[wneva]

Waited in hope - but still nothing! It's about potatoes, couch grass and, I hope, couch die back.

I planted a couple of rows of Swift pots on 15/4, having chitted them since mid Feb.  They aren't showing yet - I visit most days in hope of seeing some Swift action but no joy.  That's 4 weeks - could they have been rotted by all the rain?

As for the weeds - I have had a big couch grass problem since I took over the plot.  It had been rotovated for me - I thought this was v helpful, but then half the plot was all fresh couch grass shoots ...  Lots of grief.  This year I dug out all the beds in December/Jan/Feb, and removed all the couch roots I could see.  I knew it would be lurking under the pathways betweeen beds, so I bought a spray and applied glyphosate to the paths on 24 April - it was a dry day, and it didn't rain for about 12 hours afterwards. 

So every visit now, I look for potato sproutings - nix - and for signs of weed die back on the paths - but nothing much yet.  There may be a bit of brown on the bits where the weed cover is very thin.  Nothing on the bit where the grass and weeds are most virulent.  It's now over two weeks since I sprayed.

What do people think?  Is there still hope?  Should I respray when it's dry?

On a positive note, I've planted plugs this week - parsnips, broad beans, kale and spinach - all doing well and looking good.  My 15 of my 20 new raspberry canes are sprouting green shoots, my little Tom Thumb lettuces are still hanging in there and  there are faint lines of green where I sowed beetroot and more spinach on 16/4. 

But the potatoes?  And  the weeds?

[angelavdavis]

Took the children up, complete with potty and picnic.  Didn't get as much done as I would have liked (do I ever?!)

I did manage to:

- Pot up the first batch of tomato plants into their final pots in the greenhouse
- Covered the psb and cabbage plants since I had spotted a cabbage white butterfly last week

[yorkiegal]

had a quick look at the plot. the trench i dug to put the polytunnel in is full of water and one of the beds I'd prepared for brassicas has a lot of standing water at one end. At least I know it needs to be higher before I planted them out. The peas seem to have survived the downpour so far though.

[sunshineband]

Planted tomatoes in the cold greenhouse at work, and earthed up the potatoes there as well.

[Plot 6B]

Tidied up for the big event tomorrow.
Earthed up the spuds again and wished for warmer weather.

[dmg]

tidied up the shed- got broken into   , sowed some sweetcorn and turnip put a new door on shed

[gavinjconway]

Waited in hope - but still nothing! It's about potatoes, couch grass and, I hope, couch die back.

I planted a couple of rows of Swift pots on 15/4, having chitted them since mid Feb.  They aren't showing yet - I visit most days in hope of seeing some Swift action but no joy.  That's 4 weeks - could they have been rotted by all the rain?

As for the weeds - I have had a big couch grass problem since I took over the plot.  It had been rotovated for me - I thought this was v helpful, but then half the plot was all fresh couch grass shoots ...  Lots of grief.  This year I dug out all the beds in December/Jan/Feb, and removed all the couch roots I could see.  I knew it would be lurking under the pathways betweeen beds, so I bought a spray and applied glyphosate to the paths on 24 April - it was a dry day, and it didn't rain for about 12 hours afterwards. 

So every visit now, I look for potato sproutings - nix - and for signs of weed die back on the paths - but nothing much yet.  There may be a bit of brown on the bits where the weed cover is very thin.  Nothing on the bit where the grass and weeds are most virulent.  It's now over two weeks since I sprayed.

What do people think?  Is there still hope?  Should I respray when it's dry?

On a positive note, I've planted plugs this week - parsnips, broad beans, kale and spinach - all doing well and looking good.  My 15 of my 20 new raspberry canes are sprouting green shoots, my little Tom Thumb lettuces are still hanging in there and  there are faint lines of green where I sowed beetroot and more spinach on 16/4. 

But the potatoes?  And  the weeds?

I planted my spuds on 1 April and I only have 5 showing so far... but I did plant them deep - about 14" so dont worry... the weather has not been too hot for growing so they are slow..

[Thephoenix572]

I finally finished digging the last patch, the end of the backbreaking work is finally over after seven months of digging a plot that has been unused for 15 years.

After that I sowed three types of peas, lettuce, radish, beetroot and broad beans.

Very tired but extremely happy

[wneva]

After my earlier post today, and the replies from surbie100 and gavinjconway - thanks, guys! -  I went down to the plot again and decided there are indeed signs of die back of the couch.  So as it was a clear day, with a forecast of dry weather for a while down here, I applied some more glyphosate on the bottom half of the allotment paths.  That way I should have some results by the end of the month.  Just hope the wind didn't carry the spray on to the crops!

Still no sign of the potatoes, but I'm  happy to wait awhile.  everything else looks OK.

 

[morbidia]

Managed to get to the plot today and continued my fight with the Horsetail,it is everywhere   I marked out a bed and dug most of that over but ran out of light so had to call it a day. I have two clumps of horsetail to remove from there and that section is done, its not very big though and there is loads more to dig, so still lots of hard work to do yet

[Paul Plots]

Friday = 4 lawns cut and edged and a hugely long hedge trimmed 

Great to have a whole day without rain once in a while!

Saturday I'm off to the plot with seed packets and high hopes. 

[GingerSi]

We dont have an allotment just a good sized patch at home.  First time growing was last and that was just a few things to see what we could do.  This year has been more thought about.

After a week of work, I've inspected what's come through on what I planted over Easter.

Think everything is started, Shallots are through.  Radishes are well on there way, Beetroot is showing well, 4 lots of carrots are poking through, whispy blades of leeks are out.  Parsnips are just saying hello.

The bagged tates need earthing up today.

The greenhouse, has pea shoots coming through in a tub.  Scarlett emperor beans and some other beans are ready to go in the ground.  I've started some cauli's in there and it's time to move them, same with spring onions.  Got 3 long pots with salad leaves in that are being picked at by us now (it's great to eat something from it now)

I've given up on my tomatoes, just cant get them started at all.

Last weekend I put the same amount of what I sowed over Easter in.  And have another quarter to put the next lot in next weekend.  They are our staple things we buy so we're growing plenty.

We've also got our own ex batt chickens, so I'm going to do them a tub of spinach for treats.

[gavinjconway]

My word GingerSi you have been busy - well done. Some of my Tom seeds also not germinated... so I'll just grow a few plants that did. I sowed more but think i over-watered them.. !!

[Charityuk]

Cleared another 3 barrows worth of weeds etc.  Nearly 2/3 of the plot is done now.
Husband dug a large new bed.
went to Association plant sale, fed kids lots of cake, bought cauliflower seedlings, 2 chilli plants and 3 pumpkins -  Queensland Blue, Turkish Turban and Invincible Pumpkin. No idea what to do with them now, mind you! Will post about it.   

[AnneB]

Dug out some weeds.   OH did some soil sifting.  Had a bacon and tomato butty with the other plotholders.   Dug out some raspberries and gave them to another plotholder who needed some.
Gordon gave me some of his stringless runner bean seeds and very hot radish seed.  His fig tree looks good.

We put up the canes for the runner beans, pole beans and climbing borlotti beans.

The unwanted pond at the bottom of the plot has got bigger again thanks to this week's rain.

Something is munching into my broad beans big style.  The crimson flowered ones seem most affected.