15 Jun - Making A Start On The New Plot

Exciting news, well for me anyway - I got the go-ahead to take over the plot opposite mine yesterday (see May 27th post). There's a shed to go with the plot, which is nice, so I spent yesterday clearing it out and sticking my own junk in there. This now means that I have a full allotment for the first time.

As can be seen from a view from the shed, there's a fair bit of work to do. The plot has been divided up into beds using scaffolding boards but unfortunately the majority of them are rotten and are crumbling away. I've decided to divide the whole plot into four long beds mirroring the developed half of the plot. I'll probably use some of the more sound scaffolding boards on the down-slope of each bed to retain the earth for now.

My first job was to strim down as much weed and grass as I could then cover the plot with back plastic. I've left one bed clear to start work on. I've got some spare veg to go in it - broad beans, squash and my leeks. The black plastic will help control the unwanted vegetation and I can start work on the other beds a bit at a time over the next few months.

Elsewhere on the plot - after the new potatoes were dug up and the ground cleared, I planted out ten butternut squash, Hunter F1. These went out on the 12th June which coincided with a forecast of warm weather for the next week or so which the squash will like. The Sweet Dumpling squash and courgettes planted a number of days before (see 2nd June post) are doing OK. While the old leaves look a little yellow (usual when kept in pots) there are lots of flowers and new green growth on all the plants. Every thing is doing well except my garlic which is covered in 'rust' and I've a feeling I might have to dig the lot up before the bulbs mature. Here's a current picture of the developed part of the plot.

05 Jun - Clearing The New Potato Bed

After a root around two days a go I decided the new potatoes were ready to come up. My plan this year is to clear the whole bed ready for butternut squash which need to be planted asap. That way I can get two good crops in the same space. As it was a lovely day I thought it would be a good day to get on with it.

I've only dug up three or four plants to date so I had the whole bed to go at. The variety 'Rocket' was planted on the 17 March and it's basically been eleven weeks since they went in. I put the spuds in a bucket and wash them in batches before placing in a net bag.

The bed was cleared in a morning and the new potatoes given a quick wash. Unfortunately as we've had rain in the past few days the soil was a bit 'claggy' and the spuds took a bit of washing. After clearing all the new potato plants I forked in some general fertilizer and levelled the bed ready for the butternut squashes which will go in next week after they have hardened off. The new potatoes are laid out in their net bag to dry off in the warm afternoon sunshine. If you flip the bag over now and again and give them a shake the spuds dry very quickly.

New potatoes are not as prolific as main-crop and the point is not to grow them large; egg-sized or a smaller are fine. The Rocket have produced loads of nice sized tubers in quick time with a relatively low number of very small 'marbles'. I have normally planted Pentland Javelin or Arran Pilot but my new potato of choice will now be Rocket, I'm well pleased with the quantity (though you always want more!), the taste is lovely and they are well sized.

03 Jun - Digging New Potatoes

I had a bit of time today to write my monthly allotment article for my local newspaper, The South Wales Argus. Writing the article is never the problem but taking a few photographs to go with it can be an issue. I have to write the piece about a fortnight or so before publication that's fine but, taking pictures of things that haven't quite happened yet is difficult.

As I was writing about the joy of new potatoes I thought I'd better take a good look at mine and see if they were ready. I planted them on the 17th March (see blog post dated the day after) and it's been 11 weeks. I planted Rocket and the advice says they can be ready in 10 weeks. New potatoes are never prolific croppers but the newly dug, creamy taste make them worthwhile. The added benefit of planting quick maturing varieties is that the ground can be used for other crops like squashes or leeks that can move into the vacated space in June.

Anyway, I was pleased with the first two plants I dug, plenty for a few meals here, all in eleven weeks, not bad at all. I'll be digging the whole lot up in the next fortnight so I can plant out my butternut squashes. There was a touch of scab on one large potato but I'll definitely grow Rocket again.

The soft fruit is coming along nicely. I'm not expecting too much from the raspberries as they are re-establishing themselves after being moved. I've already picked a few pounds of rhubarb and the gooseberry bushes are looking fairly laden. My bumper crop in fruit terms this year ought to be the strawberries. I moved them and added some new 'ever-bearer' varieties that should give me a longer cropping season and the plants are producing loads of delicious berries. All we need now is some sunshine to ripen them.

That's it for this post. See you soon.

02 Jun - Squashes & Sweet Corn

It's been tough making decisions about the weather over the last week. While I'm pretty sure we aren't going to have any frost now, squashes tend to sulk a bit if it's on the cool side. However, I've had a number of my squashes outside in pots for ten days now hardening off. They are beginning to get a slight yellowish tinge despite feeding so it was either pot them on or plant them out - I chose to plant them out.

Firstly, out went two pumpkins which are well established. This year I've planted them in the strip down the edge of my plot that I cleared over the autumn (see Nov 16 2013 post). This strip used to have fruit in it but cooch grass just took it over so I moved everything out and cleared the roots. Despite the odd weed sprouting up, it has remained remarkably clear - planting the pumpkins here will help as their verdant growth will suppress weeds. (Below - pumpkin planting with a chicken audience). 

As a family we aren't overly keen on pumpkin though the process of collecting seed year after year has developed a pumpkin with a milder, nuttier taste that works well when roasted. Somewhere along the line I'm wondering whether the pumpkin has been crossed with another squash. Anyway, I like to have a pumpkin on hand for Halloween. The original variety, a few years back now, was Jack O'Lantern and they produce very large plants as you can see below.

Next I planted the courgettes - I've five strong plants but only decided to plant four as they will provide more than enough for us. There is a chance I might actually remove one plant if they all develop strongly as they can be so prolific. When the BBC website had its gardening forums I remember a new allotment holder writing how they had planted forty (40) courgette plants, not realising how many courgettes each plant could produce - you could supply a major supermarket with forty courgette plants.

Right at the start of June I planted my Sweet Dumpling winter squash - these are splendid little squash with a lovely flavour. I grew them for the first time last year and the family loved them so I've planted a load this year in the hope of a bumper crop. Winter squash are useful because they keep well into the new year. My only reservation is that I'm using saved seed and they could have been crossed with something else so I might have a mutant on my hands this year.

As squashes trail around everywhere, it can be difficult to see where the actual plant is anchored in the earth which can be a pain when trying to water or give a liquid feed. This year I've buried an upturned plastic bottle with the bottom cut off next to each trailing squash. This will ensure that water and feed go directly to the roots of each plant and will hopefully help protect against stem rot which most squashes are prone to.

Lastly, in the past week, I've planted out my sweet corn, Incredible F1. They have really developed well in the deep root trainers, gaining thicker stems than I've seen when planted in pots. The roots were established in the trainers and it was definitely time for them to go to the plot. That's my last bed full now with lettuce, sweet corn, sweet dumpling, courgettes, French beans and runner beans. I'll be adding a few more lettuce in the spaces where I'm picking them but it's mainly a matter of waiting for the crops to develop.

That's it for now - bye from me and next door's chickens ...