Grow your own dinner 2014

ally18

Hi,
I have collected all my onions in and wondered what I could now use that ground for. Is there anything I can plant from seed now or is it too late?

Fruittea

Hi Ally


I subscribed to John and Val Harrisons web site and they send out a really good newsletter which gives some pretty helpful advice. Take a look at the site
http://www.allotment-garden.org/index.php




Here's' and extract for August:
There are still quite a few things you should be sowing in August. Spring Cabbage and Chinese cabbage, which is a late crop as well as hardy lettuce.


Although we think of lettuce as a summer crop, it is a surprisingly hardy plant and under cloche and in the greenhouse can easily be available for a Boxing day salad rather than some tasteless import from sunnier climes.
Sow spring onions like White Lisbon winter hardy which will grow, albeit slowly, to add zing to that salad along with some fast growing radishes.


Late spinach can be sown in August along with a last sowing of kohlrabi and turnips.


John publishes a month by month to do list which is very good and easy to follow.


Good luck

ally18

Fruitea,

Thankyou very much for that, I will take a look at that and go and get some more seeds.

zafiro1984

Fruittea:- Recipe for orange marmalade. Doing the rosehips can be a little fiddly but I do them in batches and freeze them if I don't do enough in one go. http://www.greatbritishchefs.com/recipes/rosehip-jam-recipe.

Sample from one of the stallions? - I'll leave that to your imagination but the PO office ladies used to ask the contents of the 'biological container' I'd say 'half a horse' they now just nod and smile.

Back to the vegs:- this rain has brought on the vegs but also the weeds, I haven't had time to sow any winter veg so I think I'll have to buy in small plants from Marshalls, Done loads of muck spreading though - the back is complaining and I've had a couple of twinges from the hips so I'll take it easier for a few days before embarking on making a new bed for some potatoes next year.

Beans are great, carrots quite good, tomatoes ok, just finished collecting the shallots, I need to plant out the rest of the leeks asap - onward and upwards!!!

Kantankerous Mare:- I've found a blueberry company (The Dorset blueberry co) look like they know what they are doing so may order some plants from them, and I also need some raspberries, anyone had experience of Glen Moy?

Happygreen - what are you going to do with the sloes? We still have some 3yr old sloe gin - it's potent.

Queen of Cheap:- I think I've missed all the blackberries here this year - took my eye off the ball for a couple of weeks and I couldn't find any this morning on my favourite bush - stupid me

Happygreen

zafiro1984 wrote: »

Happygreen - what are you going to do with the sloes? We still have some 3yr old sloe gin - it's potent.

Zafiro, not all the sloe shrubs have fruit on them but the ones that have aren't ready yet. I'll try to gather some for what you suggest, I love it and it makes a lovely Christmas gift.
The blackberries only have started coming on here, so I'll have a tub ready in the freezer I can add to each day. Blackberry liqueur...:rotfl:

Jazee

Monz - how is the new allotment going?

Happy gardener here. For the first time in my life, I am giving produce to the neighbours. You may remember that I had no luck with my cucumbers so a neighbour gave me three young plants. I now have more cucumbers than I thought possible so everyone around me is having some!

Also today, harvested my one lonely beetroot and a turnip. Did weeding and grass cutting also. The leeks, spring onions, onions and tomatoes all doing well. Still no luck with cabbages, courgettes or peppers - don't think anything will happen now.

Happygreen

Broad beans all harvested now. OH said weeks ago that they weren't ready but I wish I hadn't listenend as now I have to play Cinderella and sort the good ones from the bad ones ! The freshest are going to be Hummus, the dry ones I'll store and the ones in between I'll dry for next year's seeds.

Fruittea

Thanks Zafiro will try that recipe. It must be so full of vitamin C. I usually make syrup for the winter but I think this will be just as good. I'm away from the allotment for a few days (family wedding) can't wait to get back and see how it's going.


Hi Happygreen - I took my broad beans out about 4 weeks ago as they were getting past their best. Have a few in store for the winter now but I usually make hummus with them.


The weather's bad over here on the east coast today - not looking forward to my 4 hour drive home. Hope it's good for you all.

Dizzy_Ditzy

One of my allotment neighbours gave me a big bag of plums yesterday :j

I've been inviting my friends and family to come and help themselves to various things from my plot as there's just too much for the two of us but I love that I can do that My dad left yesterday with a bag full of rhubarb, blackberries, dwarf beans, lettuce and cabbage

I need to go and spray my cabbages today as they've got the dreaded whitefly :mad:

And then I need to get thinking about what I'm going to do with 10lb of plums :rotfl: :rotfl:

zafiro1984

First runner beans picked today, small but perfectly formed :j