tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58391732011-07-28T18:33:05.034+01:00A day-to-day guide to creating an allotment garden from a starting point of absolutely no knowledge and no experience.Patnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1911100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1109541452632525322005-02-24T21:50:00.000Z2005-02-27T21:57:32.633Z

Overnight it has snowed in New Malden - quite heavily in fact. I wonder how the crops are coping but I don't get the chance to check them out. I am in the middle of chopping down a tree in my back garden - and pruning another one. It has left me with a lot of branches to chop into firewood which means I haven't got much time to spare. I do keep checking to see if the skip that was promised for

Patnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1108328544358686862005-02-11T20:49:00.000Z2005-02-13T21:02:24.360Z

I have some jobs to finish off before a brief half-term break in Paris. I finish digging the last bed and then lay down two barrow-loads of manure over the top of it. I'm planning to put some of the potatoes in here. Because I have recklessly been throwing the top layer of soil into the two neighbouring overgrown plots, it looks like there's been a war going on round this part of the plot. My

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1107880804865704132005-02-08T16:27:00.000Z2005-02-08T16:40:04.866Z

I am determined to finish clearing the last overgrown bed today. I still have a heavy cold which makes the job that little bit more difficult. The plot directly behind mine is empty and overgrown and because this last bed borders it,I have been a bit naughty. I have been digging up the top layer of soil - usually a big sod of grass - and then throwing it over the fence into the neighbouring plot.

Patnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1107796327247651472005-02-07T17:09:00.000Z2005-02-07T17:12:07.246Z

I use a spare 40 minute-spell to tidy up the strawberry plants a bit. I cut off all the dead leaves and pull up any bits of grass growing between the plants. I really will have to buy a good hoe to help me stay on top of the weeds this season. I then spend the rest of my time chasing after a cat which is possibly one that has been missing in the area for a while. It doesn't let me get close but I

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1107714544470500962005-02-06T18:26:00.000Z2005-02-07T08:56:53.890Z

My hunt for egg boxes is successful - a local corner shop gives me two big trays, although the man behind the counter looks suspicious when I tell him they are for my potatoes. There is just about enough space for my maincrop. The earlies go shoulder-to-shoulder in a couple of seed trays. I stand them on the end of a z-bed in the spare room and then turn the radiator off so they stay cool. I'll

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1107713899390514462005-02-05T18:07:00.000Z2005-02-07T08:59:01.906Z

We go to Wisley where they are holding a Vegetable Question Time with a panel of experts. Among the panel is a bloke who is an expert on seed potatoes and I intend to ask two questions: Why were my King Edwards so small this year? Was it because I didn't water them enough. If so can they recommend a better variety of maincrop to grow this year. My other question is about whether recently divided

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1107549914542316152005-02-01T20:26:00.000Z2005-02-04T21:18:00.823Z

I set off to finish manuring the two beds but some bad news about a work colleague means I come home shortly after starting. I manage to sneak down later on for half-an-hour. It is enough time to finish putting manure down on the second of the two empty beds. Three well-filled wheelbarrows are enough to complete the job. This is where I'm planning to put the potatoes this year so the manure is

Patnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1107551140289785802005-01-31T20:45:00.000Z2005-02-04T21:05:40.290Z

I take my youngest son down to the plot this morning and discover that a huge pile of manure has been delivered since the last time I came down. It is just what I have been waiting for as I have two beds of bare earth which is not a good thing. Together we wheel two loads over to the plot which covers half of one of the beds. I then check on my stolen rhubarb which is coming along nicely.

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1107813390286595742005-01-21T21:52:00.000Z2005-02-07T21:56:30.286Z

Another quick dash down to the plot to check on progress shows all going well. It's still too cold for weeds to begin getting a grip and the beans and onions have stood up well to recent cold snaps. The rhubarb is thriving under the makeshift-forcer. All in all, everything is looking OK.

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1107812274585819302005-01-17T21:29:00.000Z2005-02-07T21:37:54.586Z

A day off work gives me the chance to run down and look at how things are doing. The broad beans continue to look good, growing strongly. The stolen rhubarb is settling in nicely too. I go back over to the plot I nicked them from and all looks innocent enough. I covered my tracks well. There are three old metal buckets there that the previous holder used for forcing rhubarb. One of them is just

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1107813096494433962005-01-15T21:38:00.000Z2005-02-07T21:51:36.493Z

My wife sends me a message at work to tell me the seeds have arrived. When I get home I look at the packaging and am frightened by how soon most of them say they can be planted in pots or in the ground. Things are going to start moving very quickly, very soon.

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1105307042254067682005-01-09T21:41:00.000Z2005-01-09T21:44:02.253Z

My wife and I sit down and choose the crops we want to grow this season. Having said we would keep it simple, we actually go for a much wider variety of seeds - spinach, leek, brussel sprouts and drying beans to name but a few. I spend about £18 on the Organic Gardening Catalogue and begin to draw up plans for the coming months. I nip down to check that nobody has destroyed my plot in return for

Patnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1105306800508081152005-01-07T21:10:00.000Z2005-01-09T21:40:00.506Z

I haven't been down to the plot for a while but with both children back at school and playgroup respectively, I get the chance to go down for a couple of hours. The plot is looking good, even if I do say so myself - the broad beans in particular seem to be growing well. The main job I want to crack on with is bagging up the various piles of weeds that I have amassed during my days of clearing

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1105308362882143202005-01-03T22:00:00.000Z2005-01-09T22:06:02.883Z

I make a short trip down to the plot to see how things are going. It always amazes me how the broad beans seem to put on a growth spurt even in the coldest of weathers. I dig up some parsnips for tea before heding for home. I'll leave the real work for another day.

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1105307555197344412004-12-29T21:48:00.000Z2005-01-09T21:55:08.180Z

There have been a couple of cold nights recently with the temperature dropping to freezing. I didn't put any fleece over any of my crops - principally because I haven't got any fleece to put over them. I am eager to see how my over-wintering crops have held up - I haven't seen them for a few days now. To my surprise they are all doing very well - the broad beans in particular are beginning to

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1105307284200536142004-12-25T21:45:00.000Z2005-01-09T21:48:04.200Z

I spend Christmas in mid-Wales with the in-laws and it snows. But even at this distance I am reminded of the allotment as we all tuck into some of my home-grown parsnips with our Christmas dinner. And they taste bloody good I can tell you.

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1103835401243630772004-12-23T20:54:00.000Z2004-12-23T20:56:41.243Z

As a final pre-Christmas treat, I take the whole family down to the allotment for a look around. Well actually the real reason we go down is to dig up some parsnips for the Christmas dinner. We get some real beauties. Cath hasn't seen the plot for a while and is impressed with how things have come along. I am as well - although I can't wait to press on with things in the new year.

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1103638839518624172004-12-21T14:12:00.000Z2004-12-23T20:54:10.883Z

My wife takes the children to see a pantomime in Epsom, leaving me free for a couple of hours to carry on with digging over and weeding the few remaining beds. It's another cold day so I pull on a woolly hat, my gardening gloves and crack on with digging. There are lots of brambles in this bed and they seem to be a lot easier to pull up in this weather. I am still not removing the roots but I dig

Patnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1103639684923627302004-12-20T14:22:00.000Z2004-12-21T14:34:44.923Z

I manage to wangle my way out of Christmas shopping and, as a result, get to go down to the plot to carry on with the digging. I notice that, despite the recent cold snap, the onions and broad beans seem to be making good progress. I crack on with the digging and after an hour-or-so, finish the bed where there was previously a large pile of upturned grass sods. It gives me a good sense of

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1103640879060131772004-12-19T14:51:00.000Z2004-12-21T14:54:39.060Z

I need to get some parsnips for tonight's dinner so I make a quick dash down to the plot before it gets too dark. I sneakily do a bit of digging on the beds at the back - if I can put in a couple of hours, I would be able to finish them I'm sure.

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1103836016617810622004-12-16T21:00:00.000Z2004-12-23T21:06:56.616Z

Although I have a few days off work this week, just like this time last year, my children both come down with a a bit of a winter virus. It means I have to spend most of these days sitting at home with them watching CBeebies. Today is the one day that I do get the chance to nip down to the plot to do an hour's digging. However, wouldn't you know it, it starts to rain almost as soon as I get there

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1102191369750316552004-12-04T19:52:00.000Z2004-12-04T20:28:32.873Z

I haven't had the chance to get down to the allotment for a few days now so am anxious to see how things are growing and to get on with some more clearing. I have bought some new gardening gloves as I lost my old pair - these are a bit like washing-up gloves with an elasticated wrist. I take my youngest son Nathan down with me and the first thing we have to do is go and check out the scarecrow

Patnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1101816766356095772004-11-29T13:02:00.000Z2004-11-30T12:12:46.356Z

A dry day off gives me the chance to dash down for another hour at the end of the day with my youngest son to try and carry on with some digging. I dig up some of the weeds, stinging nettles and thistles in the bed where the onions were last year. There are a lot of brambles in this bed and I haven't brought my secateurs. As I cannot get down to the roots, I will have to come back and cut them

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1101827873267241522004-11-25T14:27:00.000Z2004-12-04T20:29:03.950Z

I persuade my dad to come down and help me to continue clearing the last two badly overgrown bits of the plot. I turn my attention to clearing the bed where the onions used to be. It is now a mass of thistles, brambles, stinging nettles and chickweed. It is quite hard going as round the edges there are lots of brambles that seem to go very deep. Dad turns his attention to turning over the bed

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1100988065230928672004-11-19T20:03:00.000Z2004-12-04T20:21:41.456Z

Amazingly it is another dry day today and I have a day off so I manage to put in a couple of hours at the plot. I continue digging the bed where the pile of sods used to be but I also put a bit of effort into finishing the old lettuce bed and trimming some of the strawberries on the last row that I haven't touched yet. The good news is that my onions are looking really good and the green manure

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1100641320488470092004-11-16T21:34:00.000Z2004-11-16T21:48:00.503Z

I have a good couple of hours this morning to get on with disposing of the pile of sods. However, first of all I continue to tidy up the strawberry bed. Then my dad arrives and we crack on with filling up the wheelbarrow and then transferring the earth onto the top of the skip. It is hard going - at one time I even drop the empty wheelbarrow on my dad's head. But eventually we have got rid of

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1100640806183601732004-11-15T21:00:00.000Z2004-11-16T21:33:26.183Z

As I drive past the allotments this morning I take a quick peek at the skip that was delivered on Friday. Not surprisingly it is almost full. Later on I find half-an-hour to run down and throw in my five bags of rubbish and then begin the bigger job of knocking down my pile of upturned sods from a year ago when I first cleared the plot and dumping them in the skip. They haven't rotted down as

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1100638837858842822004-11-11T20:57:00.000Z2004-11-16T21:00:37.856Z

I plan to finish weeding the lettuce bed today but when I begin digging I come across a huge bramble. I dig down one foot to try and find the root. No joy. I dig down another foot - still no root. I keep going but it is just too far down for me to get. All this digging has also slowed me up as I haven't got lots of time to spare. I'll have to finish it next day.

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1100124586254826242004-11-10T21:55:00.000Z2004-11-10T22:09:46.253Z

My car has to go in for a service today and my dad gives me a lift home after I drop it off. We then both go down to the allotments - me to do a bit more work, him to have a look for the first time in a while. I pick a couple of squashes still growing and give them to dad. I then crack on with clearing the bed where the lettuce was growing. It is surprisingly easy as the ground is soft and I make

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1099861945268588402004-11-07T21:08:00.000Z2004-11-07T21:12:25.266Z

I dash down to the hut of the Malden and Coombe Horticultural Society to see if I still have time to put an order of seed in through the catalogues there and benefit from a substantial discount. But I am too late. It's a shame and I guess I'll just have to buy my seed from the Organic Gardening Catalogue as I get a discount there through my HDRA membership. That'll teach me to take my eye of the

Patnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1099861682022884122004-11-06T21:05:00.000Z2004-11-07T21:08:02.023Z

Some friends come round for dinner and we eat squash, jacket potatoes and carrots - all from the plot. I take great pride when one guest says: "I could live off your carrots." That's a nice confidence boost when I am worrying that the allotment is getting on top of me. I am determined to crack on and grow more good crops next year.

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1099861533205178402004-11-05T20:55:00.000Z2004-11-07T21:05:33.206Z

A day off work coincides with a day without rain so I make the most of this God-given opportunity and head down to the plot. I dig over the carrot bed and weed among the parsnips. I then prepare the bed to the finest tilth I can manage and plant a double row of dwarf broad beans. As per usual with me, I'm not sure I've dug my trench deep enough but I cover the bean seeds and hope for the best. I

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1099429041703680192004-11-02T20:52:00.000Z2004-11-02T20:59:29.143Z

There is rain in the air but I decide I have to go down to the plot and dig up the rest of the carrots. The ground is thick and cloying but I quickly dig up the remainder of the crop - there are some real beauties too. I also pull up the rest of the tomato plants - there are plenty of rotten tomatoes lying on the ground. I'll have to deal with them another time. The plot is not looking great. The

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1099344281023049212004-11-01T21:21:00.000Z2004-11-01T21:24:41.023Z

It suddenly occurs to me that I haven't ordered any seed for next year. I check back at last year's posts and see an entry for November 2 that says time is running out to buy seed through the horticultural society. Blimey. I will have to go down to the hut on Sunday, grab a catalogue and hope I still have time to put my order in. I haven't even planned the plot for next year - that's how far

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1099344030298954942004-10-19T21:07:00.000+01:002004-11-04T09:20:31.046Z

A break in the weather means I get the chance to go down to the allotment and plant my overwintering onions. I have put some manure on the bed where the potatoes were and so I dig the earth over and get it to as fine a tilth as possible. It looks like rain so I crack on and plant the 150 onions I have bought - one packet of Senshyu Yellow, the type I planted last year, and two packets of

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1099343201169222022004-10-18T21:02:00.000+01:002004-11-01T21:06:41.170Z

When I look back at postings for this time last year I see I was down at the allotment a lot more than I have been this October. It makes me worried that I am losing interest. When I went down recently I couldn't believe how bad the three beds at the back were - overgrown, brambles etc. But, although I have been a bit busy recently, the main reason stopping me from going down as much as I want to

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1097784195781096012004-10-14T20:54:00.000+01:002004-11-06T11:50:18.513Z

I want to go down to the plot and dump a load of manure over the ground where the potatoes have been, harvest the squashes and get some more carrots. However it teems down with rain all morning. In the afternoon it brightens up enough to take the kids down straight from school. I quickly cut off 11 squashes and then dig up some carrots - there are some real beauties. I then pick some tomatoes

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1097438510680736422004-10-10T20:50:00.000+01:002004-10-10T21:01:50.680+01:00

Today has got to be the day to dig up the main crop of potatoes - the sun is shining - and so I go down in the morning and crack on with it. I haven't been down to the plot as much as I should have been recently and it is sad to see how the brambles are taking over in a couple of beds. I dig up all the King Edwards and there are quite a few of them. There are a lot of very small ones but I'm

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1097438995253754442004-09-30T21:02:00.000+01:002004-10-10T21:09:55.280+01:00

I get the chance to go down to the plot and crack on with the strawberry bed. I begin to trim up the second row, digging up some of the runners that have grown in the way of my lovely three rows of 10 plants. I hadn't done much when my mobile rings. It is my wife who says the car has broken down in the middle of Morden and can I arrange a tow-truck to come and pick her up. The strawberries will

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1095671500246575062004-09-19T10:10:00.000+01:002004-09-20T10:11:40.246+01:00

Despite an impending visit by some friends, I find the time to go down the plot and carry on with Operation Strawberry. While my two lads run around playing hide-and-seek I try to finish pruning and weeding the whole of the first row of 10 plants. It is a big job and takes me an hour-and-a-half. I now reject the smaller runners with undeveloped root systems as I have so many plants I am going to

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1095671411950385212004-09-18T10:08:00.000+01:002004-09-20T10:10:11.950+01:00

The time has come to try and bring some order to the strawberry plants. The bed is a mess with loads of weeds and lots of strawberry plant runners that are already firmly established. I hijack a family outing to take in a garden centre where I buy 150 overwintering onions - Senshyu Yellow and Electric - a nice red-skinned variety. I also get some rooting gel and potting compost with the idea that

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1095364734598065192004-09-16T20:36:00.000+01:002004-09-16T20:58:54.596+01:00

Today I get the chance to go down to the plot for three hours. The first job to tackle is the tomato plants. They have been hit by blight and so I cut off all the affected fruit and branches. It is a huge job and I soon have a large pile of pruned tomato plants next to me. I also weed among the plants and end up with a much slimmer but healthier-looking tomato bed. There are still quite a few

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1095105058338709432004-09-13T20:42:00.000+01:002004-09-13T20:50:58.340+01:00

Rain means I can only go down to the plot for half-an-hour late in the day. My wife Cath picks some of the tomatoes that haven't been affected by blight - quite a few in fact - as well as a courgette and a couple of squashes. I cut off the remaining haulms from the potato plants as I think I should dig them up in a couple of weeks. We actually dig one up now just to see - there aren't loads of

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1095071344384157602004-09-10T11:22:00.000+01:002004-09-13T11:29:04.383+01:00

I haven't been down to the plot for a week as I have been preparing for a job interview at work. My wife asks me to pick up some spinach beet on the way home from work. I cycle in and immediately notice how the weeds have successfully fought back after my efforts to tidy the plot up a fortnight ago. It's always disappointing to see how quickly they reclaim the land. The other thing that stands

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1095071701653158352004-09-03T11:29:00.000+01:002004-09-13T11:35:01.653+01:00

I have been at work for four days in a row this week and so haven't seen the plot since Sunday. This weekend we will be away at a wedding so I have to limit myself to dashing down in the afternoon. It is time to feed the tomatoes but as I begin to water them, I notice they have got some sort of blight. My neighbour Jim lost all of his to blight but he said that was because he had planted his too

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1093811786920337972004-08-29T21:30:00.000+01:002004-08-29T21:36:26.920+01:00

A quick check of this blog shows that it is time to feed the tomato plants again. I dash down for half-an-hour and feed the tomatoes and finish the majority of the weeding among the potato plants. Bind weed had really taken over here so it is nice to get it looking a bit more ordered. Most of the haulms of the potato plants are now dead and I cut all the worst ones off. The plot looks a lot

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1093711978812994552004-08-28T17:47:00.000+01:002004-08-28T17:52:58.813+01:00

Today I want to sow the spring onion seeds on the bed I manured yesterday. The whole family comes down and the boys amuse themselves while I dig in the manure and prepare the seed bed. I sow six short rows of the red salad onion which should be ready by March. I try to sow them as thinly as possible so I won't have to thin them. Once the main crop of potatoes are up the rest of this bed will be

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1093636312495065652004-08-27T20:47:00.000+01:002004-08-27T20:51:52.496+01:00

It hoses it down with rain for most of the day. I have to run down to the plot, under an umbrella, to pick some tomatoes and spinach beet for tonight's dinner. I spy a couple of slugs and kill them and even find a snail on one of my tomatoes. Disgraceful behaviour. On this day last year, I first tried to get a spade into the ground - and failed miserably.

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1093551049089165322004-08-26T20:56:00.000+01:002004-08-26T21:30:59.280+01:00

Today I do as much weeding as I can among the carrots and the parsnips. After discovering damage to a number of carrots yesterday and a plethora of slugs among the plants, I think that by removing as much cover for the pests as I can, they will be easier to spot. I pull up a huge number of weeds and find a couple more slugs. However there are still quite a few healthy carrots so all is not lost.

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1093376300262237622004-08-24T20:23:00.000+01:002004-08-24T21:16:25.213+01:00

I try to tackle some of the tidying up of pathways and beds that needs doing. While my two sons play at various games, I hack back brambles, stinging nettles and grass that are growing all over the path and in the beds themselves. I also continue to clear the bed where the onions were, trying to pull up as much bramble root as I can. I pick about eight ripe tomatoes, a large courgette and then,

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1093207002597551352004-08-22T21:29:00.000+01:002004-08-22T21:41:38.130+01:00

A brief trip down to the allotment shows that it is still in pretty good shape. My main task today is to feed the tomatoes and water the lettuce and rocket I planted last week. I cut out more sideshoots on the tomato plants and remove some of the leaves that are hiding the fruit from the sun. There will be a few more ready to pick in the next couple of days. There are two more enormous courgettes

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1092949519407924942004-08-19T21:55:00.000+01:002004-08-19T22:13:09.560+01:00

Today is a very significant day in the life of my allotment. It was exactly a year ago that I saw it for the first time - in all its overgrown, neglected glory. It's hard to believe a year has gone. We have had quite a lot of produce out of the 25m long by 5m wide plot. Among the highlights have been the onions, broad beans, courgettes, strawberries, lettuces, early potatoes and the carrots.

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1092863585985345712004-08-18T22:05:00.000+01:002004-08-19T22:09:05.696+01:00

I manage to make two brief trips to the allotment today. During the first visit I limit myself to picking 12 ripe plum tomatoes and pinching out a few sideshoots. My youngest son Nathan manages to pick three unripe tomatoes before I catch him. I also pick some lettuce and a couple of courgettes. Some animal has been feasting on my courgettes as I find one eaten to the core. I have picked so many

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1092599932902607392004-08-15T20:56:00.000+01:002004-08-15T20:58:52.903+01:00

A quick trip to the allotment reveals that some of the tomatoes have ripened. The plants have also grown loads more sideshoots and some are beginning to topple over. I spend half-an-hour or so pruning, weeding, picking and raking. At the end of it I take home some lettuce and four tomatoes which we have for our tea. And very tasty they are too.

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1092522000871342022004-08-12T23:16:00.000+01:002004-08-20T22:06:41.966+01:00

After all that hard work clearing weeds last week, I have been at work for four days and it has rained quite a lot. I'm off to Wales for the weekend so I am anxious to see how many weeds have grown back. I nip down quickly and see that the allotment still looks OK. The tomatoes have put on another huge growth spurt - I will need to prune off a few more sideshoots and pinch out the tops soon or

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1091996084174049372004-08-08T21:05:00.000+01:002004-08-08T21:14:44.176+01:00

I crack on with some serious weeding, wielding my mattock for the first time in many a month. The brambles have really started to reclaim some of the beds at the back of the plot. I manage to dig up a few monstrous roots as well as pulling up quite a few thistles. I bag up several piles of weeds I have left rotting in various parts of the plot with the intention of taking them to the dump later

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1091995163266970102004-08-07T20:50:00.000+01:002004-08-08T20:59:23.266+01:00

Today is one of the hottest days of the year so far. I pop down to the plot in the late afternoon with my eldest son armed with a sprinkler, a pair of shears and the secateurs. I let Matthew spray water around while I try to crack on with some weeding. I pull up nettles, thistles and brambles from various beds where they have sprung up during my recent absence. One pathway is more-or-less

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1091995503440387732004-08-06T20:59:00.000+01:002004-08-20T22:08:46.350+01:00

A day off work gives me the chance to go and buy some tomato feed and head down to plot to water my recently pruned plants. They look so much better than they did when I came back from France. I give them all a good soaking and do a brief spot of weeding. It won't be long before I'll be picking some nice red toms. I also lay my budding squashes on beds of straw to protect them. I am looking

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1091563446734011812004-08-03T20:35:00.000+01:002004-08-18T22:30:53.823+01:00

It's the second day of trying to bring some order to the tomato plants which grew into huge bushes during my two-week holiday. I can't believe how much they have grown in two weeks - so many massive side shoots all over the place. On some plants it takes real detective work to work out which are the side shoots and which is the main stem. A few hours with a pair of secateurs and green twine

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1091567413726645582004-08-02T21:29:00.000+01:002004-08-03T22:10:13.726+01:00

I have a couple of spare hours this morning to begin catching up on the work that needs doing on the plot. The first job to tackle is the tomato plants. In two weeks they have grown to Frankenstein proportions with side shoots all over the place. I can't walk between the rows because the plants are so bushy. I begin cutting off side shoots and tying up the main stems. A couple of the plants are

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1091996821870508722004-08-01T21:16:00.000+01:002004-08-15T21:10:30.786+01:00

Today we come back from holiday and after unpacking and sorting out the house a bit, the whole family takes the short walk down the road to have a look at how the plot has faired. My parents have been watering it regularly and my mum also took it on herself to put some weedkiller on some of the weeds on a neighbouring overgrown plot as well as on a few of the thistles on mine. I find an empty

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1091998942006624672004-07-31T21:58:00.000+01:002004-08-08T22:02:22.006+01:00

I speak to my mum on the phone from Paris. My parents have been watering the plot while we've been in Brittany. But my mum tells me that she has used some weedkiller on some parts of the plot. I am not too pleased. I have always tried to do things organically over the past year and I didn't want any chemical interventions. I know my mum disagrees with that approach so maybe that's why she did it.

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1092864373781224972004-07-29T22:23:00.000+01:002004-08-18T22:26:13.780+01:00

One thing I have noticed while on holiday in Brittany, is that quite a few people have put a part of their gardens or fields aside for a veg patch. There are some pretty impressive looking allotments near the house where we are staying. It keeps my mind focused on fruit and veg plans.

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1092565321382690282004-07-22T11:04:00.000+01:002004-08-20T22:13:38.216+01:00

During a day-trip to the beach at La Baule we walk past a paper shop and quickly scan the UK papers. The international Guardian has a feature on allotments so I tell my wife to buy it. We then go for a drink outside a bar and I read the article by Sally Weale. She explains how she has just got a "dirty plot" letter from her council because it is such a state. She says the only things she could

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1092600427165964262004-07-16T20:59:00.000+01:002004-08-15T21:07:07.166+01:00

I am off to Brittany this afternoon for two weeks. My dad has been primed to water the plot if it gets dry and to feed the tomato plants every week. I make time between the packing to race down the allotment for one last time. I have to run around like crazy as someone is using the nearest tap to my plot and I want to feed the tomatoes before I leave. There are lots of weeds all over the plot,

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1092601004776134492004-07-12T21:11:00.000+01:002004-08-15T21:16:44.776+01:00

A day off work gives me the chance to take some grass cuttings down to the allotment to dump on the compost heap. I'm not sure I've got the hang of making compost as none of mine seems to be breaking down. I follow the advice of my gardening books and cut all the foliage off my strawberry plants and try to bury as many runners as possible. I notice that some of the courgettes are getting very

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1092601722100503012004-07-09T21:17:00.000+01:002004-08-15T21:45:15.946+01:00

The whole family heads down to the allotment as there are a number of jobs to do today. We begin pulling up the remaining broad bean and pea plants. The pea crop has been disappointing but the broad beans were a big success. However we didn't pick them all when we should have done and as a result the remaining beans are a bit tough. I will definitely grow broad beans again next year but have

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1092602034527906162004-07-08T21:29:00.000+01:002004-08-15T21:33:54.526+01:00

During a trip to Robert Dyas in Putney we buy a packet of French bean seeds, some spinach beet and a packet of lettuce seeds. I intend to plant them in the beds where the peas and beans were. I like the idea of getting a second crop in before the onset of winter.

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1092602522717755532004-07-07T21:35:00.000+01:002004-08-15T21:42:02.716+01:00

As we are going on holiday in a week-and-a-half, I decide to dig up all the remaining early potatoes so we can concentrate on eating them all before our departure. The ground is bloody hard and it is not easy going but I get them all up eventually - and there are some real beauties among them. My wife joins me after a while and picks some broad beans while I begin the job of cutting out the

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1092602969585384902004-07-02T21:45:00.000+01:002004-08-15T22:01:44.963+01:00

After a trip to my son's school for an Ugly Bug picnic lunch, my wife, youngest son and I head down to the plot to get some more crops. I dig up some potatoes for tonight's dinner, while Cath gets some beans. While we are digging and picking, the heavens open and we have to hide in the shed until the shower passes. We then head for home with our latest pickings. The beans turn out to be a

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1092948277682314772004-06-25T21:38:00.000+01:002004-08-19T21:53:47.943+01:00

Another trip down to the plot to pick some more broad beans, lettuce and some carrots. Although I have never thinned out my rows of carrots, they have grown well and they are very tasty. It doesn't seem to make any difference that there might be five carrots intertwined - they separate out easily enough and taste just as nice. My neighbouring plot-holder, Jim, tells me he has started eating his

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1092947877029656332004-06-21T21:27:00.000+01:002004-08-19T21:37:57.030+01:00

I begin to pull up some of the pea plants - the pods have withered and the brown plants look awful. The plants are tangled up in the pea netting but I throw them into a pile and hope to salvage the netting at a later date. The ground is so hard I can't get all of the bamboo canes out. I then pick some strawberries - the Perfection plants have definitely produced the best fruit - and some broad

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1092947192689150302004-06-17T19:40:00.000+01:002004-08-19T21:26:32.690+01:00

I find time to go down to the plot and admire the handiwork we put in yesterday. There is still some weeding to be done among the strawberry plants and the lettuces - where thistles seem to thrive. The tomato plants still look pretty ropey - withered white leaves and there is no sign of any new growth. The courgette plants aren't faring much better - a couple seem to have broken stems and look

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-109291215216305122004-06-16T11:36:00.000+01:002004-08-19T17:35:06.626+01:00

After a few days of rain, I get the chance to go down to the plot. My dad joins me and we crack on with some of the jobs that need doing. My dad weeds among the carrots and parsnips while I finish the job of weeding the onion bed. I pull up a few onions while I am at it. Then my dad starts to earth up the maincrop. The recent rain makes this job a bit easier as the clay sods sit happily on top of

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1092689719005376442004-06-12T21:52:00.000+01:002004-08-19T11:22:47.630+01:00

I am helping out at the summer fair at my son's school today and afterwards some other parents are coming round to dinner. So before I am required to man the beer tent, I pick a punnet full of strawberries, a Korean lettuce and some broad beans which will all feature in tonight's dinner. I keep a careful eye out for red ants as my bites are still quite sore. I will take particular pride tonight

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1092910097809188392004-06-11T10:54:00.000+01:002004-08-19T11:08:17.810+01:00

I go down to the plot to try and tackle the huge amounts of weeds in the onion bed. Brambles are growing through like mad and I manage to clear the first few rows. There are so many jobs to do that I think I'll try and persuade my dad to come down and help me next week. With two people working we should be able to sort out quite a few beds. I really need to earth up the maincrop of potatoes soon.

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1092689537785303912004-06-08T21:43:00.000+01:002004-08-16T21:58:53.460+01:00

Another visit to the plot to weed and pick some more crops. The lettuces are getting very big and I try to thin them out a bit by pulling up the middle ones. I also try to fill in some of the gaps in my sporadic rows by sowing some fresh Korean lettuce and some Baby Gem seeds as well. I check out the tomato and courgette plants. The tomato plants look awful - weedy and the leaves are turning

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1092687542629097842004-06-07T21:14:00.000+01:002004-08-16T21:22:11.806+01:00

Trips to the plot these days involve picking peas, beans, lettuces and strawberries and doing a bit of weeding. My wife helps assess which pea pods are ready for picking and the children love taking home the shiny green vegetables. The weeds, particularly brambles, thistles and the dreaded mare's tail are hard to stay on top of. I tend to limit myself to some vigorous hoeing to keep them down. I

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1092686529584916832004-06-03T20:59:00.000+01:002004-08-16T21:11:47.940+01:00

Another day off work gives me the chance to pick some more strawberries - there seem to be plenty ripening every day now as well as some more peas, broad beans and lettuce. It is nice eating produce we have grown ourselves and the family diet is also improving as we now eat a salad with every meal simply because we have the beans or lettuce at our fingertips. It's at times like this that I feel

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1092686192955974612004-06-02T20:54:00.000+01:002004-08-16T20:59:27.513+01:00

I am keen to see how the plants I put in yesterday after faring, bearing in mind I didn't harden anything off. The tomatoes look pretty pathetic as do the courgette and squash plants. However, I've learnt already over the course of this year not to be put off by initial doubts. We are in this together for the long haul. There's plenty of time yet for a recovery.

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1092568041979042942004-06-01T11:46:00.000+01:002004-08-15T12:07:21.980+01:00

I decide the time is right to plant out the tomato plants and the courgettes and squashes. I haven't hardened off the tomatoes but my neighbour Jim did the same and his soon recovered. My son Matthew wants to help so we load up the car boot and transport about 30 plants down to the plot. Armed with a tape measure, my guide book and some bamboo canes, I begin to measure out the two lines of

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1086123703705649312004-05-31T21:55:00.000+01:002004-06-03T20:51:14.513+01:00

It's my birthday but I still find time to go down to the plot and put the mats round the strawberries. My son Matthew helps and we soon get it done - only we are three mats short and, on some of the bigger plants, the strawberries are still falling on the ground. I'll have to buy some soil after all. The next problem that needs sorting is that, as I came in, I got stung by some nettles on the

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1085948956457690092004-05-29T21:25:00.000+01:002004-05-30T21:32:48.800+01:00

As I am working, my wife nips down to the horticultural society hut to get some straw to lay under the strawberries. They don't have any but they do have mats which go round each plant and do the same job. My wife buys enough to go round all the plants - and not a moment too soon. When she inspects the strawberry plants, she sees that a big juicy RED strawberry has been half eaten. The sooner the

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1085948689712970002004-05-27T21:11:00.000+01:002004-06-01T15:57:37.093+01:00

I am able to go down to the plot for a couple of hours work this morning. This enables me to finish weeding the whole plot - just hoeing all the beds and knocking the tops off all the weeds. I then start digging over the bed at the back of the plot that has had a carpet covering for the last three years. It is tough going but I do about two-thirds of it. It is going to house the courgettes and

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1085949116903988992004-05-26T21:29:00.000+01:002004-05-30T21:31:56.903+01:00

I stop off at the plot for a quick look and notice that the broad beans have been savagely attacked by blackfly. I reckon I'll be lucky to get 10 good pods of all the plants.

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1085863163971769212004-05-23T21:30:00.000+01:002004-05-29T21:39:23.970+01:00

As my parents-in-law are helping to entertain the kids, I go down to the plot in the early evening to do a bit of weeding. Having seen what parsnip plants look like at Wisley yesterday, I confidently weed the two rows and am quite happy to see quite a few of the little blighters growing happily. I also weed among the carrots and then put on the sprinkler for half-an-hour. A general tidy up leaves

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1085603202895096532004-05-22T21:15:00.000+01:002004-05-26T21:50:04.360+01:00

My parents-in-law arrive for the weekend. After they have recovered from their drive from Wales we go off to Wisley. I have a cunning plan. I want to have a gander at their kitchen garden to see what sort of shape it is in and how it compares to mine. We have a drink first and wander round some of the other gardens the fruit orchards etc. Then I get to see their allotment. I haven't seen it since

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1085227728346795082004-05-21T13:04:00.000+01:002004-05-22T13:08:48.346+01:00

Unfortunately my plan to come down every evening this week fell at the first hurdle. I didn't go down on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday so today is the first time I have been down for a few days. It has rained overnight and so the weeds are staging a big comeback. I dust down my hoe and try to clear the worst of them among the onions, peas, lettuces, strawberries and potatoes. My maincrop of King

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1085227294954886162004-05-17T12:59:00.000+01:002004-05-22T13:01:34.953+01:00

I am working for the next four days but am determined to come down to the plot in the evening to try and stay on top of the weeds and keep up the watering. I cycle straight into the allotments on my way home, whack on the hose and do a bit of hoeing in between the strawberries and potatoes. Jim, whose plot seems weed-free, is here every evening so I think this really is the way ahead. Little and

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1085227153274732092004-05-16T12:51:00.000+01:002004-05-22T13:04:00.306+01:00

The weather has been really hot recently so I take my sprinkler down to the plot in the early evening to give the crops, particularly the potatoes, a good watering. Because the weeds got me down yesterday, I also try to do something about them. While the sprinkler waters one end of the plot, I hoe vigorously between the onions and then do the same to the peas, beans, lettuce and strawberries. The

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1085226670583247052004-05-15T12:47:00.000+01:002004-05-27T10:53:10.943+01:00

My friends Jason and Hilary come over for the evening and I take the opportunity to show them the plot. My neighbour Jim is, as ever, working hard on his plot which is looking very smart and weed-free. While I show Jace and Hilary round, my pride is tempered by the amount of weeds among the onions and the carrot and parsnip bed. I will have to try and find a way of clearing most of them as they

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1085171428854031342004-05-14T21:29:00.000+01:002004-05-22T12:47:23.486+01:00

I haven't been down to the plot for four days and once again the weeds are taking over. Bindweed and thistles are becoming my mortal enemies. Another skip has been delivered to the allotments so I take the chance to throw out three rolls of unused turf, the offcuts of roofing felt that were left over when I recovered the roof of the shed and a bit more carpet and wood. I crack on and do as much

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1084391040923740392004-05-09T20:36:00.000+01:002004-05-12T21:33:21.390+01:00

Another evening trip down to the plot enables me to finish earthing up the potatoes. All the recent rain means I can shovel up some of the earth from between the rows and then mould it onto the mounds containing the earlies, so by the end of the evening my two-and-a-half rows of earlies are all earthed up satisfactorily. Just got to do it all again for the maincrop.

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1084308080987247392004-05-08T21:21:00.000+01:002004-05-12T20:36:20.936+01:00

I nip down to the allotment in the evening. It has been raining almost solidly for two weeks now. I want to try and finish earthing up the spuds but get talking to a neighbouring plot holder. We chat about the progress we are making. We both took on our plots at the same time and have spurred each other on. If I have to be honest, I am slightly jealous as Jim's plot is looking a good deal better

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1084306875227042632004-05-07T21:07:00.000+01:002004-05-11T21:21:15.226+01:00

I start trying to earth up the potatoes as the haulms are now easily nine inches high. It is not an easy job as the earth keeps tumbling down. I shovel up some earth from the bed marked out for the tomato plants and pour it over the top of the potato plants. I manage a row and a bit before calling it a day.

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1084220467558043852004-05-04T21:15:00.000+01:002004-05-10T21:21:07.556+01:00

A break in the weather gives me the chance to get down to the plot and finish weeding the worst parts. The strawberry and lettuce beds look much better now. I then weed between the earthed up potatoes and try to pile some of the earth up onto the mounds. I don't manage to earth them up much as tiredness sets in after all that weeding. I'll have to leave it till Friday.

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1084220031112506692004-05-03T21:09:00.000+01:002004-05-10T21:13:51.113+01:00

It continues to hose it down with rain for about the eighth day in a row. As a result I limit myself to working in the greenhouse. I prick out my tomato seedlings and pot them on into bigger pots. I then sow some pepper seeds into a tray. I am intending to grow these in a growbag in the greenhouse. I do hope the rain stops soon.

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1084136007194774012004-05-01T21:53:00.000+01:002004-05-09T21:58:12.746+01:00

I go down for an hour after work and continue to pull up weeds. It has been raining for about a week now and the weeds are loving it, I can tell you. At least there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1084135845088663692004-04-29T21:50:00.000+01:002004-05-09T21:55:40.373+01:00

I spend a couple of hours weeding among the lettuce and the strawberries. There are so many thistles and the like that it is hard-going. I make some headway but it will take another couple of days to get on top of things.

Patnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5839173.post-1084133629498256742004-04-28T21:13:00.000+01:002004-05-09T21:53:08.856+01:00

I haven't been down to the plot for a few days and it has rained a lot in the meantime. When I finally get a glimpse of the plot I am in for a shock. Weeds have sprung up like wildfire. If you didn't know better, you'd think I was growing thistles. You can hardly see my strawberry plants and lettuce for weeds. It's going to take a bit of work to get it cleared. On the plus side, my early potatoes

Patnoreply@blogger.com0