Springing into shape

Finally a bit of sun and warmth and spared a few hours away from work to get allotment into shape.

18th... Strawberries thinned and replanted in extra raised bed in [D1] but plenty still in ground under Pear trees.

23rd... Onions [D2] and early Potatoes [B1] planted and main potatoes chitting.  Couple of trays of radish and lettuce seedlings moved down into shelving to harden up ready for planting.

24th... Garlic Planted [D2]- 5 months late - tried to recover lost time a little by sticking garlic and onions into a tray of soil to get roots and tops sprouting.  May need to switch to a 2 year plan with garlic.

Beds E1/F1 weeded and soiled dug/raked with a bit of added compost/sand/etc... and then covered up.  Ready for planting.

C2 and E2 tidied up a bit but along with B2/F2 are next on list to prepare.

Forced rhubarb coming along well and close to first early crop.

Lots of seedlings popping up at home... carrots, kale, little gem and lolla rossa lettuce, sweetcorn, and broad beans sprouting.  Tomatoes ready to pot on.

Run out of spare window sill spaces so will hold off next lot of seed planting this week!

Deep Blue Day

Seed sowing has begun with some leeks, tomatoes and basil - following on from Saturday's sowing of a few pots of Sage (from seed collected last year) and Chili Peppers (collected from shop eaten chilis... or maybe bell peppers as they got mixed up!).

Bought this year's seed potatoes and onion sets (Sturon 99p) yesterday.  £4 on favourite International Kidney (aka Jersey Royal) for first earlies and £3 on Wilja for main... a new variety for us.  Actually is a 2nd early type but to avoid late summer problems we normally have with mains, the intention is to get them in earlier this year.

More seeds going in soon...

Spring Clean

After being shamed into admitting allotment had been neglected a bit recently, managed to get round to a couple of hours tidying up today post-race. Railway crossing stuck on red but no trains appeared to be running.

Managed to plant onion sets, along with a new anti-air defence experiment, but potatoes still in waiting. Garlic looking a bit healthier than last month.

Gave most beds a rough rake and hand picked a few weeds out. Pruned pear and cherry trees, and gooseberries, blackcurrants, red currants and blueberries... better late than never.

Checked forced rhubarb but barely awake still, perhaps prolonged cold has put into a deeper dormancy but hopefully a mild week and a bit of sun should bring it along quickly now.

Must get on with this year's crop planning soon...

Time for a Chit

Bought this year's Onions sets and seed Potatoes from Gordon Riggs this week.

Went for International Kidney (aka Jersey Royals but not allowed to call them that as they have PDO status) for earlies as they always do fantastically well and am experimenting with Cara for maincrop. Never tried, or even heard of this variety before but supposedly have good disease resistance.
Plumped for Stutgarter onion sets again as they always store so well... remainder of last year's are still hanging in perfect condition from kitchen window. One bag of sets produces just about eactly 1 year's supply of onions... a tremendous return for 99p plus a few hours spent preparing ground, planting and the occasional bit of weeding. Cheaper and less time consuming than buying them.Will get the potatoes chitting as soon as I make room and then aim to get onions and earlies in ground by mid-March depending n weather, with the main crop going in at Easter as usual.

Must get round to planning this year's design and crops soon. Sadly, I suspect other commitments this year may mean the last couple of happy Spring's spent cycling to the allotment and sunbathing in cold easterlies - I mean working hard - may not be repeated.

Tod on the telly - Todmorden seems to be the current favourite with Country Tracks and My Dream Farm both screening this week - it seems that you daren't leave the house without checking for camera leads the past year... mainly down to the success of Incredible Edible Tod.

September Sunshine

We always seem to get a week or two of settled weather in September, so took advantage and cropped rest of onions last weekend, which should see us through to spring.

Allotment is a rainbow of colour with gladioli, nasturtiums, sunflowers (highest now over 7 foot!) leading the way, backed by a blaze of orange things I can never remember the name of.

The sweetcorn is progressing well - if a little late as it was last year - and rivaling the sunflowers for height.

Catching Up

June was a warm month and everything has been growing well so now seems an appropriate time to review where everything is at.

Bed A1 (Alliums)
- 2 salsify (2008) grown on for seed - has beautiful seed heads (hundreds collected already)
- Parsley (2008) also grown on - still edible if a little tougher
- 6 clumps of red spring onions
- Leeks, still very small so it may be baby leeks for Christmas dinner.
Bed A2
- Around 60 Stutgarter white onions
- 2 surviving garlic (2008)
- patch of sunflowers (giant russian)
- side row of Little Gem Lettuce

Bed B1 (Legumes)
- Broad Beans (had first early crop for tea last night)
- patch of sunflowers (giant russian)
- row of leeks (2008) - bit tough to eat but fine for flavouring stocks and hopefully will flower for seed
Bed B2
- Peas
- Dwarf French Beans
- Sweet peas for a splash of late colour and food for bees

Bed C1 (Brassicas)
- Khol Rabi - now swelling fast, still no idea what they taste like or what to do with them! Originally intercropped with oriental mustards for salads but now all eaten.
- Swedes (originally intercropped with radish, now eaten)
- Turnips (originally intercropped with radish, now eaten)
- Summer/Autumn Cabbage (with 1 last spring cabbage remaining)
Bed C2
- Brussel Sprouts (intercropped with summer cabbage)
- Red Cabbage (intercropped as above, and 1 savoy)
- Cauliflowers (eaten half so far, and intercropped with radish)
Bed F1
- radish
- oriental mustards
- little gem lettuce
these will all be eaten over the summer to leave just:
- broccoli
- kale nero

Bed D1 (Roots)
- Carrots
- Beetroot
Bed D2
- Charlotte 2nd early potatoes (first taste laste week!)
Bed E1
- Jersey Royal 1st early (about half plants eaten so far and absolutely delicious)

Bed E2

Sweetcorn (growing strongly, but not quite so good as last year as July has been so much cooler)
- a border of dwarf sunflowers on 3 sides
- side row of Little Gem lettuce (under a cloche to keep tender)