The garden veg thread.

So didn't get as much done this weekend as I would have liked due to a mix of issues, but I did get offered an allotment which I took.

It pretty much a grass strip, lots of work to do just get something growing this year. I have started to dig it over suspect it will take a few weeks to make some serious progress on it.
 
Been a great weekend, Saturday spent down the allotment digging it over, made up some raised beds that I need to fill with something. Felt daunting at the start but feel good about the progress made in the last week.

Had the day at home today, just doing little jobs like potting on the spare tom plants to free up the propagator to sow something else in.

One row of peas are coming along very well, potatoes are starting to break ground, second row of spinage is just germinating and red onion sets are good to put out but going to hold off and try and get them in the allotment.

Fruit trees are in blossom, raspberries are shooting up.

Weather is forecast to warm up next week, already wishing the week away so I can get down the allotment again next Saturday and start to mark the dug beds out.
 
8am this morning I was breaking the ice from the bird bath, not really early, so surprised with the frost.
All veg beds (bar last years kale which is re-growing - super veg!) fully prepped with chicken muck and worked in well. Parsnips and Carrots sown in small veg bed one direct.
Corn, Courgettes and runner beans for 2nd small bed germinating in greenhouse.
Leeks for big veg bed doing ok so far, black kale up also.
put potash on gooseberries and blackcurrant bushes (well, very small bushes!)
Extra runner beans for 3rd small bed also up - too early I think, but it's done now. I don't like to plant these out until June.

Also today went for a nosy at Dobbie's Garden Centre. I was looking for tomato plants, specifically Gigantomo (v large beef tomatoes with amazing taste), they had just about every type bar these, typical.
They also had grafted tomato plants for £5.99...? These are meant to produce more fruits, I know from experience having wasted a fiver a few years ago they are rather useless, producing no more fruits than a £1 tommy.
 
The frost surprised me last night too, weather forecast didn't say we would have one, close the coast too.

Ah well whats done is done. I have two beds ready to plant up the allotment, one is earmarked for spuds. The other probably brassicas but they wont go out for weeks yet.
 
After two weeks of neglecting my plot I visited my allotment today. Lettuce seedlings have appeared (no sign of the carrots), the leaves on the potato shoots were slightly effected by frost, sowed french beans, harvested sprouting broccoli, leeks and rhubarb. Last autumn I planted winter garlic and onions for the first time, both are looking good and should be ready in a month or so.
 
Too warm for me, popped down after work and got very little done.

Did get a load of pallets dropped off tonight which I will use to make compost bins.
 
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Rhubarb question.
At my Dads house there has been an approximate 8 foot sq. rhubarb patch. Its been going for over 60 years I am told. In the last 5 years despite muck and love its doing nothing much............... any ideas?
 
I think rhubarb eventually becomes exhausted. I don't know if leaving it for a season or two to recover would help but I think it may need digging out and replacing from time to time.
 
Ned said:
I think rhubarb eventually becomes exhausted. I don't know if leaving it for a season or two to recover would help but I think it may need digging out and replacing from time to time.
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Maybe worth digging it over a little and see what happens next year. If nothing then, maybe a bit more rigorous.
In other news all seeds now germinated and looking good bar the courgettes, I don't recall them taking 4 weeks plus to pop up..... not one out of 10 so far..?
 
Benefits from working from home, got out in the garden at lunch time to pot on my sunflowers and cabbage.

Try and use tomorrows lunch to pot on the brocoli and kale.

Find best starting off sun flowers inside as slugs love them.
 
Yep, the working from home mostly suits me too. Instead of what was a pre covid 1hr 30min commute to work sometimes, I get extra time in bed or extra personal time. Either a early am dog walk or a good half hour in the garden. Sometimes in these recent dry sunny chilly mornings its been spent sat in the green house with the radio on and a coffee from 7am surrounded with my little plants and Fred the tortoise. I like the unconventional life.
Still no courgette germination...maybe it's the radio? :p
 
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Planted 6 more courgettes from a differed batch of seeds, nothing happening with the previous. Looked into the pots and the seeds had rotted. Going to have to plant the black kale out soon, its booming in the greenhouse, putting some in the flower boarders too (not my realm) as it's a pretty plant. We put it outside in the day time and back in at night as still the odd frost.
 
The rain and the higher temps have certainly sprung a lot into life.

I have not done much down the allotment this last week.

Sown some green beans and some more kale, need to source some water pipe to hold netting to protect the brassicas when they eventually go down the allotment in 2/3 weeks time. Got a weeks leave coming up and hopefully then I will have alot planted out.

Finally remembered to sow chives too...
 
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My dwarf Beans are emerging now at the allotment. The lady on the neighbouring plot is Chinese and does things quite differently, she gardens with a pick-axe, last year she grew soy beans and grows garlic for the stem rather than the bulb. She sliced the stem length ways and sir-frys it. She loaded me up with young garlic to try, it was very good and I might do the same next year. This year's garlic is too big so I'll stick with the bulbs.
 
I've go loads to plant out, but don't fancy risking it as I have heard we could have more frost. That would ruin it all if it happens. Living surrounded by farm land, I've notice the farms are still seed planting seeds and spud planting. They have also covered up the brassicas that were hand planted a few weeks ago with plastic.
I've got 2 x gigantotomato plants in the greenhouse and awaiting postal delivery of 4 more Marmande plants (1 week overdue), these are smaller beefs but possibly the best tomatoes I've ever had. Amazing sliced with good olive oil and sea salt.
Last years kale is now nearly 7 foot tall with yellow flowers, quite nice really, and has grown loads more edible leaves, however its time is now limited to 2 weeks.
Already in the ground with no germination yet, are the carrots and parsnips.
 
All the forecasts I have seen are for unsettled weather but warmer and warmer nights. I just don't have room to keep stuff indoors or all in the greenhouse anymore. I will protect if I need and hope we don't have any hard frosts. TBH its only the potatoes I will really worry about the brassicas should be fine outside.

reminds me I need to sow parnsips seeds in the gaps where it has failed to germinate.

Most of my tomatoes plants are in the greenhouse now, esp since the night time temps are not too cold atm.
 
taun said:
All the forecasts I have seen are for unsettled weather but warmer and warmer nights. I just don't have room to keep stuff indoors or all in the greenhouse anymore. I will protect if I need and hope we don't have any hard frosts. TBH its only the potatoes I will really worry about the brassicas should be fine outside.

reminds me I need to sow parnsips seeds in the gaps where it has failed to germinate.

Most of my tomatoes plants are in the greenhouse now, esp since the night time temps are not too cold atm.
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The night temps are decent, but I've heard of early am frosts coming this week in the NW. We are 15miles inland as the crow flies, so if closer to the coast, you should be milder.....
 
Pootle said:
The night temps are decent, but I've heard of early am frosts coming this week in the NW. We are 15miles inland as the crow flies, so if closer to the coast, you should be milder.....
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Yeah, close the coast and only a few metres above sea level which makes a difference.

Had me worried for a little while...haha Banking on the next two weeks being ok temp wise to harden nearly everything off.

Reminds me got to bring a luffa in...
 
Well weather been rubbish yet again but dry when I have been working...typical. So not really done much around the garden of allotment.

I did get some water pipe today to be able to create the supports for netting to protect the brassicas. Got it cut ready so just need a dry spell to get down the allotment and put them up.

More and more plants from the greenhouse are being transferred outside, sure sign summer is on its way.
 
I've just been pondering how long it will be before I pull up my garlic, they're starting to yellow and a couple have small flower buds.
Pigeons have been paying some attention to my dwarf beans, can't remember if I netted them last year but I don't think so.
Sprouting broccoli is almost over, bees are loving the yellow flowers of the bits that have bolted. Potatoes plants are looking good and the local mole has thrown up its first mole hill on the edge of the garlic patch.
My rhubarb, which started well, got destroyed by the wind a couple of weeks ago looks very sorry for it's self.
 
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