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Storm Brewing |
I haven’t posted
anything since the end of March – I have been so busy gardening &
working there has been no time, it's all systems grow! However today
we are having a break from the sunshine with some lovely rain
falling, something we have not had enough of recently. Down on the
allotment the perpetual battle with the weeds continues. When the
plot was rotavated I knew it would be storing up trouble by chopping
up the roots of many perennial weeds but the area to be dug was very
bit & I didn't feel able to dig it all over by hand. The weeds
have duly returned but they come out easily for the most part.
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Bean Tunnel |
I have two new invaders
to deal with this year. Firstly Sycamore seedlings, there is a tree
at the edge of the field which has not caused much of a problem
before but all the seeds have blown onto the plots and sprouted this
year. On worked plots that’s ok because they will just be dealt
with like any other weed but where the plots are empty we could have
a forest of pesky sycamores spreading more of their seeds until we
are overrun! Fortunately most of the vacant land was ploughed up
earlier in the year which may have killed some of them, it certainly
had no effect on the tough perennial weeds which have returned with
vigour.
The other invaders are
rogue potatoes – last year the crop was very small (in every way)
and I think a lot got left behind and now they are coming up
everywhere! I've been growing potatoes with everything!
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Brassica Heaven |
Looking back to the
last picture blog I had just started planting out the broad beans –
today I put the last of the crop in the freezer! I had three
varieties, Red Karmazyn, Aqua Dulce Claudia and Imperial Green
Longpod. I think I'll stick with the Longpod & red ones next year
– lovely colours and excellent flavour. I actually managed to grow
some peas this year!! A huge harvest resulting in about 12oz of peas!
That's 12oz more than previous years. I must find out what I am doing
wrong, it's probably not enough water and dreadful soil which are the
problems. I am trying to improve things but I think it takes more
time & money than I can spare to improve the soil. I'll just keep
plodding on – I shall grow green manure again this year to help
improve nutrients & soil structure.
This year I have grown
far more brassicas than previously, Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli and
Romanesco Broccoli (or cauliflower if you prefer) that's the green
pointy rather alien looking one, I think it is quite beautiful the
more you study it. These are all happily living in 'Brassica Heaven'
– a cage I constructed using some very fine green mesh & fence
posts. It keeps all the nasty beasties out and filters the sun making
it a lovely place to go weeding, although the frequency of that job
should be lessened by the mulch of straw which I have put in there.
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Fruit, Herbs & Tomatillos all mulched |
Straw is the latest
thing I'm using to combat weeds & drought. It worked very well
round the strawberries so I looked online and found it quite
acceptable to use liberally on the rest of the allotment. Of course
truly Organic gardeners would need to be careful about where it is
sourced from but I do not claim to be fully organic so a local farm
which was selling bales for £1 each was fine for me. A kind
gardening neighbour also got me a couple free of charge so the
allotment will be well covered when I'm done.
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Special treatment for Blueberries |
I've got a lot more
fruit in a larger area. I've moved some stray strawberries near to
the others and added gooseberries, black currants and red currants.
The fruit area is now bordered with some herbs for the bees to enjoy.
The Blueberries have never been moved into tubs as planned. I bought
a soil testing meter and checked the plants at home which had been
replanted into ericacious compost last year. I was dismayed to find
that the soil was no longer acidic – that explains why the Camellia
was looking so miserable. I checked the soil on the allotment and it
read the same (I have some doubts about the accuracy of this tool). I
decided to leave them there and give them special feed for acid
loving plants and have mulched them with pine needles. Only time will
tell how effective this will be.
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Tomatillo |
Further down the plot
there are climbing and dwarf French beans and runner beans growing on
the rose arches again; carrots, parsnips, pumpkins, courgettes,
butternut squash, celery, onions, shallots and tomatillos. The latter
are a totally new crop for me – supposedly very easy to grow and
high yielding. Their Latin name is
Physalis
philadelphica
– relatives of Cape Gooseberries they are from the nightshade
family. They are used a lot in Mexican cooking rather than tomatoes.
So far they have proved very easy to grow, I have several on the
allotment and have kept the remainder in the greenhouse. The Squashes
not only have a mulch of straw they also have personal irrigation.
Ollas are traditional clay pots which are sunk into the ground and
filled with water which then seeps out gradually giving a continuous
supply of water to crops. I am using milk cartons which I've
punctured with a pin – maybe a bit too enthusiastically as they
seem to leak too quickly but I can replace them with others if
necessary.
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Squashes with mulch and irrigation pots |
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Left Tomatoes |
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Cucumbers and Tomatoes |
Up
in the greenhouse I have the usual tomato plants, this year I am very
proud to say that I have grown them all from seed – usually they
all fail and I have to but in late replacements. I have Ailsa Craig
and Moneymaker for the main crop then a late addition is Red Pear
which I got with Grow Your Own magazine. They are all big and healthy
and there are plenty of fruits forming. I also have cucumbers –
Crystal Lemon. I planted six and all three in one pot failed
completely so they have been replaced with Cucamelons – another one
new to me. These very vigorous vines bear fruits the size of grapes
which look like tiny water melons, they are said to taste of cucumber
with a hint of lime and can be eaten fresh or pickled. Although I've
kept them in the greenhouse they can also be grown outside but I
didn't have a suitable space so left them inside.
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Courgettes and first broad beans |
On
the whole things are going far better than last year, at least I have
some broad beans in the freezer and have harvested peas and
courgettes. There is still much to be done and much to look forward
to.
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Beautiful and delicious |