Still here (reprise)

A long, long time since I updated the Blog. Happenings since:
i) I took a promotion, which was supposed to mean less work and more money - and in reality means more work, at the wrong time and a question mark as to whether the money's worth the extra hassle.
ii) I injured my back in a car accident when a cr**tin pulled out of a side road wrecking my pride and joy.
iii) The allotment shed blew over (yet again) in the February (?) storms.
iv) The owners of the allotment site put us onto a rolling contract (year to year) with a curious break clause.

Shed now anchored and, despite the lack of time, some things growing on the Plot - but not as much as I'd like. It looks like being another funny year - onion sets not doing so well and brassicas struggling to germinate; angelica disappeared. I also seem to be the only person who can kill Bocking comfrey. Parts of the Plot, once cleared, have travelled backwards but I may well post a pic - we have some lovely flowers in the middle of the Plot and the potatoes and rhubarb are rampant .....

Still here

A long time since I updated the Blog. Like many people I've had more than my share of failures this year. The runner beans were slow to start and 1 wigwam was devastated by slugs and snails. Most of the peas and French beans failed to germinate - unfortunately I was too slow off the mark to get any more started. Some seeds just didn't get sown at all. Despite the ravages of blight elsewhere on the site, we have been enjoying the potatoes - although the Moulin Rouge has fared badly and it remains to be seen whether the Caras will be a success. The tomatoes, which were hit, have hung on but I suspect that the lack of sun and warmth means that many will not ripen. Onions (Radar) and garlic have been a success. Am waiting on the sweetcorn!

Feels like Autumn's on the way - onto Autumn digging ...

Happy Birthday

A swift interrogation of my email account reveals that this is the first anniversary of the date I officially obtained Plot 32.
With work and the weather often against me, progress has been sporadic; however, growing on the plot (with the help of my parents) are:
rhubarb, red & white currant, angelica, gooseberry (2 types), asparagus, onion (3 types), garlic, broad bean, beetroot, turnip, radish, carrot, potato (4 types), mint (3+ types!), tomato (2 types), chive, foxglove, sweet william, lupin, peas, runner bean, french bean, sweetcorn, raspberry, thornless blackberry, strawberry and gherkin (struggling!).
Still to go in: African marigold, comfrey, spring onion, pak choi, another radish, lettuce, pumpkin, 2 more tomatoes.
Almost certainly too late for: sunflower, squash, limnanthes and brussels/caulis.

Have guttering on shed courtesy of pater. Will post new piccies soon - no sniggering!

Still behind

All of the potatoes are now in, with the Arran Pilots earthed up and the Charlottes just beginning to show. Only 4 of the asparagus crowns have thrown spears - fingers crossed that the rest haven't died. Have sown pickling onions, whilst the African Marigolds and tomatoes have been started courtesy of mother - have also bought Black Russians to try. Picked up a petrol hover mower from Ebay (to keep the paths down) and have also bought a water butt.
Broad beans attacked by bean weevil; sweetcorn not yet sprouted. Extremely busy at work .....

Progress so far ...

.. not much! Having complained about the wet weather, the Plot is now too dry and I'm desperate for some rain. I have got my early potatoes in and created my asparagus bed, which is planted up with the crowns from Seeds of Italy. I'm hardening off my sweet peas and chitting my sweetcorn - a tip I saw on John Harrison's website allotment.org.uk, linked to on this site. Have done a bit of rotavating and am still clearing parts of the Plot. Mother has planted broad bean and some onion seedlings (Red Baron?)
My intention this week is to get the Brussels and Cauli started and get some peas in. I still haven't sown the tomato, which is another job ...

Planting?

Work and the wet weather mean that I've done very little by way of blogging and plotting. I did spend part of last weekend at the Plot and intended to go today but the lawns at home begged for their first cut of the year. Anyway, all of the garlic is now through and growing strongly and the onions seem to have over-wintered well. The rhubarb is beginning to grow and the gooseberry and currant I transplanted are beginning to bud. My potatoes have chitted well and my intention is to get the earlies in next weekend - 1st April is a root day and I'm trying lunar planting! Have just had 1500 litres of mushroom compost delivered - a bit pricey but it looks and smells great and comes from a company that supplies the National Trust. One small disaster is the Wild Asparagus ordered from OGC - another crop failure! Fortunately I think I've found an alternative supplier in Seeds of Italy - who I shall add to my links. I'm behind with several things - tonight (?) I'll be soaking my sweet peas with a view to starting them off tomorrow. Then there's tomatoes and broad beans. At least I've dusted off, refuelled and tested the rotavator, which still starts!

Seed / potatoes

I'm currently chitting my seed potatoes - 25 each of Arran Pilot and Cara, 14 Charlotte and 10 Moulin Rouge. Apart from those, the asparagus and the onions and garlic already planted, I shall be growing this year:
Carrot - Early Nantes and Autumn King; tomato - San Marzano; turnip - Purple Top Milan; pak choi - Green Revolution; sweetcorn - Sweet Sensation; beetroot - Detroit Globe; lettuce - Little Gem; spring onion - White Lisbon; pickling onion - Barletta; cauliflower - Snowball; radish - Sparkler 3; chilli - mixed; broad bean - The Sutton; French bean - Safari; gherkin - Bimbostar; petit pois - PeaWea. I'm likely to add Brussels sprouts - Breeze - and some choy sum.
Flower wise, I have numerous varieties of sweet pea, some African marigold and Limnanthes. Daughter is likely to add sunflower!