down at the allotment and in the garden what are you up to

[JR]

Had day off work on Friday so went to plot, picked 8kgs od cherries, 1 of 3 trees to go.

Also last of November planted garlic and onions lifted. Harvested peas, runners, spinnach, lettuce, beetroot, rhubarb, last of shallots (planted them in feb cant beleive they are ready, good size for pickled onions), 4 caugettes and a rather large marrow.

More spuds to come up next week, more peas, runners and salad. Melons, tomatoes and cucumbers doing ok greenhouse, still very small.

Just went to water tonight, need to do some more weeding next weekend. With all the excitement harvesting have got behind a little bit.

Pumpkins and squashes doing well, shame about the corns, fingers crossed they will come good.

[red]

picked loads of calabrese - 15 heads so far... and our first cabbage. still picking peas.
finally did some weeding....

[Cheezy]

Put some road scalpings down as path (the council leaves a big pile for us to use) made a big difference.
I've got cauliflowers coming out of our ears. Thought they were winter/spring ones, turns out they're summer/Autumn ones
Last of the strawberry's, and into third and last sowing of peas and b.beans.Waiting for the first French beans
Caverlo nero is fantastic, much nicer taste than kale (MOH actually likes it ), will be planting a late crop for over wintering.
Onions are all up, about a third have bolted this year ( big problem for a lot of people on the allotments this year...must be the dry spell early in the year), so I'm using these up first as they wont store well.
Planted celery, still harvesting garlic, awaiting for m' potatoes to flower, look OK, but seem slow.
THree sister bed is coming on corn/french beans/courgette/pumpkin. (Also so fennel which has re grown from the root which I cut the bulb from!, not meant to like beans but we'll see.)

[charlie]

Planted 1/2 doz tomato plants, romanesco cauliflower, tuscan kale, couple of rows of lettuce and a row of carrots.
Still got to plant up some courgettes and butternut squash but ran out of time.
fingers crossed the weather is nice at the weekend.

[circlecross]

potatoes, runner beans, peas, onions and herbs. Rasps. Toms nearly ready in mum's greenhouse. Broad Beans coming nicely. And I haggled a cabbage off someone yesterday. I'm feeling all cornucopia-like.

[dh ver1.0]

V. Proud of dw's allotmenting :angel1: - It really does all taste that much finer for being ours!

As a side-note, I have finally been trusted to water our patch of greenness unsupervised by Circlecross. mixed feelings. Glad to be involved / anxious about the the hard labour that will no doubt follow now that I have been granted unsupervised access, and begun my induction to allotmenting!

[Millymollymandy]

That's nice of her! I'm a bit like that myself!

I seem to be doing a lot of things to do with beans at the moment.

[ina]

Currants (red and black) are dropping off/being eaten by birds almost faster than I can pick them... Gooseberries are also on the agenda for the weekend. Saw a couple of reddish cherries this morning - so I'll have to keep an eye on them!

[Blue]

Well I got my hands on another load of Runner beans and some more potatoes
and some very dark blue french Beans ( I cant think of there name) but they are very good.
Also lettuce and a spaghetti Squash., Oh and 2 other Squashs / little pumpkins??
So all in all a very good day we had.
Blue (Nickyg)

[Merry]

Spent the afternoon picking asparagus beetle grubs off the asparagus foliage - then cleared the strawberry bed of weeds. I find that when beds are netted I never get round to weeding them properly. Out of sight out of mind!
Picked runner beans of course, and lovely big blackberries and pulled some beetroot.

[Cheezy]

Saturday was our lottie open day with the first ever veg competition for non competition growers.

I got first prize for my onions, most chuffed. MOH also got a first and second for her vase's of flowers (she was the only one who entered!)

Went back to the plot cut the potato haulms as they were beginning to look a little blighty. Couldn't be bothered to dig them up then,resolved to come back on Sunday.

What a difference a day makes, ended up "fishing" for potatoes. We'd had so much water overnight the water table was at ground level, couldn't get a fork in, filled up with water., couldn't see the potatoes, ended up on my hands and knees digging with my bare hands to try and save half the crop. The rest is still in the ground and it's been raining all day!!.

I'll post a photo when I remember!.

[Millymollymandy]

Well done Cheezy for your prize winning onions!

[circlecross]

we will have to rename carlisle the windy city - been away for two weeks and have picked broad beans, peas, runner beans.



lots of very small beetroot, and a couple of red onions which had bolted. Potatoes all came up before we went.
Spent a good deal of time picking very small slugs off everything and sending them on a mini adventure into the hedge.

[Plotter]

Had some great spuds which I grew in black plastic bags, more (hopefully) to come! My climbing french beans have started cropping and my runners will be along very shortly. I have had some fantastic peas this year, my most successful crop yet!

I was shaping up for a bumper crop of courgettes but this dull, wet weather has slowed them right down. I do have a marvellous crop of weeds though!

Looking forward to a more productive plot next year when I should have more of it under control - already planning.

I have 6 large tomato plants in my small back yard, still no ripe fruit yet but lots and lots of green ones...

[ina]

I do have a marvellous crop of weeds though!

Bet you they are not as good as mine... Weeds is almost all I have!