Allotments 4 All

I grow a lot of my plants for the plot in cells at home in the greenhouse, harden off and plant out on the plot to help win the battle of white rot, club root and all the other horrid things I seem to have inherited when I took on the plot.  However, when I plant out on my allotment, I usually just dig a hole and plonk the plant in, back fill, water and leave the rest to mother nature.  Watching the blind gent on GYO on Friday using his 'club root beating mix' when planting out his brassicas it made me think.  Would I get a better crop if when I dig the hole I sling in a handful of compost with a dash of blood fish and bone, or just bonemeal to give the roots a good start?

As you know, I have no piped water on site and I can only get to the plot when the children are at school and I am not working, so things have to fend for themselves a lot of the time.  I do great, but some things do rubbish, like caulis.  Could this, feeding the planting hole, really give things a boost?

For brassicas, put some manure in first. It will act retain water and slowly release it for the plant as opposed to drying too soon. Some people do this and only water half a dozen times throughout the year. Not sure for others though.

I always make the planting hole a little bigger and sling in a bit of compost mixed with a smidge of BFB, or maybe a couple of comfrey leaves (since I discovered it growing freely on the allotment!), depending on what I'm planting. Works a treat.

This isn't expertise, you understand (hah! as if!), it's just that I've always managed to make holes too big, and then had to put extra material in!

;D

we always stick a bit of lime in brassica planting holes, against clubroot, our soil needs it  :)

Quote from: ktlawson on January 28, 2007, 00:14:43
For brassicas, put some manure in first. It will act retain water and slowly release it for the plant as opposed to drying too soon. Some people do this and only water half a dozen times throughout the year. Not sure for others though.

90% of the time clubroot comes to your allotment in manure. I picked up a dose once. I limed it the year after but still used the rhubarb trick with some success.

Like the scousers I mix lime in the soil but will be using the blind guys mixture in future now EJ has written down the mixture. Can anyone remember the guys name I feel horrible keep calling him the blind guy. ::) ::) :-\ ;D

Just looked on the beeb website - won't swear to it, but I think it is Harry Wardle.

Yep, he was definitely Harry  ;D

it's repeated monday, 8.30 I missed it on friday and I'm fascinated by everyone's comments  :)

I missed it to on Friday so will be definitely watching it on Monday and jotting down any tips  :)

Quote; I usually just dig a hole and plonk the plant in, back fill, water and leave the rest to mother nature. 


May I suggest you do your watering a bit differently e.g.

I use a bulb planter rather than a trowel to form the planting hole, I find it fits in with my 3" pots/containers.

I put the plant in the hole and fill the hole with water with Armillotox in it. I find this keeps club root at bay and I also think it keeps root fly away, don't know why, possibly the smell!

As a rule the water settles the soil around the root ball, all I might need to do is just scrape a little soil around the top if the hole is not quite full. This way I know the water has gone to where I want it.

Quote; Would I get a better crop if when I dig the hole I sling in a handful of compost with a dash of blood fish and bone, or just bonemeal to give the roots a good start?

Personally I don't think so what you want to do is encourage a good root system for stability and quality of veg.

Apply your fertiliser as a top dressing this will percolate down into the soil and the root will stretch out and seek it.

Never apply manure and lime at the same time they react against each other and might lock up the fertiliser you have applied.

As I mentioned in another thread put a ring/box of lime around each plant and don't rake it in. I find slugs & snails don't cross it and the rain/watering takes it down to the root system.

I hope this helps!

Did you hear Carol Klein saying it was the first cauli she'd ever grown and that they were supposed to be difficult- might make you feel better- certainly made me decide not to bother!

Quote; Did you hear Carol Klein saying it was the first cauli she'd ever grown and that they were supposed to be difficult- might make you feel better- certainly made me decide not to bother!

I don't like the programme!

I think Carol is one of the most knowledgeable lady presenters on the tele' but all that gushing, ooing and aahing puts me right off the programme.....enthusiasm yes that; no!!

By the way Cauliflower is easy to grow if you get the right variety and give them the right conditions to grow in.

Tee Gee, yonks ago you posted a photo of your brassica patch looking like a chess board with the lime squares - I will never forget it - and I have to say, I have been copying you ever since.  ;D  I just wondered whether putting it directly in the hole might be more beneficial. 

I will take your advice on the fertlizer - would you use bone meal or BFB or something different as a top dressing?

Quote from: Tee Gee on January 28, 2007, 17:05:07
Quote; Did you hear Carol Klein saying it was the first cauli she'd ever grown and that they were supposed to be difficult- might make you feel better- certainly made me decide not to bother!

I don't like the programme!

I think Carol is one of the most knowledgeable lady presenters on the tele' but all that gushing, ooing and aahing puts me right off the programme.....enthusiasm yes that; no!!

By the way Cauliflower is easy to grow if you get the right variety and give them the right conditions to grow in.

I think this programme is patronising and unhelpful.  If she is so good - why did she make her bed next to trees where the roots hindered the growth of the veggies?  I like her as a gardener - but I think there is a need out there for a proper veg growing programme - without all the silly ooh and ahhs etc - and the cooking bit at the end where she cookes whats shes harvested that week is stomach chrurningly bad - I switched off after the second programme!

I'd like to see a prog where the likes of Monty follows the progess of a new allotment holder from day one - including all the hard work !  Thats what people need - the basics - the best way to clear plots, how to mulch, how to plan, how to plant etc......

Give ne the budget and i'll do it!

Louise

Quote from: EJ - Emma Jane on January 27, 2007, 22:39:10
I grow a lot of my plants for the plot in cells at home in the greenhouse, harden off and plant out on the plot to help win the battle of white rot, club root and all the other horrid things I seem to have inherited when I took on the plot.  However, when I plant out on my allotment, I usually just dig a hole and plonk the plant in, back fill, water and leave the rest to mother nature.  Watching the blind gent on GYO on Friday using his 'club root beating mix' when planting out his brassicas it made me think.  Would I get a better crop if when I dig the hole I sling in a handful of compost with a dash of blood fish and bone, or just bonemeal to give the roots a good start?

As you know, I have no piped water on site and I can only get to the plot when the children are at school and I am not working, so things have to fend for themselves a lot of the time.  I do great, but some things do rubbish, like caulis.  Could this, feeding the planting hole, really give things a boost?

Mulch mulch mulch and mulch again - we all need to conserve water and mulching helps the plants to make the most of what they do get!

Louise

Quote from: louise stella on January 28, 2007, 18:45:06
I'd like to see a prog where the likes of Monty follows the progess of a new allotment holder from day one - including all the hard work !  Thats what people need - the basics - the best way to clear plots, how to mulch, how to plan, how to plant etc......

My thoughts exactly Louise.  I keep watching GYO in the vain hope that it'll improve ( ::) ) and because there isn't anything else remotely veg-related on telly! x

Quote; I just wondered whether putting it directly in the hole might be more beneficial.

My answer might ruffle a few feathers but my answer would be No!!

Let me explain my reasons for saying so;

We are constantly reminded to apply gardening aids 'to the manufactures specification' so to put a handful in the planting hole as some of the TV pundits do, is to substantially overdo the dosage.

For instance; the recommendations for a base dressing of Fish,Blood and bone is 5oz/sy Growmore is 4oz/sy. A top dressing is 3oz & 2oz respectively.

Many years ago when I started up gardening I weighed out 2oz to see what it looked like when spread, so that in future I could apply the fertiliser to my eye rather than weighing it out every time.

What I found was;  that 2oz roughly half fills a vending cup.

Now I know my hand can encircle the bottom of a vending cup so it would be reasonable to assume that a handful would be around 1½-2oz of fertiliser, or put another way  enough to correctly dose about ½sy or say 4 square foot.

So if planting out a containerised shrub the hole size might be 1ftx1ft meaning to add a handful is to put in four times that that is required.

If planting something that was in a 3" pot you would have a hole that is roughly 1/16th of a square foot meaning you have over done it by about 60 times.

Then there is the other thing does it do the plants any good??

Have you ever noticed at the end of the season when you are digging up root balls you can often see the semblance of the pot shape as it was when you planted out?

You will also notice the the root system has in the main grown horizontal rather than downwards, meaning the plant did not get to the fertiliser at the bottom of the hole, meaning most of it was wasted.

This is why I apply my fertiliser on the surface at least I know the fertiliser is going to be washed down to where my roots are.

Sorry about that rant but it is just my opinion, what is yours?

Quote; would you use bone meal or BFB or something different as a top dressing?

I use Fish blood & bone on my veg & growmore on my flowers as a rule.