift my plants so I am only biding my time on the plot before I dig it all over. But she still makes remarks all the time. So I will be pleased to go, even though it will be sad to dig up all my nice plants.
I am rather looking for advice on how to do that. I have to shift - artichokes, rhubarb, gooseberry, raspberry, herbs and a rather large grapevine.   When should I do this, keeping in mind that it has to be December at latest ? Should I prune any before ?

With my new OH, we have had a great tomato crop, cukes, beans are in fits and starts and the spuds were rubbish. We have some beautiful winter squash though, and the autumn crops like leeks, beets, chard etc are looking all right so far. My fella is a hard worker and he has done lots of work on the soil (clay mostly), which we will continue over time. My ex could not stand my allotment - now with my new fella, we are always working the garden or we just wander round and admire it. We also keep chickens, geese and ducks, a dog and two cats, real country bumpkins!

I hope that all you guys are as happy as I am now and that your gardens have filled you with joy this season.  I will try to hang around A4A a bit more regularly now!
Antipodes

---

Alexander F1 and how well they have performed, started much earlier than all others on the site. I planted them through weed fabric and the moisture has remained in the soil. They have now slowed down and are producing mostly male flowers , so are tired. I could feed them and perk them up but my plans include a green crop and phacelia fits in my rotation. So these last few courgettes will be left two more days and they will be out to make compost in my hotbin. I have processed vast numbers for the freezer, along with green beans,  ratatouille and I will be fed all winter. It has been manic picking but I am ready to slow down too

I have limited space, only 6 viable raised beds for veg on my plot 8 x 4 and no dig so green manure is vital, chopped down, turned over and covered, so easy