23 Dec - Growing Veg For Christmas

I took advantage of a beautiful Saturday morning to drop by the plot and collect some vegetables for Christmas. It's always a pleasure to be able to pick something fresh from the plot at this time of year. When I first got my allotment I was a bit rubbish at growing Winter veg, mainly because I didn't know how far ahead preparations have to be made. So, for the first few years I mainly grew Summer crops. (Pic - butternut and Crown Prince Winter squash in store).

Now, I manage to have a few staples on the go: leeks, Winter cabbage, kale, parsnips and Brussels sprouts; all of which are still on the plot. In store I have potatoes, onions and Winter squash along with runner and broad beans, sweet corn and carrot in the freezer. (Pic: some of my Winter veg picked today - 23rd Dec 2017).

A lot of Winter veg takes up space on the allotment for a long time over the season but, it's worth it in my opinion. Leeks can be sown indoors from February and planted out in late May/June; Winter cabbages and Brussels sprouts should be sown under glass in late March/early April for planting out in May; likewise parsnips need to be sown as soon as the soil is warm enough in early Spring.

These vegetables will go on growing throughout the warm months and will start to be ready to eat from late Autumn depending on variety. I don't bother with early/mid/late season leeks, I just grow the old fashioned Musselburgh - there'll be a few to dig from October and they will stand well, getting larger, until April. Choose an F1 sprout like Bosworth, Trafalgar or Montgomery, they are less likely to blow open and can be picked from late October (Bosworth) and will go on producing into early Spring.  (Pic: Bosworth F1 Brussels sprouts - 23rd Dec 2017).

Try Winter cabbage Tundra F1, sow a few in late March along with your Summer cabbages and plant out at the same time in May, protected with nets. They will continue to grow on long after the Summer cabbages have been picked so you can start taking them in late Autumn. The outer leaves will look ragged and awful but peel them off to reveal a glorious and weighty cabbage head underneath. If, like me, you have stony clay soil, use a metal bar to make a few rows of deep conical holes in late March, back fill with multi-purpose compost and sow a few Galdiator or Javelin parsnip seeds on top, thinning out to one strong plant. The parsnips will grow slowly and can be taken at the first frosts. (Pic: Tundra F1 Winter cabbage - Dec 23rd 2017).

Growing Winter veg does take some forethought and preparation, nevertheless, the space such veg takes on the allotment is worth it. Not only does it give you tasty fresh veg for Christmas and beyond but, it gives you the opportunity to be an 'all year around' allotment holder. If you haven't done so already, why not plan 2018's Christmas lunch and think about your seed list for next year (here's mine) and don't be an April to September allotment gardener.

Here's wishing you a Happy Christmas
and a fruitful New Year on the plot.

10 Dec - Snow!

Just a few pictures to remind myself, when in the height of Summer, of what the plot looked like in the middle of December 2017! 

06 Dec - Season Review & 2018 Seed List

It's always a pleasure, when the days are short and cold, to sit down and think about next season's seeds. Not only does it evoke thoughts of sunshine and long warm days but is a practical exercise in determining what to grow next season. Sounds a bit too early to think about next year? Well, no, not really. Potatoes will be available in four weeks time from the usual outlets or can be ordered now from seed suppliers for delivery in January. If you are going to order more specialist spuds then don't wait too long, many popular varieties sell out quickly!

Every year I have a bit of a review of the growing season, what went well, what didn't; what was relished by the family and what was just 'meh'; what crops ended up in a surplus and what we need more of. So, I've had a good think and I have complied my 2018 seed list. I'm going for good performers but with the odd new variety to add an element of experimentation. (If you don't grow something new how do you find out if it's better than your usual variety?).

As part of the review I go through my existing seed stock, throwing out packets hopelessly out of date and keeping those that I think are still useful. (In my experience, even seeds that are past their sow-by-date will often germinate but, maybe not so well. I just sow lots more of them to ensure enough plants; it's a good way to use up older packets. This is particularly true of brassicas and squashes but I've found that sweetcorn and parsnip seeds really decline by the second year after opening so you're better off sowing everything in the packet in year two).

Here we go then, my seed list for 2018:

Leeks	Musselburgh
Tomatoes	Alicante
Bell Peppers	Corno Di Roose Toro
Broad Beans	Bunyards Exhibition
French Bean	Cobra
Runner Bean	Firestorm
Garlic (Spring)	Solent Wight?
Lettuce	Lollo / Little Gem
Mixed Spicy Leaves	Mesclun Mix
Radish	French Breakast
Salad Onion	White Lisbon
Brussel Sprouts	Bosworth F1
Cabbage - Summer	Pimo II
Cabbage - Winter	Tundra F1
Kale	Curly Dwarf / Tuscan
Potatoes - First Early	Rocket
Potatoes - Maincrop	Sarpo Mira
Onion Sets	Sturon
Parsnip (pre-hole)	Gladiator F1
Carrots (barrel)	Sweet Candle
Carrots (plot)	Resistafly F1
Beetroot	Boltardy
Courgette	Defender
Pumpkin	Big Max
Butternut Squash	Hunter F1
Winter Squash	Crown Prince
Sweetcorn	Incredible F1

Generally I'm going for varieties that work well on my particular plot, tried and tested plants that I know will produce good crops in an average season. Sarpo Mira maincrop potatoes, I've found nothing better to avoid blight and that will go on growing into early October. They performed well again this year, I've still got two hessian sacks full of them in the shed. Rocket early spuds, plant them around the 20th March and ensure that they don't get nipped by late frosts and you'll be digging golden new potatoes in the first week of June. While often criticised for being less flavoursome than other earlies, I find Rocket tasty, prolific, they boil well and they can be harvested in just ten weeks.

Alicante tomato seed is cheap and is a quarter of the price of other popular varieties like Shirley F1, with ten times the seeds in the packet. Alicante always produce loads of medium sized tomatoes in a greenhouse; if you want a cherry type then there's plenty to have a go at. What I save in costs on some seed I spend elsewhere on slightly more expensive F1 varieties that are so superior that I can't consider anything else. For example, Brussels sprouts, cheap traditional varieties seldom stand well through the Winter, they 'blow' open; varieties such as Bosworth, Montgomery and Trafalgar are all F1 hybrids and will produce lovely sprouts that stay tight and hard into early March. Despite a pigeon attack on the leaves, I've been picking my Bosworth F1 since late October. Pay a little extra and go for the F1 sprouts if you want them for Christmas lunch in 2018.

In terms of other brassicas I'm going with my usual Primo II Summer Cabbage (also sold as Golden Acre), they are cheap, large, tasty and very reliable (if you use collars to protect against root fly and nets for the butterflies and pigeons). I didn't get on too well with Tundra F1 Winter cabbage in 2016 because I sowed and planted them too late in the season. I tried again this year, sowing them in early Spring and I currently have large cabbages in the plot that should be available well into the new year. I'm glad I stuck with Tundra F1, they are definitely worth their good reputation. Sow under glass in late March and plant out 4-6 weeks later; they'll grow throughout the Summer then will stand through the Winter.

Cobra are wonderful climbing French beans, prolific and tasty - no change this year, I've still a bag in the freezer. Last year I tried 'Firestorm' runner beans because they, (and their white flowered counterpart 'Snowstorm') are self pollinating - very useful if the weather causes a decline in insect life at the crucial time. That's what happened to me in the Summer of 2016, the first beans formed OK but something happened weather-wise and from mid-season there were no pollinated flowers; there was literally a visible dividing line on the plants between the beans and the barren area. That's why I chose to try Firestorm this season and they were great, I'm going to stick with them for 2018.

Sweet Candle carrots are brilliant and I've been growing them in a barrel this year. While I only have room for a limited amount, one carrot is large enough for a family meal and the barrel height stops the carrot fly. New to me for next season is 'Resistafly F1' carrots which I will grow in the plot without any fly protection to see how they perform. Due to my stony clay soil which is not good for carrots, I'll create a few rows by wiggling the spade back and forth and filling the resulting 'V' shaped trench with rough compost and sow on top. The alternative is to use a bar and back fill the conical hole with compost and sow a few seeds at each position, thinning to one good plant - this is the method I have used for large carrots in the past and I still use for parsnips. The bar method certainly works, I've already had a 4lb parsnip, Gladiator F1 always do well for me.

Another variety new to me for next season is the sweet pepper 'Corno Di Roose Toro'; I usually grow 'Califonia Wonder' bell peppers and they do pretty well in the greenhouse but I thought I'd have a change and go for the more elongated ''bull's horns'. As for squash, Defender F1 produce more courgettes than anyone can possibly eat especially if you turn your back for a few days and they become marrows! Nevertheless, a cheap variety like 'Black Beauty' will provide courgettes aplenty during an average Summer. In terms of Winter squash I'm going for Hunter F1 butternut as they work well in our cooler climate, though they were a little smaller than they were last year. My other choice did well, the silver skinned Crown Prince, just keep two to a vine and feed weekly for nice sized examples. My final squash is a Big Max pumpkin for carving at Halloween. Try to get one to set early in the season by pollinating by hand, it has longer to grow and develop into a decent size. Mine was 16lb this year and looked good when carved.

The Musselburgh leeks are fine, not so much damage from leek moth this Autumn, I usually get some problems even when they are covered with enviromesh until November. Musselburgh are a traditional variety but they stand so well through the Winter I have no real urge to change. Bunyard's Exhibition are a prolific broad bean; I changed from Sutton a few years back and get a much heavier crop. Maybe I'll try something different at some point but as I have the seed in stock I'll stay with Bunyard's for 2018. I've tried the popular Swift F1 sweetcorn but found that they really hated being transplanted so I'll stick with my usual 'Incredible F1' that grows strongly on my plot and take being transplanted from long root trainers where I raise them under glass.

If you fancy growing a variety you haven't tried before or, are just starting out and you're not sure what to buy then why not download the RHS's list of vegetables with the 'Award of Garden Merit' (AGM)? These varieties have been grown and tested by the RHS and have been found worthy of their recommendation, coming top of their respective trials. Seeds with the AGM stamp on the packet seldom disappoint if grown correctly. The latest AGM list can be found HERE.

A word on where to buy. Each of the large seed retailers have online sites and seldom sell the same varieties, this can be a bit annoying if you can't find what you want in one place. They are also relatively expensive. I only use major 'named' suppliers for my maincrop Sarpo Mira potatoes and get my Rocket early spuds from my local Wilkinson store at a fraction of the price. From January onward, Wilkinson usually supply cheaply the more common seed items on my list like Sturon onion sets, garlic bulbs,  Cobra French beans, White Lisbon salad onions, Musselburgh leeks, a variety of salad leaves, a good range of lettuce like Webbs Wonderful, Little Gem, Iceburg, Lollo Rossa, there's usually a few options for sweetcorn (including F1 types) and some good beetroot choices as well. 

For more specialist seeds like Bosworth F1 sprouts, Sweet Candle F1 carrots, Hunter F1 butternut, etc, I have found that there are UK regulated and certified suppliers on eBay that have very large ranges at excellent prices. For example, where a 'named' major seed retailer is selling Sweet Candle carrot seeds for £2.99 a packet plus postage, a major eBay supplier is selling them for 99p with free postage and four times the number of seeds. The only difference is that they come in clear packets with a printed label rather than a glossy packet with a picture on. Personally I've found companies with extensive eBay outlets like 'Premier Seeds' and 'SeeKay' to be excellent. Yes, you might have to buy the odd item from different suppliers but that rings true for the big boys as well. So, whether you buy from your local garden centre, high street, DIY store or online, shop around for the varieties you want to try rather than just buying a variety because it happens to be in the rack. 

That's it for my seed list post and annual review. I hope I've inspired you to start thinking about next season if you haven't already done so. Bye for now.

04 Dec - Winter Cabbage & Moving Rhubarb

Well, it's December already. Where did the season go? As you would expect, everything looks done on the plot but, there are still a few things going on. Still in the plot are parsnips, leeks, kale, Brussels sprouts and cabbage. In store I have onions, squash, a couple of carrots and two sacks of potatoes while in the freezer is sweet corn, runner beans and broad beans (along with more carrot and parsnip).

A quick word on Winter cabbage. Last year I planted Tundra F1 but didn't have a good result. A quick look at the packet this year told me why. The varieties I've used in the past have required a seed sowing in early June and planting out in July. Tundra F1 are slower growing, they need sowing in March and planting out in April, basically the same time as Summer cabbage.

I followed the recommended sowing times this season and have had a much better result. The cabbages have grown over the warmer months and are standing well into the Winter. I've started taking the larger ones to allow the smaller ones more light and space. The outside leaves look a bit tatty but stripping them off has revealed a lovely Winter vegetable. I'll definitely be putting Tundra F1 on my seed shopping list for next season.

I've been waiting a few weeks for the rhubarb on plot #10 to finally die back so I can move the crown to plot #11 as part of my downsizing project. The last of the stalks had gone but I've had frozen ground; everything was just right on Saturday (2nd Dec) so I prepared the hole on plot #10 with some rough compost laced with poultry manure. 

The crown was pretty large so I gave it a good watering when in place. I had this particular crown a few years back from another plot so I'm not sure exactly what variety it is though I suspect it's probably 'Timperley Early' as it's usually well underway by mid-January. (Pic - my rhubarb is probably an early variety as it starts growing in January. The picture was taken on January 17th)).

That's it for this early December update. Bye for now.

25 Nov - Frost, Leeks, Sprouts & A 4lb Parsnip

October was mild but November has seen the first proper frosts of the season. As I have hens on the plot I get to see the allotment site all year around as I'm there at least twice a day. It's nice to see and record the seasons as they pass.

I've had to re-net the Brussels sprouts due to pigeon damage. This is the first year I've had to do this as usually the birds leave the brassicas alone and I can remove the nets after the threat of Cabbage White's has passed. Perhaps there's a new pigeon family in the area that likes sprout tops!? Anyway, the sprouts (Bosworth F1) are developing nicely and I've started taking them. I've found that this variety is relatively early and as they are F1, they stand throughout the Winter without 'blowing'.

The leeks (Musselburgh) seem to be doing well. I usually get leek moth these days but the enviromesh protection helps the problem and can be removed at the end of October. I've taken a few leeks already and they are developing into a good size.

Likewise, the experiment of planting carrots in a barrel has worked well with very little sign of carrot fly damage due to the height of the barrel; I believe the fly travels just a foot or so off the ground so a tall barrel keeps them away. I have a smaller barrel around somewhere so I think I'll plant that one up next year too. The carrots are Sweet Candle F1, a blunt ended variety that are one of the best carrot varieties around.

As we've had a frost now I decided to try a parsnip. Oh dear, it was massive! I barred the parsnips in, i.e, I made a conical hole with a metal bar about two foot deep and filled it with multipurpose compost. A few seeds were sown on top and were thinned to one plant per station. I tend to use the variety Gladiator F1. Anyway, I dug the parsnip and it's girth was very large. After trimming and cleaning I weighed it and it was an ounce off four pound! Ridiculous! (It took ten minutes to wrestle the beggar out of the ground!).

The plot has basically gone to sleep for the Winter but there's still a little going on, especially with the brassicas. The only thing left to do as part of moving everything to plot #11 from #10 is to dig up a rhubarb crown and move it, otherwise everything is done. I'll be just working on plot #11 from now on. (See here for the reasons I'm giving up part of my plot).

Well, that's it for this post, probably for November too. Bye for now.

31 Oct - All Hallows Eve

A quick post to give this year's pumpkin a starring role. As we are not overly fond of pumpkin, I only grow one for Halloween so here it is.

Just after harvesting at the end of September - 16 lbs.

After a little carving by my wife. A simple motif this year.

All ready to go to welcome the neighbourhood kids.

Variety was 'Big Max' and I was lucky to get one to set quite early on at the start of July. It was fed weekly on a basic liquid feed and got to a nice size this year. Here it is on the plot in August, merrily growing away.

That's it for this quick post. Until next time, bye for now.

13 Oct - Main Crop Spuds & Tidying Plot #10

October has been surprisingly busy so far, mainly to do with tidying up the plot I'm leaving, #10. The first job last week was to remove the frame and nets covering the Winter brassicas. The threat of Cabbage White's has gone and the plants are large enough to withstand a peck or two from the local wood pigeons A quick weed of the area and the removal of old leaves was par for the course.

Having dug a few Sarpo Mira potatoes at the end of last month I finally got around to harvesting the rest. Just like last year, I got three large hessian sacks full of good sized potatoes from three 30ft rows. Of course, I'll be planting fewer next season but, I still hope to get a sack or two. The Sarpo Mira are a bit scabby (probably due to lime in my soil) but, even into the second week of October, the plants were still standing and feeding the tubers.

Since the potatoes have been dug and the squashes picked, there's not too much left on plot #10 except my Winter veg bed. I decided to clear the fruit bed over that side which contained mainly raspberries and strawberries. I've already potted up a load of strawberries and moved them to plot #11 so, I transplanted a row of Summer fruiting raspberries over as well. I cleared the remaining canes and strawberry plants and had a bit of a fire to burn the bits and bobs.

So, not too much to do now on plot #10, I just need to transplant some rhubarb into plot #11 along with a few canes of 'All Gold' Autumn fruiting raspberries. I'll leave some rhubarb on plot #10 along with a blackcurrant bush; the Winter veg will be there until February but everything should be ready to hand over to a new tenant for the 2018 season. (Pic - pot #10 largely cleared except for the Winter veg bed and a few Autumn raspberries).

I pulled the first carrot from my new carrot barrel. Yay! No carrot fly at all. The Sweet Candle carrot was absolutely perfect. There's about a dozen in the barrel which doesn't seem much but one carrot does us for a Sunday lunch. The Sweet Candle are the nicest carrots I've ever tasted; they're large, thick and stump ended so have no long useless roots.

That's it for now. See you next time. Bye.

24 Sep - Pumpkin & Main Crop Spuds

Today was largely dry until the rain arrived this evening. There was enough time for a few hours at the allotment to continue a general tidy up which I started last week when I moved some planks from the soon to be vacant plot #10 to edge the plot of #11. 

Things are basically wound up now on plot #11 and today was the final stage in putting it to bed for the Winter. This leaves me with the task of clearing the Autumn crops and fruit from plot #10, leaving just the Winter crops before handing it over to someone else in Spring.

Having picked the Crown Prince and Butternut earlier in the month, I finally had to pick the Big Max pumpkin as the leaves had finally gone. I've been leaving it as long as possible as I only grow a pumpkin for Halloween and it's another 5 weeks away yet. I've cleaned all the squash with water containing a sterilising tablet in an attempt to remove as much bacteria as possible to help with preservation. I weighed the pumpkin and it's just over a stone, 16 lb, I'm happy with that.

There was just a few sweetcorn plants remaining on plot #11 so I removed them today and gave the area a quick weed and dig over. That's it for plot #11, all the crops have been harvested; of course it won't be like it next year as this will be my only plot so it will have something in it all year around. This season's Winter veg is currently on plot #10. As there is a sycamore tree behind my shed which drops thousands of seeds each Autumn, I like to cover the bare earth at this time of year so I've put the covers over.

I've had a fair bit of slug damage to my leeks, first I thought it was leek moth but I couldn't see any signs of the moth larvae and there were lots of tell-tale silvery trails so I've put some pellets down. I've recovered with enviromesh as the leek moth is due in the next few weeks and the mesh helps though isn't perfect.

The results of my potato experiment are in; this season I didn't dig long trenches for my main crop, I just dug a hole with a spade, popped each seed potato in along with a bit of fertiliser then mounded the earth over the top, again with a bit of fertiliser incorporated. Well, I've dug a few plants up and there doesn't seem to be any difference in the crops at all. The tubers are large and plentiful.

I can't recommend the blight resistant Sarpo Mira highly enough. We seem to have a warm, wet August quite regularly, perfect for potato blight but, while everyone else's main crop potatoes on site are gone, the Sarpo Mira is still standing. Yes, they look a bit scruffy and worn now but the plants are still there, putting extra weight into the tubers. 

The only downside for me is potato scab. I don't think that is particularly a Sarpo Mira fault as I get scab to some extent on all my main crop spuds, my clay soil clearly has too much lime in it a the moment. Fortunately scab is just on the surface of the tuber skins and doesn't effect the potatoes in any way. Yes, they are a bit ugly but once peeled they are fine. I'll take large scabby spuds over rotting ones any day!

  

I'm going to continue digging up the main crop spuds over the few weeks and clear plot #10 as I go along ready for someone else to take over. That's it for now, see you next time.

14 Sep - High Winds & Winter Squash

It's the middle of September already, hard to believe except that there is a chill in the mornings now. I've started picking my sweetcorn; Incredible F1 always seems to provide an excellent crop with at least two good sized cobs on each plant. I've been eating a fair bit and there's still a few plants in the ground though they are virtually horizontal now rather then vertical due to high winds.

The first 'named' storm of the season, 'Aileen', hit overnight on the 12th/13th and not only flattened the sweetcorn but demolished the runner beans. So, a bit prematurely, I picked what was left from the vines and cleared the beans away for another season. Once the remaining few sweetcorn plants are taken up there will be nothing left in plot 11 at all. I've added two shelves to the outside of the shed, the top one to store the bamboo canes and the bottom shelf accommodating the strawberry plants in pots.

I've started work on plot 10 too, clearing bits of junk and moving border planks over to plot 11. I've taken up the Winter squash, except the pumpkin, as the leaves are basically gone. There has been a decent harvest of Crown Prince which is my main squash this year. I planted them for the first time last season and we found them to be tasty and easy to prepare. I think they will be may main Winter squash for a few years yet. 

I also planted a couple of butternut, Hunter F1, they haven't been that good this season, remaining relatively small compared to previous harvests. Still, they are edible and we will enjoy them. Over the past few years I have found that the butternut don't tend to store as well as other Winter squash so I'm reducing the number I plant. In an effort to preserve all the squash for longer I washed them in a Milton solution to remove as much bacteria as possible from the skins in an attempt to slow down the natural degeneration. 

The squash are stored somewhere relatively bright and warm for a couple of weeks, apparently this helps them ripen and helps the skins to harden and heal. The squashes will then be stored in a cooler place for use throughout the Winter months.

That's it for the mid-September round up. More clearing to do over the next few weeks. Bye for now.

27 Aug - Bank Holiday Weekend

We are rapidly heading towards the end of August already; before we know it Autumn will be in full swing. I finally took up the beetroot, a bit late for some of them as they were overly large. Nevertheless, there were plenty of decent sized roots to be boiled up and pickled.

I buy in pre-spiced pickling vinegar in a litre jar, just right for a nice batch of beetroot. I'll leave this pickle away well into the Autumn, making sure I have some left over for Christmas. Pickled beetroot is my favourite and has the added bonus of keeping for months and months.

As we've had a few days of warm, dry weather I've taken up the last of the early potatoes. They aren't really 'earlies', i.e small salad potatoes now, they are decent sized spuds that need to be peeled. I've the best part of a sack full which should last the next six weeks.

By the time these are finished the main crop Sarpo Miro potatoes should be ready. I've noticed blight on my neighbour's main crop spuds and the leaves are rapidly collapsing. The Sarpo Mira are proving, yet again, they are worth the extra cost as they are still green and growing. Yes, they are looking a little ragged this time of year having been in the ground since April but, the leaves are still green so hopefully the tubers continue to grow. I'm hoping that they'll have at least another four weeks in the ground as I didn't dig them up until the start of October last year.

My two halves of the plot are a complete contrast at the moment. On plot 10 all the beds are still full with spuds, brassicas, leeks, parsnips and Winter squash; plot 11 is basically cleared now with the only remaining crops being runner beans and sweet corn. I've picked all the broad beans, salad crops, onions, early potatoes and the bits and pieces I had there. Of course, next season I will only be growing on one half so things won't look so bare! (Pic - above plot 10 - below plot 11).

That's it for this end of August update. Bye for now.