9 August

Phew... blog up to date... So lets do some comparisons of what 'July' achieved. Generally month and a half between shots - 26 June to 9 August.

Taken from other sides of the plot but squash explosion! Lots of cropping, lots of different types. Only the Bnut not yet got mature fruit.

So this was the last of the space. You can see the grass path above (killed but not dug), and the beans 2 weeks after planting (beetroot down the middle - sowed by J and, er, not thinned ;) ). Great to have got the last of the plot into action.

In the 'old' shot (two above) you could see the edge of the beans and, while not the best plot, you can now see that these have filled out, below. First carrier bag of beans took me by surprise - I didn't realise there was so much on there. French beans really tasty - pleasantly surprised! Didn't think I had a runner / french preference, and don't remember last year's being that great. You can also see some lines of seed gone in below (winter lettuce, chard, beet and beetroot).

26 July

Sooo... Spot the problem? ITS EMPTY! Well, a little bit... The squash patch is back right - that's going great. The Strawberries I didn't get in early enough due to rain (and so gave up after a while anyway). But in a few months, what of this is still going to be going? Must... extend... season...

Few of my seeds worked in the garden. I think it was a lack of water and baking sunshine. I think things germinated, but baked soon afterwards so I didn't even see anything on the surface. That said, I'm sick of half full packs of 5 year old seeds. From now on it will be one pack per row.

Sooo... I spent 3 hours driving round the New Forest looking for a nursery that still had crops for sale. They generally laughed and said I was much to late to buy - absolute bull. Finally got the answer out of one where I spoke to a fellow allotmenteer who told me that everyone had lost their crops due to the weather and so had bought second waves, clearing out the local stores. She also had bare space on her plot. But I found someone and bought some more brassicas, leaves and beans.

Squashes everywhere :D Going great. Need to watch which are getting mildew. Interestingly I'm seeing the Bnut at the back of the plot working really well but that at the front much less so.

Nasty, boring, wasteful space... But wait for it...

Boom :D location chosen by the little man (smack in the middle... *sigh*). I'll be interested to see if it is too late. I don't really see why it should be. If August is like July I'll be eating beans in September.

Took a nice sized bag of shallots and onions.

Weeded out the beetroot and was pleased I did - I nearly trashed the lot thinking they were swamped in weeds. Had a few baby beets - victims of the weeding, but generally did great. Really pleased as beetroot is healthy, tasty and super colourful - all good kiddy fodder...

The 'old' beans beginning the get there - at the top of the poles but generally thin. I'm beginning to think that some of the green french beans were not climbers - the beans are much thicker at the bottom. There are three different types - green french, purple french (definitely climbing) and green runner.

The new brassicas gone in, above, and some nicely hearting cabbages, below. Hope that when I take them they are good inside :D

19 July

So... mid July and finally some good weather. I've not watered that much - a good soaking once a week since the water levels dropped. But the sun has been fantastic! Real difference.

Squashes have exploded and are cropping already.

Generally the plot is looking, well, like a plot! Disappointed with the beans which are behind others, but generally cropping squashes and leaves making up for the lack of other staples.

More leaves than we can eat (above). Lots of weeds between rows. But the crop below says it all - mix os squashes, mix of leaves. Really pleased!

Oh yes, and a mix of alliums. Onions, shallots and banana shallots. Definitely want to do more shallots next year - so much flavour. Perhaps also some red onions...

2 July

Ok... so peak season is coming up!

Leaves doing great. Thinned out and hoed between rows.

Squashes beginning to pick up. Look widely spaced by that's not going to last long...

Onions and shallots looking sparse, and not much size in the beds behind them, but behind is due to recently thinning out. The brassicas provided plenty of broccoli but must use purple sprouting next year - had quite a glut!

28 June

Ok, so its not 28 June... Its not even 28 July... Its mid August and I've been slack on the blogging, but here is an attempt at a catch-up (albeit brief!).

So bit picture is that its not quite as wet as it has been although none of the trenches have really come to anything. Still some bits to dig over from last year, no beans to speak of, but leaves doing ok front right.

Good news though - of my three crowns, two have sprouted small leaves so I'm hoping to have some rhubarb next year.

14 June

Got down the plot again properly today which was great - 3 hours. It was getting too far behind waiting for the dry, but there wasn't much I could do about the weather! A bit of inspiration from Dad who came and did a bit yesterday

RIP old friend... I'll keep the tray - its proving quite a useful tray although shifting compost not so good for my back. Might need to pick up a new one for father's day (hint hint... Oh bugger, forgot noone reads this...).

Well, I got into the new compost and was so pleased! Its not perfect, but some of it has only have about 8 months.

Nice to see some green string in there again :D Planted rocket, radishes, beetroot and looooads of squash plants that had been grown from seed at home. Still got loads left - might pot some up and see how they go! I'm expecting slug damage...

Hmm... Put my chillies in. Not sure why! Might be a bit of a waste of space. Really should put some herbs in. Lettuce isn't great but mixed with a nice herb salad... Well, maybe I can just grow more in the pots at home! Got a bowl of basil and cos right next to me :)

Thought I'd try this... Three squashes. The trailing one (Bnut) is on the ground in the middle. The courgettes are raised. Firstly it should help flooding- the raised squashes should survive. Plus it gives a bit of variety - if a dry season now then the raised squashes will suffer, although there again, they will be easy to water direct. Lets see!

Oh yes - and mental note - I may think I can put sun cream on my own back but... I can't. At all. Bugger.

18 May

Well, Mid May and time to put the child labour to work! Only just dried up enough to do some work. Grabbed a few hours in the sun this week - nice stripy sunburn but at least the plants I bought weeks ago from a nursery are in. Probably cost a lot from being pot bound and drowned in the rain, but nature survives :)

Jumping straight to the end result - beginning to look like a plot again. Winter bed doing ok and has provided a number of lettuces. Brassicas also doing ok - kale lost to variable conditions but some summer cabbages coming along.. Shallots and onions doing well, albeit in small numbers. Ground nearly all prepped for planting and beginning to get some of the bits in.

I've never grown through fabric before but its got to be done - I just can't get down the plot enough to deal with the weeds. This was strawb effort. All runners from last year (nice and cheap ;) ) but will need to buy a few plants to fill the bed. £1.25 per meter of fabric (2m wide) from local allotment association shop - bargin! I bought 10m.

Get some leaves growing...

Just showing shallots, winter bed and brassicas (front to back).

Prepped and ready for planting. I've been slow of the mark with seeds in the back garden but once they germinate (of I find a few in a  garden center ;) ) I'll get my runners in. Some fabric behind waiting for squashes to grow a little for planting out.

Home lawn

Ok... So its not part of the blog, nor am I likely to post pictures. Think moss and mud, with a distinct squelchy quality and you'll be there.

Anyway, last year I spend a lot of time trying to reseed the lawn. This year it looked pretty much as it did at the start of last year, so some more drastic thinking required...

Firstly, I couldn't really give a damn about privacy in our garden. Apart from trying NOT to see next door in their hot tub *shudder* I've no use for tall trees. So they've all come out.

Second, stick a fork in it... Well this went very badly! Some of the dirt is max an inch deep. I could even see the shallower bits after the drought last year, where a brown square over what I assume was a soak away appeared as if by magic. I tested a number of other places and many were the same. Last year I even tried to dig through part of one to plan some sunflowers - it was back breaking! Nearly literally... I dragged a load of crap that I dug out to the tip, but I can't possibly do that for all of the lawn.

So, thirdly, damage limitation. Now there should be more light, so I need to see what it is capable of. So early May I've hand weeded (bloody guinea pig...) raked the moss, dumped a box of seed, 4 bags of silver sand (yes, I know, sharp would have been better) and 3 old tubs of compost onto the top. Crudely raked and brushed in.

Now leave and see what happens. If what happened to my last place happens here I'll kill the lawn and provide a top layer of lovely soil for weeds. Hopefully by throwing down seed under the sand and compost (and a bit of feed - not a great idea with seed, but, hey) I'll have grass coming up rather than weed. Well, hopefully, magic is real and I'll be rewarded by a passing wizard for my effort with a lovely, thick lawn!

Ok, so maybe my early expectation is a bit more realistic.

----

Oh shit... A comment on the post... Someone's reading this crap...

Well in that case, as requested, here is a 'before' and 'after' photo. Above, the patchy, just treated moss fest, and below the reflection of a hand (but also the end result of a little TLC).

Over all I think short-term success - very pleased. Just need to keep the lawn thick and have a think about aerating in a slightly more long term fashion.

Record of what I planted and how it went...

2014 will be the first year I actually make an effort to record what went well... I will try to keep updating this to give myself some thoughts.

Apple tree - went very well - probably golden delicious - but did get scab on fruit. Fungicide recommended (Bordeaux mixture?). Can see a lot of damage on leaves late May - can see scab is in leaves and not just fruit so need to treat at budding stage. Tried Bordeaux mid May but likely way too late.

Garlic - solent wight - planted late 2013 and very strong stemmed by March. Still going well May. Out well before weeds so has been easy (so far) to keep weed free). Looking strong late May.

Mixed lettuce - informative, right? - over wintered under fleece. Could have taken in April, definitely will in May.

Kale - fizz - overwintered well where black kale did not! Expect to bolt as planted late and not up to cropping size. Conclusion - bolted and no crop.

Broccoli - not sure - overwintered but planted too late and bolted before reached any size. Broccoli planted later did best of all the brassicas (doesn't need so much lime?). Haven't cropped yet but heads visible in mid June.

Kale - curly - over wintered ok and at good size but got damp and rotted. Should take more off some plants when young Oct / Nov / Dec to ensure not wasted.

Kale - curly - Reflex F1- planted young in April. Not limed but some extra compost. Had rough start with flooding. Didn't really survive rough start. Combo of varied conditions and planting of small plants mean loss of most plants. Would have benefited from potting on before planting out. June - some survived I hadn't really noticed and starting to do better.

Kale - Black kale - as Reflex - rough start!

Winter lettuce - over wintered very well under fleece. Haven't taken much. Should have planted further apart.

Perpetual spinach beet - as with winter lettuce, should have planted wider apart and allowed to grow. Got some kind of infection while under fleece. Many others didn't fleece and probably got better crops. Need to thin and leave some to grow better. Bolted by late April.

Onion - hercules (sets) - to follow... Appears to be doing well May... Ditto June...

Shallot - Vigarmor (French banana), pink - to follow... Appears to be doing well May... Ditto June...

Shallot - Biztro (spicy, bolt resistant) - to follow... Appears to be doing well May... Ditto June...

Little gem - shop bought and row planted out mid May - far too long in pot. Doing fine mid June

Spinach beet - shop bought and row planted out mid May - far too long in pot. Well spaced and looking gd June

Rainbow chard  - as spinach beet.

Squashes - from seed. Variety planted into soil mixed with compost (some raised) mid June.

Runner beans - planted early - mid June as lost first lot (slugs). Pellets keeping them ok although soil might be too wet? Not really growing very well. Those grown from seed in trainers looking really good (but germination rate seemed low - overwatered seed?

May rain...

First off, I just wanted to get some of the winter work uploaded. Here is the shed before and after several coats and re-felting. Plus a pic of the little man who helped me!

Its early May and the temperatures are pretty much ok - still some evidence of frosts on the forecasts, but nothing we're seeing. But there has been rain. And I mean RAIN! The plot has been a swimming pool at times. I got down there yesterday to weed and check it out. Dug out the old brassica bed, strimmed the grass and tilled the bare ground.

Not the best picture but you can see how wet it is. Tiller has been keeping the ground weed free. The back right was an effort digging (tiller no use to help with that sort of job!) and I chose to put it under plastic to stop the weeds. I'm hoping that the tiller will reduce what's there to a plantable surface once its dried a little.

Brassicas going ok under netting, but I should probably have limed deeper (I've bought some to top dress only) and also piled up the soil more (there is a bit of a mound, but there wasn't really enough soil for big mounds!).

The reason the soil isn't prepared quite as I wanted is that, when I came to take apart the lovely compost heap I found:

Bugger... Had I known it was there I wouldn't have touched it. I've tried to cover it back up, but I'm fairly sure it is deserted now. Shame, but not much that can be done. I will wait until the eggs are taken or hatched!

Last but not least... A few pictures of my soggy helpers taken a few weeks ago...

22 March - RRRROOOOOAARRR

Went down about a week ago - beginning to dry a little but not ready for planting yet. Bit of digging for exercise really as not doing plot much good!

Flooding has been a real problem so some irrigation ditches dug. There are some ditches round the site, but they're pretty full of debris and there is no way through to them so these ditches are really just to drain the water to the sides.

A little bit of over-wintered veg... Not really impressed to be honest! Too much flooding and bad weather, I'm just pleased to have something growing...

Right... The foreman is in session... You can see one of the over wintered beds has weed killer on it - nothing worth saving on it.

READY FOR IT?!

Oh yes :D my little man with my not so little toy!!

Some precision work! Very impressed.

Compare to the first photo... Power tools in action! Done some strimming/edging of the grass and tillered the left hand side (and a bit of the border next to the path on the left). A little less water and we're ready for planting!

Very chuffed with the tiller. It digs down 6-9 inches quite easily in this soil. Its no substitute for digging - you can see when it skips over the ground, but this ground has been dug and worked, so the tiller just shreds the soil into a nice bed ready for planting.

I'm not sure if it would have saved me much of the hard work I've put in so far - this was the ideal time to get hold of one. Very pleased!