Kitchen Garden Forum

"The best laid schemes of mice and men gang aft agley"


So much depends on the weather.. Another winter like last one? Another late spring or not?

Pragmatism rules.

Edit: I am of course quoting from "To a mouse" by some Scots poet whose name escapes me

Parsonsjack, good luck and have fun with the new allotment
Masdafish, it would be great to have a crystal ball !

Hi Westie. Try cable ties for fastening your bean frame...they don't stretch and work loose like string.
I make an "A" frame and put canes angled outwards at each end which gives added stability....touch wood, my frames have remained as strong as when first put up and we have had some fearsome gales this summer.
Cheers.

My plan so far is to be even more scrupulous when cleaning out the greenhouses. Despite being vigilant, I had Red Spider Mite on the cucumbers
Despite good ventilation, pans of water and misting the plants, the little devils took up residence and resisted all attempts to evict them.

I didn't have them last year and thought I'd cracked it...my heart sank when I saw the familiar symptoms.
Cheers.

Yes that's on my list too Elaine. I've not had red spider but a plague of white fly on everything this year which I've never had before. I have the usual clumps of tagetes in the border which are supposed to keep whitefly away, but they were even on that as well this year. The sticky traps caught a lot, but there were still enough left to cause black mould on leaves and fruit.

I wondered if it was because I have been growing more plants over winter in the greenhouse so there was somewhere for the insects to hide, and haven't had it plant free to kill all the nasties off.

Still busy clearing up in the garden preparing it for winter, last outdoor grapes are still ripening, and picked some kiwi jenny today, need to prune grapevine when dormant so that will be the last job. Then like you, will be giving the greenhouse a good spring clean on the next rainy day.!

Well you have all inspired me to be more organised, as a full time carer my time is limited, while my heart says be like OH and just take it one day at a time, I am starting early planting this autumn for early crops.Two different autumn onion sets, and an autumn garlic to use fresh early next year another autumn garlic that will keep. Douce de provence under cloches for an early crop of peas, and autumn planted broad beans, winter salad stuff is in and some chard which I am picking now if it survives winter should give me an early crop next year. Herbs potted up in the greenhouse for winter use too, and a tub of carrots for early use. Autumn gold rasberry is just about finnished fruiting on the tips, so if I just trim fruited tips then they should fruit early on old canes and next autumn on the new canes next year. Between now and christmas hopefully I will have next years planting plan worked out, I may get the kitchen garden calender so I can see it all at a glance. I treated myself to the RHS Grow Your Own Journal to record progress and varieties tried.