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.

Latest harvest & Other stuff

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

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

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.

1st Marrow of the year!

A great week

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!

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

July already, and all's going well!

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.