Allotments 4 All
General => News => Topic started by: Mortality on June 20, 2010, 10:17:38
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I thought it might be nice to have a post where people could say how their Allotments/Gardens were doing and discuss future plans. For example what plants have been doing well, what totally failed and what are you going to do next.
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What a good idea Mort ;D
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Our peas have totally failed with only 1 plant germinating! doh! Will try and repeat the sowing. The brassicas are very behind and I am not sure they will even catch up. Note to self: B&Q compost is rubbish. It is full of twigs and must have no nutrients in! Potatoes are behind as they were set back with frost. Everything else is going great through, particularly all the root veg.
This year we made quite a few changes on the plot. We put in a load more raised beds and moved the others around and we put in a small pond and a herb bed.
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Is it B&Q peat-free you've ben using, Sparkly? Everyone here has been praising their multi-purpose but I've found the peat-free is full of large bits of wood etc. and gets a kind of white mould on the top after a while. >:(
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Yes I had a similar problem with the B&Q organic compost. Very twiggy and developed white fuzz as soon as the bag was opened. It doesn't seem to have affected most of my plants though. My tomatoes are doing especially well this year...usually I've killed them all by now ;D
I've only had a small number of crops in pots so far this year, but they all looking good so far, apart from my herbs that all died >:(.
But I'm extra busy now as I signed for my allotment last week so I'm just starting to clear that and see how many crops I can get in the ground this year and how much of it we can clear of weeds :)
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Not quite sure what the word "Progress" is doing there in the title....
So far, this year has been one step forward and three steps back. Mainly a total disaster, with the coldest weather for ages. Just as things start to pick up, they're knocked sideways again!
But the blackfly and convulvulus are thriving....
Agree about the B&Q stuff - it's "sea are a pea"! (Say it out loud - it'll get through the naughty-word checker!)
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Backfly started to appear on my runners, so a few days later I went to spray them and found they had disappeared, the good old ladybirds had done a smash and grab raid on them. ;D ;D ;D
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As a complete newbie I am amazed every time I go to the lottie to discover something else has "happened" Today I found that my last asparagus crown (I planted 6 in march) has finally sent up a shoot! So they're all alive and beginning to show themselves- I thought they never would! Also. I was very excited to find that one of my calibrese ( and I used to know them as broccoli) is showing the first signs of a flower head- whoopee, all that sowing and watering and protecting actually worked!
The only lottie failure up to now is the runner beans-but I think I know where we went wrong, and next year I'll sow them much later so that they're ready to go out at the proper stage of their development.
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Put some in the ground now........you still have time :)
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Put some in the ground now........you still have time :)
I sowed some more around the canes a couple of weeks ago, and they're starting to pop up- if they're sad too I'll be thinking it might be the manure I put in the bottom of the trench (covered with newspaper to try and prevent the roots coming into contact with it)
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My first year growing stuff in my mini back garden has been going well.
Harvested Radishes, Lettuce, Strawberries, Potatoes and a few Broad Beans so far.
Slugs have eaten my every attempt at growing Sunflowers in the boarder, so i'm trying a couple in pots. The slugs (or snails) were very keen on the pepper plants climbing up inside the mini greenhouse to eat them, severing stems on all but 2 plants (taken indoors now). Garlic completely failed, every shoot wilted and died.
My tomato plants are very Iffy, some extremely healthy and lush green, others sad looking with yellowed leaves, have a few green tomatoes forming.
Growing the carrots in toilet roll tube was very sucessful, I have a nice neat line of those growing, the ones planted straight in the dirt didn't fair so well, but there are a few coming up.
The onions did eventually show their heads, again the modula ones are better and stronger plants. Not sure if I will see any of the Silverskins, hard to tell whats what with the onions atm.
The peas and beans are taking over as well as the squash, a few of the Painted Mountain Corn plants survived being dug up constantly by cats.
I'm enjoying my garden alot so far. ;)
Oh and 3 of the 4 Saville Orange pips have grown ;D
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In november i bought my first house ( a tiny one on a council estate with a very big back garden)
I spent all winter chopping back the wilderness and having fires and digging like mad. The cold weather all trhough march and april was really frustrating and made it so hard to get ahead but Ive got about 2/3rd of it done now , the meteor peas are rippening in thier pods the sunlfowers are going a bomb and the tomaotes and cucumbers and chillies in my new 8x14 plastic greenhouse are looking great.
but the garden is struggling as of course everything was newly planted in april/may and the drought has hit things hard. Our local source of manure has aminopyralid contamination and so dont have any on to help so the worn out soil is very dry and dusty and im scrounging grass cutting from folks and using chicken pellets to try to help it along.
This week though the first dahlias are in flower and look so fabulous that i dont see the weeds or crispy drought ridden sweet corn but these beautiful flowers that are growing in my first proper garden. I have missed the sharing of the tribulations and joys of gardening on an allotment site but its really wonderful to step out the back door for my salads and chives to go on my dinner.
:) and Ive shared many of them on A4A and thats been great.
x sunloving
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Cabbages getting munched by caterpillars ;(
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My cabbages (all 4 of them) are thriving (they're hiding under an old net curtain!).
broad beans grew well, i just didnt plant enough.
lettuce was lovely but i planted too many at a time too early and so the chooks are enjoying some of them :)
potatoes failed miserably as did mange tout, cucumbers and onions
carrots are doing fantastic though loads of them and lovely and sweet!
put in some sweetcorn that i rescued from b&q and they're growing well too.
planting some squash seeds this week on manure and cardboard which i'm using to cover the weeds that the potatoes were supposed to swamp lol!
oh....and the weeds are doing wonderfully, i dont have to water them, no pruning and they just grow and grow and grow lol!
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Its been a very hit and miss year...3x3 sowings of toms...well! what a sad affair..
succomed to buying them, a first Ever for me...and bally heck..they are as sad as you could wish to have....and yet and I.m not sure or know why...suddenly loads have come up in the areas where I've used last years compost...
Okay so they are rogues...but flowering and starting to fruit...
They are in among'st the french beans and courgettes...But they is growing..
;) so maybe all is not lost...you gotta :)
Bally weather.... ;D
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you know only today I was thinking about what had done well this year, and what hadn't.
And Mort - about the sunflowers. I forgot for this years 1st batch, but a plastic water bottle around them seems to keep the slugs and snails off a treat. I'm trying to remember for next year!
anyway - the peas generally have been poor, the broad beans non existant - hit by blackfly very early and again recently so chopped them down today. The one set of peas doing well are the Blauwshokker (sp?) - lovely flowers, now have lots of purple pods, and took a sneaky look in one today - lots of lovely green peas! Think I will concentrate on growing tall peas for next year
The potatoes are struggling with this dry weather. They seem to have ground to a halt. The yields so far have been very poor.
And my attempts at Mustards and Mizunas and Choy Sum have failed by bolting in this dry spell. Oh and the early sowings of beetroot look miserable (later ones seem to be ok), the carrots are struggling with this dryness and heat.
But the lettuce are fab :) The squash have finally settled in and the climbing beans are romping away. And the Purple Teepee beans have started to produce :) And the winter planted garlic has been pulled and is drying out - its looks like a good crop for me this year :)
So a very mixed bag of results so far this year
1066 :)
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Caulis :(
carrots ;D
Cabbage ;D
Spring onions :(
Lettuce :(
Peas ;D
Spuds :-\
Strawberries :-*
runners :( :( :(
broad beans :-\
toms ;)
That's how it looks so far for us here, and more to come later on this year.
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Forgot to say that generally the Brassicas are fabytastic :) - Cabbages are hearting up, Calabresse is doing well, Khol Rabi is so far un-nibbled, brussel sprouts settling in nicely
1066 :)
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I harvested my first beetroots at the weekend ;D
My parsnips have had poor germination :'(
Summer onions are very poor, I have pulled up some already with white rot :'(
Winter onions have been my best crop ever ;D
Spuds are being eaten as they are dug up ;D
Cabbages are heartening up :D
;D ;D ;D
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Some you win, some you lose. Japs and garlic not as big as last year. Broadies fine after difficult start as the same with the climbing beans. Eating lettuce till its coming out of my ears and I'm STILL putting on weight (put on about 2st since packing up the weed for Lent). spuds disappointing but having said that it was worse last year when I had loads but all rotten. Pumpkins, winter and summer squashes all romping away. I'm happy enough.
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Very hit and miss this year and very late with everything. Firstly very cold and wet (spuds hit by frost) and then no rain. Spuds almost non-existent. Some lovely early sugar snaps but not many. Autumn sowed broad beans succumbed to the snow, late sowing went in to replace. Lovely but small yield. Garlic looks good but not pulled any yet. Overwintered red onions disappointing. Lettuce coming out of my ears despite succession sowing.
Other stuff is catching up but the watering is hard work, the ground is so dry.
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Well we were very late getting anything in, the rains came down and it has been raining on and off since 2nd week in April week, it seems the summer is coming with very high temps expected next week but meantime everything has suffered because of the cool and wet. So we are not expecting anything much.
XX Jeannine
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it's been a bit of a struggle
this year may be the first one out of 6 with the lottie where things haven't got better
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Best year ever. Winter onions came through well and only a few went to seed - I even got some red ones for the first time. Grew peas for the first time. Summer onions look fabulous and are bulbing up well, though I have had one or two with white rot. Runner beans are setting fruit and look great. Sweetcorn got well away and looks the strongest and healthiest I've had. Courgettes and marrows transplanted without a check and I'll have courgettes in a week probably. Got me leeks in earlier than I've managed before. Parsnip germinated fine and are growing well, though I am needing to water. Only the potatoes are struggling with the drought as I can't be asked to water them, but the Rocket are cropping well and are very tasty. Even the lawn around the shed was magnificent, though it does look a little brown now. I have to say it's been a brilliant year for me so far, I might even get some butternut squash for the fourth year trying!
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It's been a strange year sofar for me in Kent. Everything went in late due to frosts in May then the heat wave/drought we have had has made alot run to seed. Not sure what will be the end results but sofar :
Loads of strawberries ;D
lots of raspberries but not juicy, very crumbly so bit disappointing :(
sweetcorn took ages to get going, didnt germinate well & I lost quite a few after planting (think this is because I used old seeds & didnt use peat pots this year & may have disturbed their roots) ???
Terrible trouble getting beetroot to gerninate this year (Ive had great crops for the previous 2 years) but have finally got some strong looking plants on the go so fingers crossed.
First redcurrents on my 3 year old bush - absolutely gorgeous but only a handful, hoping for many more next year ;)
Lots of salad crops went to seed but others have been great so 50/50 with salads - will sow alot more when the weather cools down.
Im growing turnips & swede for the first time & they are doing really well sofar ;D
courgettes, pattypans, butternuts etc havent bushed up as large as usual & have started to have flowers & fuit while still smallish plants so not sure how the crops will be :-\
Am going to plan some crops to sow this autumn to extend my growing season instead of just sowing green manure crops this year.
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forgot to say my cabbages are romping away nicely, radish doing well ;D spring onions rubbish though ::)
sugar snap peas not growing very tall, again flowering really quickly before gaing height but producing some pods so not sure of result yet
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Potatoes - 80 sown, 79 germinated, currently flowering but not know what's underneath yet
Onions - 110 sown, 67 germinated, won't know for a couple of months what's underneath
Strawberries - 9 brand new plants, 8 survived, ate last strawberry a couple of days ago & am missing them already
Runner beans - >:( (not one germinated, will try another sowing, direct this time)
Peas - see runner beans
carrots - didn't get round to sowing (is it too late now?)
Parsnips - ditto carrots.
Tomato x 2 - going great guns, 2 trusses developing on first plant, 2nd plant flowers later but shooting up rapidly
Capsicum - growing very well, awaiting flowers
Cucumbers - ditto capsicum
Melon - coming along well, not know if doing good or bad as have never grown them before & not know variety of plant
Fingers crossed
CC
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My tomatoes are just starting to ripen up and the french beans are still going strong.
Squash plant is romping away all over, second planting of peas coming along nicely, Painted mountain corn has cobs forming. A few carrots split because of all the rain in one go and the onions survived being munched by mystery catterpillas, but they arnt very big (from seed) Lettuces eventually bolted and the beetroots also bolted, put more beetroot in, but it's a bit swamped by the squash now :P
The mystery bean plant that grew in a module that a corn plant shouldv'e been in, grew, but was badly munched by slugs or snails hopefully it will survive and the mystery will be solved, but it definitely isn't a french bean. ???
(http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/gallery/10575_30_07_10_12_47_25.jpg)
Best tomato plants by far and the strongest and prolific are the Santini (yellow) which were saved seeds from a £1.99 Marks and Spencers pack. Middle tomato is a Tigerella and the top corner are Matina.