Update

Time for an update. My squash are rampant - will definitely be bottle cloching them next year and will set them a couple of weeks earlier too so they get a head start. The only one that isn't is the butternut - both I set were very very sluggish then one died and the remaining one is still way behind the other squash. All the plants have set fruit - one of my Jack o'Lantern pumpkins is already the size of a grapefruit so I am very pleased as I have always struggled with squash. The summer squash are producing fruit too and I already know which marrow is going to the cossetted to hugeness!

Runners are nearly at the top of their 8 foot canes and are starting to set beans - so are my first sowing of French beans. My sweetcorn is doing very nicely as are the underplanted French beans - I gap filled those today.

I now have all my summer and winter brassicas in except for calabrese and swede - those shall go in soon.

Today, I put in my leeks. The ones sown at the plot were much bigger than the ones sown in trays at home so this is the way that I shall do most of them in future.

We are now digging potatoes - much better than last year but the shear size of the tops this year has stopped me getting in to do as much earthing up as I would have liked so not expecting massive yields. My spring broad beans are yielding nicely but have now peaked so hopefully the summer beans will be ready before they finish. I am also picking red russian kale which appears to have gone mad.

My maincrop carrots have started germinating this week - at last. No sign of the spring onions that were sown with them though.

Exposed

This weekend, I exposed my squash (which had been under bottle cloches since planting out) to the elements. They had to come out as they had filled the bottles and where they were touching the side, the were getting sun bleached due to the condensation. They are good looking plants though and so far, I haven't lost one to the slugs or snails (last year I lost the lot and I normally lose over 50%) They are now big enough to withstand more than a combined attack so I am optimistic about geting some squash this year. I have also plated out my two competition marrow plants in lots of muck and compost. My four cucs have gone out and they have been bottle cloches because I normally lose quite few of these as well and they can be slow to get going.

I have prepared some more ground for savoy cabbage, red cabbage and cavalo nero. I shall get those in next weekend and covered with debris netting. I will remember to take my camera too.

I dug about half my garlic on Sunday. This year, a lot of it has had very bad rust. The western most rows did not have any more green on so I thought they had better be lifted. These are the ones that got off to the better start despite being sown two weeks later than the rest. Despite the rust, they have grown to a fairly good size and are drying (except one or two that I have removed to use as wet garlic) in the plastic growhouse in the back garden:

A Challenge

I have been challenged by my Mother in Law and Sister in Law to a marrow growing comp so any suggestions from the wider world will be gratefully received. I plan to give my one competition plant as much space as possible. Put in a good deal of cow muck and compost. Plant, possibly bottle cloche for a while. Feed lots of chicken poo and powdered seaweed, regularly water (not at all like me), bury the stem to encourage rooting, restrict to two fruits and in the final few weeks give it a final feed of cheap beer direct into the stem using a wick. If any of that is misguided or there are any better suggestions, please let me know - I must win!!!!!

I have now planted out (in the persistent drizzle) greyhound cabbage, red russian and dwarf curly kale, all year round cauliflower and romanescu. So a bit of an inroad into the brassicas has been made. Still have cavalo nero, red cabbage and ormskirk savoy to get out and have sown some calabrese, trevi cauliflower and swede.

Playing catch up!

Right, ain't been here for ages and for those who are bothered, I apologise. OfSTED sort of screwed up all my plans. The weekend before SATs week is usually a free one - very little planning to do for assessments. However, the OfSTED call came on the Friday afternoon - inspector the following Wednesday and Thursday so no free time that weekend at all. Very little plotting done the following weekend either as that is recuperation weekend!

Also, don't think it rained more than once between the very wet and cold spring holiday fortnight and half term. And then half term started cold and wet. I was really starting to think that one of the Gods was really out to get me. I have managed to catch up a little bit though. My tomatoes went out this week - but I still have to find time to plant ones that my Dad and Mother in Law have given me. I have planted out French beans. I have built my runner bean rig and planted out runner beans. I have planted out most of my squash - the only ones that remain are the resown ones and the butternuts that are still pathetic little plants. I have also put out celery (a first) and celeriac. I have still got to get out loads of brassicas and sweetcorn (due to go out next weekend under the three week rule - pity I am on scout camp next weekend! Once the remaining stuff is out, I will be done and I can then maybe turn the back garden into something that does not resemble a junk yard and dog toilet!

Stitch in Time

Phew - I have just finished sowing all the summer stuff - Runners, French (Green, Purple and Yellow), cucumbers, winter squash, summer squash, courgettes. I also potted on my Tomatoes, they needed it, but I am not doing sweetcorn until next week.

Yesterday I noticed that my potatoes are just starting the break through. My parsnips have started germinating, which is quicker than unsaved seed has done in the past. I may have one or two carrots coming through too.

I have also prepared ground for my peas to be planted out in next week. I will put out my last broad beans at the same time.

Jobs to do - brassica, tomato, chilli and squash ground to prepare.

Last of the spuds

Whooo - got the last of my ten 9m rows of spuds in today. Decided to do it this afternoon during my PPA time. I looked at the weather on Saturday and it said showers all day Sunday and a nice afternoon today so I decided to make sure all my work was done yesterday to leave my PPA free. So, did all my planning and marking yesterday whilst the sun beat down outside - it did not rain until about 6.30pm yesterday. This afternoon I put the potatoes in and got rained and hailed on. Can't win. Well at least it's done and I can now concentrate on getting other things done.

My little one's plot has small calabrese seedlings and her carrots have just started to germinate. I think mine are just starting to poke up under their fleece too. At the weekend, I need to prepare a bed for my peas (onward and greenshaft - I am comparing the two as our plots are not suited to peas so I need a reliable one). I also need to prepare umpteen brassica beds and space for my calabrese. After that, it will be get space ready for my tomatoes and chillis.

Punctured Day

Well, today I was going to put my final two rows of spuds in but I have a dispute - not of my making with a neighbour across the road. He once (actually more than once) accused my son of stealing one of his son's Playstation Games. We heard from his son that the game had been found at their house but he has never acknowledged this and has continued to treat me and my family badly ever since. Anyway, the other day, yet another supermarket delivery van was blocking our road (we cannot get in and out when they do) and there was parking spaces by the side of the road so it could have pulled over. This happens time and time again and often makes me late. This time I was exit side of the van so I made a peaceful protest by parking my car in the middle of the road in front of it. I only visibly left it but monitored in constantly - the plan was to move it the minute the Asda man wanted to leave - I was only making a point. I was watching out the front room and when I saw him come out, I went to move my car. This neighbour got there before me and was slagging me off to the Asda man calling me a all the names under the sun. I did object to this (well you would) and the Asda man apologised. I moved my car, the Asda man left - end of matter. NOT!! My new front passenger tyre developed a puncture over night - this coincidentally happened when my son didn't steal the game too and when my partner tackled him about a similar allegation. The car was deliberately (according to the garage who changed it) punctured in two places in the wall so needed replacing as wall punctures cannot be mended. I am seething. I have better things to do and do not have the money to spare. This guy is a worthless human being who bullies and beats his kids and his wife. He has no friends, some members of his wife's family have told us that they all loather him but because I have no proof I am powerless.

Anyway, I did get one row of potatoes in this afternoon. I also carefully checked the wind direction and lit a fire - the wind then changed direction so I had to let it go out.

I do have PSB to harvest tomorrow and my spring cabbages are very nearly ready - I may cut one of those to go with my PSB.

Didn't do much today but did sow 186 stations of parsnip seed saved from last year. Unlike counting out three seeds per station with bought seed, because I had so much, each station got a pinch. Supposedly, it should germinate better than bought seed as well (according to Icy and Real Seeds) so may have one hell of a thinning job coming up. When it was bought, it was White Gem.

Sowed them on 8th April last year but it was much hotter and drier.

Having looked at last years blog, I had got the last of my spuds in a year ago tomorrow. I still have about four rows to do this year and I am not doing them tomorrow!!!

Broadcast Rights

On Wednesday my youngest daughter joined me up the plot to "see if Daddy has dug my bed yet" Needless to say, that became job number 0.5 as I finished what I was doing to dig her plot. It had spent the whole of last year covered with black plastic so was nice digging and the soil is lovely. On Thursday, she broadcast sowed some carrots and spring onions together and some calabrese. She wants to do parsnips next so she "helped" me dig the bed for my parsnips. I chose a different area because it would be easier digging but my first fork went straight into a bed of broken glass. Joy - as much time as it should have taken to dig the bed spent getting bits of glass out - and I will still be getting bits out for many years. Anyway, its now dug, has been raked twice and by next weekend, I should get my parsnips in (saved seed).

Have now got two more rows of potatoes in - Picasso and Kestrel. Have now got about three rows worth of potatoes left and will get those in over the next fortnight.

Sowed carrots yesterday. I have broadcast them down a foot wide row in between onions. I covered the seed with seed compost that I had wasted the day before by kicking a tray with ten different seed trays of brassica seed across the garden. I will be getting lots of brassica seedlings popping up where I hope to have carrots popping up. Might let them get big enough to have as micro-salad leaves.

Holibobs

Have got four rows of spuds in - mixed row of Emerald Vale and Homeguard, Desiree, Maris Bard and Red Duke of York. I am trying the 1st, MC, 2nd, 1st, MC, 2nd sequence I was trialling last year but did not complete due to blight. Trouble is they are predicting a milder than average, wetter than average summer so blight may be an issue again.

I have now got all my onions in - including the Stuttgarter Giant that my Dad gave me. I have left gaps in the onions for carrots which I am going to broadcast sow this year to avoid thinning.

To brighten up my blog, here are some pics:









This is the pond I have not got. It is teeming with life. I have tadpoles and also look to have dragon fly larvae which I am especially pleased about.













On the left of this one are my overwintering onions (Radar) and on the right, my garlic. Strangely enough, the garlic in the middle of the picture is exactly the same variety as the garlic on the right and was sown earlier. The beer cans are for putting on the end of canes by the way. I have not drunk them then left the tins lying about.

Brrrrrrrrr - tis supposed to be April but it bodes well for the summer.

Put in the first row of spuds today. Only about seven more to go. It started to snow as I was putting them in which is a first. Also, planted out my first lot of spring sown broad beans (Masterpiece Green Longpod) and have sown some more in the pots at home. My leeks are looking very sad. My chillis are a disaster - lost all my habaneros and my hot lemons (which I love) - too late to sow more I think. I have also lost all my Aubergines. My tomatoes are getting to the stage where they need pricking out as are most of the brassicas. The Evesham sprouts are a bit sluggish at germinating - I hope the seed is OK but it is far from being too late if not. My Gypsy peppers have now germinated and that is the last of the packet so it will be non-F1 (the Gypsies were a present) from Real Seeds for me next year.

Pulled me finger out...

Got most of my maincrop onions in. Pricked out lettuce and put into cells. Taken some tomato seedlings out of the propagator and put them somewhere cooler and light (only one windowsill available) to slow down. Greyhound cabbage, Autumn Calabrese, Kohl Rabi and Seven Hills and Evesham Sprouts all sown and in the prop.

Tis really the season to be jolly, tra la la la laaaaa la la la laaaa....

Not been here for ages.

Since my last blog, I have dug a fair amount of my potato bed, dug an area for sprouts and got my shallots in. I have at last started sowing. Chilis and aubergines were done a couple of weeks ago and have now been pricked out into cells. Tomatoes were sown today. I have 15 celeriac on the go and some lettuce was recently sown and now needs to be pricked out into cells. I am seriously short of windowsills and do not have a heated greenhouse so I am delaying most of my sowing until the weather improves. I have now finished this year's parsnips and have two waiting to go to seed. Sprouts are jsut about finished and I have to dig my few remaining leeks before they go over.

I am trying New Horizon peat free compost this year as I was disappointed with quality of the Focus one last year.

Not been up the plot this weekend as the weather has just been too bad. Hopefully, I will get my maincrop onions in next week. So far the weather forecast for next weekend is quite promising.

Help!!!!!

Just don't seem to have time to do anything at the allotment at the moment and if this continues, I will not be ready come March. I am seriously considering borrowing a rotovator despite it being completely against my principles cos it chops up worms. Can't see any alternative at the moment - and before Wardy suggest it, if I could afford 200 square metres of weed suppressant, I would go no dig - but I can't!!!

Did dig up what would have been a massive parsnip today but it had forked quite early. As forking is not a genetic issue but a environmental one, this has become my first choice for next year's seed as has been transplanted to go to seed. One more and that will all be taken care of.

Not much doing but quite a bit picking

News for January. Absolutely miles behind with my preparation. Too much rain, ground like a quagmire and I got off to a bad start. Think my potatoes will be clearing their ground this year.

Today I dug up numerous parsnips, numerous leeks, picked so sprouts, cut a sprout top and picked some mixed spicy winter salad leaves which are lovely - Will be growing loads of those next year.