Topic: Returning

[Borderers1951]

Returning to the UK after having to go abroad to settle my brother's estate, I find my allotment overgrown and several crops and bushes killed off.  You seem to have had a drought during my absence.

Hoping to salvage something, I intend to plant some calabrese.  Anyone have any other ideas to save something of a crop from a disaster?

[Beersmith]

I would address your question by thinking of all the crops where you can make successional showings. The sort of things where you make a first sowing in April, a follow on in May and a final late sowing in June.

Top of my list would be runner beans, French beans , lettuce and beetroot. Probably enough time to get a good crop of courgettes, squashes and cucumbers too. Hint - a lot of plot holders are giving away surplus plants at this time of year.  No real chance of growing any shallots or main crop onions, but bunches of spring onions are worth a go.

One final idea - Florence fennel - a nice vegetable and started late much less likely to run to seed.

Just my ideas, others will have lots of good ideas too.

[johhnyco15]

swede winter brassicas  spring onions  hope its not all lost give them all a really good soak and see if any respond you never know

[ancellsfarmer]

Plenty of time for (in addition to above) : carrots, chinese cabbage, spinach, pak choi, brussel sprouts*, purple sprout broccoli*, kale*, winter cabbage*, endive, lambs lettuce, watercress, rocket, leeks* etc.
*from plants.
**If you are unable to source any, PM me with your address, and a 'red-cross 'parcel can be sent.

[cambourne7]

i have some tomatoe plants left if your away near
me

[Borderers1951]

Many thanks for the replies and advice.  After a lot of hard work and a touch or two of sunburn I have the plot looking half-way decent again.  I've put a lot of calabrese plants in over the last few days to replace the earlier brassicas which were beyond help.  Peas and beans look fairly good now but the soft fruit has been hit by the hot sun since I went away and the pigeons since I got back.  Pigeons are also proving troublesome on the brassicas.  I have netting over them in large cloche-like tunnels formed with plastic water pipes.  If they can crush it down and reach through the mesh, however, they still get at the young leaves.  I have taken to pushing foot-long bamboo skewers, pointed end upwards, into the soil around the plants.  This is, so far, putting the pigeons off.  Redcurrant bushes have been stripped but blackcurrants are now protected with netting.  Strawberries have cropped well despite a lack of watering.   Blackberries look good, as do raspberries and gooseberries.  For next year I'm looking for a good fruit cage.