Early Summer bits and bobs - 2018

[peter]

Go into and tidied the greenhouse, it had been used as a lumber store for the shed extension, sowed a dozen trays of mixed sizes, weeded the border and then soaked it. An aqualegia had popped up on one edge so left it to bloom.

Bird netting and compost were flavour of the day at the allotment shop this week.

Popped back to the allotment after tea to give the bindweed a gentle wash down before their bedtime

[Geoff]

All looking very productive Pa Snip.

I'm also wondering what is under the potato tops. The Rocket in the polytunnel are nowhere near as productive as usual. I asked in an earlier post if the vigour of a variety could vary, outside the front row is Rocket with the Charlotte and Picasso behind them looking much better.

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Above I mentioned Snowball cauliflower for dinner, and very nice it was too. The prolific Delikett mangetout are coming to an end so we had some of those podded as well, predictably a small but sweet type of pea.

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Monika, we had 3.55mm of rain, I've been trying to work out what area a can would have to cover to be the same but brain gave up.

[robo]

We had rain forecast but none was forthcoming

[Pa Snip]

At 05:36 this morning we had two scurrilous thieving visitors to the street.

Mrs S has spotted them in the vicinity before at different times but this was a first for me.

I guess at that time of morning they feel it likely there will be few people around to put paid to their thieving antics.

The areas of SW London and Windsor Great Park are rife with these non indigenous individuals taking benefit and robbing us of the fruits of our labours whenever they can.

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[tigerburnie]

Thankfully we don't have the thieving blighters, just Grey Squirrels slowly making their across the country.

[Monika]

The culprits here are pheasants and house sparrows - the former are especially fond of gooseberries, peas and broad beans, the latter will nibble at anything green .....

[robo]

We used to have a pheasant it would strut up and down the track which runs down the middle of the plots it used to make one he'll of a noise if anyone got near it , then it vanished I think the call of the female pheasants over the field were to much for it to ignore now we have a young one doing exactly the same thing

[robo]

It looks like our dry spell is over , heavy rain forecast for this evening , it's been nice while it lasted

[retropants]

Got to the allotment today to water and pick a few bits, discovered that a large pest has taken out half my garlic plants and sweet corn plants. The garlic still has 6 weeks to go and the sweet corn was only a foot tall. The pest had size nine feet, left big footprints in the soil. We are a locked site too, so depressing to think it is a fellow plot holder When I say taken out, I mean removed completely, no sign of them anywhere.

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Retropants, that is an awful thing to happen....I should think that is the worse way you can lose things.

[Pa Snip]

Dear Retropants, that is an awful thing to happen....I should think that is the worse way you can lose things.

Hi Retro, that makes me seething mad. Hopefully it is not a fellow plotholder and is not the start of a site problem.

Amazing what people will help themselves to. I have received a spate of questions on our site as to why I have painted my nice new strong bean canes with splashes of fluorescent paint
It is as a deterrent as when I purchased some new ones this season someone helped themselves to a few. Everyone who has asked is incredulous when I tell them the reason. I distinctly feel the perpetrator is someone from off site.

I have actually been struggling to find decent sweetcorn pants for sale at a sensible price in garden centres this year. We have 21 home grown plus 18 I purchased yesterday ( I take a size 10 and I have a receipt )

You might just be able to see the yellow paint marks in this picture, although painting sweetcorn plants is not an option (OR is it !! )

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[robo]

Retropants that's worrying if I was you I would tour your allotment and check every plot out for freshly planted sweetcorn , our allotment is in probably the roughest part of the northwest but apart from a spate of breakings a few years ago nothing goes missing

[JohnN]

We've had really good strawberries this year, but my parsnips haven't sprouted at all! Leeks, pots, peas, beans and beetroot all doing well. Age is catching up with me (85 next month) so I had a professional gardener/friend come in, mow the back lawn and do some hedge trimming. Pic enclosed - first time in 58 years I haven't cut it myself! Hordes of starlings and sparrows descended on it, so hopefully there'll be fewer ants.

[Diane]

Lovely and tidy.

[tigerburnie]

We have a rather strong wind blowing so I thought I'd put the hanging baskets on the ground before they do it themselves. Bit of an experiment in them this year:-

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This one has climbing French beans in it

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These two have petit pois in the left hand one and sweetpeas in the right, all are fed twice weekly with liquid tomato feed and seem to working quite well.