The all new good, bad and ugly of growing your own in 2020

zafiro1984

Clay- we had alkaline clay when we lived in Kent, I could grow fabulous brassicas. Here we are on acid sand I think they call it greensand but it's very similar to builders sand, the sad thing is I can't grow caulis which we love, but the carrot do well. 

Yesterday prepared another two raised beds ready for potatoes which hopefully will go in today. I have succumbed and decided to glyphosate the paths between the beds. It's the very first time I have ever done this but the back, age and no staff at the moment have made me realise that I have so much to do that I have to take the easy way out at times. 
Also planted Jerusalem artichokes and moved on some tomatoes. My sweet peppers aren't making much growth at the moment and I can't remember if this this is normal or if I should resow some more seeds. 

I don't know if I saw the following on this forum or somewhere else but it is very true.
"You're not stuck at home, you're safe at home"   keep safe

carinjo

First thing this morning back on the allotment and the potatoes finally in. When i went yesterday with a measuring tape, realised i worked out space between rows incorrectly, so spend time doing some more digging. 
Finished clearing grass and weed in onion bed and put some plastic cladding for frame in too. Hope it helps keep the grass from encroaching on bed too much.
Tried to work over a bit of soil for sunflowers and got a massive fright from loads of tiny red ants. Red is bad, yeah? Will opening up the soil help to scatter them to somewhere else? 
Tomorrow is some lettuce rows in raised bed and measuring out the runner bean frame (again) and start working over the area. 
My "the halfhour allotment" book arrived in mail today. Discovered it in library, loved it, so got my own copy. 

Tabby_cat

Suffolk_lass said:

Tabby_cat - your strawberry plants won't be ruined. It is unclear whether they are bare-rooted for storage or potted up. Have a look at the Ken Muir site re their strawberries - they keep them in cold store all winter and they get away really well. If they are not in compost I would personally pinch out the flowers and pot up the plants to give them the extra energy they need to go into growing stronger plants. If they are already in pots, just check underneath for roots and decide whether to pot on to bigger pots.

Thanks very much for the pointer Suffolk_lass. The strawb's are in last years pots, hanging baskets etc. I read somewhere that they need a spell in the cold and as this winter was quite mild by recent standards (down in Wiltshire anyway) I was worried I should have taken them out of the greenhouse to cool down. I'll get onto the Ken Muir site later. I've bookmarked it for when I need a good read. Thanks again.

-taff

Ants don't like being disturbed so just keep giving it a fork now and then, they'll soon go elsewhere.

silverwhistle

I have three neighbours now giving me grass cuttings occasionally so need to get down the allotment tomorrow to add them to my working bin. I've a decent supply of sawdust and cardboard too, as well as a horse muck heap at the allotment so should be able to make a good mix.

I've a similar problem of cracked clay soil on my 1st year allotment in the areas where I haven't dug or made raised beds. My solution for one weed free area (under fabric) was to use a bulb planter to make holes and plant chitted spuds topped up with home made compost. It may not yield a lot but let's hope it breaks up the soil a bit. Should be able to be more generous with the compost next year.

crv1963

I have been busy between shifts- cleared my plot- a space 3 x 7 m behind my hen run in the garden. Had to reduce some hedging by 3 feet in height and remove a wildly over grown bush. Going to make raised beds using beams and rafters from the loft conversion- no skips being delivered and the tip is closed so I'll have to improvise!

Potted on my chilli and tomato plants, going to use a dumpy bag for potatoes, got several bags of well rotted manure but not sure when I'll get anymore though with the lockdown I don't think it counts as an essential journey.

Scrimps

Thank you for the warm welcome   Im glad I could help unlurk you Charly. 

I have managed to follow some of my own advice and do a few sessions of 30 minutes of weeding the last few evenings., its so lovely and quiet in the garden during lockdown its more of a pleasure.  The peas and mangetout have germinated in the greenhouse,  DH sowed them but sowed the whole lot in one go.  I was planning on staggering at least the mangetout but I think Dh and our eldest were enjoying the sowing so I didnt whinge about it too much.  I dont think any of the peppers I sowed are going to germinate.  They were old packets of seeds and I did it on the off chance they would work as there was nothing to lose, I know they take a while but im pretty sure its been too long (I didnt make a note of when I did it) and Im quite happy to not give them the greenhouse space to be honest - I never get enough off them really to warrent the effort and space.

I did similar with all the old packets of tomato seeds I had - they all seem to have germinated!!  I will be pricking them out and potting them on this weekend.  I have quite a few pea seeds which I sowed late but ill be putting them in the ground also.  We're both off over easter weekend so hopefully one can do child duty whilst the other can get lots sorted. 

MysteryMe

Got some of the seeds I planted Saturday before last are poking up, so far got the beef toms, a courgette, a marrow and I can see the beginning of a salad tom poking up. Fingers crossed.  I have them in the lean to, so the warm weather is encouraging them. I put the plastic cover over them at night.

MysteryMe

More seedlings pocking their heads through the soil, it's funny how only a few days ago I was thinking nothing was going to germinate and then all of a sudden lots of activity.

bluesooz

seeds seem to germinate whenever they like just the right conditions! 
Planted some old pepper seeds mid Feb and only 1 germinated, so planted a few more 1st March and again only 1 germinated.  I assumed this was due to them being old so bought a new pack and sowed mid March - these germinated end of March at the  same time as most of the old ones I had sown 1st March!  - Have rather a lot of pepper seedlings now.  I had 3 plants in a trough last year which kept us supplied for salads.