Plot 205: March 2015

Monday, 30 March 2015

Quick bit of chicken pelleting!

Quick trip down to assess the damage after yesterday's storms! Not too much to sort thankfully.

Took opportunity to spread chicken pellets round all planted beds.

Friday night bonfire

Another night of bonfire, weed burning, marshmallows, ukuleles and singing! Lovely, joyful time : )

Friday, 27 March 2015

Another short visit...

Working around end of term fun.. Planted 50 onions!! Again need some help from those that can wield an azada.. Stubborn weeds and blurry path edges!

Started redeploying plastic covers around raspberry bed.. Would love to get more raspberry canes : )

Tuesday, 24 March 2015

It would be great to get all onions in this week.. So had a quick session finishing planting the red onions (approx 80 now in)... Also managed to have dug enough bed to start the white onions (16 planted.. Only 95 to go!!!).

Yes, we love onions! Going to try making caramelised onion jam in the autumn : )

Monday, 23 March 2015

More onions...

We didn't manage to get down to the allotment this weekend.. But started the week by lifting more covered beds, and planting 4 rows of red onions! More red onions planted in unplanted garlic row...

And there's still more red onions to go in...

Thursday, 19 March 2015

Shallots are in!!

Problem root removed.. We now have 5 rows of shallots!!! Pickled onions and Harissa paste (yum)!

Also spent time preparing for next bonfire... Hopefully this weekend : )

Tuesday, 17 March 2015

Bonfire and ukuleles... And other activities

Friday 13th was a busy day.. Including a trip to garden centre, seed planting and a bonfire..
A lovely evening with ukuleles, singing and marshmallows... To be finished on another evening! Hopefully this bed will be where we plant spuds!

Over the weekend, Bernard finished pruning the apple tree, moved a rhubarb and retrieved one of our builders bag compost bins from plot 204 : )

Thursday, 12 March 2015

Lifting the covers..

Planned to plant shallots today.. Unfortunately didn't get as far as I hoped!

One row planted... Rest of shallot bed dug (6 rows total)... But need some muscle to get imbedded root of bracken out.

On a positive note, at least it won't take long to plant out shallots when the problem root is removed :)

Tuesday, 10 March 2015

One small bed dug... One giant leap for plot 205

Seizing on the spring time sunshine and new found drive.. We now have a small bed planted : )

Largely salad bits.. Icicle (long white) radish and lettuce (lobjoits green cos), with a row of Spinach beet (perpetual spinach).. And not forgetting a corner of Larkspur .. Inspired by BBC Big Allotment Challenge.

Must remember to slug pellet this bed !!!!!!

Sunday, 8 March 2015

Spring sunshine and allotment shop

The gorgeous spring sunshine beckoned the core team to gather onion sets and seed potatoes ready for some spring action.

Potatoes were chitted and plans made for the week ahead... Looking forward to our bonfire and ukulele sing along : )

Saturday, 7 March 2015

So what happened (or didn't) on Plot 205 last season?

And suddenly it's March again.

After our ever-optimistic start last year, our two plots 204 and 205 fell into neglect to the point that we had to do some frantic work before the end of season plot inspection, and took the decision to give up Plot 204.

So what was our excuse? Team 205 was depleted with one of us away on a residential training course all Summer which left it to Sam to manage two plots. This all got to be a bit too much and before we knew it the weeds were chest high and we'd missed most of the key planting times. It's hard to stay motivated when this happens.

There was some consolation in September with a great harvest of hops which we used to make sleep pillows as gifts, and a bumper crop of apples which were used to make the first ever Plot 205 cider.

As we write there is garlic growing well from Autumn planting, and broad beans that have mostly survived over Winter. The Autumn planting peas have disappeared without a trace.

Onwards and upwards for 2015.

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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.