Suprises!

Went to the allotment today to start clearing stuff away -  the oldbeans, squashes, sweetcorn etc. Should have done this a while ago, yet get a letter from the allotment telling you off if you don't do this. 

The big suprise was that I got quite a pile of Jerulsalum artichokes. I didn't even plant these - they were just left in the ground from last year.

The place is looking pretty tired now. You can see in the picture before that I'm still having a lot of problems with the grass, and pretty much the only other thing growing is Kale and perputal spinach.

Things slowing down

Things are slowing down now. I've picked the last of the runner beans, and the summer squashes are  coming to an end as well.

The kale has more or less survived the caterpillars, so I've got plenty of that, but I'm the only one in our house who likes it. Also, perpetual spinach is living up to its name and still going strong.

I'm also still getting a few seriously hot peppers.

Did I say I moved the Globe Artichokes? They seem to have survived, although look a little bit limp.

Next task is to start clearing away the beans etc and starting clearing the ground if the winter.

A few warm and sunny days

Wow! We've actually had a few warm and sunny days! 

This has meant that the straightneck and yellow (unknown!) squashes have come back to life a bit, and I finally got a few (very hot! peppers).

Even more amazing, sun meant that I actually got my wife down to the allotment to help me! You can just about see her behinds the beans. Talking of which, we managed to pick quite a few more today.

Also, I thinned out the few carrots I planted (they are looking good, but why did I plant so few?) and also re-planted some little gem lettuces to give them a bit more room (top piccy).

Finally, I moved our globe artichokes, as the were too close to the boundary with next door. We'd agreed to put a path between our plots to reduce weed-spill. They went pretty limp straight away -  I fear I may have killed them..

Cordless Strimmer

I bought a Sovereign cordless strimmer last week in the sale -deduced to £19.99 so I wasn't expecting much, but it's fantastic. As I've said before, I've got a bit of couch grass problem, but this allows me to at least keep it tidy. 

It uses little plastic blades, which work fine, and the battery lasts about 20 minutes, which is fine to tidy up the plot, and cuts a lot better than I was expecting given the price.

Start of Autumn

Well, it's been the dullest August on record weather wise, and the 5th wettest. Not ideal growing conditions really. The tomatos have been a complete failure, and I've only had a few peppers and  two small aubergines. On top of that, we've had major stormy rainy weather, and the small poly tunnel has split.

I'm getting lets of quite a few runner beans, but less than I would have done if it hadn't rained so much - we are probably only going to get another few weeks worth.

The courgettes are coming to an end, but I've got a reasonable number of decent winter squash to keep us going.

As you can see from the picture above, it's all started to look a bit tired.

After three or four sessions of picking caterpillars a seem to be winning, although the plans are decimated - have a look at the Kale below. Hopefully a reasonable number of them will recover.

Yesterday I planted some cabbage, cauliflower and sprouting that we got from a mail order company. I was pouring down with raining at the time, the sprouting has just gone into a temporary position, as I hadn't prepared enough ground, and the plants look like they needed some daylight, so I though I'd get them in.

Yuk!

Utterly horrible! Spent the last hour picking caterpillars from the brasicas.

Allotment food

Allotment food
Originally uploaded by michaelwebbuk

Anyway, despite last two post about pests I still managed to pick quite a bit today. From left to right, straightneck squash, courgette, lettuce, winter squash, chard, runner beans.

Oh, and have googled the caterpillars, cabbage white, which need picking off...

Caterpillars

Oh no! I thought the slugs were the worse enemy, but since last week these caterpillars have arrived. hundreds of them!

They are all over the kale and purple sprouting, decimating the plants. Not sure what to do about the really. I've heard about dwindling butterfly numbers so maybe I should leave them be, and hope the plants recover afterwards.

On the positive side, plenty of runner beans, despite the wettest august on record.

Slugs

it's been raining all month and the slugs are starting to take over again.

Peppers, aubergines and kale

Pepper
Originally uploaded by michaelwebbuk

We've got our first peppers and aubergines coming through. They are both pretty small at the moment, and the peppers are really hot.

Had to do a serious amount of weeding today, but got another good crop: peas, runner beans, courgette, squash, potatoes, lettuce (didn't grow that from seed!) and some kale (not sure when you supposed to pick that).

The kale is looking pretty good at the moment - probably have way too much of it though, as I'm the only one who eats it.

Most of the brassicas have a bit of white fly, but from past experience it isn't really much of problem - it seems to go away on its own.

A little overgrown after being away

Caerleon Allotment
Originally uploaded by michaelwebbuk

We've been away for a week, so things are looking a little wild, but in a good way! Some of the salad at the front has gone to seed, but the carole is looking great . You can see the peas just behind, and then beans.

OK, there's a lot of grass about as well, but most of the plants have now out-grown it!

I dug up most of the potatoes today, and, unfortunately, had to throw away loads of oversized squash and courgette.

Had our first few beans today, and a few radishes before (first time we've ever got those to grow, believe it or not).

Peas!

Peas!
Originally uploaded by michaelwebbuk

At last! After three years we finally get enough peas to get excited about! These are the Telegraph peas from realseeds company, and they grow to about 6 or 7 feet tall.

New bits in

Purple sprotting plants have now been put out, some where the potatos were, and some when there onions were.

I think I've probably spread the brassicas out too much...

Also, put out some more chard, a few more pak choi, and some lettuce, and put a few more seeds in - some salad leaves, a few carrots and radishes.

It's been really sunny for the last few days, had to do quite a bit of watering.

Here's a picture of today's haul

Here's a picture of today's haul!

From left to right - chard, mixed salad, kale, cabbage, perpetual spinach, squash, courgette, pak choi.

We've started to get way to much squash...

Pak Choi has bolted again, but bigger this time. Probably time to give up again.

We planted out a few more bits, some italian climbing beans, lettuce, pak choi and chard. Also sowed some more seeds - mixed salad, carrots (won't grow), radish and beetroot. These are where the onions used to be.

Also, planted out the purple sprouting - most of this is where the potatoes used to be.

But not all weeds...

Just in case the picture in the last post made it all look like weeks, here's actual plants (and my scarecrow). OK, so it's not exactly neat and tidy, but lots of squashes, mixed in with sweetcorn, and a few cabbage at the back.

Lots of food and weeds

We've had loads over the last couple of weeks - lots of potatoes dug up two rows of charlottes, squash, cabbage, chard, perputal spinach, a few peas and beans. Almost too much to eat really.

I took the onions up today, as the leaves had started to wilt again (same thing happened last year). Not a problem, so long as you get them up before the rot gets down too far.

The picture to the right sort of shows what I mean, if you can see the onions from the weeds! I've said before I've got a bit of a horse tail and couch grass problem! Doesn't stop things growing though. Here's the onions when I pulled them up...

I'm not sure that you can see, but that's LOTS!

Bigger Courgettes and cancelled veg box

Courgettes are now growing to full size, which is good.

Don't seem to have any butternut squashes though for some reason (I lost the labels on my squash plants),

I've cancelled the veg box delivery for a whole now, as I'm getting enough from the allotment (sorry, Riverford).

Oh, I've cheated a bit and bought a few cabbage and lettuce plants from the Potting Shed up the road - the slugs keep attacking my greenhouse.

It's been tipping down with rain all day (which means more slugs...). I'd hoped to be able to clear a little space to plant my purple sprouting.

First significant crop this year.

Had our first significant harvest yesterday - perputal spinach, chard, a handful of Charlottle potatoes, some small courgettes, some over-wintered red onions and a couple of garlic.

Also pulled up the bolted pak choi - the leaves taste fine, but obviously no heart, which is the nicest bit.

I spent a couple of hours weeding last night, had the allotment to myself, and stayed there until 10pm - my favourite time.

The beans are starting to grow at last, we'll get a few peas (but it's never really worth it). The kale from the Real Seed Company is looking great.

I also planted out some more Choi - a different variety. I planted this out younger than the last lot, so maybe that will stop them from bolting.

Bolting Pak Choi and going over to the dark side...

Planted Pak Choi out on Monday. It had bolted by today! The plants are still tiny... No idea why ... perhaps too cold? I've got got another type, so maybe they will be better.

OK. Big Confession.

I've gone over to the dark side. I've put slug pellets down. Up until now I've been completely organic but... the slugs pretty much cleared the plot a couple of weeks ago. Beans, chard, purple sprouting, cabbage, all completely decimated. It was either give up and kill the slugs. I tried a organic barrier solution, and it was a complete failure. Beer traps the same.

So... a few pellets later, and the cabbages (the only thing vaguely allow apart from the Squashes) came back to life, and everything I've planted since has been fine.

So, they really do seem to work. But at what cost? Not sure, but at least it's fun again as I can see things growing.

Oh, one other thing. I'm getting really small courgettes. Not sure if it's just because the plants are young.

Quick update

Onions are in and growing well - I've tried feeding them this year with organic onion feeder.

Potatoes have started coming up.

First beans (white apollo) are in, as are few telegraph peas (should be 10 ft tall).

About 10 different squashes are - no idea what they are as I lost the labels... Straight neck UrickiKuri or something, butternet and courgette.

A bought a 5ft long coche, and have put peppers, aubergine, a couple of tomatoes and a few seeds in. Wind made it fall apart first night...

Onions in the snow!

Tried to plant the rest of the onions today but it started snowing! Probably got about 50 in, and about 50 a couple of weeks ago. The garlic and onions we planned a couple of weeks ago are already starting to come through.

Also, planted some more squash, sweet corn and sweet peas in various cut off milk cartons and old tin cans and put them on the window sill.

Some of the courgettes and sweetcorn that I planted a couple of weeks ago are looking pretty good now.

First seeds in

Aubergine and peppers from Real Seed Company have been on the window sill for a couple of weeks now, so I've got lots of little seedlings.

I've just created some paper pots from newspaper with my paper pot maker, and put a few Cape Gooseberries on the window sill as well.

Real Seeds

I've just order a few seeds from http://www.RealSeeds.co.uk. They sell real, non-hybrid seeds, so you can save your own seeds if you want. The web also gives the history of the seeds, and the company seems to be run by people who really care about plants.

I've already bough the main bulk of my seeds, so these are just a few extras:

• Telephone tall pea (grow up to 5 feet tall!

• Early Straightneck squash (haven't seen these anywhere before)

• De Barbentane Aubergine

• TG Yellow Aji Peppers

• Tuscan Kale

As well as having unusual seeds the prices (including delivery charges) are really good.

A new year

OK, last year was wet, and I didn't post much. The squashes from my last post were brilliant, especially the yellow summer ones, but thats about it. Ok, slight exaggeration. Onions were OK (I saved them by hanging them upside in the garage) and runner beans were good as well.

Roger's got his own allotment know, so I'm on my own. I've covered half of it with tarp in an attempt to discourage the couch grass, and planted onions and daffs at the end of last year - both have come up, which is a started.