It seems to have been a funny old past few weeks, Not so long ago we had snow on the ground and then we had temps in the low 20's. Now the last week has been very damp and dismal, lots of fog but also plenty of rain to give the ground a well needed drink. Only trouble with the fog is it reduces light levels some what.
Anyway the forecast for the weekend is not looking so bad and I thought I would do a review of what I planted so far this season. Pretty much everything on the list below has germinated and is on it's way. Not too many failures or problems yet.
I have sowed sow far:
In Winter 2004
Over Winter Onions, Swift, Radar & Electric
Autumn sown Broad Bean, Aquadulce Claudia â€" out in the open now and showing first signs of flower
Garlic, Early White (no looking very well, may have to bin it)
Garlic, Purple Wight
Garlic, Solent Wight
Garlic, Elephant
Garlic, Iberian White
Sweet Pea, Concorde
Sweet Pea, Red Ensign
Sweet Pea, Galaxy Mixed
Sweet Pea, Kings High Scent
Mixed Lettuce Mixed â€" Tray sowed every 10 days, eating at 6 weeks or so
Flat Parsley, Flat
In 2005 to date
Aubergine, Black Enorma â€" Lost a couple to damping off
Chilli Pepper, Hot Stuff
Tomato, Alicante
Tomato, Brandywine
Tomato, Sungold
Tomato, San Marzona â€" Slow to germinate
Statice, QIS Mixture â€" Mice nibbled some
Spring sown Broad Bean, Aquadulce Claudia
Lettuce, Sherwood
Spring Onion, Feast
Carrot, Early Nantes 2 â€" Both in pots inside and under fleece tunnel
Early Potato, Home Guard (In Pots in greenhouse)
Early Potato, Mimi (In Pots in greenhouse)
Early Potato, Home Guard (Outside)
Early Potato, Mimi (Outside)
Dahlia, Mixed Pompom
Dahlia, Mixed Catcus
Lettuce , Mixed Leaves
Broccoli, Purple Sprouting Early
Cauliflower, White Excel
Sprouts, Peer Gynt â€" poor germination rate
Kale, Nero di Toscana
Sweet Pepper, Gypsy
Chilli Pepper, Ring of Fire
Sprouts, Trafalgar
Calabrese, Trixe
Curly Kale, Borecole
Cabbage, January King 3
Sweet Pea, Mixed Scented
Chilli Pepper, Pinocchio Nose
Tomato, Ferline â€" slow to germinate
Tomato, Tumbler
Sunflower, Titan
Sunflower, Ruby Sunset
Onion, Stuggart Giant
Lettuce, Little Gem
Lobellia, Waterfall
Cucumber, Tiffany
This weekend the plan is to get the main crop spuds in, Romano, Aran Victory and Picasso. I will also be sowing more carrots - Sytan and Resista Fly, Beetroot - Bolt Hardy, Parsnip â€" Gladiator, Tender and True, all out in the open.
In the greenhouses I will be starting this weekend or soon, French Beans â€" Opera, Runner Bean â€" Disiree, Borlotta Bean â€" Barllota di Something or other, Courgette â€" Parthenon, Pumpkin â€" Mars, Squash â€" Avalon
In the cold frames I will continue to sow a selection of salads and will also start some leeks fairly soon.
Having put all that down on paper it seems a hell of a list!
So how is everyone else fairing so far this year?
Jerry
Blimey Jerry, you have been busy!
(btw - what is Statice?)
I've sowed and pricked out indoors:
tomatoes (Roma, Jersey Sunrise, Golden Sunrise, Tiny Tim, Aunty Madge's, First in the Field)
Chili Peppers (Apache, Poblano, Chocolate, Aji Amarillo)
Sweet Peppers (Yellow Oro and Marcona)
Aubergine (bambino)
French beans (climbers: Bird's Egg, Caseknife, dwarf: Purple queen, Rocquencroft, Stratos)
Peas (Oregon Giant, Chick peas, Purple Podded, Sugar Ann, Sugar Lord, Latvian)
Basil (lettuce leaf, Greek, Ararat, Cinnamon, Lemon)
Other herbs (Italian parsley, cumin, lemon balm, pennyroyal)
Lettuce (kellys, needs potting on and hardening off)
rocket (ditto)
Corn salad
Also sowed, but not germinated yet (only just sowed)
Courgettes (yellow bush and Genovese)
Squash (patty pan - Custard white and a yellow one, and butternut squash)
Asparagus (jersey knight)
Outside sowed and mostly germinated:
Leeks (musselburg and ... I've forgotten)
Red onions
Pickling onions
Sprouts (Falstaff and Wellington)
Black kale
chard
French sorrel (still waiting...)
Also have overwintering:
Broad beans (Aquadulche)
garlic (early and late varieties, forgotten name)
And planted out in late winter/spring:
shallots (shooting at last!)
potatoes (in bags and containers: charlottes, Red Duke of York, Lady Christl).
Phew. I think that's it.
This weekend I'm hoping to start digging the third (out of four) new raised beds... but I haven't got much time this weekend.
Blimmin' 'eck!! That's loads!!!
We have planted garlic--a present, so I don't know exactly which type, but it was from the Org Gard cat; pikant and longor shallots; mimi, orla and anya potatoes (gone a bit overboard there I think); perpetual spinach; beetroot (detroit 2); strawberries from an allotment neighbour.
Seed sown indoors: roma plum tomatoes (because I can't be bothered to pinch out); red ruben basil; french bean opera.
Seed to be sown when time and weather permit: more beetroot (that stripy chioggia one); Spinach (Whale); carrots (purple ones); red brussel sprouts perhaps; rocket; peas (onward); assorted herbs (borage).
It's time that's the problem really. I'm digging and planting as I go, but with only a few hours a week to spend there (during term time) the digging/weeding is going too slowly. We have loads of perennial weeds to dig out but the latest excitement is that the black plastic (which we've been moving as we dig) now reaches the other end of the allotment. We've dug half. Hurrah!
I'd also like to build a pond for wildlife and I'm going to need to pay a lot more attention to planning for next year....
Melanie
hmm, so far, the plot only has garlic (not showing yet :() and potatoes in
sowed radishes, spring onions (not showing), spinach (only just showing) and lamb's lettuce (only just showing)
as for plans this weekend? prepare bean bed. more sowings outdorrs - another try at the spring onions i think. more spinach maybe
indoors: toms doing well, developing first true leaves now; also basil, majoram, savory, oregano, lovage, mint (not showing), celery and celeriac (such small seedlings - hope they will grow grow grow!), brassicas all came through within three days and have moved to coldest room - not sure if cool enough though. i dont want them growing too fast
might consider starting lettuces in modules indoors. unfortunately, i dont have a cold frame on my plot
oh, and will start to fill up those huuuuuuge pots i scavenged from the tip last saturday - they will hold cucumbers this year, i think :)
one needs drainage holes drilling, then will go round plot picking up any remaining rubble to fill bottom for drainage, then have to think about where to take the soil from to fill them.....
hope the weather will be good.
Quote from: aquilegia on April 01, 2005, 12:13:06
Blimey Jerry, you have been busy!
(btw - what is Statice?)
It is a flower that is great for drying:
(http://www.mr-fothergills.co.uk/acatalog/0184-sta.jpg)
Jerry
Blumming hummer. Only done windowsill sowing, tomatoes, Chilli's , sunflowers sweetpeas and pod peas. Putting spuds in this weekend its dead exciting all this allotmenting.
Amazing lists. It isn't until you list it all down you realise how much you have done! You will have to excuse my list as I have no idea of varieties unless I am in the greenhouse/conservatory/plot looking at the labels!
winter 2004 -
red onions
white onions
2 varieties shallots
3 varieties garlic
leeks
spring onions
sweetpeas
broadbeans - half in flower, half reshooting after being munched
spring 2005 - germinated - greenhouse/conservatory
broadbeans
toms - 31 varitites
aubergenes - 8 varieties I think
chillis - lost count!
sweet peppers, several
tomatillos
cougettes - several types
squashes of all shapes and sizes - seems like dozens!
melons and cukes
mesabrythium
antirrinhum
morning glory
mina lobata
basil
parsley flat and curly
celery
celeriac
lettuce - 4 varities
leeks
spring onions
beetroot
lupins
eucolyptus
caulis
sprouts
cabbages - savoy, green, red
brocolli
what else....sure there is something else......willl probably modify as things come to me
lots still not germinated, like astrantia, lobelia, nasturtiums.....
to do probably this weekend, lots more salads and french beans.
germinated on the plot
rocket
beetroot
carrots
peas - 3 varieties
mix leaf lettuce
radish
waiting to germinate at the plot
carrots
parsnips
then of course I have all my spuds in, well I don't, I still have 2 or 3 rows to do, plus my sis has given me all of her old seeds so I am going to try to get all of them going. Am going to be TOTALLY over run this year!
My Humble List:
Onoins
Shallots
Leeks Waterlogged[ Drying out...but will resow]
Garlic [Shop, Bought] its OK Tim its in an old Pot Experiment this year!!!!!!!!
Tomatoes Patio/Farmers Friend
Cucumber Chinese Snake In Cold Frame No Green House
Parsnips in Tubes Going Well
Runner Beans
Peas Sugar Snap
Peas
Broccoli Doing really well
Awaiting Postal Order for Potatoes and Fuchias
Aubrietia
Campanela
Popies Meadow Pastel/Angels Choir
Verbena
Gladiola's
Begonias
Begonia Rexs
Two Apple Trees
Two Forsythe's
Two Hibiscus
Lonicera
Lavendar
Heather
Would like to thank everyone for the Help!!! THANKS :D
haven't we all been busy...so much sown already.
myself:
shallots and garlic were in last year, i have great hopes for these as previously were disappointing.
this year: cabbage,
brussels,
cauli
broccoli
leeks
onions
peas
broad beans, all above now in cold frame
celery
celeriac
tomatoes - so many exciting varieties this year
peppers
chilli
spinach
lemongrass - still to show
heliotrope
sweet peas
abutilon - still to show
yellow aquilegia - successful this year! have struggled in previous years
cosmos
lupin
delphiniums chilling in fridge before sowing.
and so many yet to go! phew!
Oh dear........I'm falling right off the pace. First time allotmenteer - Garlic and onions planted Autumn 04. Then I was out of action with a snapped Achilles tendon, then returned to the plot in Feb building raised beds. Have planted potatoes and a row of broad beans (plants from local market!), and sown some tomatoes and broad beans in pots in the shed/greenhouse a few days ago, the rest are in packets in a box in the lounge! Should I be panicking??
Mike J,
No need to 'PANIC' its only April 1st......Lots of time yet. What you have to remember when people list such thinks as carrots, caulis etc is that its all about varieties. For example people maybe now sowing an early variety of carrots etc. For main crop carrots some people wait until late May/early June to avoid problems with carrit fly.
Similarly, summer cauliflowers would be sowed around now. However, if you like autumn or winter cauliflowers then you can sow late April/early May.
So 'DO NOT PANIC'.
Thomas
;D Thanks Thomas ;) I was beginning to get a bit fidgety ;D
Yes, thanks Thomas, that's reassuring! I can hear a lot of people out there breathing a sigh of relief.
I've just planted my first early spuds, I would appreciate someone telling me that my Early's are not late ???...Please ???...pretty please ??? ;D
I planted my Arran Pilot yesterday Roy which I think are earlies (does it matter?) and my second early lates today (Desiree) ;D
done the no dig thing with lots of cardboard, manure and black mulch (sounds like Blue Peter)
My manure pile is going down nicely after only two days (if you know what i mean)Â :o.
My back feels much better and has been absolutely fine today (fingers crossed). Carrying on putting the shed up tomorrow and shovelling a bit more sh ......
Had the first of a bit of raised bed type thingy free through the post as a sample. Put it together and made a seed bed for mixed lettuce. Pic below. I shall order the rest of it I think as It's from a company local to me who make it from recylcled plastic. It's called Link a Bord
I'll let you know how I get on with it.