Seeds

Just put in a huge order for next years seeds.  Got some really unusual ones too!  Until they arrive, that is all!

23 Apr 2013 - Three Sisters planting started

As planned, I managed to get to the allotment (after sorting a flat tyre on the bike) and started doing the digging.  I was sure I would manage the 10x10ft bed, but realised that even if I dug up the paths, it still wouldn't be wide enough, so I kept it as a 10x6.

Before and after pics are usually a bit dull, but this was a true makeover AND I stuck to the instructions all the way!!! (you have no idea how difficult that was for me!)  Here's the history and how to set out the bed if you're interested.

The self-control was at epic proportions!
I had to weed the whole area first, which went well until I pulled up the green tarp and found that even being covered up for 12+ months, Mares tail survives!
I then had to be more careful to get the whole root out - which I did on about 90% of it (the vinegar-as-weedkiller will have to do for the rest of it!) 
Then I added in the mushroom compost (3 bags) and dug those in. 
I edged the bed and raked the soil/compost around evenly...by this time I was getting bored and so close to just putting the corn in where I thought it would keep to the pattern needed....but a coffee break soon put me back on track.
I got out the tape measure and did my 18" squares, then put the corn in a diamond shape 6" apart, on alternating heaps - after hearing this, my partner is getting nervous because this could be the new me, and that's a scary thought!

managed to get complete roots out!

Mares tail - 12 months under a cover!

a few decorations and one of the diamonds - front'n'centre

Three Sisters Planting system

This year, I'm going to try something new at the allotment.  I always have the best intentions, then when I get to planting, I get bored with the preparation so I bung everything in a well-it-looks-straight-to-me fashion and I'm totally sure that in a few months time I'll remember what I planted in which half of the bed! It's a system that seems to work for me, but I'm intrigued by this one and really AM going to do it properly.  Honest.

I've got the corn on the windowsill growing nicely, just planted the beans seeds, some squash are coming up - so I'm ready to start this Tuesday 23 April 2013.  There.  Date set.  Must achieve!

And because I'm a very honest person, I'm not even going to pretend that this Native American system is even remotely my idea!  Although I can't remember where I first heard about it, this was the most informative site I found, with plans I could understand (and hopefully follow - which would be no fault of theirs if I didn't!)  How to set out your bed 

Incase you can't be bothered reading about it in full, what I'm basically going to do is have sweetcorn, beans and squashes all growing in the same bed.  In a nutshell there are lots of mounds of mud, the corn is planted first (4 in a diamond shapes leaving space between the mounds) , then when they get taller the beans are planted (4 in a square, in the same space as the corn) then the squash is planted in between the corn/bean mounds.  The idea is that the corn supports the beans and the squash restricts the weeds, and lots of blah, blah, blah about nutrients and water used.

I'll keep you updated and put in photos as it progresses, because I'm quietly confident on this one, and because I can't help but experiment, I'm going to try it with the dwarf varieties as well!

23 Aug 2012 - mostly tidy and check up

One path needed to be covered up, we managed to get hold of some offcuts of carpet - weeded then black plastic bags, then the carpet - that should do the business!

Happy bee day!

Here's how the carrots and scorzonera are doing - we use the Bushy's beer glasses from TT's gone past - with the bottoms cut off, to protect from predators (looks like it's working!)

The turnips are doing fine, check out the size of this one!  As you can see the leaves are quite tasty, but at least they keep away from the veg.

Here's how the Jerusalem artichoke and sweetcorn are doing.  Our corn is a bit behind others at the allotment, but still, we've got 10 plants and 3 ears showing!

Very happy with that because we never even got the seeds to take at the old plot!

22 July 2012 - how it's going so far!

Me & my turnips!

Mike & his snack

Amaranthus Calaloo

 My plan for putting toilet rolls round each seed so I'd know when an experimental seedling has come up - got a big FAIL - here's the 4 different types of seedling for amaranthus calaloo - definitely recognise 2 of them as weeds!  No idea what the plant should look like... Google images, here I come!

Leaves bed 1

Here's the first "leaves" bed - the brussel sprouts have survived their rabbit attack, nasturtiums doing fine and the toilet roll farm is growing well (whether they are seedlings or weedlings is a different matter altogether!). Got some brocolli and cauliflower come up, the leeks are doing fine between the leaves rows and the spinach is surviving at the end of the bed.

Sweetcorn

The sweetcorn has started to come up, I'm not sure if we'll get any crop but this is inspiring because I never got this far with sweetcorn at the previous allotment.  Very excited to see more coming up too!  It's not the crop, it's the growing something that counts (that's the link to when all these were planted!)

Here's the first roots bed, with the turnips that we're thinning out gradually (in the middle).

Mike's protected the Jerusalem artichokes at the end (just behind the sweetcorn, and I've protected the smaller sweetcorn and carrot seedlings.

At the front, we've protected some of the Scorzonera and right at the front is some carrot and the unknown-but-probably-beet seedlings coming up.  We've got a few beetroot coming up right by the turnips as well.

Sweetcorn, Carrots, Artichokes

Everything's a bit slower this year, probably because of the amount of rain & lack of sunshine, but here's hoping that everything works out!

Ornamental Gourds plants

Globe artichoke

Potatoes bed 1

First raspberry crop

2nd turnip crop

Slug eater bathing!

2 July 2012 - Croppage!

Some blackcurrants ready to pick, and lots more to come - we even got there before the birds!

A few raspberries are ready too - we've protected them against from the birds now.

The comfrey is growing like mad, will come in very handy later on as compost, but for now, we'll leave it to the bumblebees!

 Rhubarb wine soon - must go and get all the equipment (and instructions!)

Mike having a quick break, showing off our first turnip - we're slowly going to thin them out, by eating one at a time!

Now that the strawberry bed has been weeded (the grass tried to move in) we've got fruits!

 In this bed we've got the turnips, a few carrots, 2 corn and all 4 jerusalem artichokes (which the bunnies have taken a wee bit more notice of than I would've liked)

The first bed of potatoes is doing well - we've got 4 varieties in here (and you can just see the plastic bottle and toilet roll crops in the background!)

Here's what we took home - looks like it could be summer fruit pudding and turnip for tea then!

25 June 2012 - new growth

Pumpkin (possibly)

My brother very nicely got me some seeds for Christmas, I had planned to have a whole bed of my favourite pumpkins, but so far, all that's come up is the ornamental gourds!  Well, at least I've got something, but how do I get them to be ornamental?  I'm guessing I've got to get the seeds out, but you never see holes in the ones in posh shops.....Time to learn a new dark art!

ornamental gourds

I lost the label, so the plant in the root-trainer pot is possibly a pumpkin, marrow, melon or courgette!  You can see how well the roots grow in these pots (they split in half for easy access and reuse).

before....with weeds

after

Here's the "leaves" bed - at the front is brussel sprouts, then further back (in toilet rolls) is some cauliflower (plants & seeds), brocolli plants, amaranthus calaloo seeds, cos lettuce seeds and rainbow spinach plants.  Between the rows is leeks.
  

Purple brussel sprout

Turnips & Nasturtium

Corn & Jerusalem Artichokes

Globe Artichokes

We've got some fruit coming through - and plans to start making rhubarb wine!

Gooseberries

Cape Gooseberries

Redcurrants

Raspberries

Rhubarb v boot!

Plums

 

resident

relaxing after some hard work

30 May 2012 - seedling successes

Today was all about a big clear out of a patch of grass that was getting more and more out of control, or so I thought.  It ended up being much more exciting than that!

I planted out 5 spaghetti squash and gave them their own "greenhouse" as an experiment to see if this will work better than growing them on the windowsill and transplanting out, or if it doesn't make any difference either way.

I dug in some horse manure a few weeks ago and turned over a few times, when the seedlings get bigger, I'll put straw round to stop the squash from rotting.

before

Then I set about clearing the grass, it was harder than I thought it would be and found 5 tyres underneath it all!  I did get it finished, but got a little distracted by frogs, butterflies and weeding round seedlings when I got bored!

after

The seedlings were doing really well, we've got a variety of things showing up in all beds. 

brocolli

sprouts

photo 1

photo 1 - from far left:
Jerusalem artichokes
Sweetcorn
Purple haze carrots
Salsify
Nasturtium
Turnip
Scorzonera

photo 2

photo 2 - from far left
Brocolli (close up above)
Cauliflower
Parsley
Nasturtium
Brussel sprouts

Then there were my distractions, chatting to the neighbour with the pond, seemed like a good idea to find frogs!  A butterfly exploriing the strawberries also took my fancy and the creme de la creme was the surprise on the way home, but I'm gunna have to put that on the next blog because I think there are enough photos on the one now!