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

[Mal]

Peas, Mange-tout are in (first sowing) - probably being lunch for slugs and snails as we speak (trying not to think about it); Onions are up, french beans and beetroot are in. Toms are in the cold frame looking nice, some more planted on the windowsill looking inactive. Peppers and chilis doing amazingly well in the coldframe (one of those plastic covered mini-greenhouses). Basil seems to be trying to take over the world.

Courgettes and Squash also looking inactive on the window frame - probably getting too hot in this weather, same as me.

Next project - get some lettuce out there, quick-smart.

Wow. Put like that, it feels like I'm getting somewhere!

[Cheezy]

Potted on my tomatoes to final postion/pots, got to get wire in green house to train them up and stakes in pots for the out door ones sorted tonight.

Planted out sweetcorn,squash,pumpkin in my tree sisters bed (the beans are still coming on), Planted out winter cabbage and cauliflowers.

Planted a melon (in hope) on top of my manure heap, put a 2 L pop bottle over it as a temporary closh.

sowed carrot and parsnip seeds, beetroot perpetual spinach,lettice ,corrander,dill seeds.

Potten on chillies, still to pot on aubergines,sweet peppers.

Harvested the last of my cauli's, they are a little too big and gone over (each head over a kilo in weight!.) eaten one, given one away, made 8 jars of piccalilli, still one to go!.
Harvested the last of my late sown leeks to make room for the three sisters bed, still to harvest the late sow fennel which is ready, will do this before planting beans in the 3 sisters as they hate fennel apparently!.

[Flo]

Onions, shallots, garlic all showing well, lettuce, calabrese, spinach for baby leaf, swede and purple sprouting broccoli just showing, first of peas out of pots into bed with canes and netting, runner beans nearly big enough to plant out, two courgette plants on the enormous compost heap, radish, spring onions, rocket and coriander in tubs, beetroot not yet showing, carrots in tubs now showing well (clay soil not yet good enough for doing these in beds), parsnips might just be beginning to show, four marrows and one pumpkin have decided to show through (heaven knows where those are going to be planted out), four early spuds that I thought had drowned have sprouted. Daughter says that the two butternut squash seeds in pots she took home to put in her conservatory have sprouted - ones on allotment doing nowt.

French marigolds not quite ready to prick out, first two nasturtiums showing, strawberries in blossom, rhubarb excelling itself, first signs of sweet peas in pots, three apple trees settling in nicely, think that the weather end of March affected the plum and pear but they have only been in place since end February.

Day off today to catch up on some clothes to wear down the plot as everything is watered up and sun has gone in. Tomorrow I'm going to fill up a couple of big tubs for another couple of tatties as I have run out of space for them. When I have potted out the seedlings, there will be space on soil that I didn't have a chance to improve over the winter to add boards and shove more pots on for a second sowing of lettuce, carrots, spring onions. Herb beds doing nicely, tayberry and raspberries just beginning to show flowers as is gooseberry bush.

That's the last two weeks or so - everything suddenly decided to grow just when I was beginning to despair of the weather. The allotment is beginning to look good and I have spent most of the last two weeks on the end of a hosepipe. I'm leaving the hawthorn hedges a bit untidy till middle of next month as they are full of birds. And they are just beginning to flower.

[Mal]

Nicely done, Flo. Sounds like it's coming along well.

[Flo]

Had to turn the compost heap today. It's 60% done but it's big and that was hard work. The wooden bin that had been on the allotment was rotten and in complete, unrepairable disarray when we moved in.

Someone had started the old fashioned chuck it on and turn it type heap so that has been carried on for now. Used the complete contents twice last year. Was going to grow courgettes on it but they were looking sorry for themselves today so have gone into a couple of tubs while heap sorts itself out.

Could do with another 4 really hot days without the sea fret to get heap back up to temperature now - don't want to put a cover on yet as it was far too wet in the middle and it needs some drying time.

[MKG]

As the back has improved, I've ventured out again. The lawn had run riot in my absence, ably accompanied by the nettles (one foot of growth in three days - is that possible?). It's half-mowed and that'll do for now. Had a look at the red shallots and replanted the ones which some idiot ( ) had pushed in upside down. The others are fine, but being well outperformed by the white shallots. Interesting, that. The broad beans are looking really healthy - not a mouse or pigeon nibble on them anywhere, and the magical night-closing spuds already need earthing up again. It's past time for the salad crops to start going in - I'll do that this afternoon, I think. Oh, and the asparagus (grown only for the fern) had gone from almost nil growth to a foot and a half.

Must be doing something right.

[ina]

Good to hear your back is better. And yes - nettles can grow very fast... Nevermind - positive thinking - have nettle soup for lunch!

Btw - I heard somewhere (Gardeners' Question Time?) that it doesn't matter which way round the onions go in; they will, eventually, grow the right way up. This may have been only for bulbs, though... Maybe edible onions/shallots react differently.

[MKG]

Well, now I'm truly gobsmacked. Having gone on about nettles and shallot growth earlier (I measured the red shallots as against the white shallots) I discover that the red ones have grown, on average, one inch since I measured them. That's roughly six hours. There's obviously something to be said for this raised bed business.

[Flo]

Got some pictures taken on Friday when experimenting with a new hedge cutter http://www.flickr.com/photos/flohewitt/ - I've never used a hedge cutter before and I'm no good with it. However son-in-law managed quite a bit before he took it away because it wasn't running right and he said that the petrol mix wasn't right - it was cutting out. We'll get some more done in the fullness of time. Miles of hedge around the allotment. Keeps the place warmish though.

[Ratty]

Today I checked on my mixed sunflower seeds (sewn last Sunday) and was amazed to see that 11 out of 15 have big strong shoots poking through! Other things currently indoors & starting to push up out of the soil are chillis, leeks, basil and aubergine. Outside in the raised beds there are lettuce & radish seeds and sweetcorn plants. Small planters have parsley, coriander & chive seeds. In my new project of growing spud plants in tyres (my neighbour works on cars & always has a surplus!) has 20 plants across 5 tyres and I've just started earthing them up with a further layer of tyres & compost.

Smallest compost bin really needs digging out but OH never seems to be home when I need him to help me!

Ratty

[Christine]

Had a happy allotment week off work over a fortnight ago - when the weather was baking and it almost felt like summer. Glad I waited to put things out, though, given the turn it's taken. Spent the time doing horrid jobs like putting in rough and ready extension to the fruit cage and re-netting to accommodate the redcurrant branches, which were growing through. Did plant out runner beans and one or two french beans to make the most of the slugfree dry weather and they look Ok at the moment - have put in canes to point outwards this year, instead of coming together at the top.

Whole place snided with creeping buttercup. Someone stopped by to look at the greenhouse and suggested liming to discourage them - opinions anyone?

Planted out a couple of well grown courgettes yesterday but put fleece over them on a bit of a frame.

Broad beans are doing good, with lots of blossom (well, there was yesterday before this morning's downpour) and caulis, chard and cabbages all looking happy in the ground. Potatoes in the ground have finally pushed some leaf up but pink fir apples potatoes in sacks are still to show. Over-wintering red onions, which were pathetically small and weak (from allotment shop) will now be a maincrop!

Everything else is in trays and pots at the moment -
Aubergines have put on no new growth past the first two leaves in a month - what's going on there, then?
As always, can't get the parsnips to germinate. Trying damp kitchen roll on a windowsill now...

[Mal]

Have put in canes to point outwards? Maybe it's a failure of my imagination but how does that work?

[JR]

Yes!!!! Lots of rain over last couple of days, I went up on Saturday and planted in my squash plants x 6 into the bed I had dug in the week. Used some of my compost for the first time now it’s well rotted, very satisfying!! Had some spare plants so passed them to some of the older guys who have plots, they have been great with advice so good to keep them happy. Old Ted is in his 70's had had never grown squash so he was very excited and gave me a pile of rhubarb in exchange. I have got some but didn’t want to offend him as he seems to have more than a supermarket at the moment.

My lovely partner (soon to be wife) brought me up a prawn salad (with home grown lettuce) and a beer at lunchtime (hope that continues once we are married) and then we weeded the onions and garlic, then called it a day.

Happy Days!

[Christine]

Two lines of canes about 2 feet apart, then cross each pair about 18 inches (45 cms) above the ground and tie together. The tall tops of the canes now point outwards and the beans should be easier to get at, as they hang outside the frame instead of inside. plant the beans on the inside of the canes.
I ran strong cord from one end support to the other and back again, then twisted it, threaded the canes through and tied them at each position - if you have no end supports, you can run a cane along the crossover point, as usual.
I tried this late last year in a container (a long chest from a fireplace shop that I've lined out with old fabric shower curtain and cardboard) because I wouldn't have been able to reach the beans in any other way and it worked well.

[Flo]

Hah a day off cos of the thundery outbreaks of rain spaced out between the light wet stuff otherwise known as Cornish Mist which wets through you completely and properly without you noticing.