Plot 205: 2013

Monday, 30 September 2013

Autumn's here!

Life took over during the summer.... but autumn is here... and work is needed at the allotment.

Over the last week... we have begun moving and relocating ground coverings.

In cleared areas we have started to do some autumn planting... broad beans, spring onions, pointed cabbages and spinach beet.

More is planned this week if the weather lasts... and we are hoping the new petrol strimmer will be more effective than the electric one.

Luckily apples, damsons, beetroot and raspberries are all available :-)

Sunday, 2 June 2013

More Planting. Weeding. Rhubarb & Ginger Jam

Another few weeks have slipped by. The weather has been poor and we've been away so there is loads to do. We planted out some main crop potatoes- Desiree, and dug out all the old brassicas which have gone to seed so that we can plant roots. It is quite late to be planting parsnips and carrots but Google tells us it should be OK.

The perpetual spinach, chard and beetroot have germinated and the early onions, garlic and broad beans planted last autumn are doing well. So are the weeds!

We have a lot of rhubarb so we made a few pounds of rhubarb and ginger jam.

Tuesday, 7 May 2013

First Early Potatoes Planted

At long last there are potatoes planted; 5 rows (40 seed potatoes) of International Kidney first earlies. They take about 10 weeks so we are looking forward to mid July.

Monday, 6 May 2013

Spring Bank Holiday Social. Brassica Bed. Lots of Digging. Rhubarb Crumble

They say everything is six weeks behind this year. We are at least that far behind, if not more.

The weather has been nice this Bank Holiday weekend. There was a social event on the plot yesterday. A very pleasant afternoon was had by all with seed and plant swap, various activities and music from Oxford Ukuleles.

We did a lot of digging this weekend in preparation for planting the seed potatoes which have chitted nicely. We also planted Swiss Chard, beetroot and perpetual spinach in the brassica bed.

There is plenty of rhubarb so we made crumble.

Sunday, 21 April 2013

Spring Weather at Last. Purple Sprouting

Finally we have managed to get to work on the plot so the digging and weeding has started. There is a massive amount to do, but we made a good start with three of us there today.

The garlic and early onions are looking good, and there is some purple sprouting to eat. There are some broad beans coming through, but about half have been eaten or rotted, and the early cabbages have completely disappeared, eaten by slugs / pigeons no doubt.

The potatoes are chitting and we have started planting at home- tomatoes, chilies, courgettes and leeks so far.

Wednesday, 3 April 2013

Second Coldest March on Record

We have had the second coldest March on record, beaten only by March 1962. This month shared its average temperature of 2.2c with March 1947. On the plus side it has been much drier than average so the ground is finally becoming dry enough to work.

It is still bitterly cold and windy, and the ground remains too cold for seed planting.

Saturday, 23 March 2013

Snow and Saturated Ground. Another Lost Weekend

The weather is still against us. The ground remains saturated and too cold for seed planting. Today it -1c and snowing. There will be no work done on the plot this weekend.

Sunday, 24 February 2013

Seed Potatoes, Leek & Parsnip Seed

The plot is looking a bit sorry for itself but it does seem to be drying a bit.

The garlic and early onions are starting to come through, but it looks like all of the broad beans have been dug up. Someone suggested it was a fox. We did think we probably didn't plant them deeply enough.

Harvested various greens- some sprouts and a couple of central stems of the white and purple sprouting which is just beginning. There were also a few small leeks from our failed crop last year.

We bought enough seed potatoes for around twenty rows; four of International Kidney (Jersey Royal) earlies and four rows each of main crop Pink Fir Apple, Desiree, Cara and King Edward. These will cover the new half plot and help to clear the soil of weeds.

We got a packet of parsnip seed White King, and some early and late leeks Jolant and White Winter which we should hopefully be able to harvest from August until next February.

Sunday, 20 January 2013

Snow

Kept off the plot by snow. The cold snap is expected to last all week.

Sunday, 13 January 2013

First Work Party of 2013. Garlic and Onion sets growing. Broad Beans

Enjoyed a sociable work party this weekend taking down a partition wall in the shop and tidying up.

There was a skip so we took the opportunity to dump some of the rubbish from our new half plot which has been cleared and mulched with black plastic.

The garlic and early onion sets have started to grow. A few are poking out of the ground already. We planted three rows of Autumn planting broad beans "Aquadulce", just in the nick of time. It's OK to plant them up to mid January we're told. It has been very mild so here's hoping.

The Spring cabbages have been quite well nibbled by pigeons or slugs or both. We put down some slug pellets and fixed up the netting which had fallen to the ground. They will probably be fine.

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Nothing you read in this blog should be taken as expert advice!

We don't restrict ourselves to buying organic seed, but do grow everything organically. For us that means crop rotation, green manures, composting, and feeding with comfrey and organic chicken manure pellets.

We don't use any chemicals but have conceded to using slug pellets that are approved for organic farming.

We collect rainwater and try to recycle as much as possible; the shed and paving slabs came from Freecycle, and we rescue useful stuff from skips.

Scroll Down for Crop Rotation, Planting Diary & Harvesting Calendar

Our Crop Rotation

There are five beds in all.

One is a permanent bed for things like raspberries, currants, fruit trees, hops, strawberries, rhubarb and other perennials.

The other four beds have a simple rotation:

Year 1:

Potatoes. They are hungry plants so they like plenty of manure and compost. Later on, we plant out leeks in the space left after the early potatoes are harvested.

Year 2:

Peas, beans, onions and garlic. They like soil that has been previously manured. We plant a nitrogen fixing green manure such as Winter tares (vetch) once the onions and garlic are harvested.

Year 3:

Brassicas (including swedes) and sweetcorn. These like the nitrogen left in the ground by the previous crop. Lime is added in early Spring (or a sprinkling of crushed egg shells in the planting hole for cabbages). The brassicas need to be permanently netted because of the wood pigeons.

Year 4:

Roots such as carrots, parsnips and beetroot. These don't like rich soil.

Other things have to go in wherever we have space and we tend to grow things like tomatoes, herbs and salad at home.

Harvesting Calendar:

January The winter months are the time to enjoy root vegetables and stores of local fruit. Being harvested this month are leeks, green cabbages, parsnips, turnips, sprouts, celeriac, jerusalem artichokes, shallots, mushrooms and forced rhubarb. From store, apples and pears, beetroot and potatoes are available. Main crop carrots are either stored in the ground or kept in cold store to be available from September till the end of May. Onions are available most of the year.

February Winter root crops are still going strong. This is the month for early winter cauliflower, leeks, turnips, protected spinach, swede, celeriac, chard, forced rhubarb, and carrots. Potatoes, apples and pears are available from store. The sprout season comes to an end. Mushrooms are available most of the year.

March New crops of vegetables planted previous year come in to season, including purple sprouting broccoli, more cauliflower, spring greens, radishes, parsley, early rhubarb, and leeks. Carrots are available both from the ground and from store but beetroot from store is finishing. Potatoes, apples and pears are available from store.

April The stored crops start finishing in the middle of the month, but the new crops are not in full flow. Between mid-April and mid-June is the leanest time. But new season's lettuce and watercress come in, along with some overwintered spinach, radishes and purple sprouting broccoli. Rhubarb is in too. Carrots and potatoes are still available from store but apples and pears are finishing.

May This is the gap month, as winter crops finish and stores decline. But coming in are the first new potatoes and asparagus. Radishes available. Carrots and potatoes are still in store but winter cauliflower and spinach comes to an end. Rhubarb is available.

June By the middle of the month, there is a wealth of fruit and vegetables to choose from. New potatoes are more plentiful, asparagus continues. New carrots come in at the end of month as do soft fruits including blackcurrants, strawberries, gooseberries, cherries. Tomatoes are in, broccoli is beginning, cauliflower comes at the back end of the month. Lettuce gets into full flow as do fennel, peppers, broad beans, Chinese leaves, and green beans grown in tunnels. Herbs coming in.

July Another peak month, with strawberries, loganberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants, tayberries, summer cabbage, spring cabbage, new potatoes, courgettes, broad beans, fennel, the first outdoor french beans, tomatoes, watercress, new cauliflower, carrots, lettuce, cucumber, broccoli.

August The vegetables and soft fruits continue. Tree fruits come in at the end of the month. Lettuce, peppers, new potatoes, courgettes, leeks, sweetcorn, peas, aubergines, strawberries, loganberries, gooseberries, herbs, chard, courgettes, fennel, main crop carrots, broccoli. Onions and garlic are being harvested and will be stored through the winter. The first apples, and Victoria plums are picked at end of month.

September A good month for fruit, and summer vegetables are joined by the earliest of winter ones. Blackberries, early apples, damsons, early pears, plums, spinach, figs, onions, all of the cabbages, curly kale, cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, french beans, courgettes, red onions, peppers, aubergines, marrows, sweetcorn, leeks, red cabbage, beetroot and broccoli are in. Swedes come back and sprouts begin. Main crop potatoes are lifted in September and October and stored until the beginning of the summer months.

October This is the main season for apples and pears. The first bramleys are in season. Also available are sweetcorn, marrrow, mushrooms, beetroots, squash, watercress, onions, and leeks. The Jerusalem artichoke season begins, while cauliflowers are at their peak, as are main crop potatoes and carrots, sprouts, and broccoli. Lettuce is running out by the middle of the month, and courgettes finish towards the end.

November Tender vegetable crops are disappearing as the frosts come, but still going are cabbage, cauliflower, potatoes, carrots, leeks, swede, parsnips, apples, pears, quinces, and sprouts.

December It's back to winter vegetables and stores, with sprouts, turnips, swede, and parsnips available and potatoes, carrots, red cabbage, beetroot, apples, pears coming from store.