Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: New shoot on October 12, 2020, 13:48
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I was up at the plot at the weekend and have now cleared all my old courgette, squash, sweetcorn and tomato plants. I still have the beans to do.
I have a few areas dug over and/or a thick layer of compost spread on them. The emptied bins are filling up nicely with all the crops I am clearing.
It feels like the plot is well underway to being tucked up for winter. I have leeks, cabbage. swede and various greens still standing, but the sea of green is retreating and returning to bare earth. There is an odd satisfaction in it all though :)
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Yes, I quite enjoy this time of year. I cleared the greenhouse last week and I've been slowly closing down the raised beds by clearing and covering with compostable greens with cardboard weighted down on top.
Like you, the overwinter veggies are still there and I planted out the garlic yesterday, but the other stuff is slowly diminishing. There is something weirdly satisfying about a clean looking cardboard covered bed! :)
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I cleared and dug a few beds over the last week, while the weather was kind, and sowed some of them with green manures. The first bed sown is showing signs of germination already :)
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What green manure did you plant mum?
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like the rest we are doing our bit to get ready for the winter rest still have leeks savoy cabbage swede and brussels and spring cabbage in raised beds the larger areas are waiting to be ploughed up but one plot has got very wet and may have to plough the plots in spring
I've been digging and spreading a bank of soil that built up near a hedge that i cut back there is around 2 meters of ground to add to the plot that has been left for around 40 years till i decided to tackle it could have done with a JCB the wife has been digging over the empty raised beds
don't think we will be planting anything in the allotments now till spring have onion seed and sets potted on in the greenhouses and some spring cabbage in pots outside also have some sweet William plants in pots to plant out but it looks like they to will be staying there pots till spring because as i said its far to wet to get the ground ready for planting down the allotments have just sowed some cauliflower [Boris] seed to overwinter in the poly tunnel to plant out come spring
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It sure is wet underfoot. And over foot today. Have been clearing like everyone else but also doing a lot of "infrastructure" on the original plot what I've had for many years. Bought cheat's raised beds from one of the forum support firms which have now have strawberries where the compost heap used to reside (none of this collect wood and tools business, just open box and slot together and move in future years if wanted elsewhere). Having invested in lots of compost bins which are in sheltered spaces where growing ain't going to happen but where the sun goes of an afternoon there is now extra space to be filled. Also put some smaller matching raised beds under the fruit trees where space was little used. Mind you, that was jungle warfare earlier on - no idea where all the foxgloves came from but come they did in height and quantity. Am also clearing the second plot back - this is being returned to the committee for someone else to rent once all the last vegetables are removed. Am doing the annual liming there before handing over.
Plenty to keep me busy for the next month at least.
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What green manure did you plant mum?
Mostly Phacelia but I ran out of seed so the last bed has half mustard and half spinach sown on it, all old seed - so have to wait to see if those germinate :D
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I sowed some green manure about three or four weeks ago and it has romped away. I had to chop the mustard down as it was starting to flower. I have autumn/winter mix in a couple of other beds. Need to sow the field beans and grazing rye soon. I've cleared the squash and am collecting and spreading manure. I mostly need to clear weeds around the edges of the plot.
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Well I scarifies the lawn 2weeks ago & again on Sunday, I then used up the bag of grass seed we found in the garage in the summer from a few years ago :ohmy: :blush:, I then raked a bag of compost over it all, if nothing else that might do some good. Today we moved all the patio pots up to near the greenhouse, moved the garden furniture & swept all the debris up from the patio before I sprayed it all with a strong solution of Wet & Forget as so much of it was covered with green algae. We don’t normally get it so bad so early at the end of the summer. Tomorrow I’m going to attack the Lottie all being well.
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It seems only a few weeks ago, that we were sowing all sorts of seeds, nurturing every radish and rocket seedling and counting tomato plants, and now they're all either finished, or looking so miserable, they need to be hoiked out and the place made respectable again!
I rather like the 'big tidy-up', and it's a ritual here, that the geraniums, fuchsias etc. get put away in the GH, around now, so that's done! I still need to give the hedge a last trim, but it's an easier task now, as it has started to stop growing! I had a good mow-and-edge on Sunday, and finished a nano-second before it rained so that went well for once! We never know if we'll need another cut, so the mower is still in summer mode (the coal-shed)!
Mrs Growster insists on as much colour as we can get over winter, so thank goodness for pansies and 'Sugar Rush' wallflowers, which are just fantastic and last forever, often another season!
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Last lap of growing i've got a few corn on the cobs to harvest then the plot will (if it ever dries up) get a good manuring and dig over!
Cheers
Aled
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as i said in my previous reply it was looking doubtful i mite not be able to plough the allotment plots till spring however the weather changed and the ground dried up enough for me to plough all the plots and another friends plot
so everything is looking good the land ploughed still have a few veg to pick overwinter and a couple of raised beds to dig
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I have all my courgette, butternut, potimarron, tomato, peppers and beans cleared and have just planted out my cabbage, broccoli and sprouts. We went from very dry to quite wet very quickly this year so lots to do. Still have leeks, parsnips, carrots and some beets in the ground just finished the aubergines. The new big raised beds I made have been spread with compost so things are going well; We are coming into a spell of nice weather so hope to get more done in the veg plot then. I hate when the ground goes cold and wet :D
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Rain stopped play. It's sodden underfoot and there are lots of odd jobs I'd like to finish. Want to get on and clear back the grass paths on plot one to where they should be - they got away last year when I was off training a new knee over winter. Rain stops play on that at the moment.
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Haven't done much on the allotment this month because it has been rain rain rain (like last year), now on the third consecutive wet weekend.
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Well we have just gone into another national lockdown so there is going to be a lot of work done in the veg plot over the next month or so ... I hope the weather stays good, it is lovely right now brilliant sunshine and 23C !
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I hope the weather stays good, it is lovely right now brilliant sunshine and 23C !
Thanks for that, Jambop. Don't forget the sunscreen.
Over here it's been raining for days; the forecast is more, and I've just discovered a big crack in the sole of my wellingtons.
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so what is a good idea to do now....this is my first year on an allotment so very much learning. I was going to hoe all those weeds and lay cardborad (if i have enough) and lay a load of compost on top and leave it.........is this the right thing? Thanks in advance
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so what is a good idea to do now....this is my first year on an allotment so very much learning. I was going to hoe all those weeds and lay cardborad (if i have enough) and lay a load of compost on top and leave it.........is this the right thing? Thanks in advance
Sounds good to me. Make sure the cardboard is well fixed/weighed down though, or it'll blow all over the place as soon as there's a windy day (like today!)
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Ive been in the garden today with my sons leaf blower/collector thing & collected 2 bags of leaves from the grass & borders,only blocked it up 3 or 4 times :wacko: as they were a bit too wet in places. Then I attempted to shred the sweetcorn stems I brought home a couple of weeks ago but they hadn’t dried any in the greenhouse, so I trundled them back to the plot & a bag of leaves when I went to see to the chickens. 1st of the bags of leaves in the wire cage. Did seem a shame to collect the leaves as they are such beautiful colours but they’ll all make their way into the pond eventually if I don’t.
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In a sunny hour this afternoon, I emptied the last tomato/pepper pots and I pruned the Osteos and Oleander growing in the greenhouse border.
Then I potted up a few perennial brassicas. These were from self-saved seeds and were only sown to test germination, but having grown them, I couldn't bear to throw them away :D Fingers crossed they make it through winter.
This latest storm has brought down another fence - so something else to sort out soon :(
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All the veg plot is done and leafmold down (except for asparagus bed - fronds are still greenish). Still need to tackle the blackberry brambles (massive), cut the wildflower patch down and dig up a tonne of buttercups which have taken over at the back...
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Have left the allotment alone most of this week due to road works making it difficult in the extreme to get there. However much clearing of climbing nasturtiums and other spent plants in the back garden. And start on the cleaning of the greenhouse. Tubs still to be done.
Weekend plans for the allotment include further tidying up of edges and taking back of paths to enlarge the growing space for next year. Lots of odd jobs can always be found.
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The thing I really like about autumn clear-up is going back after a few days to find it as you left it i.e. not germinating weeds like mad or looking overgrown again like in the peak of the growing season.
I am also planning another spell of odd jobs today, including making a start on clearing around soft fruit ready for the winter prune and mulch project. I even enjoy that on a bright dry winters day :lol:
There is a lot of satisfaction in putting the plot in order :D
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New Shoot you are managing something I'm not with the autumn clear up. My allotment is still laughing at me in places. Can I make you an offer?
(https://i.ibb.co/h7M9TCy/weeds.jpg) (https://imgbb.com/)
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I’ve finally cracked on this week with clearing up the plot :D. I’m feeling much relieved. I needed to turn the compost bins again, 3 turned into no.4, 2 into 3 , 1 into 2 & 1 was refilled with stuff from the bed on the floor. 1 & 2 were interlaced with fresh manure & covered over to keep the heat in with wool mats donated by our daughter from her frozen dog food.
Various beds were swoed & weeded, all the more for the chickens. All the empty plastic bottles(used next to crops for watering down to the roots) are now threaded on canes & hung up in the Chicken pen. Strawberries weeded & mulched, asparagus cut down, weeded ,manure spread & topped off with homemade compost.
Spent a couple of hours this afternoon weeding in the brassica cage & removing lower leaves all donated to the chickens .
It’s all looking so much better
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Enjoyed day on the plot, pretty clean and tidy, working on new cut flower beds, OH put down slabs to form the paths and I dug over the last bed and thought about plans for covered areas. Delivery of Kings Seeds when got home so looking forward to next year 👍🍓🐝🌷🌻
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Am still pootling along - feel as if I'm catching up with things that weren't urgent this time last year when the knee had been replaced and I was the limping not gardener. On the plot I'm giving up I have eventually sorted out the last of the compost heaps. Trouble is that I now have a big pile of bricks, rubble and black plastic to dispose of. But it wasn't today with the frost lying deep and crisp and even. At least all in one place and I can tackle it another visit. Then there's the bonfire required on the plot that I'm keeping. Only a small one of raspberry canes mind. But if that's the sum total of outstanding jobs well there's no panic.
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Same here :)
I have got as far as cutting down the raspberries and mulching them, the pear trees and the boysenberry on the small plot. There are the gooseberries and currants still to prune and mulch. All the main soil prep on the big plot is done and I am just on edges and paths now.
The rest is just tidying as and when winter crops get eaten and cleared through.
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I've never grown brassicas at home before, mainly because space doesn't normally allow for such luxuries, but the rows of leeks and PSB we popped in earlier actually seem to brighten up the back garden quite somehow!
As for leaves, we had our gutters cleared out last week, and it's now down to raking, but we'll wait until the wistaria finishes, as that just chucks millions of leaves everywhere...
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On the plot I'm giving up I have eventually sorted out the last of the compost heaps. Trouble is that I now have a big pile of bricks, rubble and black plastic to dispose of.
Now I don't have that big pile of bricks, rubble and black plastic. It has been taken away to be tipped. That's a major job done. The pile had gained bricks and rubble from the plot I'm keeping so it's two jobs sorted out.
There's just one more pile of rubbish to be sorted on plot 1. My but it rained yesterday so it'll be waiting for a bit till it's not quite so easy to sink into everywhere.