This Year, Next Year

Mustard - Green Manure

The mustard is looking pretty good now. According to the seed packet it will die off with the frost and form a 'beneficial, protective mulch' which I'll dig into the soil in the Spring. Next year I'm going to try red clover - I suppose you can grow green manures at any time of year if you've a patch of ground with nothing to go in it?

I bought sugar snap peas and dwarf beans today ready for next year. I'm growing the dwarf beans instead of broad beans because, even though they're home-grown, no-one in the family likes eating broad beans - but they were still fun to grow and grew well. I've got some in the freezer and I slip them into soups and risottos etc. Without their tough, outer coat they really are a marvellous bright green.

Browse seeds here.

Combating Whitefly

I'm trying to attract the whitefly away from my cauliflowers. The yellow cards seem to be helping a little but I think I should have done something sooner. Unfortunately other insects get stuck to the cards too.

Listening to 'Gardeners' Question Time' I heard Neem Oil recommended so I'm thinking of trying that next time. A fellow allotmenteer uses washing up liquid - another possibility. As for now, hopefully, a cold snap is not far away and should solve the problem.

Shallots and Onions

Shallots

The shallots are keeping well in a wire basket suspended from a beam in the garage. I'd like to grow even more next year.

Today I bought the first bag of onions since June - I've only got two home-grown onions left. It's been lovely eating ones that grew on the allotment. I lost quite a few to rot because, despite one of the driest years we've had for some time, we had rain when it was time to lift the onions!

Allotment Mushroom

Allotment find

There are some interesting mushrooms growing on my plot in this damp weather. This one had been knocked over so I brought it home to photograph. I don't know whether it has come from the soil or the manure which I spread a little while ago.

I've been trying to identify it but no luck so far. Nevertheless I thought this site was pretty good: Foraging Guide: Mushrooms

Spot the Blackbird

Somewhere...

...there's a...

...shy, young blackbird.

Easily camouflaged! 

Being immature, it has a black beak and blends in, especially with the dark lumps of manure on the asparagus bed. The bird was running about so quickly among the vegetables that I had a hard time getting pictures.

How to Water Plants

Winter Jasmine

I thought watering was a pretty straightforward activity - fill cans with water and pour around thirsty plants. Then I found a useful article: 'How to Water Plants Correctly'. 

It deals with plants in the ground and also those in pots. There are tips on how to encourage plants to develop deep roots so that they are better able to survive short periods of drought. Ideas for different methods of watering include sinking a flower pot or pipe into the soil next to plants so that water can be introduced directly into the deeper levels of soil, avoiding evaporation from the soil surface. Efficient watering of pot plants is also dealt with.

This article (left hand side of the page) together with useful videos on a selection of gardening topics can be found on the Wikaniko Allotment Garden page.

Useful information for next season's growing.

What to do about Whitefly?

Visited a garden centre today to look for a solution to the whitefly that have infested my brassicas. The unseasonal warm weather has led to hordes of these pests setting up home in my purple sprouting broccoli, my cauliflowers and my cabbages.


I looked at sprays including an organic one but did not feel comfortable about spraying my crops. I've bought some yellow sticky strips which I'll suspend just above the plants and see if that helps. The strips are really for greenhouse use but I'm going to try them anyway. The whitefly are attracted to the yellow colour - I hope it works!


Whitefly Images

Tenacious Weeds

Still Growing!

The temperatures are still very mild and battalions of Gallant Soldiers are continuing to push up through the soil! They suit their name. As soon as I hoe down one crop of these weeds another springs up to take its place. 

I'll never win the battle - just have to keep on skirmishing! 

Gallant Soldiers

"The average number of seeds per plant is 2000 but a large plant can have up to 15000...." Organic Weed Management


There were hundreds of plants on my allotment when I took it over -   :-(

Spring Hero Cabbage

Spring Hero

We put these lovely spring cabbages in today and just about had enough chicken wire (kindly donated by a friend) to keep out the pesky pigeons. This variety is called 'Spring Hero', an F1 Hybrid and I'm looking forward to seeing how they do. 

I grew 'Greyhound' for the summer, a very nice pointed cabbage but I should have begun cutting them earlier than I did, the later ones split because they were in the ground too long. The winter cabbages, 'Kilaxy', are hearting-up nicely now and taste delicious both steamed and raw in coleslaw.

Autumn Raspberries

Raspberries in November!

After working on the allotment I reward myself with a few late raspberries that are still ripening even though it's late autumn. My neighbour has already cut her canes down but as long as there's a chance of a few more berries....

This is my first experience of autumn fruiting raspberries and I'm a fan - they are so easy and, as they are growing in a clump, need little support.

This BBC Gardening guide also has a useful video on planting and growing raspberry varieties.

Cabbage Delivery

I've just taken delivery of a dozen spring cabbages - wonderful! Guess what I'll be doing this week-end. 


My kind nurseryman friend has also given me some chicken wire to build defences against the pigeons. It's going to be a busy couple of days. 


The allotments are close to arable farm land and so there is a large population of wood pigeons that feed on the crops - and, when they fancy a change, anything green that dares to pop up a young, fresh leaf.

Improving the Soil

I took a large bite out of the well-rotted...

...and spread it on this newly dug section.

Nevertheless, I think that by the time I've used all I need for the coming year's growing, there will be enough manure left for a third year too! That will work out at £11 a year which is not bad.

How to improve your soil.

Stringing Onions

My onion strings may not be very pretty but they're effective. It was fun plaiting the onions with string for storage in the garage. I haven't had to buy an onion for over three months, although a few of the stored ones have rotted on the strings. 


I should have watched Jack Hargreaves, but now I have, I'll string onions better next year.

Help for Vegetable Growers

Being new to 'real' vegetable growing, I need all the help and information I can get. Forums are useful and good places to go to for help and encouragement. I found help at Grow Your Own The Grapevine and at The Greenfingered MoneySaving Board. 


The Wikaniko Allotment Gardener newsletter is very useful and there are informative videos on the same page.

Last Corner

I'm clearing the last corner of the plot this autumn, the corner that I haven't got round to until now. It's been covered with a tarpaulin and the grass has died off, a couple more hours of digging (with my small spade) and I should be done.

There are so many stones! Think I'll build a cairn.

Couch grass too.....and bindweed......

Green Manure

Mustard

There have been a lot of 'firsts' this year and this is my first ever attempt at growing 'green manure'. We've had another dry spell and it's only just starting to get going so we'll see. I'm hoping it will suppress the weeds, especially that 'always-ready-to-pop-up-and-seed' gallant soldier. 


I chose mustard and now read that this should not be followed by brassicas 'as it could encourage build up of the disease clubroot'. Luckily, I'm pretty sure the brassicas are going elsewhere next year but in future I'll sow something else, like red clover.

Using Green Manures