gazmans allotment

2006-10-04T08:22:00.000-07:00

this is just a short update has everything seems to be slowing down now.all i have left in the ground now is brussels,cabbage,leeks and swede.all my tomatos in the greenhouse have now gone and i have picked has many chilli peppers has i am ever going to use or give away.bloody hundreds of them,next year i will only have a couple of chilli plants.i have started to string some up but this takes ages.
all my potatos,onions,swede and marrows are nicely stored in the shed ready for when i want them.

i have dug up an old apple tree that was old and passed it and not giving me many apples and during the winter i am hoping to replace it with another apple tree.but i would like a plum and nectarine as well.i am not growing anything during the winter once all the current veg are out of the ground.what i intend to do is once i have dug everything up i am going to put cow manure over the soil and leave it over the winter hoping the worms do their job and i will then just turn it over next spring for planting.i have just had a nice lorry load of manure just delivered so should do the job nicely,also it should give any fruit trees i get a good start when planting them.bootiful a nice pile of s--t

show time

2006-08-22T09:48:00.000-07:00

everything on the plot is doing fine,even the caterpillars.yes the little baskets have been at my cauliflower,they have reached my cabbage yet but they will.haven`t been able to get down the plot much has the kids are off and they are not keen and get bored down there.
on sunday though was our allotment gardening show,although being a long day because i`m on the committee helping get everything set up it was very enjoyable.this was my first show i have been involved with and i am really pleased the way things went.also on the plus side i got 1st award for my beetroot,soft fruit,tomatoes and marrow,2nd award for flowers,and shallots,and 3rd for my cabbage.i know we just do for it for fun but it is nice to win. my old man showing my daughter all the exhibits.i have just recieved my catalogue from kings seeds has well so looks like i am going to start planning now for next year.

ripe crops

2006-08-12T23:30:00.000-07:00

this is just a short update has basically i am just weeding,watering and picking crops not alot happening.i have just lifted my last row of mid potatoes up which will keep me going for a while.the word from some of the old blokes about my main crop is to lift them all last week of august first week of september otherwise leaving them in longer there is a chance of slugs getting at them.all my onions are drying outside,i have put them under a open wooden frame so if it rains they should stay dry.looks like i have done too many again though and will be eating them till march again.last years kept really well hung in my shed.tomatoes are being picked every other day so they are coming out of my ears.now i never liked tomatoes since i was a kid but i thought i am growing these so may has well try them,and i actually liked them so eating tomatos after all these years.i have picked a few sweetcorn in the week which were alot better than last years,which i put on the barbeque.

i have also been picking blackberries and loganberries,which to be honest i should have had double of my loganberries in the tub but they are so nice tasteing that i ate half has i was picking them.everything else on the plot is growing well,all the brassicas are doing nice,potaoes are still lush green so i am reasonbly happy.the only problem i have had has been with a couple of swede.everytime i walked past them i could smell something so i starting checking each one,and about three of them had soft rot at the top.at the top of the swede where the leaves come out they had gone slimy.after reasearching i found this to be soft rot.so the damaged swedes have been dug up and touch wood all the other swedes seem ok with no problem.i am putting this problem down to me maybe not spacing the plants are far has i should of.the actual swede has plenty of room but did`nt realise how much large leaves you get with them so their leaves would be covering one another so the tops of the leaves were getting no sun so water was staying in the top of the leaves with no air circulation so it would start rotting the tops.i will know better next year.this coming sunday is our allotment show which should a good day.this is the first time i have done it but i should be able to put in one or two items for show,the only thing is it says 2 straight runner beans.well most of mine have a mind of their own and they like to bend so i shall have to see about showing them.

hot hot hot

2006-07-26T04:25:00.000-07:00

with all this sunshine and hardly any rain i am probably like hundreds of other allotment holders,watering like mad.although i am luckier than some where we have taps on site.everything has been thriving well though.winter savoy cabbages,brussel sprouts are doing well but have had to spray them has cabbage fly have been in force,and since i sprayed about 3 weeks ago i have found no more eggs left on the leaves so hoping thats that problem solved.runner beans are doing great and have been eating and freezing them has i have been picking them every other night,although the thunderstorm we had on saturday afternoon did knock alot of blossom off.i have lifted all my shallots and have them drying outside on a hold fence panel,although i planted these for pickling some of them are that big i would only get 2 in a jar.
i have picked all my blackcurrants off their bush and i don`t think i will be growing them again.i am giving them to someone else on the site.i thought me and the kids would like them them but i think eating them fresh is a required taste and i don`t really have time to do anything else with them.you live and learn,trying something you haven`t grown before is what having an allotment is about.i am still eating my mid potatoes which i still have alot in the ground.although some of the tops are starting to dry and fall.now my late potatoes are still doing well and the tops are still lush green,but i have noticed alot of other peoples lates potatoes and there tops do seem to be drying and collapsing.sweetcorn have cobs growing well but i am one plant less now has when i was watering i stepped back with my size 9 i broke the plant.i have been giving the leeks plenty of water and these do seem to be benefiting from this during the weather spell.everything in the greenhouse has been doing well especially with the hot temperatures it gets in there.i have had some small pots of sand in there which i soak in water.they are always dry the following day so i am hoping it might help humidity in the greenhouse.i don`t know wether it is actually working but the water has it dry`s has to go somewhere.now i have plenty of tomatoes coming i have given them a short back and sides(the sort of haircut your mum used to make you have when you was a kid) to help air circulation and sunlight and since doing this the tomatoes have come on in leaps and bounds turning red.the cucumbers in the greenhouse have also been doing great although mine do seem to be thicker than your average cucumber.my daughter eats these like you would a apple which is good news has once these plants start you do get overun with cucmbers.the only problem i have had with cucumbers is snails geting into the greenhouse and eating the smaller cucmbers,i have just put a few pellets round the pots and this has stopped them now.my chilli peppers are nice and green and are doing well,i like my food spicey so i am waiting for them to go red which is when they are at there hottest,but the other day i thought i would pick one of the green ones and try it.i bit into it and jumped all other the place,big mistake i could`nt get enough water on my tongue,think it took a layer of skin off. well back to watering and getting bit by every beetle know to man.

it only takes a sneeze

2006-06-28T10:35:00.000-07:00

it is surprising when you are away for only a week how much grows and changes on the allotment.today is the first chance i have been able to get down for a week has (don`t laugh)i sneezed last week and pulled my back out.that bad could`nt even make it to the pub for football.but feeling better today thought just go down and check the greenhouse. what were tomatoes the size of marbles last week are the size of golf balls this week,cucumbers sprouting everywhere and chilli peppers growing nice and tall.but it does look like a jungle in there,and i am worried about air circulation and sunshine getting to my plants.must remember to cut down on my plants next year.so my plan is at the weekend(as long as my back holds out) i am going to take out my shelving so everything can be put on the floor of the greenhouse and so the plants should have more space.one thing i do hate with the greenhouse is every time i go in i walk into a cobweb covering my head i blody hate it.i jump about has though i have ants in me pants.
now i have never grown chilli`s peppers before and did think at one time wether i would ever see a flower on them but they are all starting to flower now,which i am quite happy with.the rest of the plot is doing fine has you can understand i have not done anything on it this week so i will let any weeds win this week but i will be back.all my strawberrys have all been eaten now with alot of runners for fresh plants next year.

everything thriving

2006-06-18T00:06:00.000-07:00

well everything seems to be thriving,even the pumpkins have now picked up.in my previous post i did like a cats cradle around the brussell sprouts(see photo)and it has actually worked,not one pigeon has touched them.this is the cheapest method i have found now to keep them birds off.now if i can find some sort of solution to soak the twine in first that will keep insects off might work better.at the moment time seems to be taken up weeding and watering nad picking strawberrys,which if i don`t say so my self this has been my best crop of strawberry`s ever with plenty of runners for next year.has you can see runner beans are now doing well,i seemed to have same problem as some other about 3 weeks ago with with lower leaves yellowing which i put down to the cold weather at the time but now well established, flowering nice.everything in greenhouse,tomatoes,chilli peppers and cucumbers are doing really well,only problem is running out of space in greenhouse has tomatoes seem to be taking all the space up.memo to gaz next year don`t do so many.wilkos are doing all their seeds half price so i bought a packet of salad leaf collection which contained 6 different salad leaves,and has i have ran out of space i decided to try to grow them in growbags,6 different ones in one growbag.within 3 days seedlings were poping up.quickest seedlings i have ever had. all brassicas are doing fine except i had a problem with my broccoli,the young heads that are coming through were getting covered with flea beetle,so i sprayed them and touch wood this has done the trick.i know this is`nt the organic way but everyone to there own devices.the only other problem i have is with a plot next door door thats overgrown.i have noticed there are alot of thistles that are going to seed and i can see next time there is bit of a wind them seeds blowing all onto mine.bad enough with your own weeds but don`t want everybody elses especialy thistles.

one minute it rains next it`s sunny (perfick)

2006-05-17T10:10:00.000-07:00

it`s been a funny week,one minute your happy digging away in the sun then next it persists it down and it`s been like that all week.everything does seem to be growing well though.i had some more brussel sprouts and cabbages to put in though so in they went.so now i have 60 odd broccoli,80 odd cabbage and 80 odd nobby greens.my only problem was that netting is`nt that cheap so i got a few cheap 3ft canes a big ball of twine and started knitting back and forth tying the twine round the canes.luckily so far the pigeons haven`t manged to get to them,if it works it`s the cheapest method i`ve found so far.all my strawberry`s are really flowering and bushing out so they looking good,don`t know how many i will get home though after eat one pick one.
i also have some little blackcurrants on my small bush which i did`nt expect this year.runner beans are really thriving although i have had to nick a bit of space off my mums allotment to grow them. my potatoes have come out the i planed with the earlies coming up nice second`s starting to come through and my mains just starting to show a liitle leaf.i also found this little gem of a tool.it comes in handy instead of hoeing in tight spots. it`s like a minature rotavater on a stick just roll it up and down nice and easy.also planted this week were 15 sweetcorn plants and four pumpkin plants.i will be cutting the pumpkin plants back this year has it grows as last year i did`nt realise how much they branched out.ah well more rain on the way so may as well sit in the shed and make a brew.

busy time of year

2006-05-07T11:16:00.000-07:00

weather been good this weekend so thought would plant broccoli,bruusels sprouts and cabbage but i ran out of space to plant my cabbage.so i planted 4 rows of broccoli about 18 plants a row and 6 rows of brussel sprouts.because of my planning i now have to rearange where i`m putting things now to fit everything in,but hey that`s the fun of a allotment.annoying thing is though i ran out of netting and did`nt realise till after i had planted my plants.i dare not leave them out in the open has the pigeons would have a feast so ended up cutting chicken wire which i was given free a couple of weeks ago up to form cloches to protect from birds.although it does`nt look pretty it will do the job.my early potatoes are sprouting lovely leaves and shallots are doing well.strawberry`s are also flowering well and bushing out so i am hopeful of good crop of those this year. all the strawberrys are flowering like this one.i use weed represant around my strawberrys.i know alot of people use straw but straw always makes me itch and this works brilliant keeping the fruit of the soil.the only problem with the good weather is sometimes weeds grow faster than everything else.also my second row of lettuce are showing through now,so really happy everything is growing nice,just only problem is trying to get enough time down tha allotment has this is busy time for planting.
THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A ENGLAND.i thought i would put my england flag on my
greenhouse. there are quite a few flags now on the allotment.ah well just runner beans,cabbage,leeks,sweetcorn and a couple of pumpkins to plant and that should be it.my suede and beetroot seeds i planted in the ground about 3 weeks ago are also coming up lovely.will start thinning them soon.

everything blooming

2006-04-24T13:31:00.000-07:00

not much to update since last time as kids have been off and they are not keen on helping on the allotment.all my potatoes are in now.thats 7 rows in all now i have of tattys.everything still thriving in the greenhouse although i have been bringing them out during the day to harden and been leaving window open in greenhouse at night.shallots doing well and have some small lettuce just poking through in small poly tunnel.getting itchy fingers nows has want to start planting my nobby greens(bruusel sprouts),broccoli,sweetcorn and everything else i have grown in greenhouse but think will leave it a couple of weeks just to make sure last frost has gone. the plant above is a black currant bush,i was given two back in january and they were like two dry sticks but they have come on really well.wether i get any fruit this year i don`t know but maybe next year when it gets bigger.my strawberry`s have really come on well the last two weeks as well but a bit worried has a couple have started to flower and somebody has told me that if there`s a frost it will kill them.so maybe keep eye on weather and try to cover if frost comes.ah well got bit more digging to do,warm weathers bringing the weeds out.

introduction 07/04/06

2006-04-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

i took the allotment on just over a year ago.my son aged 12 said he would like one.now i was never keen on gardnening but thought hey never know might have the new alan titmarsh on my hands here so got one.only saw him down there about four times since,but the allotment did grow on me and now i do enjoy gardening.our allotment although council owned is run by the allotment association to which i am a member of the committee.

when i first took the allotment on,probably like most people`s filled with couch grass,thistles that roots i still can`t dig deep enough to get to.but after alot of digging and i am still digging i am getting there.only managed to use half the plot last year so this is first big year,my mum has now taken the one next door which is handy,she said she has put camping stove in her shed so great bring on the bacon butties. also i put greenhouse up about 2 months ago so starting everything from seed and not having to buy plants.quite happy with greenhouse as it did`nt cost anything,just to had to dismantle.

strawberry`s are doing well at the top of the allotment,so are my shallotts.i also put two rows of early potatoes (nadine) in.i also have two apple trees near shed and have just put sticky tape round trunk hoping that can stop little bugs getting to apples.i was lucky that the shed was on the plot i just had to replace roof.

it`s like being a father again seeing all my babies doing well in the greenhouse(i have got to get out more).but i am happy that all my seedlings have been doing well so hopefully i really get a good crop this year.ah well thats my allotment better get back to some digging.