Reads Allotment Retreat - Plot's 81,83, and 87

There is no more !

2012-01-03T14:52:00.002Z

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat.

Please forgive extended absence, but at the same time please hold on to your excitement:

After an awful year - ill health mainly - I have had to give up my allotments, as I could not maintain them sufficiently to keep both the Allotment Society and my neighbouring plotholders happy.

I leave behind 2 well tended half plots, and a further half plot I never really broke the back of. Somebody will inherit some nice apple trees, Rhubarb crowns, Red & Black Currant bushes, as well as approx 25 x 80 Litres of compost dug in to the main plots, as well as some spent hops donated by a friend.

I'm sad to see them go, but from sadness here to new life at Reads Retreat.

We dabbled this year on our home plots, but with Peter at the "Discovery" age of 1 1/4 to 1 1/2, nothing grew to fruition, as he really enjoyed pulling up plants and picking green toms.

Next year we'll concentrate our efforts on the home plot as well as welcoming some new additions to go in the chicken coop i bought Jen for christmas this year.

I'll leave this blog live for the foreseeable future; as I oft' refer to it my self, as I'm sure some of you do.

This however, will be my final posting here. Thank you to all my readers and followers over the last 5 years. I've enjoyed the blog, and hope you did too.

Catch us soon at Reads Retreat.

TTFN

Check this out

2011-05-11T11:15:00.001+01:00

Jen has created a craft page, advertising her creations that she sells on ebay.

Click here for details

Back soon

2011-02-27T04:52:00.000Z

Watch this space !!!

Quickie update

2010-05-10T21:56:00.002+01:00

Popped up to the plot today, and whilst there harvested half a dozen Leeks. Should be tasty in a Chicken & Leek Pie tomorrow night!!

Good to see also that the Runner Bean seeds have germinated, lets hope they survive the frost that is forecast tonight.

First Early spuds are growing well.

Pop back soon for more from the plot!

TTFN

Bean poles !

2010-04-27T10:06:00.020+01:00

Welcome back to our Allotment Retreat, where we are please to inform you that we're fighting back. The weeds have run riot over the plot during my ongoing illness, but thanks to a little help, we are getting to grips with the jobs. Thanks must go to all who have helped out, most notably Neil & Stuart. It took a good ten days from start to finish to get the bed ready, but will hopefully be worth it in the end! So , how did we get here, and what did we do ? Read on!

Having first cleared the bed of weeds, and digging the soil over several times (removing amongst other things 8 x 1' sections of cast iron gutter, and copious quantities of glass) , we set about digging 2 trenches, each about 8' long and 1' wide, and about 18" deep. We then lined the base of each trench with about 6" of corrugated cardboard which had been torn into small pieces. This will soak up and store the moisture for the roots of the climbing beans. We then backfilled to give a good depth of soil in which the plants can grow.

Next off, we pushed 6 x 3' lengths of plastic tube deep into the soil. We will use this to get water direct to the cardboard reservoir area in the base of each trench, simply by watering direct into the tubes. We're hoping that this "reservoir" of water will get the roots going to provide strong plants.

And then we put the canes in! I prefer to put the canes in vertically and then bend them slightly to meet at the top. This seems to give extra strength to the structure - needed because our site is wide open to the elements. Finally we added a good layer of gen purpose compost to each trench top, to use as our planting medium. With 10 canes vertically on each side, we had plenty of space to get planting. We put Runner Beans (v. Scarlet Emperor) all down 1 side, with 2 seeds about an inch deep for each cane. On the other side, we have a bit of a mixture: 2 canes have Borlotti bean seeds, 4 canes have Climbing Purple French beans(v. a cosse violet), and 4 canes have Climbing French Beans (v.Blue Lake). This will hopefully crop the approx amount of each variant that we want.

We'll also start plants off at home, to fill any natural gaps.

Adjacent to the end of this bed, work is underway to clear enough space to put a wigwam of Vermont Cranberry Beans that were donated via Dan - cheers!

As i detailed on the 17th April, we decided to donate our greenhouse to someone who would get more use out of it. The lucky recipient of the "jigsaw" was Ralph, who in exchange was only too happy to rotovate our 3rd plot. Seems like a good exchange to me and we did the deal. Already Ralph has done half the plot, which made it very easy to plant our last 3 rows of spuds. These are our second earlies (v. Nadine) and hopefully they'll have enough time in the ground to give us a good, albeit slightly late, crop of tasty spuds.

So as you can see, many hands do make light work. Its still daunting looking around the plot - weeds everywhere, but a little and often is once again reaping rewards. The first early spuds are starting to show, the apple tree blossom is opening up, and there's a buzz of excitement around the site as summer approaches. Let's hope we all manage a good cropping year. I hope you've enjoyed our update, and hope you'll pop back soon for more from the plot.

Take care all and enjoy your gardening.

TTFN

Happy St Georges Day

2010-04-23T06:12:00.004+01:00

To all readers - especially the English ones - hope you have a fantastic day.

RIP Dan Holkham (3rd Battalion - The Rifles).

TTFN.

Progress, slowly !

2010-04-17T17:35:00.008+01:00

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat. Slow but steady progress is now being made on the plot. It's hard to work slowly when there's stacks to do, but that's the way it has to be. I saw a Consultant at the hospital last week, who confirmed that my MRI scan from the week before reveals a Lateral Disk Prolapse at C5/C6. The good news is there's no invasive surgery on the horizon, but still i have to take it easy. I've signed up for Physio, a well as been referred for neurological tests. Fingers, like everything else possible, are well and truly crossed! In this picture, you can see that we've managed to clear 1 bed. This is home to our Rhubarb crown which is growing on well.There's also a clump of Rosemary, a Red and a Black currant bush, as well as a good clump of primula that were donated by Bill last year.
This next picture shows just how much we have to do, and also how far behind we are! We managed (with a little help!) to drag the mower around the plot today - at least now we can see where the beds are ! The Apple / Pear trees are beginning to fill with blossom, so hopefully this season we will improve on last years 5 apples !! Sadly the Victoria Plum tree never survived being moved, so we'll replace that just as soon as funds allow. In the background of the pic, you can just make out the spud bed that Neil dug for us. That was such a blessing.

As i said earlier, we can see where the beds are !!! The only good news is that the ground / soil is well broken up and only needs light weeding. Even so, a mammoth task awaits. After careful thought, I have decided to let our greenhouse go. This was given to us late last year, but with all that has happened this year, and a baby on the way real soon ( Grinning!), i think that someone else will get more use out of it. I / we cant commit the time to it that would truly make it worthwhile. I'm sure it wont be long before it gets snapped up!
That's about all for now. There's still plenty going on at home, as well as at Reads Retreat. Seed germination update to follow soon.

Take care all, enjoy the weather, and most of all, enjoy your gardening.

TTFN

More spuds in !

2010-04-11T08:54:00.003+01:00

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat, where we are able to bring more news, some good and some not so good! So, starting with the best bit: Thanks to some kind help from Jo & Co., we now have another 4 rows of spuds in the ground. This accounts for the balance of the first earlies, and half of the second earlies. The ground is still heavy, and drainage struggling, but he spuds have a fairer chance in the ground than out ! On a slightly down note, the rest of the plots are badly overgrown. This is due to my absence with ill health, and at present am concerned at how we're gonna gain the upper hand, and maybe a phone call will be needed to rally some help. I'm sure that a good mow of the grass will tidy things up considerably, but this too will also expose more weeds! Talking of weeds, I haven't touched one since 16th March - patting myself on the back as i type!
Seed germination continues at a pace at home, and I'll update on where we are with that later.
The weather looks glorious again, so i suggest you get out there sharpish!

Take care all and have a grand day.

TTFN.

April already, and we've been busy!

2010-04-05T11:34:00.011+01:00

Welcome back to our Allotment Retreat blog, where despite the lack of any physical activity on the plot, we are pleased to let you know that our seed raising exploits are in full swing! The conservatory is starting to resemble a nursery, with every available flat surface now being given up for seed germination. It's all very exciting, we are growing some old favourites as well as a few first time attempts - as always injecting some new challenges as we go along. The list so far is as follows :

Tomato's: Napoli Plum, Cherokee Purple, & Yellow Pear
Summer Squash: Crookneck, Delicata, & Burgess Buttercup
Marrow: Table Dainty
Sweetcorn: Ruby Queen & F1 Earlygold
Sweet Banana Pepper

Seeds already germinated from sowing last week:

Sweetcorn Swift Early - 7 plants
Courgette All Green Bush - 10 plants
Courgette Yellow Zuchinni - 2 plants
Sprouts Red Delicious - 15 plants
Tomato Garden Pearl - 20 plants (for baskets & containers)

We've also made the first investment of the season in some general purpose compost. I don't like spending too much (must take after my father) and this is the best deal I have found so far: 4 x 70Litre bags for £12.00, from Asda! We'll no doubt be buying more as the season progresses, and If i find a better deal - I will let you know.
Thats about it for now, but we'll keep you posted on germination rates etc. We cant wait to get back to the plot. So much to do, so little time!

Take care all and enjoy your gardening. Pop back soon for more updates.

TTFN

More spuds in the ground

2010-03-23T16:21:00.002Z

Welcome back to our Allotment Retreat.

Today's posting is just a brief one - to let you know we've got another 2 rows of 10 spuds in the ground. (Thanks Bill & Norma for your help).

This is ahead of the 3 days wet weather which is forecast.

The rest of the spud bed still needs some work, I'll try and get Neil over again !

That's all for now. Take care and enjoy your gardening.

TTFN

Borrowed from Mossy

2010-03-22T14:59:00.003Z

Couldn't resist sharing this ditty - my mate mossy has it as his facebook status:

Goodbye to my England, so long my old friend
Your days are numbered, being brought to an end
To be Scottish, Irish or Welsh that's fine
But don't say you're English, that's way out of line.
The French and the Germans may call themselves such
So may Norwegians, the Swedes and the Dutch
You can say you are Russian or maybe a ...Dane
But don't say you're English ever again.

At Broadcasting House the word is taboo
In Brussels it's scrapped, in Parliament too
Even schools are affected, staff do as they're told
They must not teach children about England of old.
Writers like Shakespeare, Milton and Shaw
The pupils don't learn about them anymore
How about Agincourt, Hastings , Arnhem or Mons ?
When England lost hosts of her very brave sons.
We are not Europeans, how can we be?
Europe is miles away, over the sea
We're the English from England, let's all be proud
Stand up and be counted............shout it out loud!
Let's tell our Government and Brussels too
We're proud of our heritage and the Red, White and Blue
Fly the flag of Saint George or the Union Jack
Let the world know....WE WANT OUR ENGLAND BACK !!!

Sadly, it's so very true.

TTFN

Spuds are in !

2010-03-21T13:09:00.014Z

Welcome back to our Allotment Retreat. Today, with a tiny bit of help from my friend, I managed to plant the first row of spuds. The First Earlies,(v.Maris Bard) are amongst the first spuds to go in on the site. The first in though were third week of feb by Steve - good luck with those!. I figured it was about time to get planting. All told, we have a total of 120 odd tubers to go in, so we'll try and do a row every couple of days. The ground (recently dug over by Neil) is not too wet and I think we'll get away with it. Time will tell! (There were plenty of raised eyebrows from those "that know" as we set about planting! I even got "told" i was throwing money away. We'll see).

The Rhubarb is seemingly flourishing, with the first stem a good 8" tall , and the second stem just appearing. There's loads more weeds too, but they're on the list. The list - boy is it growing!!

My plot neighbour (whom I've yet to meet), has decided to erect a scaffold net wall around his plot, which saves me a packet as I wont need a windbreak now. All i need now is all the other neighboring plots to do the same, and I'll be quids in. I know it looks neat and tidy, but is it really necessary ? Some people just seem to throw money at the allotment - goes against the grain with me!

The Primulas that we transplanted from Bill's garden in Strood last year, are finally coming into their own. Lets hope they do really well and keep the Bee's coming back to the plot. More flowers is the order of the day. What shall we add next ?

Finally, or should I say at last? The seed planting is underway at home. Ruby got the ball rolling this year after Grandad bought her a Tomato starter kit. These are doing ok on the kitchen windowsill, So we decided to get cracking. Regular blog readers will know we have accumulated an abundance of seed, and we're gonna try hard not to buy too much more this year!
Today's sowings include: Sweetcorn(v. Swift Early), Courgette (v.All Green Bush), Tomato's (v.Garden Pearl) - for the hanging baskets at Reads Retreat, and some Sprouts (v.Red Delicious).

That's enough to get us going. The enthusiasm is overflowing now, so watch this space for more news from the plots.

Take care all and enjoy your gardening.

TTFN.

One less weed!

2010-03-21T09:19:00.002Z

I stopped smoking on Tuesday this week.

Now I just have to stop the weed from coming back!

Wish me luck!

TTFN

Mother's Day!

2010-03-14T21:27:00.007Z

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat, where I start this post with a shot of the lovely Roses I gave my darling wife today. Aren't they beautiful, just like Jen - love her to bits xx.
Further, can I extend a Happy Mothers day to all of you mums out there ( mine included!) - where would we be without you all.
Right after breakfast this morning I nipped to the plot to harvest yet more tasty leeks, which accompanied our Roast Pork dinner today - yum!

Whilst at the plot I took great delight in spotting that our Rhubarb crown is bursting forth from the manure mound that was unceremoniously dumped on it before Christmas. Rhubarb - as you know - is a hungry feeder, so hopefully this "rough treatment" will see us bag a bountiful harvest this year?

Thats all today folks, but really itching now to get cracking at the plot. Just need to get my health back.

Wherever you all are, I hope you are ready for the season ahead, and I wish you all a successful year.

Pop back soon for more updates from the plot.

TTFN

Digging update !

2010-03-11T22:02:00.005Z

Well - what a grand job.
Neil really got his teeth into the task at hand, and we now have enough room to plant the first earlies! All I had to do was make the coffee! At least now we can get cracking!
Cheers !

Whilst at the plot, we couldn't resist harvesting a half dozen or so Leeks, some of which went into tonight's stir fry, while the rest will go into a leek tart for tea tomorrow!
We're excited now about the season ahead, and not so daunted by the mammoth tasks.
We hope you'll pop back soon for more updates from our Allotment Retreat.

Till then, take care all and enjoy your gardening.

TTFN.

What a gloomy day!

2010-03-11T08:49:00.000Z

Skies are overcast, and there's a slight chill in the air.

But, todays the day when the help arrives. My brother in law is coming over today to help with the digging on the plot.

Will post an update later !

TTFN

Chitting at last !

2010-03-08T09:05:00.005Z

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat. Finally we have got our seed potato's and have set about getting them chitting. This year we have decided not to grow Maincrop varieties as; despite their excellent taste, they take up a lot of ground for a long time. Also, they are readily available locally for £3.50 per 25kg sack! So, our choices ? Well, our First Earlies are Maris Bard(pictured). Although we have started the chitting process a bit late, it looks as though the planting date may also be later than usual too. The recent heavy rains have left large parts of the allotment waterlogged and unworkable. Couple that to the fact that I'm off sick from work still with my neck problem, and the planting of these seems far away! Once again we purchased these tubers through the allotment society, which proves again a great cost saving i.e. We paid £4.90 for 6kg of tubers - which is 55 tubers to be exact. Some of these are quite large and will be halved to make them go a bit further. Our choice of Second Earlies is Nadine. We grew these last year and were really impressed by the yield and their taste. These too were £4.90 for 6kg, and we'll get these chitting soon too. This represents a considerable saving over hgh street costs where, typically, 5 tubers are about a quid! The other main learning from last year is that we will not plant all at the same time, rather we'll stagger the planting for a continued crop.

Thanks must also be extended to my brother in law - Neil - who has kindly volunteered to help with the final bit of ground preparation prior to planting. I would not have been able to do this myself and am very grateful.

That's all for now, but pop back soon for more updates, our enthusiasm is growing fast for another good years growing ahead.

Take care all and enjoys your plots and gardens,

TTFN

Tempus Fugit - End of Feb 2010

2010-02-28T11:56:00.016Z

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat, for a long overdue update posting.

There's many reasons for my long absence - not least the weather: January was Cold, Frosty, and mostly snowy, which prevented any gardening activity what so ever. And then there was February! I awoke on the morning of 30th Jan in excruciating pain. My right shoulder and right arm in worrying agony. A trip to the emergency quack on that day left me with the diagnosis of a trapped nerve somewhere in my neck / shoulder. The treament : Morphine tabs 3 times a day for 6 weeks, as well as Happy Pills to ease the inflammation. Further doctors surgery visits followed and then the dreaded referral to a Spinal Specialist. I'm still waiting on a date for that. The pain has eased somewhat, but I've only had one good nights sleep in a month, the rest of the nights have mainly been spent sitting in an armchair covered by a quilt.

So you see, I've not ventured to the plot since 7th Jan. I've been in touch with the allotments site manager, and informed him that i will be coming back. My order of seed potato's is there waiting for me, as well as the endless job of ground preparations! Not sure how much will get done in the near future, but i cant wait to get fit enough to get stuck in !

On a happier note, I received a blog award from Tanya at Allotments4you. Awards are always welcome, more-so when you're feeling down, so I thank Tanya very much for that. In keeping with idea, the information pertaining to the award is detailed below:-

I had this award passed on to me because my blog makes her happy. That's a nice thought.

There are a few rules with this award which are as follows:

I have to link Tanya's blog to me, which I have done above.

Next, I am to list 10 things that make me happy.

Family.
Friends.
Gardening.
Good Food.
Real Ale.
Reading.
Photography.
The seasons.
Natural history.
The thought that Labour will not win the next election!

Now all I have to do is pass the award on to some of my favourite bloggers...these would be:

Fiona @ The Cottage Smallholder
Nick @ The Tree House Diaries
Jo @ The Good Life
Mr H @ The Subsistence Pattern
Rosie @ Eco-Gites
Dan @ Urban Veggie Garden Blog
Carrie @ Grow Our Own
Amanda @ Eight by six
Sarah @ Our patch of earth
Layla @ Eco Experiment
Michelle @ From Seed to Table
Jenn @ Gamine's Garden

These are just a few of the blogs I read on a regular basis, that usually make me smile!

So what now ? Well, i need to see the specialist as soon as possible, and get back to work too. I cant live / survive on sick pay for too long. Also, i need to get some help on the plot - even if i have to get paid help, as i cant see myself being fit enough for a good while yet, and our second child is due in early July.

So, take care all and enjoy your gardens and gardening. Keep your blogs updated too, they are a huge incentive to me at the moment.

I hope the aforementioned bloggers happily receive their awards, and I look forward to posting a gardening update soon.

TTFN

Freeeeezing!

2010-01-07T12:56:00.004Z

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat. As you can see, we're bearing the brunt of the white stuff, and hence not venturing up to the plot until this lot clears. We did manage a brief outing to the plot on Wednesday this week, and were able to dig some Leeks as well as some Parsnips. I must add that both were delish, as well as a few small carrots that we managed to pull. Sadly there's been a lot of vandalism on the site recently, and a lot of plotholders sheds' have been broken into. My shed lock kept the buggers at bay, but they had a good go at the lock on my shed door, and the Hasp&Staple will need replacing. It really is soul destroying that this goes on, and short of posting Armed Guards, I cant see any ways of keeping the perpetrators at bay.

Anyhow, we hope you'll pop back soon for more updates from the plot.

Till then, take care and wrap up warm!

TTFN

Happy New Year Everyone

2010-01-01T13:56:00.002Z

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat.

2010 is upon us, where did the last 12 months go ? Any ideas ??

We had a light covering of snow to welcome the new year in, and with frosts forecast for most of next week, it's hard to see when we might get to the plot!

However, wherever you are and whatever you do this year, we hope you have a fab time doing it. And we look forward to sharing our gardening exploits with you all. Keep us bookmarked - there's bound to be a break in the weather soon!

TTFN

Better pictures - we hope!

2009-12-29T10:28:00.003Z

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat. Sadly there's still no news from the plot due to the persistently inclement weather. The ground is either sodden or frozen, and there's little that can be done at this time. On a more positive note, I'm now the proud owner of a new camera. This was a combined Birthday & Christmas present, from my in laws and Jen. I've been after a decent upgrade for some time, and this Fuji s7000 is a great replacement to my Fuji Finepix 3800. The latter has served me well, but this new camera is a far greater spec than i had before. All we need now is for me to get to know it! There's a huge instruction manual to read and digest, before i can switch off the "Auto" button. There's no rush and I'm looking forward to rediscovering some real photography.

Hopefully the next time you drop in, I can bring some news from the plot.

Till then, take care and enjoy your gardening.

TTFN

Merry Christmas everyone

2009-12-25T07:30:00.003Z

Hope you all have a fantastic day.

From all of us here at

Reads Allotment Retreat.

Crikey - that was cold!

2009-12-23T04:56:00.001Z

A sharp frost again tonight, -7 according to the forecast.

Heating is on and I'm summoning up the courage to venture out to work!

Still, last day before xmas, then 6 days off Yippee!

TTFN

It's pouring with rain!

2009-12-22T05:17:00.001Z

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat, for a very quick update !

Woke this morning to gently falling snow and a frosty outlook. An hour later and it's pouring with rain! Long may it continue & melt the snow, then maybe we'll get to the plot!

Take care all,

TTFN

Winter weather - it's here !

2009-12-16T09:17:00.004Z

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat, where the winter UK weather has well and truly arrived. On sunday this week I ventured up to the plot amidst the showers to have a nose around - I was the only one there! That's got to be a first! The ground was very waterlogged - puddles all over the place, and there was no hope of turning any soil on that day.
Three days later and the tables have truly turned, we've had 2 nights of very sharp frost's, with last nights effort reaching a whopping -8Degrees. It's not all bad news though, as these frosts will help to break up the waterlogged ground that has already been turned. Hopefully the recently planted Garlic will benefit from the frost, and I'm looking forward now to lifting a few Parsnips. 2 more nights at work then I'm off for 4 days, back in for 2, then off till 30th December. It's all panning out nicely. It's hectic at home as we make final preparations for the yuletide festivities, but great fun too.

Pop back soon for more updates, and wherever you are - enjoy your gardening.

Take care,

TTFN

Finally - some news from the plot !

2009-12-08T09:25:00.015Z

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat, where finally i have found a break in the weather (dry but cold! ) coupled with me actually feeling a lot better! I've been absent from the plot for over a month - mainly due to illness - and was constantly thinking about all the work that needed to be done in getting ready for next season, let alone the onion and garlic sets that were sitting on a shelf in the conservatory - slowly starting to sprout.
When I arrived at the plot, i was both surprised and a tad upset to find my greenhouse up ended and flattened! That's without glass in it ! I guess all the strong wind of late had been enough to get it moving, Luckily, I managed to re-erect it and straighten the damaged frame, and make a note of the fact that i need to get this sorted !
Despite all the rain of late, i was pleasantly surprised to find that the beds were not sodden. Drainage is seemingly far better than I had imagined. We've had a lot of rain, for days on end (not as much though as the residents of Cockermouth) and its good to not see pools of water as expected.
This raised bed was my focus of attention for the day(5/12/09). It had been well weeded about 5 weeks ago, after we harvested the remaining squashes, but already was well weedy. The grass around the perimeter was growing over the timber frame, and the whole thing looked a mess. The bed is approx 20' x 4', so i divided it into "quarters" in my head and set about weeding, promising myself a coffee after each quarter! Thats the beauty of having a kettle and camping stove in the shed! The ground was wet enough to let me pull the weeds free with minimal use of a trowel, but the soil dry enough to still be crumbly. It smelt good too, mainly due to the fact that after the first early spuds were harvested earlier in the year, we dug in some spent hops as a soil improver before planting out the squash plants. After 2 hours i was ready to get planting:

The first in the ground were that Garlic cloves. I had bought 2 Garlic bulbs from Wilkinson's a good 7 or 8 weeks previous, and they were already sprouting 1 1/2" shoots. I laid the cloves out in 3 rows across the bed, spacing them approx 6" apart in all directions, which will not only give them space to grow, but also make it easier to weed between the plants as they grow on! I planted these about 2" deep, with the green shoots only about 1/2" from the surface, where hopefully they will quickly spring into life! Hopefully they will still have time to send down some strong roots, before the really cold weather sets in. Thinking next about how to define the spaces between the garlic and the onions, I decided to thin out the rows of Chard(v.Zilver) that had been planted late in the summer, and use these. Hopefully these will take quickly and grow on nicely too !
Next up were the Red Onion sets (v.Red Baron) . These were laid out on the surface in a similair fashion to the garlic (adopting the same spacings) before being gently planted up. Again, these were planted so that the growing tips were about 1/2" from the surface. I'm mindful of the fact that these have gone in quite late - about a month - but they have a better chance of growing in the soil than on my shelf at home!
All told, I've ended up with 6 rows of 8 onions. Like the white onions i planted next, these should be enough to give a good late spring crop, by which time i should have my onion seeds well and truly growing on. I love all this planning!

A wee while later i realised i had transplanted the Chard to slightly the wrong place, but couldn't be bothered to uproot them again, so i planted 2 rows of white onion sets one side of the chard, with 4 rows on the other. Best laid plans and all that!!
Some of these sets had just started to sprout, and as such were planted ever so slightly deeper than the red sets, so hopefully they will grow on at the same sort of rate? That's my theory anyway!

And there you have it! All nicely weeded and planted up!Oh, i forgot to mention : I also planted up 3 rows at the end of the bed with some Broad Beans (v.Aquadulce). These seeds were a free offer from Wiggly Wigglers, and being the kind of guy i am, i had to have 'em. Free, after all, is one of my favourite words !! And there's only really me that like the beans, so 20 or so plants should be more than adequate! And again, they've been planted very late, so may not come to much anyway.
Well, we hope you've all enjoyed the small update, and we look forward to welcoming you all back again, very soon!

Take care all, and enjoy your gardening,

TTFN

Swapping Seeds .

2009-11-27T10:03:00.006Z

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat. There's not much to report from the plot at the moment, as due to the recent bad weather and my recent illness (now - fully recovered- thanks for all your good wishes) I have not set foot on the plot in a couple of weeks.
We have not been idle though, and recently we arranged a seed swap with a fellow blogger in Canada! Dan at "Urban Veggie Garden Blog" posted an update recently about "Vermont Cranberry Beans", and they sounded delicious. After making contact we were delighted when Dan agreed to send some seed in exchange for some of our seeds. We were delighted to receive these this morning, and were surprised also by some "extra" seeds which we had not expected: "Cherokee Purple Tomato". We are always keen to try new varieties, and are now eagerly awaiting the spring so we can get planting. The weather in that area of Canada seems similair to ours, and we hope the seed swap proves fruitful.

If any other readers would like to exchange some seeds, then please get in touch! We would love to try more varieties from around the world. In a recent posting, we listed the varieties / quantities we have in stock, so you can clearly see what we can afford to swap.

Thats all for now, but we hope you can pop back soon for more updates from the plot.

Take care all and enjoy your gardening / growing.

TTFN

Plans for next year

2009-11-18T09:53:00.005Z

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat. Sadly, there's not a great deal of plot activity to report. I'm due back at work this Friday after my illness, and don't want to risk anything before then. I have; however, been perusing the seed catalogues, and have found these climbing French Beans (v.Golden Gate) in the Dobies lists. We grew a dwarf variety of these this year on our home plot, and they were great, not least because due to their colour they are easy to spot on the plants! I have been tempted to grow v.Cobra too, but we have so many seeds saved from our Blue Lake crop that we will probably grow these again next year, and see how we get on!

The other option that has sprung to mind recently concerns Sweetcorn. This year at Reads Retreat we really struggled with germination of sweetcorn seed, although we did manage a small crop eventually! One of my favourite nurseries - Victoriana - are selling Sweetcorn(v.Swift Early) as plug plants, so we might buy from there instead, or as well as growing our own. Postage costs are too much for me, I'd rather go and visit the nursery, and say hi to Stephen and his family while we are there. Seriously, if you are close enough to visit, then I suggest you do! It really is a worthwhile trek!

Thanks too, to Fiona at The Cottage Smallholder blog, for pointing me in the direction of The Tree House Diaries, a great site and a good read - luv it!

Thats about it for now, but pop back soon for more news from Reads Allotment Retreat.

Enjoy your gardening!

TTFN

Best Blog Award!

2009-11-16T09:47:00.020Z

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat, where we bring you news that we have been awarded a "Best Blog Award" from Jo at "The Good Life". It's so nice to receive an award - it lets us know that we're not only reaching our target audience, but that we are blogging about something of interest to others.Thank you.

Of course, this now gives us the chance to nominate some more blogs for the award.
Here are the rules:-

Post the award on your blog (including the above picture) along with the name of the person who passed it on to you and link to their blog. Choose 15 blogs which you have recently discovered and you think are great and pass it on to them. Don't forget to leave a comment on their blog to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

The 15 bloggers we would like to pass this award on to - in no particular order are as follows:-

Mr H @ Subsitence Pattern - read about Sun Roots!
Rosie @ Eco-Gites - a great eco-friendly read.
Tanya @ Allotments4you - an inspiration to us all.
Dan @ Urban Veggie Garden Blog - a small thank you for the seed swap!
Carrie @ Grow Our Own - for shining a light through her words.
Matron @ Down on the allotment - always full of new ideas.
Amanda @ Eight by six - a fellow local blogger.
Sarah @ Our patch of earth - worth a read for the chickens saga !
Eliane @ Faites Simple - making a go of a new life in San Fran
Daphne @ Daphne's Dandelions - provides a link to report your harvests !
Layla @ Eco Experiment - living with Zero waste.
Sue @ Making a house a home - Stunning photography.
Michelle @ From Seed to Table - Great list of cookbooks
Jenn @ Gamine's Garden - Quality blogging
Fiona @ The Cottage Smallholder - some superb recipes here!

We hope you will all accept this award as we think you have great blogs. We have also found it fun to follow the recipient's links to the blogs they have nominated as it's a great way to find other great blogs.

Please leave us a comment in this post so that we know you have accepted the award. On seeing your comments, we can then leave congratulatory comments for you too !

That's all for now, enjoy your blogging!

TTFN.

Sorting the seeds - at last!

2009-11-15T08:59:00.026Z

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat. It's a sunny; though wet and windy, wintery morning. There's no hope whatsoever of me getting to the plot today, manly due to continued poor health, but also due to the fact the ground will be saturated following the last 36 hours ish of rain we've had. And, it's still raining! Yesterday afternoon i finally started to sort out our seed storage boxes, the pic shows the allotment box on the left, and the Reads Retreat box on the right. I've been putting this job off for an age, but finally started. The first job was to write a handwritten list of opened and unopened packets. Some seed is surely too old to be viable, but the majority should be good for the next couple of seasons. Those that are too old will be offered to fellow readers around the world ( please - just pay the postage via Paypal) before being put in the bin. It's possible that someone should want them. Take a look at the list and let me know if anything takes your fancy! Email & payment please to oktarine@hotmail.com. After 4 weeks, all surplus seeds will be binned! The generated list - complete with Sow by dates - looks like this:

Unopened Packs:

Chervil(v.Simple) SB2012
Cabbage(v. Golden Acre/Primo) SB2011
***Swede(v.Ruby) SB2008***
Carrot(v.Chantenay Red Cored 2) SB2012
Parsnip(v.White Gem) SB 2012
Kale(v.Nero di Toscana) SB2012
Courgette(v.AstiaF1) SB2012
Beetroot(v.Solo F1) SB2010
Sprouting Broccoli(v.Early Purple) SB2011
Onion(v.Bedfordshire Champion) SB2012
Spring Onion(v.Toga) SB2011
Tomato(v.Garden Pearl) SB2012
Kale(v.Dwarf Green Curled) SB2011
Marrow(v.Tiger Cross) SB2010
Parsnip(v.Tender and True) SB2010
Cabbage(v.Red Acre) SB2010
Carrot(v.Jaune du Doubs) SB2010
Cabbage(v.Mammoth Red Rock) SB2010
Carrot(v.Early Nantes) SB 2012

From this list, the Swede seeds will be replaced with fresh stock, so if you want these, let me know!

And now the "Opened" packs, incl. seed count where possible:

Borlottii (v. Lingua di Fuoco-Firtongue x 25 seeds) SB2009
Climbing Purple Bean(v. A Cosse Violette x 10 seeds) SB2010
French Bean(v.Dwarf Yellow x 8 seeds) SB2010
Calendula (v.Fiesta Mix x 30 seeds) SB2009
Winter Squash(v.Burgess Buttercup x 8 seeds) SB2010
Sweetcorn(v.Swift Early x 5 seeds) SB2009
Butternut Squash(v.Hunter x 5 seeds) SB2010
Beetroot(v.Chioggia x 150 seeds) SB2010
Onion(v.Bedfordshire Champion) SB2010
Leek(v.Autumn Mammoth 2 / Snowstar) SB2011
Peas(v.Victorian Climbing x 50 seeds) SB2010
Peas(v.Kelvedon Wonder x 50 seeds) SB2008
Squash(v.Summer Crookneck x 25 seeds) SB2009
Sweetcorn(v.Extra Early Sweet x 12 seeds) SB2010
Courgette(v.Zucchini Yellow x 2 seeds) SB2010
Kale(v.Frosty F1) SB2009
Tomato(v.Moneymaker x 10 seeds) SB2009
Cauliflower(v.All year round) SB2009
Cabbage(v.January King 3 /Savoy x 50 seeds) SB2009
Turnip(v.Golden Ball x 100 seeds) SB2008
Swiss Chard(v.Zilver x 10 seeds) SB2009
Spinach Beet(v.Perpetual x 30 seeds) SB2010
Parsnip(v.Hollow Crown x 30 seeds) SB2011
Courgette(v.All Green Bush x 10 seeds) SB2012
Chili Pepper(v.Cayenne x 10 seeds) SB2011
Leek(v.Musselburgh x 20 seeds) SB2009
Brussel Sprouts(v.Red Delicious x 20 seeds) SB2008
Kale(v.Dwarf Green Curled x 50 seeds) SB2011
Parsnip(v.Hollow Crown x 20 seeds) SB2010
Cabbage(v.Golden Acre/Primo x 200 seeds) SB2009
Fennel(v.Florence x 200 seeds) SB2010
Carrot(v.Autumn King2 x 1000 seeds) SB2012

As if that wasn't enough, we are also drying & storing our own "saved" seeds from:
Runner Beans (v.Unknown - Grandad's mix)
Dwarf Yellow French Beans
Climbing Purple French Beans
Blue Lake Climbing french beans.

And finally (!), we grew a couple of Squash (v.Turks Turban) that didn't grow very big - I'm toying with the idea of saving the seeds from these and trying again next year!

So as you can see, we have a lot to work with. We just need to now work out what we are going to grow, buy more seed as required, and get rid of the older / less viable seeds! We'll put together a list from these 2 lists of what we're getting rid of, and then it's a first come / first served basis if you want to save any from the bin.

Pop back soon for another update from RAR.

TTFN

Slow, but steady progress!

2009-11-10T16:06:00.007Z

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat, where finally we bring some news from the plot! (Albeit old news as due to my recent illness I've not lifted a spade now for a good couple of weeks).
Our first view today is of our new potato bed, which is slowly but surely being dug ready for next springs planting's. The bed was home this year to our climbing beans, and is now almost completely dug over. Progress has been slow as it had only been shallow dug for the beans. There's also a multitude of stones and weeds to remove as we go. We are digging down now to a minimum of 1 spit (a spade's depth) and opening up the final layer before replacing the turned and weeded earth. This, together with a generous top dressing of our plot made compost (more of that later) , should be sufficient growth depth for the 6 rows of spuds that are planned. The beds that were home to the spuds last year are now earmarked for different crops, as we try and form a mini plot rotation. We won't be bothering with a 4 year rotation as the space and layout would make this difficult, but we may get a 3 year plan underway! The soil itself is now looking good, and the nitrogen rich roots from the climbing beans have been left to rot down where they grew, thus enriching the soil further over the winter. We don't plan to manure the ground this year, rather wait until next autumn. This will let the spuds do the work of breaking up the soil further over the course of next year.

If you look closely at the picture above, you will notice that there is a large mound the length of one side of the bed. This is the result of emptying our compost bin (pictured left), so that we can once again fill it up! The content was mostly topsoil turves that we had cleared away - approx 4" deep - so that we could get a head start last year with planting up our new plot. This autumn / winter's compost will be more "green" material, including weeds and veg leaves, and will probably be topped up with more turves from Plot 87 as we start to clear that. We must have composted and made a good half ton of topsoil, and this will be spread around the plot as we go, helping us to create the good tilth that is required for new plantings. Unfortunately, there's still another compost bin adjacent to this one that needs emptying, but good too in the fact that we haven't got to fork out (no pun intended) for more topsoil. This to me is the heart of having an allotment. I often gasp at fellow plotholders stories and tales of how much they have spent "buying in" topsoil to get to the same stage. How easily some people waste money eh?
Finally, a view to remind us (as if a reminder were needed!) of the hard work that still awaits on our new plot. There's been no progress on our winter project - the greenhouse - but by siting the structure where it is now, we have discovered an otherwise hidden and well established Asparagus bed - aren't we lucky! This will supplement our efforts at home, and hopefully yield a decent crop next April.
There's a lot of work still to do, but we think we are starting to gain the upper hand. As Percy Thrower used to say, " a little work done often is the key", and that is what we are doing. Hopefully you'll stick with us as our 2nd year of allotmenteering draws near, and we look forward to welcoming you back soon.

Take care all; wherever in the world you are, and enjoy your gardens.

TTFN

20 years since the wall came down

2009-11-09T18:10:00.005Z

Crikey - where has all that time gone!

I remember Radio 1 played "Wind of Change" by the Scorpions, constantly!

(Click here for the lyrics)

Where will we be in 20 years time ?

Knee deep in mud probably!!!

Check back soon for an allotment update !

TTFN

91 Years of Rememberance 08.11.2008

2009-11-08T05:54:00.004Z

Armistice Day is upon us again. Save a prayer for those who died, those who remember, and those that will never forget.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead.
Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch, be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

John McCrae

TTFN.

A generous gift

2009-10-18T06:35:00.001+01:00

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat. During a recent visit to the plot, one of my fellow plotholders was taking down her bean plants / canes as she tidied up for the winter. I was amazed and surprised to see the old plants going straight to the compost heap, complete with a bounty of pods still attached. I enquired as to whether i could pick some pods to dry the seeds for next year, and was greeted with the comment "do people really do that ?". Erm, well yes! The lady in question has had a bumper crop this year, and as such I expect the seed will be good too. I didn't hang around long enough to ask what variety they were, I merely collected enough for me - and maybe some to share, and was on my way.
To me, this is part of what allotmenteering is all about.

Back soon folks,

TTFN.

No need to worry!

2009-10-17T14:36:00.000+01:00

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat, in what has been a worrying week. The picture left adorned our local newspaper on Thursday morning this week, and set alarm bells ringing around the town! No prior notice had been given and there was uproar at the allotment site. Whilst I was there during the afternoon; doing a spot of digging, there was plenty of chatter about this. Along with a few other plotters, we decided to attend the Local Area Development meeting to be held that evening at the local council offices. At around 7.00pm we sat in the council chambers with baited breath, ready to put our case. Thankfully this was not required: The chairman of the meeting opened with a statement which basically said that the allotment site was an established Allotment site and would be taken off the list of viable travellers sites immediately. The councillors looked startled and surprised as we all burst into loud applause, before standing and leaving. The local newspaper printed a revised story which can be read here.

Phew! Panic over !

Check back soon for more updates from the plot.

TTFN

Maincrop Spuds - Cara

2009-09-27T09:36:00.001+01:00

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat, where today we lifted the last of the Maincrop spuds(v.Cara - pic). We had a good harvest and are relatively pleased with the net result. However, we have decided next year that we will be growing just first and second earlies, staggering the planting dates a bit more to extend the crop season. We find that maincrop varieties are so cheap in the winter months that we may as well buy them, and concentrate our growing on the more expensive / harder to find varieties that we really enjoy.

More updates from the plot soon.

TTFN

Ruby - What a darling:

2009-09-18T21:34:00.000+01:00

Just a quick extra note: Couldn't resist sharing this picture with you all. When i got home from work last night, Ruby was seemingly not interested in the house full of toys she has accumulated, but intent only on shelling the borlotti beans! I said "what a clever girl", and she replied " I know I am" . Priceless!

Take care all,

TTFN.

Midweek Harvest

2009-09-18T21:21:00.000+01:00

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat. Crikey, that was a quick week! We had a visit from "Nana Pops" from Monday - Thursday, and we had a really great time - cramming a lot in. On Wednesday we all popped up to the plot to "show off " our allotment - mum was suitably impressed whilst suitably shocked at just how much work we now have in coping with all 3 allotments. As always, she didn't leave empty handed - managing to acquire one of our small pumpkins. Pictured here is our small harvest from the day before, including a Marrow, Pumpkin, some Zucchini, Maincrop spuds and a mixture of climbing beans including Borlotti, Runners, and Purple podded French beans. We have to say; the maincrop spuds (v.Cara) tasted delish. Also this week, I managed to start digging and weeding the new beds. Next year we will grow some of our spuds - probably the First Earlies - where the Runner Beans etc are this year, thereby taking advantage of the nitrogen now in the soil. The Runner beans themselves are going great guns - a late flurry of flowers should give rich pickings in the very near future.

Next week will probably be a tad quieter and we should be able to get a bit more done on the plots. Hopefully you'll pop back soon and check for more updates.

Don't forget our new venture : Reads Recipes. Jen has been busy in the kitchen, and has added more recipes. Go on, take a look ?

I hope you're still enjoying your plots as much as we are, and we look forward to seeing you again soon.

Take care all,

TTFN.

Cut the grass - Not workers jobs

2009-09-14T19:40:00.000+01:00

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat. Are you enjoying the weather ? If not, maybe you can take a few minutes to join the campaign to save jobs at the RHS? Their Union is fighting a decision to cut 100 jobs, and they need your help.
You can read more on this story here, and sign an online petition.
I urge you to support this. I was in a similar situation in January of this year, and it was my works union that saved my job.

Let's hope that Unite can do the same for these RHS staff.

Take care all,

TTFN

Courgettes galore!

2009-09-13T14:35:00.000+01:00

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat. Have you had a good week ? We've been kind of busy (work etc.) and so far, I've only managed a couple of hours at the plot. Most of that time was spent watering - trying to get the last knockings of growth out of our squash plants / runner beans etc. Just as I was about to leave, i bumped into a fellow plotholder - Andy . He gave me a haul of giant courgettes, they'd overgrown on his plants as he too had been absent for a couple of weeks with a bad back. As you can see, they're pretty big - about tabloid newspaper size! By the time I took this picture today, over half have already been used ! Jen is busy as I type, preparing some courgette chutney! Check out the new blog for more recipe idea's - Reads Recipe's.

I'm now on the first of my 4 days off; and although we have a few busy days lined up - mum visiting etc, we hope to put in a bit of work on the plot too. Hopefully, you'll pop back in a few days for more updates?

Till then, enjoy your gardens and plots.

Take care,

TTFN

Latest harvest & Other stuff

2009-09-06T13:52:00.001+01:00

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat. We've had a busy morning today, with wifey adding another gorgeous recipe to our new blog - Reads Recipe's - whilst I've been busy at the plot harvesting more produce. This haul is the last of our Second Earlies spuds (v.Nadine) which amount to approx 10 lb's. We've really enjoyed these spuds and will be growing them again next year. The ground now vacant has been thoroughly dug over, and this will be repeated in a few weeks time.

I also harvested 3 squashes (v.Turks Turban), but only managed a picture of 2 of them, the third is cooking as i type! These didn't get as big as hoped, but maybe if we plant them earlier next year they'll do a bit better. Thanks again to Stephen at Victoriana Nurseries, who donated this years squash plants. What a star! The pumpkins and courgettes are still growing on well, and we hope to bag a late harvest of those.

I picked a load more Beans(v.Borlotti) ready to dry out. So far we have dried about half a pint of beans, and have them stored in an airtight container, ready for use later in the year. We have also used them in place of Kidney Beans in Chilli con carne and can assure you they taste yum. In the bottom of the bag there's also a few late runner beans(v.Scarlet Emperor) which will be enjoyed with our lunch today.

Meanwhile, up at the plot:
The marrow plants that looked to be on their last knockings a couple of weeks ago, seem now to be bursting back to life. Maybe if the good weather continues, we'll bag a few more before the end of the growing season? We've enjoyed about 6 in total from 2 plants, so any more really would be a bonus. We even have some jars of Marrow Preserve in the cupboard (recipe to follow) . I tasted this while Jen was putting it into the jars - it had a lovely sweet Butterscotch type flavour - delish.

I couldn't believe the state of the runner bean plants - there's an abundance of new flowers that have suddenly appeared, so hopefully we will be cropping these again soon. Next year we plan to grow the runners in a different location - more of that in the future - and the existing beds will be planted up with our potato crops. A four year rotation plan for planting is all well and good, but I think we'll opt for a 2 year plan as it will be easier to manage. Well alternate the planting with roots / above ground veg. See how we get on !

This squash (v. Waltham Cross) is growing atop our compost bin, and looking good for a decent specimen. There are still new shoots here and there, so dependent on the weather for the next few weeks, I may / may not cut these back. Watch this space !

Whilst at the plot today, I placed my order for next years seed potato's. Ordering through the society is definitely a money saver. Next years selection is as follows:

First Earlies: Maris Bard, which are a popular choice at the allotments, and are a renowned heavy cropper with good Blight / Scab resistance. 6Kg for £4.80.(approx 60 Tubers)
Second Earlies: Nadine, after such a good crop this year, choosing these was a no brainer. We have been delighted both with the size and taste of the crop. Consider that I've just dug the last 10 lbs today and there has been no deterioration after the extra time in the ground.6Kg for £4.80. (approx 60 tubers.

This order will be delivered early in January next year, ready for chitting / planting out as the weather permits.

Thats about it for today, hope you've enjoyed reading our harvest update!

Hope you are all enjoying your plots as much as we are.

Take care,

TTFN

Forward planning & other stuff!

2009-09-04T12:23:00.001+01:00

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat.
I just want to start by saying "Thank you" to all the new visitor's to the blog, especially the one's who have left comments. It's nice to know that in writing the blog, we are reaching an appreciative audience. You will notice that we have expanded our blog list considerably of late, this mostly down to requests from other garden blogger's around the world, and also a few that we have come across recently.

Furthermore, we are starting to compile a new blog - Reads Recipes - where we plan to list as much info on what we make as we can (jams, chutneys, relishes etc) from all our produce, be it grown or foraged! Please bear with us on this, as we get the ball rolling!

With regard to forward planning - we've been shopping :
We popped to our local Wilkinson's store yesterday, and came away with some sets for the allotment. Not sure really how the prices compare to elsewhere, it's just that we happened upon them when looking for something else! First up we have a bag of 50 Red Onion (v.Red Baron) sets, which can be planted out late autumn. These will provide an early crop (May - June) whilst my main onion crop are still in full growth.

Next up we have this bag of "White" onion sets. Again there's 50 in the pack. The only downside is that there is no specific label on the packs, and apart from the first item, i cant remember the variety. (If you're reading this and know the variety, let me know please !).

And finally, there's a pack of 3 Garlic Bulbs. We forgot to plant any of these last year and have been begrudgingly paying for it all summer ! I aim to plant the garlic soon after the first frost. I read on the RHS website, that the continued "frosting" of overwintering garlic, helps the cloves to grow into strong new bulbs. This always seem to work and act as a good time planner for when to plant out.

Regular readers will know that we're not big fans of onion sets, but at the very least we'll be able to harvest these early in the summer. We plan to grow our main onion crop from seed (v. Bedfordshire Champion) , as these always perform well, outgrowing the sets by far. Also, this variety is not susceptible to neck rot.

That's all for now, but keep your comments coming, we love reading them!

Take care all and enjoy your gardening / growing.

TTFN

Plum Jam - Yum!

2009-09-03T08:23:00.001+01:00

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat. What a glorious sight to see when i got home from work last night: 7 Jars of scrummy Plum & Cinnamon jam to add to our stash! We are rapidly losing count of how many jars / varieties we now have, maybe we should write a list? This one will probably be named Woodpecker Plum, after the location where the plums were picked ? I'm thinking of starting a new blog to list all the jam / preserve / chutney recipe's that we use, so you too can make similar types. Let me know if you're interested! Check out our new blog here.

At some point today we need to visit the plot. The main reason is the weather: Wind speeds upwards of 30mph / gusts upwards of 45mph are forecast for the next couple of days, so i need to make sure my bean canes are still firmly planted in the ground !
The other reason is that I have salvaged a First Aid Box (wall mounted) from work, and we will be donating it to the Allotment Society. Many times I have cut my fingers, but no-one ever seems to have any plasters ! Maybe when we have donated this box the society can use some of it's funds to stock it ?

Finally, you may have noticed a slight change to the blog title ? Well we started with Plot 81, but now we also have Plot 83 & Plot 87!

That's all for now, but see you again soon?

Enjoy your plots,

TTFN

Yippee, it's raining!

2009-09-02T21:01:00.000+01:00

Or as my old mate used to say: "it's coming down in stair rods".

Great news - the allotment needs a good soaking.

Hope the rain is welcomed where you are too!

Take care all,

TTFN.

Spuds -more dug today

2009-09-01T17:01:00.001+01:00

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat. Today I dug some more of our Second Earlies (v.Nadine), and got this tidy haul from just 3 plants. It was a bit of an exciting dig, as the haulms had already died back, and I wasn't sure if the spuds would be ok, if any at all. As you can see, they are all ok, and suffering no ill effect from being left in the ground. That might change though, as a spell of wetter weather is on its way! We haven't even got to the maincrop yet!

Thats all for now. Take care and enjoy your plots,

TTFN.

Stage 1 of Jigsaw completed !

2009-08-31T16:56:00.001+01:00

Welcome back for the promised update ! As you can clearly see, the first stage, i.e. putting the Greenhouse frame together, has been completed. It was a bit of a struggle - perhaps I should have helped take it down in the first place! Obviously with something this old, a lot of the bolts were rusted solid, and there are a fair few bolts missing too. That said, I'm impressed by how sturdy it is, and that's without the weight of the glass too. I think the next step will be to buy and fit the missing bolts, and then secure the unit to a wooden base. This base will then be securely staked to the ground. In siting it here, I have the benefit of protection from the wind on two sides, and it's also fairly hidden from view.

This second pic gives a clearer idea of just how much land we now have to deal with! It's a mammoth undertaking, but I'm sure we've made the right decision. 450 Sq yards of land sounds like a hell of a lot, but then you have to remember that we managed 300 sq yards in our first year!
Time for a well earned rest now, and maybe a cup of tea!!

Take care all, and pop back soon for more updates from the plot.

TTFN.

We've got a Greenhouse!

2009-08-31T13:31:00.001+01:00

Welcome back once again! Crikey you're saying - another blog entry already ? Well, this morning I was given this Greenhouse for my plot. To enable easier transportation, it was split into the sections as per the photo. All in all, it's not in bad condition - should do us well. The glass is 95% ok, one pane got broken in transit, and there were a few missing already, but these can easily be replaced at a later date. Just popped home for a bite to eat, then it's back to the plot to sort this jigsaw out!

I was also given this selection of hand tools, all of which are gratefully received. Among them is a draw hoe, dutch hoe, small spade, loppers, pick axe etc, again all will be useful at some point. These were supplied in a water butt.

Can i just say thanks to Roy, Kye & Ian for their help in moving this lot, as well as a Big Thank you for donating it all as well.

Thats all for now folks, but pop back soon to see if the jigsaw fits together !!

TTFN

Wow - Pumpkins!

2009-08-30T16:33:00.001+01:00

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat. As regular readers will know, earlier in the year we were given some Squash plants. The majority of the plants did not have labels, so were planted "blindly" with a view to sitting back and waiting for whatever might come along. Well, thanks to Stephen at Victoriana Nurseries who kindly donated these plants, we now have about half a dozen pumpkins (v.Racer) growing away happily in what was otherwise an empty patch of ground. The ground had actually been home to our First Early spuds (v.Rocket) and after they were harvested, the ground looked rather bare. Now at least we have a plan for future spud beds!
Some of the other plants donated turned out to be "Turks Turban" squashes, and we now have 3 of these growing away merrily. We thought about harvesting some today, but we are not sure when they peak - in terms of size - and would be grateful if someone can shed some light on this!

We also found that we have a couple of Yellow Courgettes growing (Zucchini?) and this monster was harvested today to go with our Sunday roast !
Whilst at the plot we also started the Borlotti bean harvest off, we have loads and loads to get through, but we will get them a little at a time, as the beans need to be thoroughly dried before being stored away. The ones we picked today were 99% dry already, but a lot of the pods still on the plant are a long way off yet.

The Butternut Squash (v.Hunter) are going great at the moment too. The seeds for this were free from the BBC Dig-In promotion on CBeebies, so anything growing here is a bonus! The plants were started off in 3" pots before being transferred to their growing position - on top of the compost heap. Growing alongside these we have another variety - Waltham cross - which is also doing well.

The runner beans have not fared brilliantly this year - due mostly I guess to inadequate ground preparation! A lesson that has now been well and truly learnt! The good news however, is that there is a somewhat late flourish going on, and there's now an abundance of new flowers. Look carefully and you'll see the Bee's in attendance too! All we really really need now, is a few days of rain.

As you can see in this picture, work has been progressing on the new allotment. These 2 beds have been what I call half dug, i.e. I have lifted the top 4" and simply turned it over. I then layered some well rotted manure across them, to encourage some worm activity. This compost will then be dug in later in the year, and then left to settle over the winter. Tomorrow, I will be collecting my new greenhouse, that has kindly been donated by a friend. It's a 6' x 7' item, and we are looking forward to it's arrival.

And as this second picture shows, we still have a mammoth task ahead of us in preparing the rest of the plot! Wish us luck eh !

That's about it for today, hope you have had a good read.

See you all soon,

TTFN.

Foraging for food!

2009-08-28T19:05:00.001+01:00

Welcome back to the Reads Allotment Retreat blog. I'd love to be bringing you an update with pictures from the plot, but it's been a hectic week to say the least and thus far we've not managed to get there yet! However, today we had one of those lovely summer days that you normally dream of in the depths of winter. I finished work at 7.00am this morning, and after a few hours kip we all went out in search of some free fruit. I'd read a snippet about a local plum orchard on another blog "Eight by six Gardening" and managed to contact the author to confirm the location.(Don't worry Amanda - your secret's safe with me!). We set off in glorious sunshine early afternoon, and we were eventually (no sat nav!!!) greeted by the sight of about 50 plum tree's growing in an open park. It's hard to believe we've lived just down the road - so to speak - for 3 years, and not known this was even there! Most of the tree's are pretty old and established, but there are plenty of newly planted specimens too. The tree's were laden with fruit, and within about 15 mins we had filled this 10 litre bowl to overflowing. Obviously I sampled some as I picked them, but the vast majority made it home to meet their fate - jam jars! Once we were done with the plum picking, Jen & Ruby eagerly set off for the swings, leaving me to explore the hedgerows further. I managed to find and pick about 2 lb's of Damsons, as well as about 1/2 lb of Blackberries. We'll be back for more of the latter as and when they ripen up! Just up the road from this secret location is a nice little farm shop. We called in for our usual: 2 dozen medium F/R eggs (£2.40), and picked up some Braeburn Apples (£1.50 for 2kg) and some Conference Pears (£1.20 for a Kilo). Ruby loves this place - buy her a little bag of chicken feed and she's off ! Next stop Tesco for cooking apples, then home to peruse our swag.
Purely by coincidence, our postman delivered 2 books today that I had ordered for Jen:

Jams and Chutneys: Preserving the Harvest, Over 150 Recipes (Hardback) By (author) Thane Prince
ISBN 13: 9781405329545
"This title lets you return to the good life. It offers information on all you need to know to make sweet and savoury preserves in an irresistible package, and preserve your harvest and create amazing jams, chutneys or preserves out of fruit, vegetables and even flowers from your garden. It comes with over 150 easy-to-follow recipes for making long-lasting sweet and savoury preserves to enjoy or give as a welcome present. It features a combination of traditional recipes, plus plenty of inspiring new ideas, and shows how to get the best from your ingredients, with clear guidance on all the equipment and techniques you'll need for making wonderful jams, jellies, marmalades, pickles, chutneys and relishes.You can pick up key cooking techniques from step-by-step sequences including identifying the perfect point of ripeness for different recipes, checking setting points and potting safely. It is perfect if you want to know how to preserve gluts in your fruit and vegetable produce, or for aspiring jam-makers and cooks".
Order from www.bookdepository.co.uk . Postage is free in UK.

Pickles, Relishes and Chutneys: Step-by-step Recipes for Home Preserving (Hardback) By (author) Catherine Atkinson
ISBN 13: 9781845432843
"This comprehensive guide opens with a history of preserving and pickling, which provides an insight into the traditional techniques and local delicacies. Practical advice and information about techniques, equipment and choosing the best ingredients follow in the authoritative and wide-ranging introduction, which is followed by the heart of the book: over 75 recipes covering every kind of chutney, pickle and condiment. Explore accompaniments to meats and poultry, from traditional basics, such as Horseradish or Mint Sauce, to modern flavours, such as Roasted Red Pepper and Chilli Ketchup or Cranberry and Red Onion Relish. Accompany seafood with Lemongrass and Ginger Jelly or serve oysters with Bloody Mary Relish. With its wonderful photography and comprehensive and exciting recipe list, this is the perfect source book for every cook who wishes to know more about chutneys and pickles. Catherine Atkinson is a trained Cordon Bleu cook who has worked in a number of restaurants including the Roux Brothers' patisseries. She also worked as Deputy Cookery Editor on Woman's Weekly magazine". Again, ordered from the Book Depository.

Now as I sit here typing, the 2 lbs of Damson's are nearly Jam, and smell delicious. The rain is thundering down outside - lovely - watering the plot for me in my absence.
Sunday I hope to get my greenhouse, that has been donated by a work colleague. It's an old 6' x 7' one, but in pretty good condition. It will need a base preparing and re-assembling on site, but will be well used. Can't wait!

That's about it for now, but please come back soon for more updates from the plot.

Take care all, and enjoy your plots and gardens.

TTFN.

Annual Show

2009-08-24T05:19:00.001+01:00

See you there ?

TTFN

It's been a busy week.....

2009-08-22T17:05:00.001+01:00

and we've been busy! As you can see, Ruby is proudly displaying our latest Marrow from the plot. These have grown really well, 4 now from 2 plants, and there's more growing too - maybe 2 more on the stronger plant which will be ready in the next week or so. As I type, Jen is preparing a Marrow Jam, which looks and smells delicious. (Recipe from the Allotment Growers Cookbook ISBN 978-0-276-44260-5). This has been a truly great cookbook this year, and we've tried loads of dishes from it. Well worth the money, in our opinion. Whilst the jam prep is underway, we're cooking up a feast of home grown veg for tea! I've been charged with cooking the pan fried potato's (v. Maris Peer), whilst Jen is roasting some beans( Scarlet Emperor, Purple French & Dwarf Yellow French, together with some toms, yellow zuchinni, green courgettes, and some onions from the plot. The sausages - I have to be honest - are from Aldi's!. Cant wait to tuck into this lot.

Not content with the amount of work our 10 Rod plot gives us, we have taken on another 5 Rod plot adjacent to ours. This is the space we originally wanted to plant our tree's on, and to be honest - we've wanted it for a while. Now we have got it (in writing from the society) we can spend some of our time now cutting beds into the unloved soil, and stealing a march on next years preparations! We have also got a good supply of Free manure now from a local stables, and will be using this to dress the beds, before we cover them with mulching cloth. They'll be left like this for the worms to do their work, before being dug over late autumn.
One thing we need to start soon, is listing what we are going to grow, and perhaps more importantly where, for next year. We've had some successes, as well as some failures, and need to focus and plan ahead. Watch this space for an annual review and forward planner.

That's all for now, but pop back soon for more updates from the plots.

Take care all,

TTFN.

Blackberry & Apple Jam - yum!

2009-08-13T10:22:00.000+01:00

Less than 24 hours after collecting just over a pound of Blackberries from the allotment, we now have 3 more jars of yummy jam. When we got home we "acquired" some apples from our neighbours tree, and hey presto - jam! Our store cupboard is looking good, plenty of supplies. Can't wait for the cold mornings in the depth of winter, and being able to spread summer fruit jam on thick buttered toast. The jars - by the way - are from Colorlites.

That's all for now, see you all soon.

TTFN

I love it !

2009-08-12T16:39:00.001+01:00

Isn't it great being able to just nip up to the plot and grab a handful of veg for dinner! It's a great feeling, it's like this massive store cupboard we can go to just when we need to ! Wifey is cooking up a treat tonight, and my tum is rumbling in anticipation! The runners are cropping very well this year, whilst the french beans seem to be struggling just a little. Next year we are planning to prepare the ground better, with the addition of plenty of horse manure, which we we are starting to stockpile at the plot.
On the way out the gate from the allotment, we couldn't resist stopping to pick these Blackberries that were growing wild in the hedgerow. Now then, are we thinking jam, or maybe a crumble? Time to lean over the fence at home and scrump some apples!

Hopefully this week, we'll be able to grab some more manure for the plot, as well as spend a bit of time watering and weeding the plot.

Hope you are all enjoying your plots, and harvesting wonderful fresh grown veg.

Take care all, we'll see you soon.

TTFN.

Todays harvests & weeks update

2009-08-07T14:14:00.001+01:00

Welcome back to our allotment retreat, where today we were greeted by the sight of our newly transplanted Rhubarb (v.Victoria) plant. As you can clearly see, it's loving it's new home, and sending up new shoots all the time. It's really encouraging to see such good growth, and together with the 2 crowns at home, should mean bumper harvests for the next few years. I know it takes up a lot of space on the plot, but in my opinion its a good sacrifice. This year we have experimented a bit with it - Rhubarb & Ginger jam etc, and then there's the possibility of wine too!

Today we harvested yet more veg. We have been getting a bag full every now and again! The spuds (v.Nadine) are the 2nd earlies, and we plan to leave them in the ground until we need them. This will continue unless we get a bout of wet weather, which may lead to slug damage. We are also now getting a good crop of Runner Beans(v.Scarlet Emperor), as well as the Purple Podded Climbing French beans. The latter are causing quite a stir at the plot - there's a well trodden path to our plot from other plotholders, keen to investigate this "new" crop! The Climbing French beans are also just starting to crop. Lovely!

We have more Marrows on the way too. This specimen now about 8" long and 4" diameter, and there's about 4 more starting off on the same plant! Yummy. In line with the experimenting(above) we are now thinking of Marrow Preserve. That's making my mouth water just thinking about it!

The second marrow plant next the the one above, is adorned with more large flowers, a beautiful sight and more promise of things to come. This has been our first year growing marrows - and even then its by accident - as the plants we purchased as "Courgette" were indeed Marrow! Oh well, we're not complaining!

The Butternut Squashes (v.Waltham Cross) that we planted atop our compost heap are also growing really well. This pic shows the 1st fruit starting to form, and there's plenty more buds too. It's all quite exciting, as we patiently wait to see what will / won't grow!

The plant's that were donated by Stephen at Victoriana Nurseries, are also growing on well. Several of the plants are producing fruit, all about the size of tennis balls at the moment. Considering how late these were planted, they are doing really well. There's also a couple of Courgette (Zucchini) plants which have fruit on them, and a sole Cantaloupe Melon plant. The latter is adorned with flowers but no fruit at the moment.

We have recently found a source of free manure, which we have started transporting to the allotment. At the moment we are spreading it over the beds that contained our second early spuds. Over the next few months we will get as much as we can and use it to improve our soil structure. Rather than "digging" it in, we plan to just mulch the surface with it, and let the worms do the work! The manure is all fairly well rotted down already, it doesn't even smell much! Just wish I had a towbar and a trailer!

That's it for today folks. Hope you've all enjoyed our update, and we look forward to welcoming you back to our allotment retreat soon.

Take care all and enjoy your plots.

TTFN.

We're jamming. . . . .

2009-08-03T19:21:00.000+01:00

Welcome back to our allotment retreat. Two updates in one day - Crikey!As detailed earlier , I set off this morning to forage for some more free fruit. Armed with a couple of cloth bags, i never imagined that i would collect what is probably 20 pounds of yellows, And 20 pounds of reds! The bag pictured here is a "Tesco Bag for Life" , and its about 6" deep with fruit! Probably about an hours worth of picking. There were a lot of fellow foragers there today, one guy in his late seventies telling me he's been collecting this fruit there for more than 20 years!
This bag(Iceland version) is also about 6" deep with fruit. There was a greater demand for these, and I had to jostle with others to get a good spot. I found one after a short break, and collected this haul in about 30 minutes. The branches were literally overloaded with fruit. After nipping in to town to buy sugar, and a couple of other treats for wifey, we headed home to the stove. Thats the royal "we" of course. Jen made a 5lb batch from the yellow plums first, as these are the most ripe. The aroma was sheer bliss as they boiled on the stove, and the finished jam was a lovely golden yellow in colour.

When buying the sugar, we found good old Tate & Lyle granulated at 80p per Kilo in Wilkinson's, that's the cheapest we have found. Let me know if it can be bought cheaper - we need rather a lot!

Wilkinson's have also started their seed sale, and we picked up all these packs at half price. These will be stored away for next years planting, the plan of which is forming in our minds !

Thats all for now, but pop back soon to find out what else we concoct with our haul of free fruit!

Take care all, and enjoy your gardening.

TTFN.

More Free Food!

2009-08-03T08:37:00.000+01:00

Welcome back to our allotment retreat blog. Yesterday we popped out for a walk with the sole intention of finding & picking some Blackberries, with a view to making a nice pudding for dinner today. In true Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstal tradition, we stumbled upon more than we had bargained for. Having already found one site full of Cherry Plum tree's, we hardly expected to find even more, but were pleasantly surprised to find about a dozen tree's within a stone's throw (no pun intended) from our front door! All the tree's are heavily laden with delicious small fruits, and there are approx 3 varieties to choose from. The tree's are on "Common" land which in my opinion makes them ideal for picking. There was evidence that other people have been doing the same, and we intend to gather some more today. As for recipe's, a quick internet search revealed more ideas than you can poke a stick at. All we need to do now, is accumulate a load of empty jam jars! Maybe an ad in a local shop window will suffice ?
A couple of recipe's that caught our eyes were for Plum Chutney - that sounds nice.

That's it for now, but pop back soon for more updates on our free food foraging, as well as more from the plot.

Take care all,

TTFN.

1st August - And what a haul!

2009-08-01T17:00:00.000+01:00

Welcome back to our allotment retreat, where we are enjoying the fruits of our labour once again! After a quick visit to the plot today we came away with this bumper harvest. We cant lay claim to the courgettes - they were a gift from a fellow plotholder - he grew so many he's been eating them every day for weeks! The marrow is our second this year and the plants are still flourishing. We picked a good handful of Runner Beans, French Beans and Purple podded french beans. Only a couple of Pea pods - but they are soooo tasty ! Finally we dug the first of our Second Earlies(v.Nadine). We'll be conjuring up some lovely home grown veg to go with our Hake Fillets for tea! Yum.
Our Butternut Squash plants are also going well. No sign of any fruits yet, but buds galore on the 4 plants that are planted atop our compost heap. The flower in this pic looks to have a fruit developing underneath, all we need now is some sunny weather to help it grow on a bit.
The mixed bag of plants that we were given are also doing very well, considering they've only been in the ground about ten days:

This one appears to be Zucchini - you can just see the yellow fruit starting to form.

Not sure what this one is either, but something is growing !! Unfortunately, the majority of the plants that Stephen gave us were without labels, so we'll just have to wait and see. We can't thank Victoriana Nurseries enough, and can't find enough superlatives to describe their nursery. Maybe we can show how grateful we are by buying a bit more from them next year!

Our newly located Rhubarb crown is going great guns too, obviously liking it's new growing position. Won't be enough growth to harvest this year, but we're hoping for bumper harvests in years to come.

Our first attempt at growing Borlotti Beans is proving to be a great success. Faced as we were today with a multitude of beans, we need to read up a bit before we harvest them. The plan was to grow them for drying, with a view to using the dried beans in winter stews and casseroles, but we are now thinking they could be picked to eat as "runners" - maybe one of our readers can advise us on this ?

On the way back from the plot, we stopped off at a newly discovered site (being vague on purpose!) and picked approx 10 pounds of these lovely Cherry Plums. As I sit here typing, wifey is busy preparing the first 5lb batch of jam - yummy yum. We already have about 4 jars in the larder from a previous picking a couple of weeks ago. If you could smell the fruit now as it gently boils on the stove . . . . oh, you can't ! Oh well!!

That's about it for now. Hope you are enjoying the growing and gardening, and also hope that you will pop back soon for more updates.

Till then, take care all.

TTFN

1st Marrow of the year!

2009-07-20T19:23:00.001+01:00

A great week

2009-07-17T09:21:00.001+01:00

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat, where we've had a lovely and somewhat busy week. We had a "free" day this week and decided to visit Victoriana Nurseries in Challock,Nr Faversham, Kent. We've only visited once before, but when you see the entrance to the place, you just know you want to get inside! There's no mass of commercial adverts and bustling car parks to greet you, just the awe inspiring polytunnels and the somewhat quaint entrance. Once inside, drawing a deep breath of air tells you right away you're in a great place. The smell of the soil is lovely, as is the serene atmosphere within. We inquired as to whether the proprietor Stephen was available, and were delighted when he downed tools (well almost - secateurs in hand) to come and say hello. Even more delighted that he remembered us! The main purpose of visiting was to find some inspirational advice for what to plant next at the allotment, as the vacant spud beds were dying to be filled with plants. Stephen suggested a few things to try, like a Mustard "Green manure" as well as a couple of other ideas, but already I was thinking "more crops" for this season! On the way in we had passed some rather bedraggled squash / courgette / melon plants which were already lodged in the back of my mind. I mentioned these to Stephen, and he replied "take what you want, they're going in the bin later!". I couldn't believe my luck. Maybe they won't amount to much, but as fellow growers will tell you - it's heartbreaking to throw plants away. Victoriana Nursery recently took part in the BBC Gardeners World Live Show where they picked up a RHS Silver Medal - well done to all, especially to Stephen's daughter Milly (aged 3) who also picked up a Silver - the youngest ever recipient. Well done Milly!
Having bought our goodies from the nursery, we headed back to the car. This pic shows the driveway back to the main road. It really is a lovely place, we just felt like we wanted to stay, pull on some gloves and do a spot of weeding. It is definitely worth a visit if you can spare the time. It seems that family run businesses like this are a thing of the past, but Victoriana Nurseries is definitely a thing of the future, and we wish Stephen and his family all the best.

Having left the nursery, we set off to find a place to eat our picnic. After driving around for ten minutes, we stumbled across the beautiful vista literally just off the main road. Not wanting to impose too much, we pulled the car in off the road and parked up. The picnic was yummy - thanks Jen! I couldn't resist a few pictures after our lunch - this really is the Garden of England - we love it. We could live there!!! Where's that lottery ticket?

Next day we were straight up to the plot to plant up our haul. The bed pictured was previously home to our First Early spuds which produced a reasonably good crop. The ground has since been re dug, and 2 bags of spent hops added to improve the soil structure. The plants from Victoriana Nurseries were planted approx 3' apart, over a mound of grass clipping and some general purpose compost.(We used Wickes - 2 bags for £6.00). The plants were well watered in, and now we can sit back and wait. As I said to Stephen, they've got 2 chances! We also bought a pack of Marrow seeds to sow, as we are so pleased with our current marrow plants, we want to try some more. It's a small gamble, but if the weather holds out, we may get more crops?

That's about it for now, except to wish you all the best with your plots and gardens.

Hopefully you will pop back soon to check on our progress.

Take care all,

TTFN

Five days - What a difference!

2009-07-13T17:23:00.001+01:00

Welcome back to our allotment retreat. Just for a change we're bringing you pictures taken at the plot - Today! Check the pic from 5 days ago in our previous posting - I'm simply amazed at how quick this Marrow is growing. By way of a thank you, I not only watered it today, but gave it a good feed too. I think it deserves it, don't you ?

And here's the plant just 3 feet away, in the same bed. Obviously it doesn't want to be outdone and wants some of the attention too! These 2 plants were "shop" brought in Sunny Hunny a few weeks back, and considering how cheap they were, and the fact that they were a tad bedraggled, tells us we are doing something right. This second plant was planted over layers of garden compost/ grass clippings, and seems to be thriving on it.

After the many disasters of trying to raise Courgette plants at home this year (can't use slug pellets due to 2 year old Ruby might take a shine to them), we decided to plant this late developing Yellow Zucchini at the plot. It has found a new home in the bed that was home to our first earlies. Lets hope the recently introduced "spent hops" give the ground the nutrients it needs to support this new addition. Certainly smells nice !!!

The runners (all varieties) are going great guns at the moment - reaching as they do up and beyond the supports provided. When you stand next to them, they look just great, but it's not so easy to get a good picture of them, hence this shot taken looking underneath and through the foliage. I think it looks ok. Still not enough fully developed pods to get a plate full yet, so they have been left and will hopefully be more productive in a few days time.

We're really pleased with the Butternut squash plants, this is the strongest of the four on the top of the compost bin, but the other 3 plants are also doing well too. Squash has been a fairly recent addition to our kitchen, and we're hoping for a good harvest here too. There's so many delicious recipe's for squash, that we need as many as possible. I sowed quite a few varieties, but the ones doing best in this environment are the Waltham Cross variety.

The recently moved Rhubarb is growing well. It seems to send up new shoots every time I make an appearance. We are somewhat surprised by the growth, not withstanding the fact that it has been moved mid season. Great expectations here!
Well that's about it for today! Hoping for a few more trips to the plot this week, so we'll keep you all posted.
Till then, we hope you all enjoy your plots and gardens, and we look forward to seeing you back here again soon.

TTFN

Rich picking's 9th July

2009-07-13T08:57:00.001+01:00

Welcome back to our allotment retreat. Isn't July a lovely time of the year - everything is starting to look great, the hours/days/weeks of care on the plot are reaching fruition and it's time to enjoy the fruits of your labour. These runner beans(v.Scarlet Emperor) made a lovely accompaniment to dinner last thursday evening, and were joined by a handful of peas(v.Victorian Colossal) as well as some First early spuds(v.Maris Peer). The taste alone makes it all worthwhile, not forgetting of course the sheer joy of harvesting your own food!

The rest of the climbers are still putting on great growth, and are nearly all at the stage where the tops need to be pinched out. While Huw was here he suggested nipping the tops out much sooner, but I prefer to let them grow on till they nearly reach the top of the canes, and then trim the tops. I find you get a greater yield by letting the plants establish fully. We have quite a few varieties growing here, and each plot visit gives us more hope of big crops. There's plenty of blackfly present - a bain for all the allotment holders, but the plants are strong and coping well.

As detailed previously, our recently moved Rhubarb crown(v.Victoria) is putting on some good growth, seems like it likes it's new home! Cant wait till next year when we get to harvest from 3 different crowns! Wifey is currently planning a batch of Rhubarb & Ginger jam, if we can accumulate enough Rhubarb before we stop harvesting it the end of this month.

Here's one of our Marrow plants which is looking good. I think the variety is "GreenBush", but having lost the tag, it's hard to say for sure! The second plant that was planted on layers of compost/grass clippings is also doing well. We are hopeful of a good harvest here, as all the courgette plants at Reads Retreat have succumbed to the dreaded slugs, but there seems to be a lack of them at the lottie - we're not complaining. I have one more Courgette plant to go out, and may plant it at the plot?

The Butternut Squash(v.Waltham Cross) that are planted atop the compost bin are also starting to put on good growth. Quite pleasing really as this growing site was a bit of an experiment! Not sure if the heap is warm/damp enough for growing these - time will tell though.

That's about it for todays update, but with another plot visit planned for today, there's sure to be more pics to look at soon. We hope you'll pop back and have another look later!

Till then, take care all and enjoy your gardens and plots.

TTFN

Rocket! Yummy First Earlies

2009-07-05T16:27:00.000+01:00

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat, our diary blog for our lottie venture! Friday this week we popped in to the plot to harvest the remainder of our First Earlies(v.Rocket) that we planted earlier in the year. Previously we had dug up about 3 pounds, and the hefty haul pictured left amounted to well over 15 pounds more. A very encouraging haul, especially as the ground we planted in was not as thoroughly prepared as we would have liked. Obviously we had some for tea friday night, together with some breaded Pollack. Yum!

This pic shows our second Marrow(v.Greenbush), which we have planted about 3' from the first one we put in, and when we popped up to the plot today, were encouraged to see a marrow forming on the plant. We know these are thirsty plants, and are hoping that the layers of grass cuttings we added to the planting hole will retain the moisture that is going to be needed for strong growth. We'll see i guess!
Elsewhere on todays brief visit, we were able to spend an hour digging over the bed that had contained the spuds. The ground is still fairly hard, but not so hard that we couldn't dig it. There's loads of stones to remove, and still some big clods of earth to break up. We'll get there, don't panic!

That's about it for today, but we hope you'll all pop back soon for more updates of our lottie exploits!

Take care all, and enjoy your gardens and plots,

TTFN.

July already, and all's going well!

2009-07-04T08:42:00.000+01:00

Welcome back to our allotment retreat, where all is coming along lovely. Pictures for this weeks update were taken on the 28th June so are all fairly current. This beautiful Marrow flower greeted me, and doesn't it look healthy. We now have 2 of these planted up and both are looking great. The second plant was planted slightly differently, on the advice of Bill: I dug a hole about 18" deep, and filled with alternate layers of soil/garden compost/grass clippings. The idea is that the layers will heat up as they rot down, creating a hot base for the marrow to grow in. Sounds good to me !

I recently moved our Rhubarb Crown(v.Victoria) from a "Path" area to its new how in the newly created fruit bed. Although not showing in this picture, the crown has already sent up new shoots, indicating to us that it is happy in it's new site. At least now it won't get trampled underfoot so often! In all, we now have 3 good crowns on the go, 2 back at Reads Retreat, and this one at the plot. Yummy, looking forward to bountiful supplies of jams and crumbles.

We're amazed on a daily basis at the growth rate of the various climbers planted up at the plot. We were a tad worried a month ago as the growth rate was so slow. The plants we had started at home and later transplanted on the plot had all died off, leaving us the only option of planting seed straight into the ground. Our fears that have been allayed, the only problem now is remembering what we planted where! There's a mixture of Runners(v.Scarlet Emperor), Beans(v.Borlotti), French Beans(v.Blue Lake), and Climbing Purple Podded Beans. We'll have to wait and see!

Our planting's of Chard(v.Zilver) are all growing well, so well in fact that they will have to be thinned out soon. At least that will give us some young leaves for the kitchen! Elsewhere on the plot we have more greens planted in the form of Spinach & Curly Kale, and we're trying to think of what to grow next. Land is becoming free as we take harvests of new potato's, and we don't like to see ground go to waste.

Final pic for today's quick update shows the view looking back over the plot. Bottom left is our First Earlies(v.Rocket) bed, and as of yesterday, this space is now clear as we have harvested a bounty of spuds from there. See separate post for details.
All in all, it's looking lovely, though still plenty of work to do.

We hope you'll join us again soon for more news from the plot.
Till then, enjoy your gardens and plots. Take care,

TTFN.

Happy 2nd Birthday Ruby

2009-06-25T09:14:00.001+01:00

Happy Birthday Darling

Lots of love

Hugs and Kisses

From Mummy & Daddy

xxxxxxxx

A Good Heart

2009-06-20T10:19:00.001+01:00

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat, our diary for our growing project! I'm pleased to announce that 1 of our Red Cabbages is hearting up nicely, despite a couple of the others having gone to seed. We had some funny weather this year: hot one minute, wet the next etc., and a few plants seem to have gone to seed as a result. The onion sets that were planted about two months ago are also having mixed success. The Red's seem to be fairing better than the whites, but we're still hoping for a good crop. Only time will tell. Next year I'm thinking of just sowing seed as opposed to sets, as the results always seem to be a bit better. We have a dozen or so (v.Bedfordshire Champion) growing at home in a raised bed, and these seem to be much healthier specimens.

I've managed to spend quite a bit of time at the plot this week, mainly due to the fact that my shift pattern has changed (for the better), allowing me to get a good few jobs done. I even managed a quick hour of work after my last 12 hour night shift - how's that for commitment! The bed that I dug recently has now been extended and weeded, making much needed space for more plantings! The B&Q bucket has been placed over the Rhubarb crown that I have moved to this bed. Previously the rhubarb was in a footpath - a design error from the early days of the plot! It had not grown well in it's previous position, as occasionally it was trampled underfoot! Hopefully now it will grow on well, and the bucket over the top might "force" the root growth? Let's hope so eh!

In the foreground of the previous pic (larger here) we have planted a marrow (v. Marketmore) plant, that we hope hope will grow well. The concrete blocks that have been dug up are now forming a much needed windbreak. The blocks were a real pain to hue from the ground, but now I find I'm looking for more of them. I know of at least a few more around the site that i will be commandeering in the very near future!

As more ground becomes available, it's quickly being weeded and made ready for more crops. This small bed was home to our overwintering onions, most of which have now been eaten! After clearing this patch of earth, I made 3 drills and gave them a good soaking. After draining away we planted 3 rows of Chard(v.Zilver). This will hopefully keep us in winter greens during the leaner months of the year, as well as providing a bit of structure to the planting area. Also, in terms of the planning, we're now trying to decide what to plant to follow the spuds ? We have started to harvest the First Earlies (v.Rocket), and over the coming weeks envisage the the bed will soon be cleared. Any ideas ? We're thinking of Turnip / Swede / Courgettes.

Our Runners are putting on good growth now, and following some "expert" advice from fellow plotholders, we have drawn the earth up around the plants. The idea apparently is that the rainwater will run off the mounds and go straight to the roots, which sounds like a fine idea to me. All we need now then is some rain! I'm off to the plot to water stuff today, and will have to remember where to water! Note to myself: Sort out hosepipe fittings!!

Our Leek bed is doing well, we are really glad to report! Since this was taken we have hand weeded the area, and it looks a lot tidier! There's also a row of Parsnips (v.Hollow Crown) down the left side, and these too are growing really well. It's only a small bed(approx 6x 4) but there's a lot packet into it. If it gets too crowded we can simply pull some of the Leeks a bit early, that would be a treat !

Back on the subject of winter greens, wifey has planted up a bed full of wintery delights consisting of Spinach Beet and Curly Leafed Kale. These are now starting to put on good growth, along with the left over Leeks down each side of the bed. It's gonna be a bumper Leek year!
As soon as more growth takes place, we;ll be able to get in there and pull the weeds. Weeds - god they grow well. Can we eat them too ? I have in the last couple of days found cause to speak to the site manager regarding neighboring plots that are not being tended. The problem is that weeds are growing all around, and the constant wind across the site is spreading the seeds from them, mainly it seems over my plot. We have also stated that if these plot are not sorted and become "available" then will will take one or both of them on. Let's wait and see!

Having completed all my chores for the day, I then hired the lawnmower and set about tidying the plot. Doesn't it look smart ? Only costs 50p for as long as it takes to mow - can't say fairer than that ! And, the more it gets mowed, the easier the mowing gets, and the grass clippings go straight in the compost bin. (2nd note to myself: Need another compost bin!).

And here' the view from the other end of the plot. A few months ago it was all overgrown and unkempt, but now look at it. We've patted ourselves on the back already, and can now get on with enjoying our plot!

That's all for today, thank you for visiting! We hope you enjoyed this update, and we look forward to welcoming you all back to our Allotment Retreat.

Take care all and enjoy your plots and gardens.

TTFN.

Happy Birthday Big Sis !

2009-06-12T09:15:00.000+01:00

50 Today - Many Happy Returns

Lots of love from all of us at Reads Allotment Retreat.

xxxx

4 Hours later !

2009-06-11T22:32:00.000+01:00

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat, where finally we've had a break in the weather allowing us a good 4 hours on the plot. There's always a host of jobs to do, and one that has needed my attention for a good while is cutting this bed out. Over the time we've had the plot, this area has become home to both Red & Black currant bushes, as well as the odd Primula and a Rosemary Bush. These had been planted in rough cut holes, and over time they have simply been swamped in the ever growing grass, and have struggled to put on growth. Well no more, it was hard graft but well worth the end result. The ground was well compacted, and full of horrible weeds. I took the easy way out for now - removing the top 4-6" of soil - but the bed will need a good weeding in the very near future.
While we were there, Jen (lovely wifey) managed to not only dig over and weed this bed, but also to plant a mixture of Turnip (v.Golden Ball), Beetroot (v.Boltardy), and Carrot (v......). This is the final "existing" bed to be planted up, and now we can begin to concentrate on maintenance. The onion beds are growing on well - as are the weeds - so this is next on the list.

For the last couple of weeks, we've been enjoying the over wintered onion crop (v. Senshyu), and we promised "Nana Pops" that we would pick some for her. Ably assisted by Ruby, we pulled a few to take to Nana's tomorrow. Ruby is really loving her time on the plot. Can't wait till she's a bit older and can do a bit more.

Finally - for now anyway - a pic of our Leeks. They're going great guns at the moment.

I'll expand this update as time permits, still lots to show you all, but I'm off to bed in a mo.

Enjoy the pics down the page. We'll be back soon.

TTFN.

It's raining

2009-06-09T08:43:00.001+01:00

Morning all, and welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat. I was up with the lark this morning, but the rain is still coming down, despite the forecast of sunny periods! Hoping to get to the plot later today to tackle the never ending list of jobs! In the meantime, I've been "surfing" and have added a few new links to other interesting blogs.
Pop back later and I'll hopefully post a picture update of the plot.

Take care all, TTFN.

Look what i got today !

2009-06-08T18:38:00.001+01:00

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat, our diary blog for our new allotment. We went to the plot this afternoon, just to have a look and see how things are coming along. While we were there, we each picked an onion which Ruby is proudly displaying in the picture. These sets ( v. Senshyu) were planted last year and have overwintered well to produce these fine specimens, each approximately tennis ball sized. It's nice to be able to harvest these so early, bearing in mind that the onion sets we planted recently will not be ready for some time yet. Wifey reports they are lovely to cook with, indeed we had one tonight in our prawn curry. Yummy.
There's lots still to do at the plot, and now my shift pattern has changed again to something more sociable, we should be able to get a bit more done.

That's all for now, but pop back soon for more updates.

Take care all,

TTFN.

Jersey Royals @ £1.00 a Kilo - Crikey!

2009-06-07T15:21:00.000+01:00

Welcome back to our Allotment Retreat. As the title suggests, we're getting bored of paying good money for new potato's (even at that price), when we know we have a plot half full of spuds that are nearly ready to harvest. We've had some good periods of rain this weekend and hopefully this will speed up our date of first harvest. As stated previously, the First Earlies (v. Rocket) were planted back on the 7th April, and as such are very nearly ready. Hopefully early next week we can check the ground and lift some lovely new spuds. Can't wait.

As you are probably aware, Gardeners World Live is happening next week, and our favourite seed and plant supplier (Victoriana Nursery) is sponsoring one of the show gardens " A World outside the Garden". Click on the highlighted text to nip to their online page. Sadly we won't be able to make the show, but we wish Stephen and his team all the best for a great week.

Thats all for now from us, but pop back soon for more from the plot.

Take care all and enjoy your gardens.

TTFN.

Flowers on the plot!

2009-06-05T09:06:00.001+01:00

Welcome back to our allotment retreat. As the title suggests and the pictures show, the spuds have started to burst into flower, a sure sign that they are growing on well, and getting closer to the all important harvest time. We are lucky to have almost white flowers mixed in with the usual lilac and yellow , and as the next few weeks come and go, we hope to see even more flowers. Over the last couple of days I have doused the spuds with a hose ( borrowed from fellow plotholders - thank you ) and I think they have responded well. This morning it's raining lightly, and the rain is forecast for the weekend, so they should get plenty of the wet stuff now!

Our apple tree's continue to put on good growth, as this picture of our eater shows. The variety is "Elstar" - not one of the common ones that i know, but a necessary pollinator for our Bramley apple. I'm constantly worried that the apple tree roots might dry out, and with that in mind have recently been collecting buckets of stones / pebbles from around the plot and placing them around the base of the trunks as an aid to locking in the moisture. Guess we'll have to wait and see if it works!

Our Bramley Apple; as you can see, is fairing far better than the Elstar, and it looks like we'll be getting some first season fruits. Differing opinions tell you to sacrifice this first bearing of fruit whilst others tell you to leave well alone. We're opting for the latter course, and we'll see how we get on ! Of the other 2 tree's we planted, the Conference Pear is looking good - plenty of lush leaves but as yet no other signs of fruit. Too early perhaps? The Victoria Plum tree however, is not looking so healthy. Most of the leaves have died back for some reason, and we will be watching this closely to see what occurs. I'm convinced that moving all 4 tree's earlier in the year was not a good move, especially so soon after planting. It's a shame also that we moved the tree's to accomodate a fellow plotholders wishes, and she has not returned to her plot since. What a waste of time.

The runners / climbers that we planted as seed directly into the ground are now making headway. As mentioned in earlier posts, our early plantings were devastated by the winds so we are really pleased that these are growing so well. We have been watering these daily over the last week to help them on their way, and with a few ( or more ) showers forecast this weekend, the growth should continue. Only trouble we have now though, is trying to remember what we planted, and where ! Maybe we can just wait and see, and look forward to the surprise !!!

And finally, here's our young apprentice! Ruby is with us whenever possible on the plot. She really LOVES the plot, and can't wait to be in it, either at home or on the allotment. We are both looking forward to the time when we can dig up some produce - take it home - and cook it !
Not long now darling.

That's it for today's update. Hope you've enjoyed it, and we look forward to welcoming you back to our Allotment Retreat very soon.

Take care all, and enjoy your gardens & plots.

TTFN.

Crikey - Where has the time gone ?

2009-06-03T11:49:00.000+01:00

Welcome back once again to Reads Allotment Retreat. Has it really been that long since I last posted an update ? I guess it has ! Its been a busy month, and there's loads to update you all on:You probably remember that I planted out all my climbing beans / peas etc on the 30th April, trying to get an early crop! Sadly the attempt failed, due mostly to the battering winds that sweep across the site, which demolished the young seedlings. Not giving up at the first hurdle, i set about acquiring some sheets of plywood (from a skip!) which i then erected both sides of the cane rows, in an effort to limit the damage from the winds. Next , I planted the seeds straight into the ground and waited for the appearance of new seedlings. As this picture shows (taken 29/5/09) we have been somewhat successful. As always, getting to the plot to tend the young plants is always an issue, especially when trying to juggle shift work and family life, but at last we are making progress, and with a concerted effort am now finding more time to get to the plot. After all, with summer upon us, this is when we need to be there! Just this morning i got to the plot, spent ten minutes watering, and was away. A quick visit but none the less , worthwhile.
Making good use of every available spot of land, we have adapted the top of the compost bins, one of which is now home to our Squash plants. We've planted a few varieties, and as its our first attempt at growing them, would be happy if we got just one fruit for our efforts. Loads more would be good too, but like everything else, we'll have to wait and see! As usual, we've planted through holes in either black plastic sheeting or weed membrane fabric. This will help to warm the soil as well as prevent light from reaching the light hungry weeds.
A fair few of my regular readers have been asking how my spuds are getting on ? We planted our first earlies back on the 7th April, and our second earlies / maincrop went in about ten days later. The most common question was "do they grow through the holes ok ? " and the picture above shows that yes they do. Occasionally a side shoot veers off under the sheeting and has to be "Re - routed" but on the whole, they have been left to their own devices. In all, we planted approx 180 seeds, and about 160 of those are growing on strongly. I noted on my brief plot visit this morning, that both the first and second earlies are now starting to flower. A sure sign of good things to come. The other main question is "How long do they take to grow ? " . Well, how long's a piece of string ? ( Twice the distance from the middle to the end - ha ha ) . Growing time will always depend on a number of factors: Soil condition, watering, weeding, time in sun, etc etc. , so it's always hard to give an exact length of time. However, give or take a few days, the following acts as a rough guide to sowing / harvest :

First Earlies - 70 - 80 days
Second Earlies - 80 - 100 days
Maincrop - 100 - 130 days.

I'll probably get lots of comments about this, but experience tells me that this is about the right time frame. Others will tell you to harvest at different times, i.e. when the flowers die off. Each to their own ? Simply the best way is to lift a plant gently and have a look!

We've successfully planted up a bed of leeks, as well as a single row of Parsnips, the latter of which should be lovely for Christmas dinner. We had hoped to get the raised beds in and constructed by now, but time and money has sped past us, and we are yet to get round to it. The Leeks will need earthing up later in the year, and we'll try to get the "construction" done at about the same time. Otherwise, we can just leave the bed to its own devices. Just the occasional weeding should suffice.
And finally ( for today anyway) here's a pic of our overwintered onions. A few of these have already graced the table at home, and there's plenty more where these came from !
Once again, I've run out of time, off now to make sandwiches and then to work.
I hope you've enjoyed this update, and we look forward to seeing you all again soon here at our allotment retreat.
Keep those comments and questions coming, and we'll get back to you soon.

Take care all, and enjoy your gardens.

TTFN

Quick update!

2009-05-03T11:18:00.000+01:00

Popped up to the plot again yesterday afternoon, to check on the beans that were planted a couple of days ago. Sadly, the wind has wreaked havoc, and the beans are really struggling against the elements.
To counter this, I'm going to have to erect some form of windbreak across the sides of the plot - a job for Monday maybe!

Elsewhere, the spuds ( First earlies ) are doing great, putting on tremendous growth. Looking forward to harvesting some.

That's all for now, but pop back soon for more from the plot.

Take care all,

TTFN.

Going like a ..... Rocket !

2009-04-30T15:15:00.000+01:00

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat.
This picture that welcomes you is the aptly named Rocket seed potato that I showed a picture of just 9 days ago. All the spuds planted at the time are starting to show through the weed membrane and reach up to the sun. Out of all the planting holes in this first bed, only one spud has yet to show. Lets hope they all grow on well and provide us with a bumper crop of spuds. I've grown this variety at home before, and they taste wonderful.

I managed a good few hours at the plot yesterday, and managed to plant up all my climbing beans and peas. The latter were very delicate and sadly a couple got broken during planting. Hopefully they will recover in time to put on some good growth. All the plants had grown well at home in the loo roll inners, and the protruding roots were a great indication of well they like this growing medium. I really cant see the point in forking out for plastic root trainers, especially as the rolls are completely free!

We had our first crop of Purple Sprouting Broccoli from the plot yesterday - enough to grace the table and compliment the Roast Lamb. Ruby loved it, as we all did, and hopefully we'll get a good few harvests here. There's a couple more of the growing but as yet not ready to pick. If only they'd grow as fast as the weeds! Jen has planted some of these at Reads Retreat, the more the merrier ! What a truly great FIRST harvest from the plot!

Whilst I was there, the final job of the day was to plant a row of Parsnip (v.Hollow Crown). These too were started in loo roll inners, and are therefore really easy to plant. These crops spend a long time in the ground, so I'm planning a few rows here and there to act as edging around some of the plots. One of the things I still need to get sorted is some kind a barrier across the plot. The wind whistles across the site and is a bit of a worry.
Hopefully later today I can get a few more hours in and try and repair my shed. I've invested in a sturdy Hasp & Staple, and a half decent padlock, which will hopefully deter all but the ardent thief!

Thats about it for now, but drop back soon for more news from our lottie!!

Take care and enjoy your gardens and plots,

TTFN.

Beans & Toms

2009-04-24T12:50:00.001+01:00

Welcome back to our Allotment Retreat, our blog diary for the new Allotment. As you are probably all aware, we erected our bean poles a couple of weeks ago, in readiness for the large quantity of climber seeds we have been growing at home. This pic shows 1 of the 2 trays we have planted in loo rolls, and kept in our unheated growing area.
There are: Runner Beans(v.Scarlet Emperor), Climbing Peas(v. Victorian Colossal) sourced from Victoriana Nurseries, French Beans (v.Blue Lake), Purple Podded Beans(v. A Cosse Violette), and Borlotto Beans (v.Firetongue). As usual, we have grown these in loo roll inners, as these make a fantastic substitute for the more expensive root trainers that are available. The added bonus is that the loo rolls can be planted straight into the ground; so the roots are left un disturbed, and the cardboard just rots down in the soil. NB Simply click on the underlined description to take you to the retailer! I must give an extra mention to Premier Seeds Direct, I have purchased a large amount of seeds from them by Mail Order (via their Ebay store) and have been very impressed with their customer service. Its got to be worth a look?

Also, when i got home from work last night, i was pleasantly surprised to find that Jen & Ruby had potted on 22 Tomatoe seedlings into 4" Pots. Especially nice to know that Ruby helped, what a darling. Pictures to follow!

That's all for now, take care and enjoy your gardens & plots.

TTFN

The Spuds are in - all of them!

2009-04-21T20:58:00.001+01:00

Welcome back once again to Reads Allotment Retreat, our diary blog of our new allotment venture. It's been a busy couple of days at the plot, but a lot has been accomplished. Neil (pic) popped up to the plot with me today to help plant the second spud bed. It would have been a mammoth task on my own, and would have taken a lot longer without his help. The bed was rotavated yesterday afternoon, having previously been dug over by my better half just a week ago, and I wanted to get the spuds in before too much weed growth took hold. The first to be planted today were the Maincrop (v.Cara) , of which there were about 40 tubers. They have been planted fairly closely - I'm prepared to get smaller spuds and more of them, than to go for less but bigger - if you see what i mean. As these will be in the ground the longest, it seemed a good idea to plant them in the end of the bed with the better soil. The soil at the other end has more weeds and less depth, though there is still an adequate depth for the second early crop:

Before planting the Second Earlies (v. Nadine), we covered the bed with a weed membrane, and pegged down as best we could with some pegs mum had bought me a wee while ago. These will hold this larger sheet of fabric (1.5M x 7M) firmly in place. Wind whistling across the site is a major headache not just for me, but for fellow plotholders too. Next we laid the 60 ish tubers out roughly where we were to plant them, before cutting a cross in the fabric and planting through this. The holes (with tubers in) were then lightly covered in general purpose compost before being thoroughly watered in. A lot of plotholders have asked me why I use this planting method. The simple answer is that the spuds dont need earthing up, and weed growth is severely restricted; if not, stopped, meaning that the spuds can grow without anything competing for the available moisture.

These are the pegs I used for securing the weed control membrane. They did a superb job and are really secure in the ground. I've put these on my shopping list now, as I could do with a few more packs. Does anyone know where I can buy some more ?

This might not be one of the best pictures you'll ever see here on the blog, but I just had to capture this shot of one of the First Earlies (v.Rocket) showing through the soil. Ok, it's only about half an inch tall now, but still a lovely sight to see! All I need to do now is stay vigilant in terms of watering. Spuds need good supplies of water early in their growth so that they can quickly defend against disease - scab being the main problem encountered with poor watering early in the growth. It's true though that most varieties nowadays are quite resistant to scab, but you never can be too careful.

And what update would be complete without a lovely picture of Bramley Apple blossom! I know, you've seen it before.
Now that the spuds are planted I truly believe we are getting somewhere. There's still a whole host of jobs that need doing, but I'm not going to list them here, as seeing them in Black & White might worry me a tad! In the next day or so, I'll post a further update on where we are with the seed planting at home, and there's plenty of activity there. Only today Jen planted a batch of Butternut Squash seeds, all I need to do now at the plot is make a bed to put them in. Ahhh, it's a good life!

Finally, if you're wondering how Ruby is, she is coping admirably well. For those that don't know, she fell of the bed Sunday morning and fractured her collarbone. Bless her cotton socks.

I hope you are getting on well with your gardens and plots, and that you will find a few minutes here and there to pop back to Reads Allotment Retreat.

Take care,

TTFN.

Thanks Bill

2009-04-20T21:55:00.000+01:00

Welcome back once again to Reads Allotment Retreat. As today's title says, thanks due to Bill again for letting me use his Mantis Tiller. As you can see in the picture, our second spud bed is now ready for planting. Despite the few days of hard rain, the Mantis coped admirably in chopping up the huge clumps of earth. It did struggle occasionally, but on the whole has saved us a whole heap of work. This bed is approx 14 metres long, and took only a couple of hours to work over. I'll definitely start saving now for one of my own, and maybe by the autumn I will have enough to get one!
I'm hoping to get the planting underway maybe tomorrow, or failing that, sometime next week. As always, we'll keep you posted.

Take care all,

TTFN

Onions - Lots of them! 14.04.09

2009-04-17T17:12:00.000+01:00

Welcome back to our plot for another update. Despite Tuesday being overcast and a bit cooler, we decided to risk a soaking and put in a few more hours hard graft. Having managed to rotavate the beds a couple of weeks back, we needed to get our onion sets in quick to stand a chance of them taking root. Using some scrap timber floorboards raided from a skip a while ago, I managed to knock together a couple of Raised Beds for the purpose. Ably assisted by Neil, these didn't take too long, and Jen was able to get the sets in. There's approx 120 all told, a mix of White (Sturon) and Red (v.Red Baron)) as well as a couple of handful's from a fellow plotholder !After planting and watering in, we roughly fixed some mesh to the top to keep the pesky birds at bay. This can be removed as and when required.

While Jen was planting the sets, I carried on with the second row of canes for the climbing beans etc. I had to take some canes from home as I had not bought enough the day before, and really wanted to get this job finished. Hopefully in the near future, we will be planting out our collection of climbers, that have been started off in loo roll inners at home. We have to admit though, I couldn't resist planting a few bean seeds there and then!

As you can see in this pick, our collection of concrete blocks is growing. Jen decided to get the next spud bed dug over, and every now and then hit one of these with the fork! I don't mind though, we are now forming a "Free" wall with these, but i don't really relish the thought if finding too many more - they're a real pig to get out due to their weight. Also in the pic is my newly restored digging spade (thanks Bob) with a long handle. It looks cumbersome I know, but is really easy to use.

Here's that second spud bed which Jen has dug over. What a star! Hopefully next week I can borrow the Mantis Tiller again from FIL Bill and get this readied for planting. As soon as this done we'll get straight on with the planting. We have about 40 second earlies to go in (v.Nadine) as well as the maincrop (v.Cara). I'm beginning to think we are planting too many (?) but having never had the space before, it seemed like a good idea to me. Hopefully if we get a good crop we can store some into the winter. What a treat !

Looking back over the plot at the end of the day, it's very rewarding to see the clear and measurable progress we have made, not just in the last couple of days, but over the last 8 months. Already we have produce nearly at harvest stage - the Purple Sprouting Broccoli that was planted in the depths of winter is just asking to be picked, and the Red Cabbage planted at the same time are looking good too. The "cut and come again" Cauliflowers have not done too well, but were a cheap experiment.

Finally ? Well, I just couldn't resist another pic of the glorious blossom on the Bramley Apple tree. We find ourselves searching it out as soon as we arrive at the plot!

Hope you've enjoyed this; the second update, of our progress earlier in the week. Any further plans we've had since that time have been curtailed by the heavy and constant April showers!

The forecast for the weekend is somewhat better - drier, and we hope to be rotavating the freshly dug spud bed on Monday afternoon.

Please feel free to pop back soon. It's a busy couple of months ahead, and we have loads more to do. Hope you continue to enjoy your gardens & plots. Take care all,

TTFN

Busy Days

2009-04-16T21:47:00.001+01:00

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat, our diary blog of our new allotment. As the title suggests, we've had some busy days in the last week, and are making great progress.
Sunday 12th -I popped up to the plot Sunday morning and purchased sufficient bamboo canes for out 2 rows of climber (about 40 in total), which at 32p each from the allotment shop is a considerable saving vs. what we would have to pay elsewhere i.e. Homebase and the like.
While I was there i booked the "lawnmower" for Monday, as the grass on the plot had not been cut since August last year! The hire from the society is 50p - for as long as it takes - and includes a full tank of juice. Not the best mowers in the world, but adequate for my needs! I also had a chance to talk to Alf about my new fruit trees. I had read that newly planted bare rooted trees should have their blossom removed in the first year to promote root growth. That seemed a bit harsh to me, and Alf's years of gardening confirmed my suspicions - that the majority of the blossom should be left intact, only removing any blossom that forms near the ground level. He also indicated that I should add plenty of GC compost around the base of the trees, to help hold in the moisture, as well as giving a good watering once a week to help the roots establish. Finally, due to an error on his part, he had ended up with 2 trays of shop bought Leek seedlings and he only needed 1, so i bought the other off him. Cheers Alf.

Monday 13th - Jen, Ruby, and I arrived at the plot around midday. We had a list of things to do - as long as a couple of arms! It was a glorious day, and being a Bank Holiday there was plenty of activity on the site. First job of the day was to collect my canes from the shop, and then get cracking with the lawnmower. Whilst I effed and blinded over the efficiency (or lack of) of the lawnmower, Jen (wifey) got on with planting up the rest of our first early potatoes. There were about 30 Rocket and 30 Maris Peer to go in. In the absence of any more free wood to construct a permanent bed, we elected to cover the rotavated bed with a weed membrane, before cutting planting holes and planting the seed potatoes through them.

After I had finished cutting the grass, I set about starting to put the bean canes up. No mean feat considering the beds are about 15' long each. My top tip for this job is to use cable ties. These are inexpensive and last better than string or twine. I find the latter gets nicked by the birds over the course of the growing season, thereby weakening the support structure. It's quicker to use ties too! While I got on with this, wifey finished the spuds planting then started on digging over the next spud bed. Ruby was not far away, and quickly joined a group of kids in kicking a football about.

This Rhubarb crown was planted last year and virtually forgotten about. Now it is putting on good growth at quite a rate.
I need to clear the grass around this crown, and allow a bit more moisture and air in. That's another one of those 5 minute jobs added to the list. I need to do a similar exercise around the Red and Black currant bushes (5 more mins) as well as cover the slats in the "pallet" compost bin (another 5 mins) - you get the picture !

This is our Bramley Apple tree, one of 3 varieties purchased from Aldi's that we recently planted. Each time we visit the plot there is a bit more growth, a bit more blossom. We are just glad that they survived being moved so soon after their initial planting; and whats more, appear to now be thriving. We don't expect a huge crop this year, though a few fruits to pick would be nice! Next year however, will hopefully be a bigger harvest ! The other trees planted at the time are: Elstar Apple (eater) and Conference Pear, and further down the plot a Victoria Plum.

Final job of the day was to find a home for this Primula which we were given. I know you cant eat them, but a splash of colour looks good!
We're off to the plot tomorrow , so we'll bring you another update soon. Pop back to see our progress. Hope you are all enjoying your gardens. Take care,

TTFN

All systems go !

2009-04-07T23:22:00.000+01:00

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat, our guide to starting an allotment from scratch. Regular readers will know that I arranged for my father in law - Bill - to visit the plot with his Mantis Tiller. We managed to get there on 31st March, and put the tiller to good use. Despite my reservations of it's effectiveness on the stony soil of the plot, i was pleasantly surprised with how effective it actually was. It's only downfall was that it is a lightweight machine, and it has to be "persuaded" to dig down. That said though, it produced a fine tilth on the beds we used it on.
Today we descended en-mass to the plot; Wifey , Ruby, and myself ! The timber that is pictured forming the first raised bed on the plot, was donated by my neighbour "Arthur", and was sufficient to create this first spud bed. Here we have planted our first batch of First Early Spuds (v.Rocket). Thirty seeds were planted in total, and there's another 30 of this variety still chitting, so i need to perhaps buy some timber? When I say "we" . it really was a joint effort: I made the planting holes (using an old broken spade handle, Wifey sprinkled some fresh compost in the holes, and Ruby (bless her - 22months old) dropped the seeds into the holes, before Wifey provided a further sprinkling of compost on top. The black mulch layer is a cheap weed prevention fabric that i use when planting my spuds. Aldi were selling the same stuff recently ( £4.00 for 10 Metre Roll) , but you can find it cheaper. Cross shape cuts are made where you want with a sharp blade, and you simply plant through it. A few lumps of rubble / bricks will hold the fabric in place, until the spuds start to grow through. I am really glad that we got this done today, not least because there's a few days of rain forecast, which should get the growth on its way.

Our newly positioned tree's are also doing really well, and all are budding up nicely.
This pic shows the Bramley Apple, which is already adorned with lovely crimson and white buds. I read recently that in the first year the blossom should be pinched out, thereby letting the tree put most of its energy into root growth. We'll have to read up a bit more on this as it sounds a bit harsh to me ?

And finally, a pic of a rather tired chap, oh, and a Victoria Plum tree!
This tree is also doing well, and we cant wait to reap the rewards of Huw & Jane's present. I'm sure that some Plum jam will be on its way to them as a thank you!

Meanwhile on the home front, i planted a couple of trays of seeds, 1 tray of onions (v. Bedfordshire Champion) as well a 1 tray of Leeks ( v. Autumn Mammoth). Maybe a tad late on these, but with a lucky summer (who knows) the timing might just be ok!

There's been a lot of activity on the home plot too, so pop and have a peek when you get a chance.

That's it for now. Hope you've enjoyed this update, and we hope to see you soon.

TTFN

Seed sowing has begun....

2009-03-24T21:01:00.000Z

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat. As you are all aware, I was not able to get to the plot today, so decided to make a start on the seed sowing. I've held out as long as I could, not wanting to start too early as in some previous years. Also, Ruby was very keen to help. After she had covered herself in fresh compost, we managed to also fill a couple of dozen toilet roll tubes too, before planting up our first batch of Parsnip (v.Hollow Crown). Somebody asked me recently why I stick to this variety, when there are so many to choose from. Its simple, these grow great and taste delicious. The runner beans in the pic wont be planted for a good couple of weeks yet, you never know how late the frosts will be! That's about it for now. Drop back soon for more updates.

Till then, enjoy your gardens / plots.

TTFN.

Its Tiller Time!

2009-03-24T09:43:00.000Z

Morning all and welcome back to our allotment blog.
Bill is visiting today, and bringing his tiller with him to go over the beds on the plot. Should be interesting - I've never used one of these before. The beds were all dug and weeded last year, and now just need a bit more work to ready them for planting. I've heard mixed reviews on kit like this, so you'll have to check back later to see how we get on.

TTFN

UPDATE:
Unfortunately Bill has injured his back, and is unable to drive. Let's hope he recovers soon, and that we can reschedule the tilling.

TTFN

Seed Sowing chart - for reference!

2009-03-19T20:40:00.001Z

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat. Many of you have been asking me:"When is the best time to sow seeds?". The answer sadly is never straightforward, as sowing times often depend on many factors such as the weather, soil types, position, to name a few. There are though, a plethora of readily available guides, such as this one which came in a recent magazine supplement(Harrod Horticultural). (Double click on the picture to view full size). Remember though, these are only guides, but they do help you to plan ahead. Planning after all, is the key, and you cant do enough of it. Make notes as you go too, then the following year you can easily measure your success / failure , and continue to learn.

Good luck to you all!

Pop back soon for more updates from the allotment.

TTFN.

Tree's on the move

2009-03-18T11:10:00.001Z

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat - Plot 81.
There's been a bit more activity on the plot in the last 7 days. The most notable thing being that we have moved our tree's. This happened after a lengthy discussion with the Allotment Society, the full details of which are not worthy of print in this media. Suffice to say, we have redesigned our layout, to accommodate all 4 tree on our plot. I'm glad in a way that we did this now, rather than a few months down the line. Hopefully we have not stunted their growth too much by uprooting and replanting - only time will tell.
As you can see a bit clearer in this pic, I have had one of the large beds rotavated and made ready for planting. This was a chance occurrence after meeting my new neighbour. He had hired a machine to turn over his new plot, and he was only too happy to turn this bed for me too - Cheers Mark. Thats gonna save me a weeks digging! I have also asked my father-in-law to help out with his Mantis Tiller, and we hope to get this done in the next week or so. Time really has flown by, and this will be a great help to get the beds ready for planting.

Wifey has been busy too, getting Reads Retreat going with various plantings of seeds and bulbs. It really is gonna be busy this year as we try and juggle time between here and home. We're sticking with the adage of a little & often, and time will tell if this will work!

Thats all for now, but please bookmark us and come back soon.

See you then,

TTFN

Beware - Sharp Frost !

2009-03-11T07:40:00.000Z

Welcome back, to Reads Allotment Retreat.
Last night we had a sharp frost here in Kent, a stark reminder not to start planting out too soon. Reading my blog notes from last year it seems we had snow in April, but you cant account for all eventualities. Even so, any planting outside is still a way away. I popped up to our plots yesterday, and met our new neighbour Josie. It'll be nice to have a regular visitor to the neighbouring plot. Still not much happening up there, as I continue to juggle work commitments with free time. At least there is some activity in the greenhouse. This pic shows the first and second earlies chitting away well. Yesterday afternoon i put up a higher shelf on the opposite wall. This space is now home to these pots, where they are now closer to the light, they should put on good chit growth. I examined each tuber yesterday, and removed all chits except the one growing on the crowns. Some say this is a wasted exercise, but each to their own eh ? It seems to pay dividends to me, so I'll keep doing it.

I have been advised by a fellow fruit tree grower, that I have planted my fruit trees ; specifically the Victoria Plum, too close to an existing Damson tree, which could lead to pollination problems. With that in mind; and after a discussion with Josie, we have agreed to move the trees to a different location. The Plum tree will be moved onto the plot, whilst the other 3 trees will be resited. Lets hope they have not established too much, although I'm sure that any resiting will stunt their growth somewhat.

Thats about it for now, but pop back soon for more updates.

TTFN

Tree mendous !

2009-03-03T16:13:00.002Z

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat, our new diary blog for our allotment. There's been no activity on site for the last month, mainly due to an all "time consuming" new shift pattern at work, which we are still trying to get used to. There's still been plenty going on at home though, and the spuds are chitting away merrily. Mum visited last weekend, and went home with half a dozen seed pots to plant up at home. Wifey and I managed a brisk couple of hours on the plot today, and we managed to plant our 4 new fruit trees that up until now have been in the frost free greenhouse. After purchasing 4x1.2Metre stakes from a local timber company for a mere £4.14 incl vat, we set off for the plot. The first Tree planted was a Victoria Plum - a Wedding Gift from Huw & Jane. This variety is self fertile and does not therefore need a companion tree for pollination. (This is bottom left in the pic). The next one in was a Conference Pear. This variety is Partially self fertile, and as such I was glad to see fellow plot-holders in the immediate vicinity have also planted the same variety(bottom right in pic). This was followed by a Bramley Apple, which requires a pollinator tree(top left in pic), in this case we chose an Elstar Apple(top right in pic). All of these tree's; once established, could theoretically grow in height to 25', so pruning will be essential to keep them at a manageable height.
Prior to planting the trees, i checked on the RHS site for advice on staking. There's not much you won't find on the RHS website, it's well worth a look when you have a few moments!

The latter 3 trees were purchased from Aldi, at the price of £4.18 each. I found this to be too much of a bargain to miss, and It'll be a long time I guess till I next see fruit trees at that price. The labelling on the individual packaging reads:

Conference Pear: Partly self fertile. Height is dependant on variety and pruning, and can vary from 6' to 30'. Picking time is Late September. Thrives in heavy soil. Yippee !A superb dessert pear of medium fruit. Juicy firm flesh. Easy to grow.
Bramley Apple: Requires Pollinator (Granny Smith, Elstar, Cox's Orange). Height is dependant on variety and pruning, and can vary from 6' to 25'. Picking time is October. Thrives in a sunny, well drained site. A heavy cropper of extra large fruit. Excellent flavour. The most popular culinary variety of vigorous habit. Keeps well.
Elstar Apple: Pollinator for Bramley Apple. Height is dependant on variety and pruning, and can vary from 5' to 25'. Picking time is October. Thrives in a sunny, well drained site. A medium dessert apple, which stores well. It is juicy and has outstanding flavour. A heavy cropper.

Plenty of information there to keep me going. I guess now we'll have to read up on pruning techniques!

There's sure to be loads more updates soon, and we look forward to your next visit.

Till then, enjoy your gardens.

TTFN

Chitting away nicely !

2009-02-24T21:56:00.001Z

Welcome back to Reads allotment retreat, for a long overdue update on what we're up to.
As you can see from the photo, the main activity in hand is watching the pots chitting in the greenhouse. Regular readers will know that this year we are growing Rocket, Nadine, and Cara. Because we can. Originally I intended to grow Maris Peer as a second early, but my allotment society had trouble getting them from their usual supplier. With that in mind, I couldn't resist picking up a pack of these from Homebase during a recent shopping spree. Although I was more than happy with Nadine as a replacement, i still had a hankering for my original choice.
All i need to do now - over the next 6 weeks - is to get the ground readied for planting. (All volunteers welcome - bring a spade and fork!) I also need to source some more of my trusty black fabric mulch through which to plant. To me, it's the best way of avoiding green tubers. Traditionalists reading this will be cringing - they've been earthing up their tubers for years. Yes, I know that works, but this to me is far easier, and it works a treat!

Seeds still need sorting, and there's loads of other jobs too.

Better get cracking !

Take care all - enjoy your gardening. I look forward to seeing you again soon.

TTFN

All bought and paid for!

2009-02-01T22:27:00.000Z

Welcome to a cold and wintery 1st of Feb update from Reads Allotment Retreat. Despite the weather encroaching upon us, I popped up to the allotment today and paid my firtst years rent. £29.60 seems a small price to pay, considering i now have access to over 300 sq yards of land to grow my own veg. I say over, as the society have allowed me to take on the land at the end of my 10 rods - Free of Charge, which gives me approx 100 sq yards extra! There still is a hell of a lot to do to get ready for planting, but regular readers will know I am making good progress. There's still about a day's work to go to ready the beds for the spuds, but I have amazed myself at how much I have managed to do already!
Today I picked up the spuds that I ordered back in October. There was a small surprise: The second earlies that i ordered (v.Maris Peer) are not available, and I have been given 6kg of Nadine as a replacement. This would have been my second choice, so I am none too worried. What did surprise me though, was how small the tubers were in the First Earlies parcel (v.Rocket). In a 3kg pack there were 66 tubers ! Far more than I expected. As soon as I got home, these were transferred to old egg boxes, and placed in a light/cool/frost free place ready to start chitting. I need to get more egg boxes from somewhere, as I have over 100 more spuds to chit. Transport cafe here i come!

I popped up to the plot earlier in the week with my Bruv in law, as he had volunteered to help with the digging. (Thanks Neil). While we were there, I also planted a Rosemary bush, that I had bought locally. It cost a mere £2.50 for an established plant grown in a 6" pot. I had previously tried to take some cuttings at home, but these all seem to have failed.

That's about all for now, but join us again soon for more news from the plot.

Planting on the Plot!

2009-01-22T21:13:00.001Z

Sneaked up to the plot today to plant a couple of fruit bushes. The first and larger one was the Red Currant from Victoriana nurseries, while the smaller one was the Black Currant bush purchased from Wilko's last summer. Both bushes are covered in buds and look healthy. Lets hope we get a large and tasty crop from these bushes this summer. I'm thinking about investing in a few more fruit bushes, especially as they are so cheap at this time of the year.
As you are all aware, I'm getting married saturday, so no more updates till next week.
Hope you are enjoying your plots too, the growing season is almost upon us.

Take care all,

TTFN.

Frosty again !

2009-01-21T08:37:00.001Z

Morning all,
I'm guessing that like me you awoke to a covering of ground frost.

I had hoped to put in an appearance at the plot this morning, to plant up my Red & Black currant bushes. Hopefully we will see the frost thaw out quite soon, and maybe I can do some planting this afternoon.

BTW, Happy Birthday Roxy ! 21 Again eh ?

TTFN

Ouch - My back hurts!

2009-01-18T07:59:00.001Z

One week on from all that digging, and my back is just beginning to recover! There's been no activity on the plot this week, due mainly to having to work for a living, and with our wedding next saturday, it's not likely that much will get done this week either! I recently purchased a Red Currant Bush (v. Rondom) from Victoriana Nurseries in Challock, and will have to plant this in the next couple of days. The next time i will be here, I will be a married man ! Hehehe, it's exciting. Hope you'll come back soon for more update. 'Till then,

TTFN.

Digging in the new year.

2009-01-11T21:43:00.001Z

Happy New Year all, and welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat. Time and tide wait for no man, and with a busy schedule in the next couple of weeks (wedding!) I thought I'd better get cracking with the digging. Luckily WTB bought me a new digging spade for Christmas, and it was well and truly christened today! First job was to complete the digging over of the first spud bed, that was started about 3 weeks ago. Despite the recent frosty weather it was not that hard going, the ground was easily dug and the bed finished within the hour. After sharing a cuppa with Joe and a couple of other visitors, I got on with the second bed. After umming and aaaring about how to do this one, I decided to set about removing the top 4" soil/grass/weeds, to gain me a bit of time in preperation. Also, by doing the work this way, I was able to use the removed turves to form a makeshift windbreak (see top left of picture). It's only about a foot high, but I needed something, and as this is completely free I have nothing to lose. Any shelter is better than no shelter , surely ? Still a lot more digging required here !
The other good news today is that a fellow plotholder "Bob" has offered to weld a new long handle to the blade of my broken spade - what a gent! A lot of people seem to be using these on their plots , and they seem to make the initial digging a bit easier. I'll let you know how I get on with that.
The tatties that I ordered are due for delivery at the end of January, a timely reminder of the work still to do to get ready for planting. Maybe I'll get another visit in before the wedding - we'll see!
That's all for now, hope to see you again soon.

TTFN.

Happy New Year

2009-01-04T21:53:00.001Z

A quick note to all my readers and contributors!

Have a good one folks.

TTFN

It's the end of the year as we know it! 31.12.08

2008-12-31T09:16:00.000Z

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat, our guide to growing your own veg. As you are all aware, the current cold spell has temporarily halted progress on the plot, but that doesn't mean we have stopped shopping! Yesterday we picked up some more seeds to compliment our stock! I always save my own Runner Bean seeds, which can find their roots from my Grandads original stock , and this year is no exception. The only difference for next year is that we will be planting on a much larger scale! With that in mind, i purchased an extra pack to mix in with those that I have saved from previous crops. I chose the variety "Scarlet Emperor" as these always get good reviews from other growers. It's easy to spend a small fortune on seeds, but this pack of 40 were just a quid from Wilkinson's. That to me seems a very good price, and the quality from this High Street store is usually very good.
At the same time, i purchased a new pack of Parsnip seeds (v.Hollow Crown), as i keep reading that these seeds do not store well year to year. At 50p for 500 seeds, again it's hard to go wrong.

We are always keen to try something new, and this year we have decided to grow Climbing Peas. The variety "Victorian Colossal" were sourced/ordered from Victoriana Nurseries.
Victoriana is a place that I recently discovered in Challock, Kent, having previously scoured many of their adverts in the gardening press. Its the sort of place thats getting hard to find; A nursery where you can talk to knowledgable staff who know what they're talking about. They grow their own veg for their own use and also for seed sales. Their stock is vast and the prices seem very reasonable too. What really made a visit worthwhile for me though, is that when you walk into the place, it smells right! Know what I mean ? There's no annoying Cafe, Gift Shop etc, just veggies and trees and all the other stuff that you actually want. Pay them a visit if you can, I know you will enjoy it!

That's all for now. I'd like to thank all my readers / contributors both here and at Reads Retreat for their time this year, and wish you all a Happy & Prosperous New Year.

TTFN.

Merry Christmas Everyone 25.12.08

2008-12-25T09:58:00.000Z

Hope you all have a great day

TTFN

x

Spud bed preperations ongoing! 18.12.08

2008-12-18T20:40:00.000Z

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat, our guide to starting an allotment from scratch. "Tempus Fugit" as Grandad Read used to say, and it certainly seems to be flying right now! There's only about twelve weeks to go until I'll be thinking of planting out the newly chitted seed potato's ! And before I can do that, I need to prepare the ground for planting. With that in mind, I have started to dig 1 of 2 trenches, that will be the home for my spuds. Each row is approx 15m long x 1m wide, Sufficient space i hope for 4 rows of spuds. That's quite a few more than I've ever planted before, and I'm really excited by the prospect. To prepare the ground, I am digging about a spits depth, and simply turning the soil over to allow the elements of the British winter to do their best. I'm hoping for a few more heavy frosts to help break the soil down. My fellow allotment holders ( new and experienced ) are insanely jealous of the condition of the soil on my plot, as they continue their preperations on heavy, waterlogged clay ! Then in the early spring, I hope to be able to lightly fork over the soil, and rake level ready for planting. When it comes to the actual planting, I will be using my trusty method of planting through holes in either black plastic or weed control membrane. This negates the need to "earth up", as the black fabric / plastic stops the light from getting to the developing tubers and turning them green / un-useable. See HERE for more details!
The digging has not all been plain sailing in the spud trench. Progress today with the spade was severely limited; indeed, almost stopped when I reached these 3 specimens of concrete blocks. They were about 8" below the surface, and ran straight across the trench. I tried to dig the first out with my spade (RIP) which snapped at the first attempt. Thanks then to Don for lending me an improvised breaker bar. It took about half an hour to dig all 3 out, sadly that time would probably have been enough to finish digging the first bed. Never mind there's always next week ! A great method for working off any overindulgence from the christmas fayre - a spot of light digging!At least now I have somewhere to sit and a place to rest my sarnies ! All's well...
Following the recent spate of vandalism on the site; not withstanding the amazing disappearance and return of my compost bin, I went to the plot today armed with a paint tip marker pen.
These are a great way of marking your gear, and as soon as I had finished labelling my bin and water butt, there was a steady stream of people waiting to borrow the pen to mark their own stuff, tools etc.
It's a shame that people only think of ID'ing their stuff after it has been nicked.
Hindsight's a wonderful thing!

Casting my eyes back over the plot ( all 10 rods of it & the bit on the end) , I'm amazed; and at the same time tremendously happy,with what I have achieved in 4 months. There's still a hell of a lot to do in the next 4 months If I'm going to get the plot anywhere near ready for planting, but I keep to the old adage that doing a little on a regular basis is the best way forward.
It does seem a shame that when I took on the plot, there were plenty of others taking on new plots too. I've not seen some of those people since August, and the lack of activity on the plots is sadly quite evident. Let's hope they return in numbers in the new year.

Thats about it for now, I look forward to welcoming you all back soon.

Take care all,

TTFN.

Label your garden tools 10.12.08

2008-12-10T17:33:00.000Z

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat.

There's been no news on the allotment break-ins that occurred last weekend, and I'm not expecting any either. The thefts did make the local press though, which may help in the articles being traced?

Readers of my blog have suggested some ways to make the theft of tools less desirable. The most common idea has been to paint your postcode on the items, and if possible to use something like Hammerite, which is difficult to cover up and hard to paint over. Sounds like a good idea to me.

Other ideas have been to paint the tools different and/or bright colours - High Vis colours for example.

The National Society of Allotment & Leisure Gardeners (NSALG)maybe able to offer some practical advice on Insurance for your plot, and some Contents Insurers will cover Gardening equipment stored at your allotment.

Hope this helps.

Take care all,

TTFN.

Unwanted Guests 09.12.08

2008-12-09T16:36:00.000Z

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat.

Unfortunately I have to tell you some bad news. On the night of 6th December 2008, someone or some people (?) broke into our allotment site, and caused a lot of damage.
A lot of peoples sheds were broken into, and garden tools and the like were stolen. There was also substantial damage caused, not only to the sheds, but also by the unknown visitors trampling on the plots.

Anyone with any information about these thefts can leave a comment anonymously here on the blog via the Comments section, or you can make an anonymous report at Crimestoppers.

Thank you.

TTFN.

Weather halts digging! 07.12.08

2008-12-07T10:35:00.000Z

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat - our new venture into growing our own on a larger scale.
How quickly the weather changes! All plans for today's foray with the fork and spade are now postponed until tomorrow. This is due to the fact that the ground temperature today of 1Deg C means its too cold and hard to dig. For your interest, I always use the Met Office forecast, as I find it is the most accurate. Of course, feel free to use whichever you want, but note that the Met Office forecasts are rarely wrong.
Despite this weekend's curtailed plans, I have made a couple of visits to the lottie this week:

On Monday this week, i managed to re secure my compost bin into place on the plot. I drove a few stakes into the ground, then screwed from inside the bin into the posts, which I'm hoping will now secure the bin in place should the "wind" decide that it wants to take it away again.
Furthermore, I have started to pile up a good layer of stones around the base, which will hopefully assist in keeping it in one place ! I am recovering so many stones from the prepared beds that i'm now thinking of using them to form the paths between the beds - it's got to be cheaper than anything else i could use! It'll take a while, but then, I'm not going anywhere!

On Tuesday there was a welcome first time visitor to the plot - Hi Mum !
Crikey, it was well cold, but with plenty of coats, we managed to keep the cold out! We didn't stop too long - just a fleeting glimpse for mum to see what we are doing. Reassuring then to see the compost bin still firmly rooted to the spot, as well as the brassica's showing good growth, and the over wintering onion sets starting to show through the surface. There's plenty of people who will happily "tell" you how to plant your onion sets, but I always put mine in a little deeper than most others - about 2" deep. This is a great way to stop the birds pecking them out. By the time the new growth is showing, the sets have already sent down their roots to hold them securely in the ground. Still get good crops !

On the home front, we recently cleared out the side passageway of the house. This area has a Plexiglas roof, which means the area is like an unheated greenhouse. I cant afford a greenhouse for the foreseeable future, so this will do me for now. I managed to acquire some kitchen base and wall units from work / friends, which now act as my staging.
As you can see here, the space is already being put to good use! I have started my Japanese onion sets (v. Senshyu) in 3" pots - about 50 of them, and they are all shooting well. I read this in one of my many reference books as a way of getting a head start. When the roots are protruding from the pots, I can transfer them to their growing position on the lottie, provided of course that the ground is workable enough. If you add this lot to the 50 or so Radar sets I've planted already, we have the makings (hopefully) of a good harvest. I'm also going to be growing some from seed (v. Bedfordshire Champion) and will hope to avoid a glut in supply. I've also planted a dozen or so Garlic bulbs (v. Fokyhama) from my store that i grew last year. I have not been able to yet buy a fresh supply as everywhere is selling out fast. Will have to keep looking.

Finally in the "Greenhouse", I have a couple of 4" pots with some Rosemary cuttings. Not sure how they will do - I'm not usually very good at propagating from cuttings. I took the cuttings as the new growth, cut horizontally below leaf bud then dipped in Rooting Powder, before placing 4 to each pot. On one pot, i snipped out the growth on the tip, but did not do this on the second pot. We'll have to wait and see how we get on ! If all 8 survive, I plan to plant these on the plot as a fragrant hedge - an idea stolen from a recent visit to the local farm shop!

That's about it for this week. I hope you have enjoyed this update, and I look forward to welcoming you back to Reads Allotment Retreat.

TTFN.

I've got another compost bin ! 30.11.08

2008-11-30T18:59:00.000Z

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat.

Just a quick update to let you know I have now got a compost bin. Whilst at the plot today, I met Paul who identified one for me! Next job will be to stake it down more securely, as well as paint my name & plot details all over it, should it go missing again !

Will bring you more news in the week.

TTFN.