Allotments 4 All
Allotment Stuff => The Basics => Topic started by: Kea on July 26, 2006, 13:14:31
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My non gardening husband has decided to extend our holiday from one week (which i know my plants will cope with) to almost two weeks. How does everyone else cope with being away from the allotment?
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:-\
It's a difficult one. I was away for a week in June, plottie neighbour watered toms in the greenhouse, but the resy was left to its own devices. Came back to a forest of weeds!
If I could choose (partners job makes that difficult) I would go away early and late in the season, but life is not always like that!
Best option is to find someone you trust to water essentials and cross fingers about the rest!
;)
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I have just been away for a fortnight, the allotment is now an embarrassment of weeds ...
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Mine too. We were away for 2 weeks and were greeted by a forest of lush weeds on our return. Luckily some have acted as a mulch to protect more vulnerable plants. Pretty depressing though: I just had the whole place licked into shape before we left. :( :'(
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Just remember though, all these weeds will make excellent compost ...
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I've just come back from 2 weeks travelling. The potting shed was looked after by a friend and also my neighbour. The rest of it was left to its own devices and is looking surprisingly healthy.
Unfortunately I missed most of the mange tout and broad beans - both of which are over now and the sweet peas have also finished as they've not been cut since I went away.
Have lots of weeds - especially thistles, but the main thing is that everything else looks pretty healthy and strong.
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when the boys are off school its a case of run in, water the greenhouse, grab whats ready to eat and run back out. the weeds do grow, but if you've managed to keep it clear for a while, and things are quite established, everything seems to survive. if the weeds are growing, then so is everything else. :)
I'm just back from a camping trip near Castle Douglas, (wee brother was in charge of watering)and I've got definite withdrawal symptoms from the plot and here. i can't wait to get back up the plot tomorrow, even for an hour, to see how much things have changed. .....( and if i still love my wee brother!!)
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Recently retired very active friend looked after mine this year, he thoroughly enjoyed it and had what was available to harvest (plus a bottle of something red) for himself. Don't know what has happened to my lottie neighbours though,no-one seems to have been for ages and the plots are really overgrown. I don't think they are all away at the same time. ??? (perhaps they have been abducted by aliens and they missed me ;D)
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I am off to portugal for two weeks, a trip I organised. However my ather-in-law has very kindly announced he is taking us to Cornwall for two weeks at the end of August, it is wonderful to be on the road, but what about my plants? I fear I will miss half of my tomato crop ripening too.
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Most of my plot is covered in squash plants at the moment....well about a third. I have 'trained' them to have just the one watering a week so they should have nice deep roots. As everybody has said the weeds are looking good. We finally had a good down pour last night though it wasn't as long as the thunderstorm that went with it. I'm thinking that with the encouragement of payment I may be able to get my son's friend to water evry thing once. On the other hand i may get squashed squash out of it as they're difficult to walk amongst without standing on.
I've just got a lot of straw to mulch them with so that should help.
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What goes around comes around. Last year a lovely bloke a few plots up from me came and asked if I could use some toms. :) 'Lovely!' I said, expecting a handful or two. But he said he was off for 3wks to see family in the old country and would I please take as much as poss rather than having it all rotting on the ground on his return.
He showed me the toms he meant: groaning under the weight of all the fruit, handed me a couple of old carrier bags and said to come back for more 'please'. When I asked him if he wouldn't rather share them around he said that all the old boys like him grow far more than they eat and he'd rather give the stuff to someone with kids who's still just starting (I've had the plot for over 3 years but it's slow work cause I have two little uns, some bees, and still do what work I can.
We only ran out of frozen tomato/onion pasta sauce about 6 weeks ago!
Anyway... we're off on an unexpected trip cause friends have invited us to see their new place (in Switzerland 8) ) -- and it felt so nice the other day to ask a first-season plotholder who's down every spare moment his shifts end if he'd like to help himself to whatever's ready. He's volunteered to water at least once while we're away too, so hopefully I'll still have living plants to return to. He's delighted; he reckons his family will give him less grief about all the hours he spends there if he's coming home with bags of goodies :D
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it's great the way people pull together, and pass on goodwill, i think gardeners are a wonderful group of people.
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Triffid, where do you keep your bees? How are they getting on?
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Going off topic here - Weedbusta, were you at the Wickerman?
We're off up north for a week, and am hoping that pal remembers to pick the beans and mangetout, even though she doesn't like them. Not too worried about the watering, more worried about the dreaded note on the gate about the weeds when we come back.
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Note on gate Greenstar? I think the weeds might have to go where the sun don't shine. ;D ;D ;D
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But they're already in Glasgow! ;)
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;D ;D ;D
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Robert -- bees doing pretty well for the most part, thank you! I've messaged you more details rather than rabbit on about bees here!! ;D
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We are going on holiday in December and coming back on Christmas day night. We are taking my old ma with us cos we care for her anyway so whilst we are away in the Canaries the lottie will be ok. I love England in the nice weather, although this year has been a bit too hot for me and the plants. The Canaries enjoy eternal spring weather which suits me down to the ground.