The even newer good, bad and ugly of growing your own in 2021!

Ellie78

Well,  one month into owning my allotment and I still haven't planted anything in there!  
I've done multiple trips to the tip with a car full of bindweed, couch grass, broken glass, abandoned junk and disintegrated cheap weed membrane (that covered the entire plot).  The past owner was a lazy slob.   Have abandoned my plans at no-dig for this year.  The ground is so compacted and full of weeds and rubbish.    
Managed to find a free shed on FB which is now up.  Needs a few holes patching but got lots of free wood locally and with the help of my plot neighbour we filled the back of his van and have a big pile for repairs and random projects.
The greenhouse at home is bursting at the seams           

Suffolk_lass

Ellie78 said:

Well,  one month into owning my allotment and I still haven't planted anything in there!  
I've done multiple trips to the tip with a car full of bindweed, couch grass, broken glass, abandoned junk and disintegrated cheap weed membrane (that covered the entire plot).  The past owner was a lazy slob.   Have abandoned my plans at no-dig for this year.  The ground is so compacted and full of weeds and rubbish.    
Managed to find a free shed on FB which is now up.  Needs a few holes patching but got lots of free wood locally and with the help of my plot neighbour we filled the back of his van and have a big pile for repairs and random projects.
The greenhouse at home is bursting at the seams           

How exciting for you @Ellie78. I would be making plank rectangles this year and growing the shallow rooted things in there. It sounds as though you need to grow some potatoes to break the ground up - Maybe consider Phacelia (a green manure and bee crop in the borage family)

MovingForwards

Squash seedlings are getting their adult leaf, still sunning themselves on the window ledge. 
Transplanted toms are settling into their small pots and putting energy into growing. Hopefully next month they will be planted up outside.
First lot of runner beans are in the garden. Existing peas and beans are settling in well.
Everything is coming along nicely.

Ellie78

Suffolk_lass said: 

How exciting for you @Ellie78. I would be making plank rectangles this year and growing the shallow rooted things in there. It sounds as though you need to grow some potatoes to break the ground up - Maybe consider Phacelia (a green manure and bee crop in the borage family)

Yes I've got some seed potatoes ready to go in when I've cleared a patch.   I need to keep reminding myself to concentrate on one section at a time and not aim to have the entire plot cleared before I start planting.    Definitely going to get some green manure this year too. 

carinjo

@Ellie78 sounds like a great start. 
Yesterday first day off in a week, was on plot at 8am digging. Rain definately helped. Ms C took over in the afternoon and carried on. We should have it all done before our camping trip in a weeks time. The potatoes have finally started showing, just in time to hopefully miss the last frost. There is a slow showing of chard, cabbage, second sowinhg of radish and lettuce, beetroot.  Hope it just due to the cold. 
At home ms C helped to turn the dining table into a display of green! There baby seedlings everywhere. She came up with an ingious plan and pulled the curtain over and around the table to keep ms marple, the cat, off the table. Bless her, she also reassembled the zippy greenhouse and now in a different position in the garden. So far so good. Only 1 of the honeyboat squash and 1 of the kale germinated, will do a second sowing, since the kale is the one i am most looking forward to. My sweetpeas looks like it not going to make it, sowed it too early i think. Gave the rest to my sister, so might get another packet.
More rain today, yeah, will be back digging on monday.

carinjo

Ps. Went for a walk around the allotment yesterday and came accross 3 beehives! Will investigate and see if i can get some local honey. What a lovely surprise!

Caitykinss

The rain yesterday seems to have done everything good. My onions sets are all beginning to sprout now. I also have a full set of radish germinated and one tiny chard poking through. Nothing on the carrots yet, but seem to recall them taking ages last year. My lettuce has also all germinated overnight, but seems I overlooked the plastic trough I’ve sowed them in has no drainage holes. Just had to carefully tip compost soup out of the top and quickly punch a couple of holes in the bottom. 

I think today is the day my tomatoes move into the zippy greenhouse. Going to try three or four for a couple of days and see how they do, then move the rest out. In a slight conundrum as three of my maskotka tomatoes have started flowering. They’re still in their 12cm pots and don’t look as bushy as I thought they should. Should I pick the flowers off, or just leave them to it? 

C_J

All my squashes seem to have doubled in size since they were repotted last weekend, and are looking very strong and healthy. I repotted them again today and moved them all (20 large pots in total!) to the polytunnel. They will eventually get planted out into a designated courgette/squash bed but Mr CJ hasn’t dug that for me yet 😀. I also potted on a whole load of tomatoes, including a mushroom box full of very tall and strong (but unlabelled) seedlings. I must have been distracted when I sowed them, but they are probably something run-of-the-mill like Gardener’s Delight or Moneymaker because all my fancier types have been accounted for. Oh well, tomato surprise, I don’t mind!

I also potted on a dozen chilli plants, and these have been put into the little 6ft greenhouse which has been turned into a dedicated Chilli House.  I also planted about 200 summer flowering bulbs which I bought on Friday from Homebase and my local big garden centre - the packs were just 50p each so I got some fantastic bargains including peonies, gladioli, lilies, dahlias and anemones.

I am now relaxing with a well-earned ice lolly.

Kantankrus_Mare

Put my sweet peas out on Friday and worried all day yesterday what with the rain and wind. Been to check today and they are fine!! I also put my tomatoes and cucumbers in their final greenhouse place. I sowed some spring onion seeds weeks ago and have been looking regularly to see if they are growing. Was getting rather impatient as the bed is becoming weedy but didnt want to disturb the seeds. Noticed today they are finally just popping through and some green popping through where I planted my early potatoes. Love it once things finally get going.
Ive got lots of sunflowers to go out but not sure whether to risk it yet. Thought I might just put one out and see how it fares.

RelievedSheff

I have not posted an update for a while.

Our four types of chilli plants are doing really well. They are still on the kitchen window cill. Think we will give them another month on there before we plant them out in the garden.

The two types of carrot, parsnips and beetroot are all coming on really well now despite the rubbish weather than we have had.