Maincrop Spuds - Cara

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

Midweek Harvest

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.

The Spuds are in - all of them!

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.

Onions - Lots of them! 14.04.09

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

Chitting away nicely !

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!

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.

Tatties on order ! 06.10.08

Welcome back to Reads Allotment Retreat, our new diary blog created for you to track our progress on the new 10 Rod plot, as we start from scratch!

There's many good reasons for joining an allotment society, not least the massive discount you can get as a result.
Yersterday I ordered my seed Potato's, and was amazed at just how cheap they are compared with shop prices.
Browsing the catalogues from Marshalls, Suttons etc, you could reasonably expect to pay around £6.00 for a 2Kg bag. I ordered the following for my next years planting:
First Earlies - Rocket - 3Kg for £2.90
Second Earlier - Maris Peer - 6Kg for £4.30
Maincrop - Cara - 3Kg for £2.90
Salads - Charlotte - 3kg for £2.90.

To me, this is a considerable saving. All spuds are Scotch, and graded to size. What more could i want ? From previous purchases over the last few years, I know that a 2Kg bag will easily fill a 25' row, so I can now work out the spacings and sizing of the raised beds required on the plot.

All I need to do now, is get the plots readied. I will be buying the timber soon for constructing the raised beds, as well as stocking up on manure to work into the soil, before it is all top dressed with GP Compost, which will create the tilth required for planting.

I'm hoping to get some planting underway quite soon. We recently visited the Victoriana nursery at Challock in Kent. It was great to find an outlet that is not full of Christmas decorations and expensive gifts. Instead, you are greeted by the knowledgable staff who work there, and they were only too happy to stop and talk. Whilst there I purchased a mixture of plug plants to grow on at home, ready to plant out when the time is right. These included Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Cabbages etc, and are just what i need to get a head start.

We've also been pouring over seed catalogues ready for next seasons crops. I've found various outlets for what i need, not least a company called Premier Seeds Direct, operating on ebay. Their costs are well cheap compared to the high street, and all i can do is recommend them to you. Regardless of how many varieties you choose, you only pay Post and Packaging on the first item. How good is that !

We're still without computers at home, so for the forseeable future, updates will continue in print form only.

Come back and see us again soon. Till Then

TTFN.