Allotments 4 All

Well there's not exactly any sign of a first frost - but the temperature has dropped below 35c.

Perhaps I should remind you all that I left my lovley plot in Harrow a year ago...and found myself in Qatar in the Middle East.

I have just sowed some different varieties of tomato seeds in pots. They're doing well in a bathroom on the shady side of the house.

When I arrived here I refused to give up on growing my own veg, herbs etc.

Bizarrely I have had huge success growing Basil which I could never keep alive for more than a week in the U.K. I spotted a couple of plants in my local supermarket here and planted them in tubs with a total expectation of them dying. Nine months on and I am still making my own pesto from them.

In addition to my tomatoes, I'm going to try courgettes, peppers, salad leaves and aubergines this winter.

We should be in for about 5 months of what we at home would consider to be perfect summer's days. Daytime temps 20 - 25c. Nightimes no colder that 8c - so good growing weather. We'll get maybe 10 days of rain, so I'll be busy with the hose.

I miss my plot more than most things from back home. I'm also missing those lovely autumn mornings when I would be out picking amazing wild mushrooms in the woods.

I hope you have all had a bountiful year on your plots. I'm hoping for the same during the desert winter.

Wish me luck!

Stork.

Good luck Stork with your new garden.  :)

completely different world! Good luck

would love to see some pictures, glad you're able to 'carry on growing '  ;D

Hi Stork it seems a long time since you were last on here, Autumn is certainly here at the moment, no sign of any mushrooms around here though, good luck in the heat that's what our Tommie's and sweetcorn missed this year a good bit of the old currant bun, are you growing sweetcorn. ?   8)      ;D ;D ;D

My sister lived in Oman for several years and all she could grow easily was Okra, if that is any help. I love it, but I hear that some people, amazingly, hate it.

How much water can you get? I was asked a few years ago to illustrate the flora of Qatar (have done floras of Oman and Saudi Arabia) and I was told that you can go for 2 or 3 years or more in Qatar without any rain at all, so I decided not to go. At least Oman gets a brief monsoon season every year.

If you have a water supply, surely you can grow almost anything? You don't mention beans.....

The plants I illustrated in Oman (Dhofar region) grow wild, but supply food for nomadic tribes. I can give you a list from the book, if you like. Some women were collecting these wild plants and growing them in enclosures protected from goats etc by very thorny fences, and I greatly admired them. Made our allotments in the UK look rather easy to run.....

Hi Artichoke...

Water is no problem - it's space that's the issue. I have an irrigated area at the front of the house which measures about 12 x 3 feet.  At the back I have quite a big yard. It was totally block-paved but I keep ripping up the cobbles to plant stuff.

I have been to Oman and thought it was such a beautiful country. The area around Salalah is like Cornwall. All green and fertile and very different to Qatar.

I'm going to grow wherever I can. I have lots of tubs, and boxes I can use to plant in. I'll just chuck in whatever seeds I can find and see what happens. It's certainly a challenge, but not an impossible one. I might try some Okra...they sell seeds in the supermarket. I can't stand the stuff but my wife loves it.

Thanks for the encouragement.

Hi Cornykev...

I still nip in here now and again. Usually when it's 48c outside and I can barely stay alive, never mind any plants surviving.

I was gutted to give up my plot. It went from dereliction, to pristine in the one year I had it.

Everything I touched turned to gold. Beginner's luck I guess.  Some lucky person walked onto a full sized plot left ready to go. All they had to do was unpin the weed-proof covers from the 16 raised beds I had built and stick in their seeds and plants.  After that they could just sit back and admire the fish and frogs in pond I dug to keep my daughter amused!!

I'm not sure I have enough space for corn and I have never seen seeds over here. I might try a small block of 4 plants if I do spot any seeds.

Harrow Weald Common is very good for wild mushrooms - just don't tell everyone.

Stork