Allotment Noob

17/05/13:
So drive home from work was a nightmare because of a dreadful accident on the M62! (Thoughts go to those injured) anyway the drive home meant I came close to the allotment, and I just couldn’t resist the lure of the allotment!
I thought it was too good to be true that the brassicas had been ok since planting and not covering! Pigeons have been tucking in! :( So it might be too late but I have now covered them…
**NOTE: next year cover them straight away!**
Aubergines are looking fab! Rhubarb is just insane! Peppers, chillies and tomatoes are coming on well! Greenhouse is looking great!
Potatoes are growing well! The Anya potatoes are starting to show now! I also planted two and a half rows of main crop Maris piper!

Got lots of hoeing to do when it gets a bit drier and looking at the weather the potatoes will get nicely watered in!

11/05/13:
Popped over to the allotment after 2 last two swimming lessons for the kids (Water Babies)… It was raining… Well spitting… And generally miserable.

However the greenhouse is over-flowing! (I keep forgetting we have two to use!) so gave everything another good drink, and started pinching out the spurs on the tomatoes! They are looking good! The aubergines are looking great too! Intact everything but the kids nasturtiums are looking good! So I must plant them out soon!

I potted up the melons and also sowed a few seeds:
- 6 pumpkins
- 2 patty pan squash
- 2 gourds
- 2 sweet honey dew squash (or something like that!)
- 6 sunflowers
- 24 climbing French beans

Took a photo under the tunnel to see how the broad beans were getting on! Tonnes of flowers on them but they look a little bit leggy, so I’ll uncover them soon and get some supports for them!
1st early potatoes are showing through my pathetic attempt a at ridge! I always leave that job to cola and she gets them looking really good!
The cabbages and broccoli are doing well considering they haven’t been covered! Thought pigeons would have eaten them… But not just yet!
Then finally as I was leaving I noticed the apple tree coming into blossom! Awesome!
Hopefully there will be a break in the weather tomorrow! As I really want to get the Maris piper potatoes in!

08/05/13
Trying to grow my own Sweet potato slips… I saw how to do it on Pinterest! Well after about 3weeks I now have the first shoots!!! Not mould but shoots! Look those little white bits! Brill!

http://www.outlawgarden.com/2012/04/25/grow-your-own-sweet-potatoes/

07/05/13
Finally got my experimental pea sticks up and planted a double row of peas (Variety: Onward) along them… (Pruned some of my mum’s bamboo when we last visited thought they might be “twiggy” enough, so we’ll see!

Also planted 2 more rows of broad beans straight in: last lot of Bunyards exhibition and also a new variety (for me) called: Witkeim Manita. Got a few left so will Dow them later this month to try and get a bit if succession!
Everything is coming along well in the greenhouse…
I need to get my main crop potatoes in soon though! I’m still not happy with how little they have chitted after so long! Again we’ll see how they go!
The fruit bushes at the front of the plot are flowering like mad! The bumble bees are loving it! Looking forward to finding out what they are!
Kids to bed and 1.5hours on the plot! Not bad!
Just need a nice bit if rain now I think!

04/05/13:
Managed to get a whole 6hours on the plot yesterday!
Dug, weeded, dug, weeded and dug some more!
Then made another raised bed: for shallots and onions, made a small onion bed by the shed.
Varieties; turbo and shallots - golden gourmet and red sun.
Planted some white asparagus plants I picked up in wilko for £1!
Watered everything… Cut the grass and earthed up the potatoes as they had started showing through!
Then resorted to some weed killer in the wooden greenhouse to kill the brambles and dandelions that were taking hold again! Didn’t finish until 9pm! Really good day!

28/04/13:
Potting up… Finally got round to potting up everything that had been in the greenhouse, looking a bit distressed in dry pots, so cracked into a new bag of compost and away I went:
- 3 varieties of toms
- peppers
- chillies
- Aubergine
- and some marigolds and a couple of thyme seedlings!

Then planted out the purple sprouting broccoli, and rather leggy looking Calibrese! - think I may have just left out some pigeon food!

Finally got some onions in too! Need to get some more I think!

This was all I managed I get done whilst doing it with my eldest (nearly 3) in tow! She did really well but after about 2houra was starting to get restless and undoing a lot of what I had just done ;)

19/4/13:
There was a slight breeze as I took these HDR photos but the sun was so low I couldn’t see the screen very well, only now I’m at home do I find them hideously out of focus! But anyway…
These are some of the fruit bushes and the trees that were on the plot:

Pic 1 - Pear
Pic 2 - Apple
Pic 3 - berry?
Pic 4 - berry?
Pic 5 - Gooseberry!
Pic 6 - my forced rhubarb!

There is also some raspberry canes and strawberries up there too! So looking forward to eating some allotment fruit this year!

Keep it coming sun!

19/4/13:
Garlic and onions are coming back round again and seem to be getting stronger by the day!