My baby seedlings

Trying2Save_3

Just picked up on a couple of questions in this thread. You can freeze the tomatoes, then use them in casseroles, bolegnese or soup.

Garlic is usually planted in autum and winter because it needs a cold period of 1-2 months at 0-10c to grow well, it would then be ready to harvest late spring/early summer. You can also plant it early in Spring and then harvest from midsummer to early autumn. You plant just one clove 4" deep and as soon as the leaves start to fade and turn yellow you dig it up, the bulb will look just like they do when you buy them in the supermarket. To store dry them well and the skin will turn white & papery. Hope this helps.

moggins

spalding wrote:

wallpaper tables normally very good for this sort of thing only cost about a fiver and fold up

That's good as I already have one of those

Thanks for reminding me.

Trying2Save_3

Not sure if you know or not but Sweetcorn are wind pollunating, so you need to plant them in blocks. I've had an allotment for several years, so I'm happy to help with any questions anyone has. If I don't know the answer "I know a man who does"

Eliza252

Am planting my runner beans out today in the big bad world of the allotment - I am quite scared as have been nurturing them in pots for weeks now!
I have got my bamboo canes to make a wig-wam, and my garden twine to twist round the poles and am going to put a plasitc bottle aorund the base to stop the slugs eating them.
This is my first allotment!! and so runner beans have honarary first vegetable to be planted status - any tips for me?!

Allexie

Oooh, I was so proud of my first five little asparagus spears that poked their heads above ground this last week-end....(mmm..lashings of butter and black pepper...yum!)

Bloke-friend offers to help with weeding and doesn't notice my little darlings...trample, trample.... little darlings are no more! Clod-hopping bloke-friend was almost 'no more' I can tell you.....

Caz2_2

Eliza252
I am waiting to plant out my runner beans but they are "soft"(they have been growing in the green house) and weather forecast is for frost some nights this week so i am going to wait until the weekend. I spent saturday digging a veg plot 12 foot by 16 foot in my back garden and cant wait to plant my stuff out. I'm going to put my marigolds all around the edges so it looks pretty and then all the lovely grub in the rest of it.

r.mac_2

Allexie wrote:

Oooh, I was so proud of my first five little asparagus spears that poked their heads above ground this last week-end....(mmm..lashings of butter and black pepper...yum!)

Bloke-friend offers to help with weeding and doesn't notice my little darlings...trample, trample.... little darlings are no more! Clod-hopping bloke-friend was almost 'no more' I can tell you.....

OH NO - we all feel your loss. BIG HUG

Eliza252

Hello!
Thanks for the tip Caz! I have checked the weather forecast for london and it looks alright, cant see any frost forecast down this way, I guess I could argue am a bit lucky living in london as all the pollution makes it slightly warmer than other cleaner places! - nb. if you live in london and have seen a different forecast let me know! - its going to rain this evening though which is a bit annoying as its the only evening I have free to get down to the plot, - am going to look like a numpty digging away in the pouring rain - ah well!
I have to get my runner beans in now, cus they are outgrowing their pots at a rate of knots! - I am scared they are going to die through lack of space - plus I need to get some other seedlings going and they are taking up too much space!

needmoney

The ****** birds have taken my parsley seedlings!

Trying2Save_3

Hi Eliza, isn't it great when you finally get your allotment. Here's to lots of fun and hard work! Runners are great, you get so many and they just keep coming. They can grow up to 10ft but I usually take the top off when they get to the top of a 6ft cane (Can use 8ft canes, but I'm only 5ft 2). My allotment is really windy and when you have got several pounds of runners on them its a really heavy load on the canes. So I usually plant the runners in a double row and brace the canes by running a cane diagonally along, firmly planted in the ground one end. Six to 8 canes for a wigwam. I just keep going until the structure doesn't wobble any more. Nothing more soul destroying if the whole lot comes down with your runners. I put mine out on Sunday and you can protect them with either fleece or old net curtains. They are very sensitive to frost. When the pods are forming they like lots of water. Keep picking and they will keep growing right through to September or you could sow some more midsummer. :-)