First allotment, advice please

[Kingfisher]

Hi started my allotment in April and have not had much look with brocolli cabage
and collies could anyone tell me what I have done wrong they are week in growth and colls are small, brocollie has run to seed before the heads have developed Help !

[Kingfisher]

[saddad]

Welcome to the site Kingfisher...  ;D

Broccoli and Cauli I can understand as they can be tempramental.. but cabbage are usually not a problem...  :-\

[flowergirl]

I have struggled with mine too, did you lime the soil?  did you use a collar around the neck of the young plants and have you checked for club root?

Also the temperature has made mine bolt...coiuld be that

Just keep telling yourself - It will be better next year you can learn from your mistakes, I didnt get chance to manure so I am hoping this will make a difference.  Saying that I have picked my first cabbage today and although its no giant it will feed 4.

Good luck x

[Kingfisher]

Thanks for your help flowergirl, Funny you say about lime , just been and got some! No I didn't put a collar around them but will next time.

I do keep telling myself next year will be better ! I will look up wot club root is and try to make sure its not that.

I did get some cabbages too that were ok but they got attacked by pests just as they were getting bigger , the good ones fed two , twice lol , but as I said the broccoli and colies were a shambles. I want to stay organic but as a newbie don't know the green way to keep the pests away , tried a beer trap but my OH keeps drinking it ! I think he goes down that flippin root club you mentioned  ;D

[pigeonseed]

Sometimes when you take over an allotment, it's been neglected for a while and the soil isn't in good condition. That means it dries out quickly, and might not have all the nutrients for a good crop.

Perhaps that's why growth was poor?

But each year, you keep adding compost from your compost heap - that adds nutrients and holds moisture. And by year two you'll already notice your plants will do better. (Some annoying smart-a***s do everything right and get amazing crops in year one, but we don't like to talk about them!!  ;))

While you're waiting for your first lot of compost to mature, you can buy things to add to the soil. That would depend on what you're growing (eg brassicas like yours), what's on sale in your area etc.

Others can give you good tips for brassicas (I only grow easy ones like kale!)

Look forward to next year!

[Kingfisher]

Thank you Pigeonseed, I think that is the problem as I did not Lime the ground before hand, I have now got some lime to get the plots done for next year, I have had some good carrots, onions, courgettes, and some cabages even though thay were small, I managed to save those and freeze some. so I have not done too bad for my first year, but thanks for your encouragement

[KathrynH]

At least you got something and that's not a bad result for only having the plot since April. You're right, next year will be better and the year after better still. Some things will still be dismal failures and you won't know why but that's all part of the fun. Before long you'll be giving stuff away when you have gluts of more than you can eat or freeze.

You should be able to remain organic by covering your cabbages with net, keeping a regular check for slugs and snails etc., and pick them off by hand - I know that sounds horrid but you'll get used to it, honest! You can now but organic slug pellets which I've used for the first time this year and they seem to work. but a few will alwys get through.

I swear by seaweed to feed all my crops, the meal to dig into the soil and liquid to feed plants.

Most of all though, enjoy it. Good luck!

[Kingfisher]

Thank you KathrynH, I will enjoy it as I do now, I have been putting blood fish and bone in  to my plot, but did not do it till too late, due to starting up costs, but thanks for your advice

[pigeonseed]

I've used those organic slug pellets - I found them good. Apparently they don't kill animals or birds, which is why I got them.

But they're expensive though. Mind you - you can use them while plants are small and once they're not as vulnerable, you can stop using the pellets.

I've also tried rounding up slugs and snails by hand once a week, and taking them somewhere near where they couldnt get back (a riverbank the other side of a road) and that worked surprisingly well.

I thought it was less cruel - but I might have caused (very quiet and slow) snail territorial warfare!

[Kingfisher]

the other slugs on the other side will be planning an attack against you as we speak  ;D I tried the organic slug pellets they are good, do you know anything about limeing your soil do you have to wait month before you can plant once you have lined