28 May - Beans, Sweet Corn & Leeks

On the 19th May I set out my runner bean canes to let them settle in. I also gave my strawberries in pots a bit of a feed and began to thin out the Sweet Candle carrots in the barrel to around three strong plants per position - these will finally be thinned to one.

Yesterday, the 27th May, I planted out my French beans (Cobra) and my Runner beans (Firestorm) at the base of the canes. For each I dug a hole, back filled with rough compost from the bins and added a little fertiliser. I only have two rows of eight canes so planted two French beans to a cane on one row and a single runner bean plant per cane at the opposite row. The Cobra aren't as dense as the Firestorm so hopefully two beans to a cane won't be a problem.

Today, (28th) Bank Holiday Monday, I planted out my sweetcorn Incredible F1. There are three rows of five plants which will be plenty for the family and the odd treat for the hens. A line of beetroot (Boltardy) also went in next to by Resistafly carrots.

Finally today I set out my leeks, Musselburgh. As usual I removed them from their deep pot where they had been transplanted and teased them out into a bunch of strong plants, trimming any really long roots with scissors. I used a large, thick dibber to make a deep hole and the leek plant was simply dropped in with an inch or so of leaves showing above the surface. 

The holes are not back filled, I simply fill them with water using a watering can which washes enough soil over the leek roots at the base of the hole. A combination of the leeks growing and soil movement will soon fill the dibber holes. Also, the leeks need to go in deep because they need to blanche under the soil. The rows were covered with a cage of enviromesh because we now tend to suffer from leek-moth in S. Wales.

The maincrop potatoes have now been mounded up and a bit of hoeing done to clean the soil of the various weeds that have been springing up everywhere. The brassicas planted earlier this month have gone a lovely green and look really well. The broad beans are covered in flowers and I have supported the two rows with horizontal canes. There has been a touch of black fly on the tips so I have sprayed as a precaution. 

The only two things that haven't gone so well is the garlic which looks a little sparse despite having freshly bought in cloves this year and the parsnips which haven't germinated as yet. Parsnips do take a long time but it's been just over a month now, still I live in hope!

Unfortunately I placed my squashes outside to begin the hardening off process and the slugs destroyed a few of the butternuts. I've still got enough left for planting out in early June but it's a tad annoying. For the second time I've potted on the butternuts (Hunter F1) and courgettes (Defender F1) into larger pots. The pumpkin (Big Max) has also been put into a much larger pot as the brute was trying to escape; it too will be planted out in the next fortnight or so.

That's it for now. Bye.

10 May - Brassicas Planted Out

Well, what a lovely early May Bank Holiday, the temperatures were literally record breaking in some places. It was hot here in South Wales which allowed plenty of work to done on the allotment. The main job was the removal of the covers from the last bed. Apart from the odd left over potato sprouting underneath the black plastic, the soil was pretty good if some what moist. I left it for a day to dry a little then I blasted it with the Mantis tiller. I raked in some general purpose fertiliser and there it will now sit until early June when the squashes will be planted out.

The bed next door will be the Winter bed with leeks, some roots and brassicas. Here a row of the Resistafly carrots I sowed around the 24th April have germinated, their small narrow leaves are showing well. No sign of the Gladiator parsnips I barred in at the same time though. I've erected the frame and nets for my brassicas, leaving enough room between the frame and the carrots to get a row of beetroot in and a couple of rows of leeks.

I sowed the brassicas on the 15th March in a heated propagator and raised them in a cold greenhouse. The seedlings were potted on into small individual pots. They have been hardening off for a week outside before being moved to the allotment for planting out. I've put in eight Bosworth F1 Brussels sprouts, spaced out with at least 2 foot between them down the outside. Right down the middle are a row of Tundra F1 Winter cabbages and the gaps are filled in with half a dozen Primo II Summer cabbages. The idea is that the Summer cabbages will develop first and will be finished by the end of September leaving the much slower growing Winter cabbages and the larger sprout plants much more room to develop just when they need it. To avoid root fly I have used rubber collars where possible.

As for the rest, the early potatoes have been earthed up for a second time and are showing strongly through the top of the mounds. The broad beans have put on new growth and will require some support soon. The onions and garlic are well underway and along with the Resistafly carrots in the ground, the Sweet Candle carrots in the barrel have germinated well.

The row of Mesclun mix I sowed at the start of the month have appeared and next door I've planted out a few Lollo Rossa and Little Gem lettuces. There are signs that the main crop Sarpo Mira potatoes are showing but as I've changed the direction of the beds there is some overlap in position where last year's spuds were grown so, I'll wait until I see three clear rows before earthing up or I might be encouraging a 'stray' from last year.

Well, that's it for this first post of May. Bye for now.