31 Jul - Plans To Reduce Plot Continue

As I discussed in my last post (17 Jul 2017) I'm going to reduce my plot by half at the end of the season. As part of this plan I've been clearing the mass of strawberry plants which are now a real mess of runners at the moment. I've chosen a selection of newer plants and have potted up around a dozen and have placed them near my shed. I can add a few pots as time goes on and take runners off them in a cycle so that pots are no more than four years old. The rest of the plants in the plot I'm giving up will be given away and/or slowly cleared by the Autumn.

I've also cleared a bit more room where the compost bins are, pushing the compost 'daleks' about five foot back giving me a much larger space down the side of my shed. I've already started digging a trench there which I will line with a tough membrane and will back-fill with soil and enriching compost to accommodate a line of Summer and Autumn fruiting raspberries. Raspberries do have a tendency to spread underground hence the tough membrane which I hope will help keep them localised.

The picture shows the contents of the bins, the left pile being the remains of last year's compost, in the middle a pile of leaf-mould from the Autumn and, the right-hand pile being 'fresh' which I forked back into one of the bins. The composted piles will be added to the new raspberry trench and to improve the soil around rhubarb plants which I also plan to move.

The onions have now 'gone over' though the leaves are still green so I'll leave them in the ground a bit longer. Hopefully we'll have a few warm, bright days in the next week or two so I can pull them up and dry them a little. The Sturon sets have produced a good crop once again.

The rest of the plot is doing OK. I've still got stacks of early potatoes, too many really, the foliage is really yellow now and is quickly disappearing. The broad beans are in desperate need of picking and freezing and the beetroot are large. The carrots in the barrel are looking pretty good when I dig around with my fingers though they could look like an octopus underneath! I won't know until I pull them up of course. The first runner beans are appearing now though I've been picking Cobra French beans for a few weeks; they're always earlier than the runners, one of the reasons I grow both. I've also been taking Summer cabbages and the kale, Winter cabbage and Brussels sprouts are growing on as planned.

The Summer and Winter squashes look OK too. There's already too many courgettes which I'm trying to off-load onto other people! The Crown Prince squashes seem to be forming nicely and I'm hoping there will be up to a dozen decent sized squashes come September/October. I've also got a good sized pumpkin too, it's fairly large so I'm hoping it will be a whopper by the time it ripens. We don't really like the taste of pumpkin but I always grow one for Halloween. 

Well, that's it for now. Until next time ...

17 Jul - Major Decision Made For Next Season

I've been mulling over the idea of downsizing my allotment since last season. The workload is fine, the allotment is tidy, well-kept and I have time to work on it. The problem is, rather ironically, over production; I simply produce too much. Despite giving veg and fruit away, too much heads to the compost bin for my liking. I've even spread the crops out more this season but there's still too much wasted food.

So, what to do? I've decided to go back down to half a plot next season and give someone else a go, it seems to be the best option. I originally had my first half plot in March 2007 (plot #10) then I acquired the half opposite seven years later in June 2014 (plot #11).  Plot #11 had a shed which was handy and, though it has trees to the north, it gets the most sun throughout the day as the other plot stays in shadow for many hours throughout the Winter months. On the basis of wanting to keep the shed and the best sunlight, I'll be retaining plot #11.

As I have Winter crops on plot #10 at the moment, I won't be handing over the plot until early March 2018 when I've cleared the sprouts, kale and Winter cabbage. I'll transplant some of the raspberries, blackcurrants and rhubarb across to my remaining plot throughout the cold months and put the covers over the site so whoever inherits it will have a relatively easy job in the Spring.

I've worked out that by reducing the amount of fruit I have on the plot, which is massively excessive anyway, planting fewer potatoes and reducing the space between beds, I reckon I really can produce a much more realistic amount without wasting too much. I'm going to put a dozen or so strawberries into pots where I can control them better; I've reduced the chicken run by 6 foot near the shed (to where it used to be) and I plan to put a row of raspberries and other fruit in that area.

I'll divide the plot into four main beds to ensure decent crop rotation, along the lines I have at the moment. The biggest difference is that each bed will be shorter than they are now due to the chicken run though the width will remain the same. The beds will run east to west rather than north to south as they are now.

Well, lots to do over the coming months now. That's this update complete, bye for now.

11 Jul - Everything Is Very Green!

Second week of July and the warm weather with the odd rain shower is ensuring that everything is lush and green. That is, except the early potatoes that are now starting to 'go over' as each day the haulms are becoming more and more yellow. I've absolutely loads of early potatoes and they are prolific, despite giving loads away we'll still be eating them until the end of August. In my opinion, you can't beat Rocket for a reliable early potato. (Pic - early potatoes on the left are now 'going over').

The onions are swelling well though one of my cream crested legbars got out of the chicken run and flattened a load of them. They should be OK though as the leaves are still strong; the plants have a few weeks yet to bulk up a bit further.

The brassicas are doing really well. I've taken a lovely Summer cabbage already and the Tundra F1 Winter cabbages are getting really large. I had a disappointment with them last year as I planted them in June, they needed to be planted earlier. Hopefully they will now hearten up well. The sprouts are looking healthy and the kale, two varieties, are looking good too.

Finally, the Summer & Winter squash are going mental. The courgettes are turning into marrows if I don't pick them every two days. There are small Crown Prince appearing and the pumpkin, Big Max, has gone absolutely crazy this season; the leaves are massive and there are a wealth of fruits already pollinated. I think I may have to reduce the number to ensure just two or three large ones grow on into the Autumn. (Pic - Big Max pumpkin plant in the foreground). 

That's up for this update. Bye for now.