The Allotted Month - May 2007

This month has seen planting up completed. The successional sowings of brassicas, brought on in Rootrainers, have been set out and protected from the pigeons with wire mesh cloches. Allotment activities are now a bit more relaxed and we did manage to take a short break.

The germination of the carrots in section A has been a failure. I changed the method of making seed tapes and it just did not work. The weather was dry at sowing time but the rows were thoroughly watered. Next year I'll go back to the original method, it worked. I like to try new ways to see if they are better, this one wasn't. I'll boil up some cornflour and then use the paste as a glue to stick the seeds to the paper tapes. The drawback was that the dried paste became very brittle and some of the seeds always fell off. Instead of winding the tapes round bobbins and then unrolling into the drills, I'll simply lay the tapes in the drills. This should mean less flexing of the paper and less likelihood of seeds falling off. The peas, grown as single stem cordons, took a battering from the rain and hail while we were away and some of the leaders were broken off. With a bit of careful tying in they are now recovering.

In the middle of the month we had the first of section B's Dunluce and Red Duke of York first early potatoes, always a welcome treat. Next month the remainder will be lifted and replaced with Musselburgh leeks. They are growing in their seed bed. Early lifting of first early potatoes means that the Potato Root Eelworm doesn't have enough time to mature and form cysts on the roots. These potatoes make a useful catch crop before the leeks are dibbled in.

The first plantings of Chevalier calabrese in section C have now reached the stage when the pigeons lose interest so the wire mesh cloches have been moved to later plantings. Last year this section had potatoes. Even with careful lifting there are always a few keepers left in the ground, many of them from very small tubers. As soon as any appear they are lifted to prevent them from sustaining eelworm. The Kilaxy summer cabbage is putting on less growth that the Minicole. I'll see how they eventually perform but I think that next year it will be back to the tried and tested Minicole. Kilaxy is claimed to be club root resistant. This pest has been virtually eliminated from the plot so I don't need a resistant variety.

Final earthing up of section D's potatoes is complete. The shaws have grown to form a canopy over the soil. This helps to suppress weeds but also makes weeding difficult. Earthing up several times in itself helps to control weeds so there is little problem. An occasional bit of Mare's Tail still appears. This is mostly round the edges of the plot where it grows in underground from adjacent areas. As soon as any is spotted it is dug out. Maybe one year I'll finally defeat it.

Next month weeding and hoeing will continue. Harvesting speeds up with all of section B's potatoes, peas, calabrese, summer cabbage and perhaps a few onions and celery. This year the plot was given some Rockdust. The results are not dramatic but there does seem to be an improvement is growth. The site has had allotments for eighty years so it is understandable that some of the trace elements have been used up. It is these elements that Rockdust is claimed to replace.

The Allotted Month - July 2007

Seed time finished on 24 May and now planting out time has finished with the Musselburgh leeks. Payback time is in full swing with potatoes, calabrese, peas and courgettes being harvested.

In section A the failure of the carrots is a big disappointment. Next year I'll use a different method for the home made seed tapes. But the peas are cropping abundantly. This year I tried the taller growing Alderman but won't grow it again. The crop is good but by the middle of the month the plants had reached the top of the eight foot canes so now they can scramble as best they can. They were also more prone to my old pea problem - deformed growing tips on some plants and a consequent failure to crop. It's probably thrips but organic pest control had no effect. By contrast the Hurst Green Shaft were only half way up the canes and cropping well with two pods on each spur in contrast to Alderman's one. The Kelvedon Wonder have not been wonderful. Growing peas as single stem cordons is a bit more work but harvesting is easy as all the spurs stick out from the stems so that none are lost in foliage when picking. There are typically up to eleven peas in each pod so that shelling is easier. The onions are bulking up well but, as usual, some of the Red Baron have bolted. The heads have been cut off and the affected onions can be identified for early use by their thick necks. No such problem with the Setton onions and the Golden Gourmet shallots are good. For some reason the garlic is poor.

The 'catch crop' of first early potatoes in section B have all been lifted and their space taken by the leeks with Crimson Clover green manure sown between the rows. The potato crop was particularly good especially the variety Concorde with 37 pounds from eight tubers in contrast with what the books say as ten pounds. There were probably three factors, the variety itself, plenty of rain and the application of 'Rockdust' before planting.

Wet weather favours the slugs and snails, particularly in section C where some Angela swedes have been eaten down to bare stems. It looks like we won't be having many winter neeps. The club root resistant Kilaxy cabbages are not doing as well as the tried and tested Minicole which will be ready next month and then stand for another two months without splitting. The other brassicas are progressing, the wire mesh pigeon cloches have been removed as the plants have outgrown them. The pigeons still have a nibble especially at the calabrese.

Lots of rain is good for potato growth but also good for an attack of blight. By the middle of the month the potatoes in section C were showing the tell tale brown blotches on the leaves. To prevent the spores from washing down the stems to infect the tubers, all the shaws have been cut off and all the foliage removed for later burning. This will almost certainly reduce the yield but is better than having infected tubers that go rotten in store. If the first earlies are anything to go by we'll still have enough to last us until next year's crop.

We're off for a short break so the plot will have to look after itself till next month. Then selective harvesting of onions, celery, beetroot, sweet corn, cabbages and cauliflower starts and we're into the 'summer glut', becoming almost vegetarian but still can't keep up with the output.

The Allotted Month - August 2007

Climate is the weather that we are meant to receive while weather is the weather that we actually receive and this year the weather certainly has been different. A mild winter with almost no frost or snow followed by a dry spring and then lots of rain with finally the recent dry spell. All of this affects cropping and results this year have been varied.

The germination of carrots in Section A failed and their space is now filled with Crimson Clover. Alderman peas disappointed with only one pod per spur. The pods were big and fat but the peas didn't fill the pods. This tall growing variety soon reached the tops of the canes and were then left to scramble but wind damage resulted. I won't grow them again. On the other hand the Hurst Green Shaft did well, two pods per spur filled with up to twelve good peas. I'll grow two rows of them next year and also replace the rather mediocre Kelvedon Wonder with something else. Pea harvesting is now over and the plants put on the compost heap. At the first signs of the old trouble, deformed growing points, the affected plants were sprayed with a soap based organic insecticide and this has made a difference. I've had some of the biggest Setton onions ever and no white rot despite the wet weather. To overcome white rot needs an eight year rotation. This is achieved by growing the onions at alternate ends of the section each time. With a basic four year rotation this gives an eight year gap between onions.

The 'catch crop' of first early potatoes in Section B was outstanding. They were lifted before blight struck. Their space has now been filled with Musselburgh leeks and Crimson Clover between rows. Beetroot germination was patchy. The Chevalier courgettes started well but the plants didn't grow as big as normal and the crop has been low. The Green Utah celery is now being lifted and should last for another ten weeks. And lastly, the Countess parsnips show promise of large roots that will give us some fresh veg during the winter.

Brassica growth in Section C has been mixed. Mini Cole summer cabbages are smaller than usual. The club root resistant Kilaxy are only now starting to heart up so I won't grow them again. I don't need club root resistance, heavy applications of ground limestone has eliminated this pest. The Chevalier calabrese started well but the slugs and snails have taken their toll. Some spears are still being produced, they often get a spurt of growth in the late summer. Best performance has come from the Maximus sprouts with the promise of a good crop. Candid Charm cauliflower is now finished with a good crop but the later White Rock is still some way from hearting up. The Marian swedes are poor. Last year they were very good.

The biggest disappointment is with the potatoes in Section D. In July blight appeared, the shaws were cut off. This didn't give the tubers time to mature so the crop has been small. Kestrel did best with Picasso doing reasonably well. The crop has been lifted and I've never discarded as many tubers. The section has been sown with Crimson Clover.

Next month it's back to routine harvesting and weeding. Groundsel has been a particular problem this year. That has happened before.

The Allotted Month - September 2007

The summer crops are now almost finished and the plot is well into its winter production. It has been a bit of a mixed year, some crops doing very well but others rather poorly. However the winter crops are all showing good promise. There has been more time for t he routine of hoeing and weeding and I am now relaxed about the few weeds that are still germinating. Systematic weed control has definitely reduced the weed population and even the air borne weeds (Fireweed, dandelion etc.) seem to be on the decline.

The sweet corn (Early Extra Sweet) in the greenhouse in section A was producing good cobs but the site has had an infestation of rats and they have completely stripped all the remaining cobs. So far they have not attacked any other crops. Apart from the rows of Crimson Clover sown after the onions were harvested, this section is now bare and weed control is easier.

Last month the courgettes (Defender) in section B were struggling and now, after a few more fruits, the plants are on the compost heap. The celery (Green Utah) was also a bit thin but it has now bulked up and is being regularly harvested. Lifting the leeks (Musselburgh) has not yet started, the plants are now a good size. The same can be said about the parsnips (Countess).

At last the Kilaxy cabbage in section C is hearting up so they will be harvested when the Minicole is finished. It remains to be seen if the Kilaxy stands for as long as the Minicole. As I said last month, I will not be growing them again. As expected, the calabrese (Chevalier) made a late spurt but the plants sown on 23 March are all but finished, perhaps a bit early because of the attack by slugs and snails. The White Rock cauliflower has taken over from the Candid Charm. Its quite surprising how quickly the heads develop from a small button to football size. They then need to be cut before starting to spoil. September weather has also favoured the swedes (Marian) and they are now happily hearting up. A routine for this plot is the removal of all yellowing leaves. They make good compost. This is mainly in the interest of plot hygiene and also to deny food and shelter for slugs and snails.

Section D is fully planted up with Crimson Clover. It will grow, a bit slowly, all winter.

For the next few months routine harvesting will continue plus some time doing repairs to the greenhouse replacing broken glass etc.

B. A. Plotter.