Allotments 4 All
Allotment Stuff => The Basics => Topic started by: carrot-cruncher on February 19, 2005, 04:09:55
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My plot is still very wet & it's been cold up my neck of the woods (north west leicestershire). I've not managed anything on the plot so far this year except looking and planning.
Will things be ok if I don't start for approx 4 weeks or do I need to start panicking 'cos we're almost at the end of Feb & I've got nothing done?
CC
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No panic at all...
If you look back at similar threads, Tim has said that he never
starts things off too early and they do all catch up as the season gets
underway.
I will start off toms as soon as my OH collects and fits greenhouse glass
that was blown out after strong winds.
Also, if you start things off too early they may be hit by siberian type
weather and without protection, some plants may perish.
Debs :)
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We have not really started either, only just got the pots going. These lucky people who live in mild counties may get away with early beginnings, but in your part of England, like ours the soil does not even begin to think about warming up yet.
There is still time to finish off digging and parts that need it so that the rain can break down the clods, but otherwise if your soil is still wet, keep off it.
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As Eric says, some folk are dead lucky - especially those with open air lotties.
This is what I have to put up with on 1/2 our plot on a brilliantly sunny day at 1030. And it gets worse as the shadow of the house moves around. So no early starts for us!! There is still frost on the ground in the shade.
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Carrot-Cruncher i know what you mean i'm probably not too far away from you and my lottie was frozen over this morning.
Will have to pop round later, i'm glad it's just 2 mins away :)
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Not much luck down in <sunny> somerset either. We are having lovely weather during the week when we have no spare time, come Friday, it seems to pour with rain, then the lottie is like a bog again! We have a long weekend off next week,so hope we can get going then. Today the sun is shining, but its soooo cold.
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Nothing much going on outside here in North Wales... far too wet and cold.... Mind you there isn't room to put a pin between trays on the windowsills in the kitchen and diner(south facing) got some tomatoes and summer cabbage on the go, quite a few hardy perennials too, catanache, coreopsis, delphineums, etc.
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we only got our plot last weekend, and have been planning all week :)
just gone out in brilliant sunshine to visit a plant nursery and then b&q for some tools - now the sun has gone in and it's bitterly cold outside.
will just do some general tidying up this weekend, rubble and rubbish to collect, some rotten wood to get rid of, and i think i will lay out the beds to my liking, i.e. move the old bits of carpet and wood planks into position. if i am not frozen stiff by then, maybe i'll do some forking over etc. but i am not panicked over anything yet. if i dont get round to planting anything this weekend, i will do it next :)
svea
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No panic! :)
I'm not started yet either - I'm with Tim; the later sowings catch up very quickly on the early ones, and I suspect very often do better than the early ones? No checks from cold toes?
I'm also lazy - it's so much easier avoiding the extra work invovled in early sowings.
All best - Gavin
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I can't do anything on the lotty as I've hurt my back :'( :'( :'( I haven't touched the manure which was delivered about two weeks ago and it's still on the haul road. I hope no-one complains. I've started sowing seeds in the house hoping I'll be fit enough soon to plant something out. I think if we get heavy frost or snow then I might stop worrying about doing nothing
My husband actually delivered a second hand shed to the lotty today but it's got no floor or roof. It's got a catflap though ;D
I thought while I'm laid up I might be able to sow some calabrese seeds. Is calabrese easy to grow or would I be as well just to grow sprouting broccoli?
Yours in pain Wardy
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Too cold here in Barnsley cleaned chikens out and thats it
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Yep, freezing here in Brum too - it actually snowed last night, can you believe it?
I have to say, it actually helps me if the weather's too inclement for me to venture out. Otherwise my excitement gets the better of me and I'm out sowing seed against my better judgment - I just can't help myself! :-\
Desperate for the warmer weather, longer days and a chance to really get stuck in.
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I for one wil be in no rush, as it looks like Siberia may hit the
'tropical' north east. As I type it has snowed a couple of times
but not enough to stick to the ground (yet :-[).
Weatherforecast says we are in for snow which will cause severe
disruptions on Monday :-\
The sky is heavy with snow clouds.
Yikes... here comes more of the white stuff now!!
...Must make something warm and hearty...
soup ? casserole? sponge pud ?? ;D
Debs
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Ooooh! Sponge pud!
And if you could drop some down here I 'd greatly appreciate it! ;D
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well ive been busy even if u lot have not ive been over almost every day this week finishing off one of my new beds got it all sorted now planted my elephant garlic and shallots and onion sets so almost filled one bed went shopping with our lass today i hate shoppping went to aldi and managed to convince her i need a new mini greenhouse 11.99 then spotted the seeds all seeds are 29 p i got loads of them also then off to neto and got ten grow bags at 79 p each and guess wot spotted the seeds all seeds are 19 p a pck so got loads more so i think ive gotten all of my seeds for this year for less than a tenner so nice one cant wait to get some more stuff in but as u all are saying we are due for some very cold weather this next week or so
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ooooooooooooo slyfox, you have reminded me to get my grow bags! Asda tomorrow me thinks.
I have been busy with some things, and slow with others. Like Gavin, I am now a touch on the lazy side as last year I rushed around sowing early, only to have to do it all again when nothing germinated! Have nearly done all the clearing and digging on the new plot, and have my onions and shallots in, along with garlics growing, broadbeans in flower, and still veggies left in from last year! Been sowing indoors recently and have taken over the conservatory a bit. Must get the greenhouse up and running properly so everything can shift down there.
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Like most everyone, I am waiting for the weather to warm up. Was at our allotment this afternoon just to check how things were. Icy cold and like Debs says occasional showers of snow, but not thick enough to lie. We have planted some seeds which are up in seed trays in the house. Have leeks, some perpetual spinach and the new onions and garlic popping their little shoots up at the lottie, but apart from that the soil is too wet and sticky to do anything at the moment.
I am on duty at our Allotment Shop tomorrow morning, think I will have to get my thermals on for that. It is very cold here and have already spoiled myself with some left over Christmas pudding and custard, ;D well I need the extra fat to keep warm (I am telling myself). Here is one view of my lottie. :) busy_lizzie
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I dont even need to get cold to get my growbags & compost now!
The milkman left a handy leaflet with me milk this mornin, it seems as if the following company have teamed up with express dairies to get their products delivered.
http://www.durstongardenproducts.co.uk/products.htm
Here are a few prices the growbags are £1.69, 40L garden Peat is £1.69, 40L peat free compost is £4.69 & multipurpose compost is £3.59.
I know you can get cheaper but delivered to your door is class ;D
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No work on the lottie today because it has come, like they have forcast. Lottie deep in snow. This was taken this morning. :) busy_lizzie
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Brrrrr! giving me the shivers :o the sun is shining here in sunny Brum with a little cloud and 5.2°C chilly but nice and will pop up the lottie after dinner ;D
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no more work for me for a while we have over 5 inches of snow at the mo and its still coming down and a first for me its snowing and thunder and lightning how strange and 1 degree c
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Hi I'm new to this site and allotments: only got mine in Jan am trying to clear couch grass and break up soil but yesterday(sun) ground was like concrete on one side and barely penetrable on the other,weather was mixed here in Stourbridge so after reading all the hints I dont feel too bad regards Mark
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Where's the snowman, busy_lizzie? :P
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Not much luck down in <sunny> somerset either. We are having lovely weather during the week when we have no spare time, come Friday, it seems to pour with rain, then the lottie is like a bog again! We have a long weekend off next week,so hope we can get going then. Today the sun is shining, but its soooo cold.
I know what you mean - I'm down in <not usually very sunny> Somerset too! However, this last weekend was most productive, if a tad cold... lots of digging and weeding, raspberry canes in, shallots in, fruit bushes pruned... here's hoping next weekend is more of the same! ;D
I'm in Wiveliscombe, west of Taunton - whereabouts are you Cookie?
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Hi, Wivvy, I am over the otherside ofTaunton, in Ilminster. I am another newbie with the plot from hell, nice setting though, south facing, gentle slope, looking foward to the summer up there with the odd bottle!!!
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we've even had snow down yere in zunny dorset!! havent checked if my black plastic is still there but my spare bedroom has taken on a new lease of life as a seed nursery! there's plenty of time - god made lots of it!! :)
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Wardy,
Calabrese is broccoli: just a different colour
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I'm cross!!
The first pic slipped in in error. It was an previous attempt at showing how to 'carve' calabrese. Tried to delete the whole caboosh but 'it's not allowed'?? Always has been before. And I can't modify it because the entry 'doesn't exist'!!
I just wanted to add that - yes - calabrese is green broccoli, as opposed to the purple & white 'sprouting' types. Confusion arises when some folk call winter cauliflower 'broccoli' - or 'broccol-eye' locally!
Of course - you then have white, green, purple & yellow caulis!!
Good God!! On 'saving', the whole previous message has gone. So here we go again!!
Re: NOT STARTED YET!!!!!
« Reply #27 on: Today at 09:04:42 »
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Just to add to that, Wardy -
1. Calabrese. Yes, easy. Mainly a 'summer broccoli'. I much prefer the varieties that give you a small head & weeks of side-shoots. See below. The larger heads all come at once & can't be accommodated.
2. Equally, we always grow Sprouting Broccoli - preferring the white varieties. Again, this gives you tender side-shoots from Jan - April. I find some of the commercial varieties, becoming more readily available at farmers' markets, rather coarse. But they want a 'heavy pick'.
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I don't think any where from Scotland to Belgium is ready foe planting out yet. My plot (Belgium) is water logged. I've put a 6mtr cloch down 2 weeks ago and I'll have a look at the soil underneath today.
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Thanks everyone for the broccoli masterclass ;D I have lots of different varieties now due to swaps with GardenerJ so I will have taste tests and publish the results. I got a free backet of the lime green Romanescu with a magazine the other day. Hope it tastes as good as it looks!
Ta for the pics Tim :)
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Tried Romanesco last year for the first time - always thought it a bit 'fancy'. It does!!
But as with ALL that lot - & so many other veg - do STEAM rather than boil.
Strange that no one can agree whether they are cauli or broccoli? Who cares!!
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Bit nippy down the plot today. Not planting 'owt yet!!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/Kenkew/DSC00428.jpg)
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....and I won't be doing any watering.....!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/Kenkew/DSC00429.jpg)
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:o Cor blimey Ken that's bbbbblooming cold brrrr! It's been like a spring day up the lottie today temps around 6°C (43°F) no wind glorious 8)
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Trying to warm a bit up with a cloche I bought for about £3.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/Kenkew/DSC00424.jpg)
Got my cloche guard dog too.
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Bargain cloche there Ken :o were the supports made from plastic pipe ??? What will you put under it and how long will it stay there? I have Poundland ones waiting to be set up spose they should be on the ground now. :)
Love your guard dog what's His/Her name?
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The cloche has plastic tubing. Not all that robust but easily replaced. Had to put wood alongside to keep it there. It's been there a couple of weeks but the ground under it is still boggy, I'll give it another 2 weeks me thinks, it should be more friable than the surrounding soil and a bit warmer. After I sow a few peas and poss carrots under it, I'll leave it in place until at least into April.
No-one gets near my cloche with my guard dog Skeela around! She keeps all the helicopters off the plot from the nearby mini airport too.
Just after that pic we went for a swim in the nearby lake. Er'm...correction. Skeela went for a swim. Well, someone had to stay on the bank and throw the sticks, eh?
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Chanced a couple of rows of early Nantes in the plastic non-weather proof plastic house. Nothing lost and a chance to gain.
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These posts are encouraging - I was starting to feel that I was drifting off the pace, but there seems to be a fairly relaxed attitude about when to start - within reason (I'm in Sussex by the way). I took over our allotment in September, cleared it of weeds (couch etc), and started to build raised beds - and disaster, snapped my Achilles tendon playing squash in early November. Resumed raised beds again about a month ago, but the plotholder next to me then started planting his early potatoes - hence my panic. One of the posts above mentioned warming up the soil - will now try and cover the beds I have completed.
PS Great site.
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Patience children, patience!
Not too early, not too deep, not too close!
Rosemary
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Nice to know I can stop panicking.
Here we are in the middle of march & still can't get anything done on the plot.
Have now decided to take things easy up until easter then hopefully it's full steam ahead.
I've also managed to acquire some wooden pallets from work which will soon be recycled into bed edging. Have also put out several feelers to acquire more pallets for rest of the beds.
Thank you everybody for the feedback
CC
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Making a start indoors will give a bit of a head start. There's lots of seeds to sow, it's just that there's no point in putting either seed or plants into wet, cold ground. They'll just sit there doing nothing or rot. I reckon there'll be a fair change in the weather after the weekend.
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Making a start indoors will give a bit of a head start. There's lots of seeds to sow, it's just that there's no point in putting either seed or plants into wet, cold ground. They'll just sit there doing nothing or rot. I reckon there'll be a fair change in the weather after the weekend.
Yes it's going to be colder, north winds doth blow :o back to winter I'm afraid, ::) for a short while. ;D
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Some of you may recall i've recently got myself a greenhouse, having previously grown stuff in an old lean-to out building with a clear roof.
With this recent cold weather though I have had trouble getting the GH warm enough to start sowing seed, which I now this week finaly have done so.
I feel a bit as if I have taken one step forward and two steps back by getting a greenhouse. I used to get quite good results with the old setup, and found growing stuff easy. Now i seem to be struggling, with no electric, less space, and no heat bar a small parrafin heater which on the coldest nights barely keeps things frost free.
I know its early days and i am sure I will get there in the end, but i almost wish to turn the clock back and return to the old setup. However this is impossible since the old lean-to is now no more and being replaced by a new kitchen extension!
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Once you get into the swing of things Richard, you will wonder how on earth you lived without it!
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I don't try to heat mine Richard, I just couldn't be running back n forth to the greenhouse with parrafin, and laying in bed at night wondering if it was going to run out or not!
I do the bubble wrap and thats it! I was amazed to see the other day it had gotten so warm in there the vent had opened! :o
DP
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I don't try to heat mine Richard, I just couldn't be running back n forth to the greenhouse with parrafin, and laying in bed at night wondering if it was going to run out or not!
I do the bubble wrap and thats it! I was amazed to see the other day it had gotten so warm in there the vent had opened! :o
DP
Oh yes mine can get very warm on a sunny day even in winter, with or without the heater on. Its just night time that can be a problem, particularly when there seems to be a local shortage of parrafin! All the places in my town that sell it seem to have sold out!
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Doris
You mentioned the vent opening...I took the tubes out of my automatic vents at the end of last season as I was told that they can freeze and break.
Still waiting for the severe frosts to cease so I can replace them.
Is this right or have I been told another old wives tale?
Derek
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Not a tale. Good advice. If your window sticks or gets iced-up then the auto opener can't open it but if the temperature rises it's going to do what it does and try to push the arm forward. The window is usually the thing that suffers.
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Hmm thats interesting about the vents. I have an auto vent. I have a feeling i have messed it up. Even on the lowest seting (i think), it will only open when the temperature gets really high (as in 25 -30c!). Not sure If i have permanently b*****ed it up or if it will eventualy right itself. havent quite got the hang of the thing yet. :-\