The all new 2019 growing your own thread!

Cheapskate

Hello everyone, hope I can join you!

I've grown bits over the last few years, but now have a chance at an allotment. Applied for a council one the other week, fully expecting a wait of months (if not years), and got a letter a few days ago offering me one less than 10 minutes walk from my house!! :eek: I'm meeting the man from the council next week (at the site), to have a look before I say yea or nay. He says it's overgrown, and I don't know what size it is, but apart from the obvious hard work ahead, what advice could anyone offer, please?

Thanks in advance

A xo

VintageLady

Ganga wrote: »

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Is this after your savings from your allotment or before you got your allotment :rotfl:

Hi there. That's after getting the allotment. It was £25 per week before for 2 adults and a cat.

unrecordings

Another one of those up and at 'em days. Let's see how much I can get done today - mainly some gentle repotting, taking stock, and hopefully finishing off the top dressing I started in the spring.

To those that have popped up with new allotments - welcome !

unrecordings

Primrose wrote: »

Garlic is a very hardy plant and will often start sprouting in autumn once planted if the weather is amenable. Just be sure to keep it well watered in this dry weather to give it a strong start and it should survive the winter OK. Many garlic bulbs are autumn planted and are quite capable of surviving the frost but obviously if you have some cloches or can give them some protection with fleece this may help advance their growth just a little.

Because I can't resist, and because the autumn catalogues have started flooding through the letterbox, I'm tempted to start a bulb's worth in pots rather than straight into the ground - that way I've got options next spring. My garlic harvest is generally poor, even this year

Suffolk_lass

Cheapskate wrote: »

Hello everyone, hope I can join you!

I've grown bits over the last few years, but now have a chance at an allotment. Applied for a council one the other week, fully expecting a wait of months (if not years), and got a letter a few days ago offering me one less than 10 minutes walk from my house!! :eek: I'm meeting the man from the council next week (at the site), to have a look before I say yea or nay. He says it's overgrown, and I don't know what size it is, but apart from the obvious hard work ahead, what advice could anyone offer, please?

Thanks in advance

A xo

You are most welcome - I suggest you read from post 1157 where FoxFace asked the same question - rather than all the same advice coming through again...

unrecordings

Managed nearly five hours out there & I'm pooped. Got a lot of tiny jobs done which feels good now, but I might be suffering tomorrow. Getting back outdoors and being able to work towards regaining some mobility & dexterity is worth the pain (so long as I don't overdo it again). Had another good tub of tomatoes with plenty left. Peppers are still trying, courgettes are on their last legs.

MysteryMe

Only two beef toms left to pick, both ripened then that, along with the cherry toms is that.

Plenty of money maker still, most green but a few on the turn so fingers crossed. Will seem strange buying toms in the shops again.

unrecordings

MysteryMe wrote: »

Plenty of money maker still, most green but a few on the turn so fingers crossed. Will seem strange buying toms in the shops again.

I know what you mean, I don't even buy tins (well this year being an exception due to youknowwhat). I tend to finish clearing the greenhouses by the start November, then use a combination of fridge & kitchen shelf to keep/ripen the last of the crop. The lime green ones will last into January if they're picked in good nick

unrecordings

...In other news, thankfully I can still walk. It's raining today, so I can settle down with the Suttons catalogue and plot & scheme - some interesting things in there for next season...

Primrose

Since a number of us are about to have this dilemma has anybody found a good way of ripening picked unripe tomatoes? And getting them to have any decent flavour?

I generally ripen them on trays covered with a layer of newspaper (to catch the drips of any which turn manky) in the sunniest part of the house I can find (not having a greenhouse) but I find them lacking in flavour and generally end up using them up in soups or casseroles and stews. Find them pretty flavourless for fresh salad type eating.