Winter Planting

The nasturtium have finally frosted so have been replaced by mustard, land cress and perpetual spinach.

The addition of compost used to earth up the potatoes has meant the soil was really easy to dig.

Dried and fresh beans harvested today!

Not sure how they'll taste but I was very surprised to find fresh beans at the end of October.

Leeks

We've had a good leek harvest this year. They're not as long as they should be but for a first attempt I'm really pleased with them. They taste delicious cold in lemon mayonnaise!

Pumpkin

We were given a pumpkin plant by a friend.  We didn't really want it but stuck it into the big mound we have that was the dumping ground from the last tenant.

It grew really well here.

 

Preserving produce

Spent today making pickled cucumber, sweet courgette chutney and transferring the sauerkraut from the terracota pot in is made in.

Broccoli heads

 Broccoli heads but still waiting for the white sprouting broccoli to make an appearance.

Mystery Muncher

Something (or someone because we got a Gold award lol) has eaten one of our cabbages.  It was under cover and the cover was not disturbed.  I've never seen anything eaten so cleanly as if it has been sliced off.

Dahlia - Finally

 Picked up a few dahlia plants from our exchange area at the allotment.  Finally they have flowered.

Home for slow worms and grass snake

 The green compost bins we have been given over the years have proved to be great habitats for grass snakes and slow worms.

Pumpkin!

Another allotmenteer insisted on giving me a pumpkin so I popped it in with the banana squash plants. It is on an old dumping area that we have yet to try to level. The banana squashes and this pumpkin loved it. We have found the remains of garden tools buried in this area it may have been an old compost heap and tool store.

Not really allotment news

I got two white geraniums from Homebase for 50p each.
A few days ago I got a really lovely hen and chicks for £2.
Unfortunately when they sell off their vegetables they are often past reviving.

Today’s shopping from the allotment

Not bad for September. The beans are beginning to decline maybe only a few pickings left.

Blue Banana Squash Harvest

Not a bad harvest from two blue banana squash plants. Now to dry the skins on the underside and store. They store really well for months.

Autumn Show

First time entering the Autumn Show. 

Firsts in cabbage, courgette and three vases of herbs.  Second in chutney with a courgette chutney and second in handicraft with my festival cardigan.

Will enter more classes next year.

Leopard Slugs

 

Apparently leopard slugs are great for helping to keep the normal slug population in check.  We have several visiting our garden when we forget to bring the cat's bowl in.  I'm almost tempted to have a leopard slug breeding programme and then release them in the allotment!

Deadheading marigolds

Deadheading the marigolds is quite time-consuming but I need to keep them flowering in order to have enough to dry.

I'll dead head until early September and then let the seeds form to collect for next year.

Sorry Slow Worms

 After leaving the plastic down for a year to reclaim the overgrown raspberry patch I took it up today and the slow worms have had to find a new home.  Luckily they rather enjoy the green compost tubs. 

Radishes

This year the radishes have loved the weather. Sown straight onto the no dig bed. No need to thin pick as needed when ready.

Radishes

 Happy with the radishes this year.  We don't usually grow them but I think I probably will now.

Thinning them as we eat them seems to be working well.

Edit: Septembers radishes got quite badly eaten by slugs, need to think about how to protect the row.

Pest control with Nasturtiums

 The nasturtium I planted next to the beans has certainly done its job as a catch crop.  It will now need to be pulled up and I'll sow some others to take its place.

First flowers on courgette

 The first flowers are coming on the courgette plants.  You can just see the tiny mountain spinach, red orach, which are in several beds.  

Regrowing

 Some of the onions in the cupboard had started to sprout.  I unpeeled them layer by layer until I got to the sprouting core.  I now have another eight plants from the inside of just two onions.

There are lots of regrowing ideas on our SustainAble website here

Ladybird larvae helper

 

At last I have some help trying to keep the bean plants free from blackfly.

White rot?

Unfortunately I think we have got white rot in the garlic bed.

There are a few plants affected.

I plan to salvage what I can and destroy the others on the fire pit.  On the affected bed I shall also light a fire to try to kill any remaining fungus.  We won't be able to grow garlic or onions on this bed again.  

Well at least for 15 years!

 

Wren's Nest

After making a new storage area a wren moved in so we couldn't use it for a while.  There were three babies.

No Dig Bed for Brussels

 After covering the unsuccessful raspberry area which had become unmanageable we are beginning to peel  back the plastic to make some new beds.

The first bed is for the brussels sprouts.  We had lots of foliage last year but not really any brussels.  We know a lot more about wind rock now!

The covered ground was fairly weed free I dug out any roots I could see.

Covered the area with cardboard then wet it.  I then used our compost to make the raised bed.

There is a bad patch of weather on its way so I'll wait until winds have stopped to plant the brussels.

Early mist

 It is really beautiful over in the allotment first thing in the morning.

Chives

 Lots of bee activity on the chives.  The comfrey flowers have only just started to open.

New Compost Heap

 I have made a better effort with compost this year.  The pieces are smaller and there is a wider variety of things in it, including larma poo.

Comfrey

 The comfrey is just beginning to flower.  Hopefully we'll get the two cuts in for the compost heap.  Our focus is on soil improvement this year.

Cabbage collars

 Using cardboard around the cabbage has worked well in deterring cabbage root fly and slugs.

Rhubarb and garlic

The rhubarb is doing well.  I really need to separate them, the crowns also need splitting.  We don't really need two plants at all.

Garlic seems to be enjoying the company of the self sown orach spinach.

Sowing between metal

 Sowing between metal poles has proved to be very successful in deterring slug from getting to the newly germinated seedling.  I have even managed to grow a whole row of lettuces without them getting eaten.

Protection against dogs!

 This is something I didn't think I'd need to do this year.  However, some allotment owners are bringing their dogs off lead.  I've had several new plants trampled.

Another way is with string.