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

[red]

set up my pea sticks - prunings from the pear and apple trees. - never used twigs before so no idea how to do it.. but its looks reasonable. planted some pea plants out , that I started in the gh. sown first sweetcorn, courgettes and squashes in propagator.

[Millymollymandy]

I'm regretting having sown the pumpkin, sweetcorn, french beans etc in March. What on earth did I do that for? I don't think the sweetcorn is going to survive much longer in a pot, it keeps falling over. I have some of the things outside now hardening off, but I've got to keep moving them out of the sun or they'll get scorched.

I don't think I like this raising things indoors lark. OK in a greenhouse because they get used to sunshine and bright light. I have to go through the whole thing again with my geraniums which get scorched by outdoor sunshine even when they have been on a sunny windowsill indoors.

Anyway, outdoors I see my spinach beet is coming up and the moles are creating havoc amonst my onions! My spring onions are starting to emerge but someone's cat has jumped over the fence and left footprints through the seed bed.

Never mind, we'll get there in the end!

[red]

perhaps put the sweetcorn out anyway - you might get away with it and nothing to lose. and maybe start some more just in case?

[Millymollymandy]

I was planning to sow some more direct into the soil later, and another cucumber and another courgette. The plan was not to be swamped with any one thing this year!

How many years does it take to get it right?

[Cheezy]

My extra early pots (Swift) are up, just planted my second earlies (Maris Piper) last night, my God the bed is so dry. I couldn't create a dibbed hole for the tuber as it filled itself back in as soon as I removed the dibber.
Had to excavate a small pit and fill it up with water first. let it drain and add a spud to the "mud".

I've spaced the Maris wider so only have 2 earthed up runs in my 9x4ft bed. With pots at 15 inch apart
Down the middle in the bottom furrow I'm trialing companion planting dwarf french beans (12 inch apart). I've added no muck to the pots, and I'm hoping the beans 'll provide a bit of extra nitogen. Might put some peas either side of the bed as well, it'll be a bit packed, but I'm not growing for size.And I only have 4 beds ready at the moment.

Anyone else tried this method of compaion planting any advice?.

Planted my Gjinlim asparagus 2 weeks ago (1 year crowns) and they're already 1 foot high stems!. It's a shame I can't cut any this year

Garlic is looking the best I've ever seen, and I have loads of it back at the house and in bed 1 on the lottie (put 4 bulbs out!)
Onions look OK so far.
Had absolutly no sucess with carrots. I think I may try container growning them.
Red cabbage and Broccolli potted on a few weeks ago and look ready to go into my third bed (was meant to contain companion planted carrots!)

Finally one scotch bonnet has germinated.

First lot of tomatoes have been potted on (roma), and looking good. Will pot on tonight:
Golden boy (large yellow beef tomato)
Gardeners delight
San Marzano
(planted sun gold only 2 weeks ago, so still waiting.)
Flat leafed parsley
Artichoke
Caynne pepper
Aubergine
Leeks

Still waiting for signs of:
Celary,peas,basil,pumpkin,butternut squash,borlotti bean, and 8 out of 9 sweetcorn!

In my salad bed back at home My early radish are up, in between my lines of Romesco and lambs leaf lettice.

The wild Rocket is doing exactly what it says on the tin, and is great this year.The last of last years lambs lettice has gone to seed.

And my Salsify from last year that I decided to let run to seed, has finally put on flower pikes. They are looking impressive. I can't wait to see what the blue flowers look (and taste) like .From the early signs they look like they will be quite large daisy like things.

[red]

planted one of the aubergine plants my mum gave me - love swapping plants with friends and family! - in the new gh - and also sown some radishes and lambs lettuce - cos i just had to use my new gh! - and they are germinating already.

old lean to gh has so far proved to be frost free since we moved in last Autum - the plants the previous owner left have survived - really hope it is as it would be very handy! - its also proving damper than i am used to for a gh - so have been overwatering until I worked it out!

started to sow borlotti beans in pots.

[Millymollymandy]

I have planted out my sweetcorn, as Red says, I've got nothing to lose! There's only 6 left after the cat chewed them all and pulled some out. I shall sow some more seed direct in a couple of weeks.

Courgette plant has a flower on it so it needs to be planted out too!

Still the 10 day weather forecast doesn't show anything remotely resembling a frost, so fingers crossed.

[the.fee.fairy]

Thinned out the tomatoes (the amateur, gardeners delight, Ciliegia, striped roman and America 3).
Thinned out the Chillis (too many to remember or list!)
Mum bought 3 tomato plants at the weekend - she didn't know i'd planted some beefsteak ones (the America 3s), so i planted them directly into the veg patch.

Got something coming up in the veg ptach - along the bit where i threw the sprouted things. I have no idea whether its edible or a weed though, can anyone help if i put a pic up?

Finally restrung the frame for the sweet peas. They'll be going out on Sunday.

Still got to:

Plant out sweetcorn when they get a bit bigger
String the other fences
Plant out squash - when the fences have been strung
Tidy up room enough for Dad to be able to get out of the window to put u hooks for hanging baskets, under-window boxes, and planks to put tubs and grow bags on for rooftop garden.
Mow the lawn
Dig up bits of the old path to put in chamomile plants.
Plant furry and golden thyme around the pond in the rockery.

I also managed to cut and dye my hair again yesterday, so i was digging and dyeing at the same time

[Millymollymandy]

But what colour? Pink?

[Christine]

Ahh! just catching up with the gossip!

Have tried to get on top of things this year, after everything was late, late, late last year!
Tomatoes are planted out in the bath (not in water - in compost!) in the new greenhouse and loving it. I treated three types exactly equally and here's the result:
1. Moneymaker germinated 5 of 6 seeds and the roots were reasonably well-formed when they were planted out. Plants currently growing away quite well but have had some ill-formed leaves when young.
2. Gardener's Delight germinated 5 out of 6. Root balls dreadfully weak when planted out and had already 'checked' several times while in modules. Stems weak and weedy - definitely the poor performers of the lot.
3. Pete's germinated 6 of 6. Roots strong and plentiful when planted out Have never once looked like failing and currently in rude health.

You guessed it - 'Pete's' are named after the bloke who gave me the delicious tomato I couldn't resist saving seed from (he'd grown them on and on for years and has no idea where they came from).
Now, the question is... will they fruit OK?

[Mandyz]

Let's see...
Did a good digging on the beds - adding plenty of compost.
Moved all the herbs to the one bed around the old tree - where veggies were not growing well but herbs seem to do fine.
Planted kohl rabi, broccoli (started earlier inhouse), swiss chard, peas, carrots, lettuces, spinach.
Got strawberry and raspberry plants for my birthday, so cleared some flower garden space for those!
Filled my first small greenhouse with seedlings (too many to list - everything from herbs to tomatoes to ground cherries to various squashes) and moved my potted rosemary out there too.

Waiting for the thunderstorms to subside so I can get back out there full throttle!
In the meantime, picked up some low-growing perrenials for the front flower gardens - mostly phlox, which we really love for being green during the entire growing season (except when coloured with flowers). And some english lavendar for variety and scent.

[the.fee.fairy]

But what colour? Pink?

Pink, Blue and Purple

[Cornelian]

Well, down here in green land it is a mild mid-autumn - I am still eating my autumn crop of raspberries and strawberries. I have onions and leeks almost ready for harvest - I have harvested my pumpkins and preserved much of them by making vast quantities of potato, pumpkin and onion soup from my summer harvests and freezing it. My walnut crop is in despite the cockies best attempts to eat them all.

I have planted out carrots, rocket, cabbage and cauliflower, which are growing on well. I have a winter crop of potatoes growing on well.

But mostly for me it is the usual chore in the autumn garden of pruning back, weeding and mulching.

Much weeding - last year my half acre garden was completely cleared and I dug in almost 20 tonnes of imported compost - with all its inevitable seed. I also mulched with 300 bales of pea straw - so I have had peas everywhere!!

[pskipper]

Rotovated all of the allotment except the part with the self seeded parsnips in. Cleared the majority of it and then put in potatoes, oca (no not a spelling mistake), fat baby achocha and decided to experiment with one of my chillie seedlings by putting it under a bell cloche (1 gallon asda value mineral water bottle). The fat baby achocha needed pea netting so I also discovered what a pain that is to put up! Pictures tomorrow.

[ina]

despite the cockies best attempts to eat them all.

Cockies? Translation, please!

I managed to get some sugar snaps peas in the ground yesterday, and I'm trying to grow them in a mixed crop with Jerusalem artichokes. Has anybody tried that one before? My thinking behind it is - the artichokes grow tall and strong, so the peas will hopefully use them as support. By the time the artichokes are ready for digging up, the peas will long be gone. Plus, the peas should provide some N for the tubers, too...

All that is theory. If the goats get out, I might end up with neither peas nor artichokes!