Our Allotment Journey - Day 1 !

Top_Banana_2

Yes, I have many other crops in:

Onions, runner beans, French beans, broad beans, beetroot, peas, squash, cucumberm tomatoes, lots more potatoes, goosberries, raspberries, lettuce, radish, redcurrants.

Frugaldom

Hi Guys, how are you all doing? Still no spuds ready here but had plenty of lettuce, radishes, peas and a punnet of strawberries. I should be able to pick more peas tonight and then get them all into the freezer. I use the pods for making soup stock, so nothing gets wasted.

Thinned out more carrots, repotted a gifted courgette plant to the greenhouse and the butternut squash plant that's in there has suddenly started growing at the rate of Jack's beanstalk! My sweet peas are flowering and there are flowers appearing on the beans. All of what I initially thought were cabbages have turned out to be cauliflowers and I've found a few more broccoli plants that survived the move.

Weather has been great for weeks now, even taking into consideration we've had a few showers. These just help with the watering, so I'll be grateful for them and remain optimistic that we'll get a good summer to help the tomatoes & peppers etc. Watching the way things grow this year should help me plan the garden for next year, when it will be more like a garden than the corner of a field. My mini-orchard should also have grown up a bit by then.

xnatalie81x

Just got my allotment last week. COMPLETE NEBIE! - these are pics of my allotment

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=104839&id=689286490&l=33bef1b167

and here is the garden (start of journey)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=104879&id=689286490&l=589705fe3c

Changes are happening almost daily!

shaz_mum_of__2

todays courgette haul ..............................

Rummer

They look fabulous! How many plants are they from??

spirit

Well done Natalie and welcome. You have done really well in such a short space of time.

Shaz, those courgettes look great. i've had a few off 1 plant so far. i've got butternut and pumpkins making lots of growth with little fruits appearing. Loving this wet/warm weather!

shaz_mum_of__2

I have 10 plants altogether i have lots of pumpkin flowers spirit but no fruits as yet

Squashes won't be long too lots of buds i just hope the fruit sets it kept falling off last year................any ideas why?

got baby caulis at the moment and broccoli i may have to use them as there are so many plants in the raised bed the cage is being lifted up


Shaz

spirit

I read somewhere just the other day about flowers/buds dropping off. It might have been on the Grow Your Own forum? I think it said about either lack of water or food but don't quote me.

shaz_mum_of__2

Had a busy day in the garden weeding, feeding, planting, picking and tidying

I started the day with a big "to do" list and have done almost everything and cooked lunch(BBQ) and a spag bol for dinner

My 4 yr old nephew is staying the night i wish my ds were so quiet....

Managed to re jig the compost yet again the builders bag just wasn't working so its all gone back in the black bin with some compost activator and a sprinkling of water................we will at some point have usable compost.....won't we?


I think the blackfly are stunting the tomatoes i don't seem to have many actual fruits despite plenty of flowers i may have to spray afterall if it isn't alredy too late

Hope you all made the most of the day

Shaz

shaz_mum_of__2

Anyone know if/ how/when i should prune gooseberrys i bought the plants this spring they bore no fruit(which i expected) but they have put on a lot of growth i seem to think i need to prune them but not sure?

also

I also planted a thornless blackberry plant it has about 5 shoots one of which has grown to about 10 ft long and i have trained with an assortment of canes no flowers anywhere as yet ......should there be ? are they like raspberies and fruit on last years growth(ie not till next year ) and then do i cut this stem and one of the others will grow?

Sorry lots of ??? but all my books are veg not fruit related and the net isn't always reliable

Also rhubarb planted this year and producing lots of leaves now but the stems are green obviously this is not edible but should i remove some to give the crown a rest so it can strenghthen for next year?



Shaz