Do not seek me here...

For anyone dropping by on the off-chance that I may have posted an update....well I have... several in fact, but they're over on my other blog "Quotidian". ....Just follow the link.

Thanks for your interest!

Greenmantle.

Alright Already !!......

Sheesh! ....Here's a chap trying to lie low....doggo.....incognito etc.... being foiled by other chaps and lady chaps who keep lifting the duvet, and poking aforesaid sleeping dog with a cyber-stick.

Seriously though folks, I'm touched by the number of friends asking for an update, and would have posted one sooner, where it not for the lack of anything much to tell.

The house is still on the market, and although I have recently accepted an offer, the potential purchaser has not sold hers yet, so I am still stuck here in damp and windy Tonbridge....with no allotment, no move, and not a lot of work.

In the absence of anything prettier to show you, here is a self portrait of me looking suitably harrumphed about it.

Anyhap.... On the upside, I am now a leading expert on day-time-Tv, have been gardening vicariously via other peoples blogs, and am also becoming a dab hand at painting bathroom ceilings.

As soon as the move takes off, I’ll start a companion blog to this one, called “Up Sticks” or some such, to chart my progress. Mean while however, as I have been “tagged” by dear Frankie from her Veg Plot…..here are “5 Things About Me”….

1. I am actually a lot thinner than I look.

2. My only reliable Karaoke song is “Dock of the Bay”, but if egged on, and plied with alcohol, I will most assuredly forget this, and attempt any number of other less accomplished alternatives.

3. I am Sports Mad, but sadly woefully uncoordinated, and thus not much good at games. I once gave up playing (in the loosest possible sense of the word) cricket for my local village team, in order to take up golf. I was working on the premise than in golf, at least, the ball is stationary…..”How hard can it be?” I thought……The answer it appears, is very.

4. I am strangely accident prone when encountering recording artists. (Aren't we all!) Over the years I have flattened Toyah in the street, made Lynsey De Paul cry, and dropped Dave Stewart’s camera. Thus when once meeting Kylie, I thought it best to say little, and keep my hands in my pockets. She has a lot of minders.

5. I love anchovies. I also like olives……Buy me some olives stuffed with anchovies (only the pukah Italian ones mind!) and we can be friends for life.....Attempt to surreptitiously feed me parsnips however, and I will curse you and your kin for all eternity.

Apparently the rules demand that I now turn the spotlight on five other unsuspecting souls….so would the following please stand up and elaborate about yourselves…..you have been "tagged" and are now “it” ....as it were.

She Who Digs, Mr. Toad, Rebsie Fairholm, Lottie, & Emma Jane

So Farewell Then To All Of That....................

Friends, I have a sad story to tell, but first, a confession to make.

Many visitors to “Dig For Victory” over the season have been very complimentary about my produce, and have also been kind enough to say that my plot always looks neat and tidy. ….Well it bloody should do. I’ve had enough time on my hands as I’ve been out of work all year.!

Because of this I’ve been able to spend quite a lot of time down there, more I know, than some other Allotmenteers can fit in, juggling it around family and work as they have to. In fact both the allotment, and this blog, have been a welcome diversion from the endless round of job applications, interviews and rejection letters.

In the space of a year, I have made a whole host of new friends, pontificated about veg in cyberspace, had some successes and some failures, grown a large pumpkin, and even been on the radio….A job would have been nice, but I’ve enjoyed my time regardless.

Unfortunately, this blog will now cease for a good while, as I am selling my house to release some much needed funds, and to move to a cheaper area of the country. I’ve chosen Northampton, as it’s a nice town, is not really so far away from Kent, has some wonderful countryside around it, and most importantly some much cheaper houses…. Sadly this means giving up plot 14, Ridgeway Crescent though.

At some stage in the future, I’ll certainly have an allotment again, or may even a decent sized garden, but this will probably take a year or two I think. In the meanwhile I shall be concentrating a bit more on my other hobby, which is photography. (If anyone is interested you can keep up with my progress here, by clicking the "photos" tab.)

Today is the end of our allotment year and I have tidied up my plot and handed back the keys.

I cannot finish however without thanking all the friends I have made at RC for their help, advice and humour : Jim, Ray, Ernie, Dennis, Jo, Ken, and all three Peters to name but, err....nine.

Nor my fellow bloggers around the world, especially: Lottie, Frankie, Rebsie, Jane, Mildew, Matron, Petunia’s Gardener, and all the others….. I will be keeping up to date with your pages of course, and sticking my oar in occasionally no doubt.

To end on a happier note however, I know that Plot 14 will be in good hands, as Peter Seach (to give “The Plot Boss” his due and recognise him by his real name for once) is taking it over. His current plot is right at the other end of the site, and it makes sense for him to have one nearer the trading sheds……Also the crafty bugger knows it’s much better soil at this end, eh Peter!

Lastly, my friends Geoff and Sue, in some part due to these pages, and my constant banging on about it in the pub, have decided to take over half a plot at RC this next season….More converts to the wonderful world of allotmenteering!

I have given them my seed box to help them get started.

My work here is done……

Pumpkin Harvest.......

So at long last the pumpkins have left the building! .... Not in an Elvis style limo, but on the back of Jim’s truck.

A small group of tuggers and lifters assembled to help us get them loaded this morning, and here I am “posing” amongst the pumpkins.

The larger one of the two should apparently weigh around 170lbs, which is roughly 12 stones in old money. This is calculated by using the very cunning measurement to weight ratio, that you can find on this American pumpkin enthusiast site. Basically you take three specific measurements over and around the beast, add them together, and look up the total on the chart provided. This then tells you the equivalent weight in lbs. They reckon that this method should be accurate to within 5% either way, in the majority of cases.

Those of you from the US-of-A where truly huge fruits are grown for competitions all over the country, are probably wondering what all the fuss is about these two rather unremarkable small gourds. (The current World Record is a mind boggling 1,469 lbs !) Locally however, these are seen as being pretty big stuff. The record at the Tonbridge area show, which I just missed entering, is only 132 lbs.

We didn’t measure the smaller one, but based on picking them up between us, I’d say it is about two thirds of the weight.

Tomorrow is Harvest Festival in Churches around here, the larger one has gone to Hadlow Parish Church, where Jim (in white) and I roped in a passing church warden to help us unload. The other has gone to the Tonbridge Methodist Church, that Jim and his wife attend. Sadly we weren’t able to hang around to see them fully “dressed” by the flower ladies, but here are a couple of pics anyway.

Thanks Jim, John, Geoff & Sue for your help!

Claret & Blue ...............

Being a loyal and long suffering West Ham fan, I could not resist snapping this Kalibos cabbage, in a fantastic shade of punk purple, in front of the blue morning glory......My team colours.

Sadly, the way things are going, this looks like the only bit of glory the Hammers are likely to be associated with this season.

Easy Life...........

Well don't be looking here for an update!

I've been sitting on my backside all week, and haven't been near the plot once. There are a few tidying things to be done during the week, but essentially I'm having an allotment holiday this weekend. The more perceptive amongst you may notice this coincides with wall-to-wall Tv coverage of the Ryder Cup. Make of this what you will.

Do check back here next Sunday however, for pics of the Great Pumpkin Lift, and my end of season round-up............betcha' can hardly wait eh?

Let Them Eat Cake.......

Don't worry, I'm not trying to compete with Lottie, over at Simply Living....In fact I've never baked a cake in my life.

I have however done a few small favours for Peter "The Plotboss" just lately, and also donated a sack of Winter Festival squashes for the stall he and Jo are running at a Macmillan Cancer Support day.

In return, this morning I received this quite unexpected and most welcome homebaked gift!

It seems Jo is a bit of a whizz at this sort of thing, and has made a lot of cakes for the fund raiser.


The kettle is shortly about to boil, and I shall then conduct some very in depth research into whether it is better to eat it plain, or with butter..... I anticipate my deliberations may take quite some time.

Ah, the joys of the allotment economy eh!.............................

Un-Bifurcated Carrots......

The runner beans are over now, so whilst the red cabbage are still maturing (bloody slowly!) and the raspberries continue to trickle along, this is pretty much all is I have to harvest now.

I've just tested a spring onion and "crikey!" is definitely the verdict....they are very strong. Much more so that the previous sowing from the same packet earlier in the year. I guess this is because they have been a lot longer growing, and got off to a slow start in all that hot weather. The flavour seems to have "matured" in some way.

The carrots look good, and came out of the raised bed "salad bar" very clean and uniform. This is certainly the best result I've had with them, as I could never get them to grow at all in the bare soil, right next door.

They grew so straight in this manner that I'm at last prepared to say
"bye-bye bifurcation"........ (Sorry!)

Autumn Digging.......

I've been doing a bit of Autumn digging lately. In actual fact, this picture is over a week old as I meant to post it previously but never got round to it. I've since finished this section, limed it, and rotorvated it ready for planting.

Much as I usually hate digging, I have to say this time, on this part of the plot, it was almost a pleasure. Three seasons of previous careful turn over when I removed all the root weed I could find, a load of manure last year, and some assidous hoeing this year, mean that it is very clean, and pretty much weed free.

The texture of it is also good at the moment, very soft and friable. It broke so easily with a fork, it was rather like digging into dark sponge cake.

If I'm sounding overly pleased with myself, it's because I feel I've proved that it's quite easy to improve your soil if you are prepared to do it over a few seasons.

Although other parts of the plot are a year of so behind, and therefore heavier, this section bears very little resemblance now to the dense, clay bottomed, bind weed haven it was when I first started.

Satisfaction can come from some strange sources sometimes.....

For The Showmen Amongst You........

You may be aware that Frankie at Allotment 21 has been working on producing "The Longest Bean" as part of a pub conceived wager, and doubtless several other allotmenteers will have also been growing runners for show this year. It's not something I'm overly bothered with myself, but a chap called Chris further down our site shows all kinds of stuff.

He recently won 1st* prize I'm told, in a local area show, in a class for "11 beans of 15 inches or more"...Yup...15 inches... or more!

The variety to grow, for those in the know, is apparently Stenner, which is a specialist show bean, and the weapon of choice of the incomparable Medwyn Williams.

I took a wander down to Chris's plot today and snapped this pic of a typical example to show you....One of the ones that wasn't long enough I presume!


* Correction: It appears I did Chris an injustice when I wrote this post, as I have since been informed that he actually won 1st prize, and not the second I have accidentally demoted him to. Sorry mate!

Patience is a virtue they say..........

Since the weather has cooled down, and we've had a drop of rain, several of the crops I have been disparaging all summer have suddenly come to the party. The Runners have revived, as mentioned before, but now the morning glory planted for pollination puposes has also started flowering.



The red Kalibos cabbage, have suddenly started to form hearts, just as I was about to hoick them out to the rubbish heap. I've removed the very outer leaves that were so badly damaged by flea beetles early on, and they now look a lot more respectable.




















And even the relucatant raspberries have put on a sudden growth spurt, and started fruiting in a more meaningful fashion.

I might get that trifle after all...........

One potato, Two Potato.......Err, that's about it.

My Collins English Dictionary defines the word "disappointed" as “being saddened by the failure of an expectation”, and further goes on to describe the term "miffed", as “offended” or “to be in a petulant mood”. Clearly the compositors of said worthy tomb cannot be vegetable growers or there would surely have been a more unambiguous reference to potatoes.

Well there would have if they had dug up the rubbish I did today.

Being as I have finished all the earlies, and was reduced to buying potatoes in Sainsburys I figured I’d make a start on the Sarpo Axonna main-crop I have been nurturing all summer. The lush green haulms are not dying off yet, but they must surely have done all the growing they are going to do by now.

Last year I grew the sister variety Sarpo Mira, and they were a huge success…. Huge rows, huge tubers, huge smugness factor. The Axonna are supposedly similar in every way, apart from being more uniform of shape, and a bit creamier of flesh. The results however have been a “failure of expectation” .

Not many potatoes, weird shapes and quite small. It took four hills to yield enough reasonable sized ones to fill a carrier bag, where as twenty hills last year filled three large sacks. I mashed some tonight and although they taste OK – at least one turned out to have unpleasant stringy bits inside it. Thus I am now in a “petulant mood”.

The difference of course is undoubtedly moisture, or rather the lack of it.

Last year the ground was well manured, but this year in the absence of any spare muck I relied on grass cuttings and newspaper as a bottom mulch. Last year they grew smaller tops and put more effort into the crop….. Last year it rained.

I’ll get the rest of them up at the weekend I expect, and I suppose I should say in their defence that they have no damage on them whatsoever; unlike Ray’s rows of Cara, which looked a nice successful crop, but half of which were apparently nibbled or drilled.

Not even the slugs are fussed about my disappointing spuds.

Normal Service Is Resumed....

For whatever reason, be it the bees, the drop in temperature, or the recent prolonged rainy spell, the runner beans are now back in full production again.

Nice long beans, and still quite tender for this time of year.

A welcome revival.... but a puzzling one.

Natural Gold..........

These are the first of this year's cobs.

Well the first to make back home to my place long enough to be photographed that is. I did pick some the day before, but accidentally stopped at the pub on the way home and was relieved of them by eager friends!

I have no idea what the variety is, as the plants were obtained from Dennis's brother, "Charlie the Smallholder", and just came helpfully labelled as "Sweetcorn".



Very sensible too if you are a primarily a food producer. It's only us hobbyists that agonise pedantically over which strains to grow.

At any rate, they look like good cobs, considering it has been so dry, and there are plenty of them on the plants. The Tuxedo variety I planted myself later are also coming along and are about 2-3 weeks behind these I think.


And here are the fist of the "other" pumpkin crop.

Again, I don't know exactly what sort they are, as although I planted them myself, the packet just said "Pumpkin - F1 Hybrid" on it, and I can't remember where I bought it from.

You don't really get a sense of scale from this pic, but they are about as big around as a saucer, and would be about the right size for a "stuffed pumpkin for one". Not that I can see myself bothering with that though.

They look as though they will slice up into nice chunks for roasting, or maybe for just standing about in the kitchen... I think there are about a dozen of them on the plants in all.

Pumpkin's Progress

Another camera-phone snap of the Atlantic Giant. I'll keep feeding it, but I'm not so sure it will get much bigger than this now. Have started to think about what I can do with it... might have to find a local church or school who will accept it as a harvest festival donation I suppose.

A Load Of Old Has Beans......

I have been increasingly perplexed for the past few weeks about the comparative lack of runner beans on Plot 14 this year.

My Red Flame plants are lush and vigorous, and are producing plenty of bloom but precious few results. They started the season in full swing, but productivity has tailed off dramatically in the last month - considerably earlier than usual. At first I even thought "bean-nappers" might be beating me to it, but this was entirely unsubstantiated of course, not to mention a little unfair on my fellow plot holders.

I then reasoned that since the hosepipes have been out of action due to the burst pipe, I have not been misting them with water as I have always done previously (having learned to do this at my fathers knee almost) just irrigating them from below as usual. "Peter the Plot Boss" tells me however that in his opinion this is a red herrring, and makes no difference. I am unsure. If it is actually an old wives tale, it's a mighty common one.

He laid the blame fairly and squarely on the humble bumbles...or rather the lack of them. Apparently the long very hot dry spell has hampered their reproductivity, and their work ethic. Whilst I can't say that I blame them, it would nonetheless explain the problem. A quick walk round the site reveals that a lot of other healthy looking bean rows, also seem pretty barren, so maybe this is indeed it..... And Peter usually knows a thing or too.

What do other allotmenteers and gardners think?

How are your runners this year compared to last year?.....Leave a comment and let me know.

Airwave Adventures..........

Am just back from spending half-an-hour on air with the nice and incredibly learned folk at Radio Kent.

I was amongst some of their regular contributors both in the studio and on the phones chatting about allotments in general, how we all got started, our sheds, and also fielding listeners questions.

The latter - on subjects as diverse as growing unusual spanish peaches, to what types of brassicas to choose - I was very relieved to be able to leave to the professionals, although I was able to chip in with some advice on pruning back your Dill's Atlantic Giants. (As if I didn't know all about that after this year!)

I had great time, and hopefully it sounded OK !!

Just to prove I ain't blagging this blogging, here's a pic of me (on the left) with the show's presenter, the very lovely Sue Dougan, and the very knowledgeable horticutural expert Steve Bradley.

As for the experience of seeing what presenting a radio show is like, well "Multi -tasking" don't even come close!.....As well as chatting off air, cueing up callers on two or three screens on a huge presenting desk, linking with the control room, and calming nervous guests, Sue kept up a cheery and faultless delivery to the listeners all at the same time.

A bit like flying a fighter jet whilst chatting about veg, eh Sue?

Many thanks to the guys at Radio Kent for inviting me, and thoughtfully arranging it for a day when it was too wet to go to the allotment anyway.

Radio Ga Ga....

So one minute you're fossicking around among the runner beans, muttering to yourself about black fly; and the next, you're broadcasting to the masses!

Or so it seems.

"National Allotment Week" is coming up, (Well we all knew that… didn't we?) and my local radio station - BBC Radio Kent - are dedicating their Sunday morning gardening slot to "Talking Allotments".

Somebody at the Beeb has apparently been making good use of the licence fee by reading this humble DFV blog.

A nudge and a wink later, and Steve, the show’s Producer, has been in touch inviting me to drop in to the studio and take part; along with proper journalists, and real live published authors….Little old me.… On the wireless!

So if you are in the Radio Kent catchment area, you should be able to hear me making a spectacle of myself this Sunday sometime between 10am – 11 am. (The show is actually on from 8am -11am though, as I’m sure Steve would like you to know.)

I’m not sure what the format is yet, as I’m awaiting my final mission briefing tomorrow.

Right now, I’m just working on holding a public conversation without swearing......

….So bother those black fly!

Summer Daze..........

August seems to be the peak of productivity on our site.

Next month, things scale down, ground becomes bare and dare I say it, a bit "autumnal" looking. But for a few weeks the summer is still blazing, and providing a good excuse to snap a few more pictures.

Titchmarsh has now come into his own, frightening those pesky crows from "Dumbo" off of the corn, and the uncookable, artichokes are competing with the sunflowers for the bees.






















Raspberry Wars

I had the first few Allgold early autumn raspberries yesterday as you can see here. They were very sweet and juicy, but alas also very few in number, due to my foolish lack of care earlier in the summer, when I didn't realise they needed so much water in the first year in order to become established.

It looks as though they will keep coming one by one for a while, but the few spindly canes can't produce enough to do anything with, apart from wolf them down the moment the picture has been taken. The Galante are also about to fruit, but fewer canes survived of this variety so I'm not planning on making any big trifles!

Next year they'll be a lot stronger, but if Matt has a picture to prove his superiority in the fruit growing stakes, I'm prepared to concede defeat for now....(curses!)

Duffer's Guide to Onion Strings...

Here is my first attempt at stringing onions......It's not perfect by any means, but I'm reasonably happy with it.

In the end I did not do it by the proper stem plaiting method, but just sort of improvised on a suggestion from Ernie on the plot above me...That is to say I cheated, and tied them all together one at a time, with string.

If I can manage it, it must be pretty idiot proof, so here's what you do....







Step 1.Cut the stems off the onions leaving a stalk about 4-5 inches long.

Step 2. Take a big one, and tie it firmly to the end of a long piece of strong string, anyhow you like.

Step 3. Now make the simplest of all knots right above this, by making a loop, and passing the
other free end of the string through it.

Step 4. Stick the neck of the 2^nd onion through the noose, and pull it down tight to the top of
the 1^st one.

Step 5. Repeat ad infinitum, turning succesive onions so they hang down in the most appropriate gaps, thus making the job look good from all sides.

The trick is to make sure that you get all your knots pulled down as close to the previous ones as possible. If you leave even ½ an inch of bare string between them, the final result will look loose and gappy.

In fact, if you can make the loop of each new knot also take in the remaining neck of the previous onion, as well as the one you're now adding, it seems to all fit together a bit more solidly.

When you need to use an onion, start at the top of the string, and just twist one off.

Plot Cam II - Return of the Judder

Well I finally managed to take a spare camera card to the plot with me yesterday, to record another video blog. In truth there's nothing that incredible to look at, but it's quite a change from the last time I shot one here in April.

What has not changed however, is my woeful cinematography. I think the sound is better, but it's still wobbly as heck so be warned. This is partly due to the uneven terrain of course, and also possibly due to the fact that halfway though filming it, I noticed a woman a few plots down had obviously got too hot in her tee-shirt and was gardening in her bra. I did not let this distract me though......After all, it's not that sort of a movie.

As soon as your back is turned......

I've been away for a week loafing, golfing, and touring about Northamptonshire.

I went down to the plot for the first time today since I got back, tidied up a bit, and did some watering. A lot of runner beans and climbing french beans are now destined for the freezer. This is still after "Jim the Sweetpea Baron" next door, -who has kindly been watering for me - has had his share.

Last week the two Dills pumpkins were about the size of a large cereal bowl. Now, five days later, they are bigger than a medicine ball. I had forgotten the camera of course, so snapped this one on my phone, including one of my mitts in it for a size reference.

It's going to be a big old bugger I reckon......(I have sausage fingers if it helps to gauge the scale)

The heatwave seems to have broken here today, so pray God we get some rain tonight.

P.S. The reluctant sweetcorn belonging to "The New Girl", that Dennis and I previously pontificated about, seems to now be flowering OK....That is, as far as I can tell from sea level, as it's about 10ft high and rising....What has she done to it?

Hotter & hotter........

A couple of absolutely blistering days here this weekend. I managed some allotmenteering on Saturday morning, and some golf on Sunday, which was without doubt the hottest round I've ever played. (Meteorologically speaking that is... golfistically speaking it was merely tepid.)

Just a few pictures to update on things I haven't photographed recently. I was going to shoot another short movie clip, but after all the stills I took (to whittle down to this lot) there wasn't enough space on the card, so that will have to wait.

The pumpkin patch has been completely overrun by Dill's Atlantic Giants, so the other pumpkins and the courgettes are fighting for elbow room at the moment. I'm trying to keep to just two fruits per plant for now, and then further reduce to one each later on. It's a constant battle to keep cutting off new ones though, and to prune the plants back at the borders with the edging shears!





The runner beans, and climbing french beans are doing really well, the sweet corn is just about to start setting cobs, while the onions & shallots are drying off nicely in the sun. The latter have done very well, and I have a scarily large net full of them, even after giving quite a lot away. I think the weather has just really suited them this year.



Have a look at these two rows of cabbages.... Apart from the fact that one is a red variety and the other a green, according to the packets they should be about the same tight, pointed size and shape. The green Hispi are behaving admirably, but the red Kalibos are growing big and open, with no sign of any hearts forming. Why this should be when they have been treated identically I don't know.... Nature can be weird sometimes.... And annoying.



Lastly the sunflowers. About two months behind everyone else's due to being a 2nd try, they are now really starting to get going. None of them should be much more than 5ft tall in the end, so I think they will catch up quite quickly. Flowering supposedly lasts till the first frosts, so there is plenty of time.

Apparently I have to go out and do pub quiz this evening....assuming I didn't entirely fry my brains round the golf course that is.... A good excuse for a bit of dampening down methinks!

Under Starter's Orders.......

The Runner Beans are off and running!

I was able to pick a small handful for the first time today. In a fortnight's time I'll be swamped.

Everything else on the plot is growing like crazy too. I'll try to remember to take the camera on
Saturday.

Rumbled ................

Down to the site this morning “sans camera” unfortunately, to potter about a bit and sow a few seeds.

Having pulled the last of the Early Nantes carrots, I sowed another two rows, again in the salad bar, as well as some more radishes. Then after pruning the Triffids, and lifting a few more new potatoes, I decided it was time hoick out the late lamented broad beans, and dig over the soil ready for something else.

I had no sooner started, than Dennis arrived and began digging as well.

If there’s one thing I hate more than digging (well two things actually) it’s digging when it’s rock hard, and in competition with someone else.

Just as I was beginning to have had enough, Mrs. Dennis phoned, and he told her he would only be another hour and a half at most….. I wimped out at this point and started bagging up my sun-dried shallots with an air of great concentration.

Shortly after this a very nice, chatty, lady from “the far side” appeared and asked our advice on sweet corn. Hers are refusing to flower, and as a “newbie" she was concerned she might be doing something wrong. Dennis reckoned it was just a matter of time, so I agreed, nodded, and did my best to look sage. (Actually, having had a sneaky peak at Plot 48 since, I’m sure we’re right, as the offending plants look healthy and vigorous enough in all other respects.)

It was a this point however, that “the new girl” as I’m obliged to call her, - not having bothered with any introductions, - mentioned that she is a regular visitor to DFV, and was very complimentary about my plot and blog.

I haven’t really let on much about the blog to my fellow allotmenteers at RC, but I suppose it was just a matter of time before I was rumbled!

This raises the possibility though that her sweet corn may in fact never come to anything, and I shall be revealed as an ignoramus on my own website…… Naturally I did the only thing possible in the circumstances to guard against this, and bribed her with a bunch of carrots.

Rest assured however gentle reader, that I shall not let this new found fame go to my head…...Oh no!…..Certainly not!….....Not I !

Fight the Blight.................

I went down to the plot today to dig up some more new potatoes, and noticed that the second row of earlies, and the main crop are both just about to start flowering. This is the time then to start piling on the water. So I did.

I read on someone else's blog the other day that "you should never water onions & potatoes" which seems strange, but I can't find the entry now. Potatoes need lots of water to yield a good crop, and the time to start is when the very first flowers appear. Dr Hessayon says "Water liberally in dry weather - This is most important once tubers have started to form." Commercial growers usually work to the rate of 2 gallons per square yard, and will apply this regularly in hot conditions.

One of the reasons why some folk are cautious about watering their 'taters, is that the prime watering time of mid June to mid August, is also the dreaded potato blight season, and this most devastating disease thrives in hot humid conditions.

The best way to avoid blight is by knowing how it is spread. The following is good practice, and was explained by Stefan Buczacki on his Garden Questions program on one of the cable channels today....( See - daytime TV can be good for you!)

1. Contrary to many people's belief, blight does not live in the soil. It is a fungal strain, who spores are borne on the wind over long distances.

2. The spores lands on the leaves, and will remain there in very dry weather. They cannot "travel" through the plant, but require rain (or watering) to wash them down the stems into the soil, where they attack the tubers. Therefore hot rainy summers will almost always result in various degrees of blight on intensively cultivated allotments. New potatoes will probably harvested by then, but main and late crops can be ruined if left unchecked. Although you can now get quite a few good blight resistant varieties.

3. Now you know how the spores reach the spuds, make sure that when you water, you keep the hose or watering can nozzle right down at the base of the stems, at ground level, and water each plant individually. This way you will avoid washing spores down the plant as much as possible. If using a hose, take the pressure jet off the end to eliminate too much spray.

4. If you do get an attack of blight, as soon as you see the leaves turning a sickly yellow and black, (this is very rapid as opposed to natural dying off) immediately cutting the helms right down to ground level may well save the crop underneath. Burn any infected material, or bag it up for disposal off the site.

5. Although it can't live in open soil, blight will remain in any stray tubers, so make sure when lifting the crop, that you remove every last little one....And don't throw them on the dump....take them off site and bin them. Re-infection from last year's compost heap is one of the most common sources of the disease.

But certainly don't let the fear of blight stop you from watering your spuds....(Sounds like a euphemism for something rude... Ed.)

Dawn Harvest..............

Awake and restless again at 4.30am this morning (early summer sunrises are the curse of the insomniac) so down to the allotment by 5.30am, just for the sake of a walk really.

Very cool quiet and peaceful at that time of day.

Picked some veg whilst I was there, and brought back this lot for dinner tonight.

Just add sausages!

Bad Jokes & Artichokes....

An uncharacteristically diligent and productive week thus far.

Peter the "Plot Boss" is recovering from an operation, and so I was asked to cover for him and open the trading shed this coming Saturday. As well as selling stock, I shall be the "Mower Monitor" & the "Strimmer Supervisor" for a whole two hours!

Having collected the keys this morning I took advantage of helping myself to all the aforementioned communal equipment, plus the rotavator, today, in order to have free time to run round after everyone else on Saturday. This is just as well as "Plot Judging Day" for the six local allotment sites is on Sunday, and although I don't stand a chance of winning anything individually, parts of mine did need a serious going over, so as not to the the RC side down.

The climbing french beans are starting to climb their wigwam, although the jury is still out on the efficiency of the "buried bucket method" of irrigation, as their roots are not that deep yet. I'm assuming from the name "Blue Lake" that they will have blue flowers, which will look a bit odd, but doubtless interesting.


The Atlantic Giant pumpkins that I expressed concerns about previously, look like fulfilling my fears. They have both bolted off in a beeline for the nearest path, and have had to have the tips of their runners chopped off with a spade. I'm hoping this will encourage them to sprout in other directions, although they are not yet a fraction of the potential final size.

The peas are nearly ready, and I have watered them copiously to assist nature with the business of pod swelling. Next to them, where I had some lettuces that are now finished, I'm going to direct sow some more peas for a late crop. I think I'm just in time to get something from them before the summer's end, and have chosen Kelvedon Wonder this time as they seem to indicate a slightly longer season on the packet blurb.

Whilst digging over the ground for this, I was visited by one of our many tame blackbirds, who will come right up to the fork as you turn the soil. This one is indentifiable by the white patches on his body, and has been around all year. Although he'll peck worms from almost right under your feet, he won't take them from hand at all.

I am also in hope that Al, or Petunia will be able to give me a decent Globe Artichoke recipe. Mine are all going to waste at the moment as I have not the first clue what to do with them. I know I have had them served with butter in restaraunts, where you are supposed to scrape the flesh off the leaves with your teeth, but this seems like too much work for so little return. Perhaps someone can advise of a soup or somesuch similar.

Currently the only use I know of is in shocking bad jokes like the one below for which I apologise in advance...............

Bob has worked for SafeSave Supermarkets for ages, but doesn't
get on with his boss. One day he learns that the promotion he has strived hard for all year has been given to the Boss's son. Angry and frustrated he goes to the pub after work to drown his sorrows, where his pal Arthur sees him looking glum. On being asked what the matter is, Bob explains his troubles to Arthur over a beer. The evening wears on, one better turns into several, and Bob is now getting really maudlin. He tells Arthur that he thinks the only way he will ever get ahead at work is to do away with the boss and his lickspittle son. Arthur is now pretty drunk too, and declares that Bob is his "Besssht Mate" and he'll not stand by and see him treated like this. Filled with misplaced zeal, he swears to bump off the pair of them, for the price the change in Bob's pockets.

Next day the headlines read....." Arty chokes two for a pound at SafeSave"

Sorry!

An eye for the Broads....

Not a great deal to report on the allotment front this week as I was away for the weekend in Edinburgh. Before I left on Saturday morning though, I got up early to cycle down to RC about 7am, and chuck enough water about to last over the weekend. It was quickly apparent however that I was going to have to walk down, as some b*****d had broken into my garage overnight and nicked my mountain bike!

Anyway, when I returned on Tuesday, everything was still growing fine, and it looks as though someone has done some watering for me whilst I was away - Thanks Pete! It would have needed it too - It was around 30 degrees here all weekend apparently. Thank god it's rained hard yesterday and today.

I started to pick the broad beans whilst I was down there, and soon filled a black sack, which I then had to lug home again. They made a rather daunting pile on my lounge floor, and it took me the entire duration of Korea 'v' Togo to "shell" them all. In the end they 2/3rds filled my big stock pot.


During the tedium of France 'v' Switzerland I set some aside to make a cold bean salad with, then blanched the rest in batches, and bagged them up for freezing. In a few days, all the rest that I left on the plants as too small will also be ready.

I must get around to getting that second hand freezer!

Around the ground..........

One of the things I like about our site at RC, is that it is relatively unspoilt. Some other sites I see on the web, and out of car windows, sometimes look a bit like industrial installations, with galvanised iron sheeting, wooden pallet fences and barbed wired all over the place. I know they are very tidy and productive, and their plotholders love them, but I still prefer the "green garden" style of allotment.

I guess we are just lucky that ours is an open plan site, and all the sheds were provided by the council at the same time so it all looks tidy and uniform. We are surrounded on all sides by housing so security is good, and despite being in the middle of town it remains a very leafy oasis. One that many locals don't even realise exists, as you can't see it from the road anywhere.

Anyway, whatever the reasons, the whole site is looking pretty good just now, so I thought I'd post a few views.

(Click on the pics to enlarge)

The Sun it Shineth Every Day....

Three days of proper weather have allowed me to rack up a good few hours at the site over the weekend, and things are now in good order. I have reasserted my evolutionary superiority over the Kingdom of Weeds, and am now master of my own plot again. This has included putting down some black plastic on the one area that I am leaving fallow. I'm not overly keen on how it looks, but given the absolute refusal of any green manure cover crops to germinate there I don't have much choice.

I've just started pulling the first lettuces from the raised bed, and very nice they are too. They have grown good crisp hearts, and seem to be completely free from pest damage. OK, so I have about 18 of them ready all at the same time, but that's a minor quibble.









The broad beans have come on leaps and bounds since I pinched the tips out. I picked a few pods to try on Saturday, but the beans inside are not quite large enough yet. They need about another week or so I'm guessing.










The peas are also climbing up their wigwams nicely, and the runner beans have survived the cold, windy spell admirably. They just need tying in again to persuade them to leave their neighbours alone and climb the lofty path to righteousness.









My Delvdad shallots are going great guns this year, and look like being the best crop yet. The only thing I did differently this year was work a lot of soot into the ground before planting, so maybe this has helped.










And after clearing the weeds away all three rows of potatoes look promising. This picture shows quite nicely the different stages of development between the very early planted ones on the right, the second earlies about 3 weeks later and the maincrop which although planted at the same time are naturally slower growing.

The weeding has also freed up ground to transplant out the cabbages that I grew from seed, in the raised bed. One row of Hispi, and one row of Kalibos which are a red variety. The netting was a bargain at a £1 a roll from a stall at the local garden show, but it's a bugger to stretch out and needs sticks every few feet. It will be a pain each time I have to remove it to hoe, but that's life. We are surrounded by mature trees at the site, and any uncovered brassicas get torn to shreds by pigeons in a matter of hours.

Overall, things are working out pretty good. I still have a few more bits and pieces to plant out, but apart from that I'm now really at the stage where all that's needed will be a hoeing and watering session a few times a week. Once the pumpkins, courgettes and brassicas start to fill out and cover the ground the plot will be quite full.....Until the harvesting starts!

And the waters receded.........

A week to forget about.

Despite all attempts (including blowing up my microwave and filling the flat with acrid black smoke) I did not quite manage to cough myself inside out however, and am now pretty much recovered. (Why does Benylin have to taste so revolting?) So taking advantage of the unseasonably dry spell between 9am and Noon today I went to the plot to see what has been going on in my absence.

I arrived just as Peter, who promised to do some watering for me, was just finishing doing exactly that. We had a brief comedy conversation along the lines of “ Ah, Thank you my man.” and “ I knows my place zurr”…before I actually looked at the ground and pretty much lost the mood for humour.

Fecking weeds !!!

A considerable amount of hoeing and hand weeding has restored some order to the top half of the plot, but the soil is far too wet for me to get onto the bottom half to finish the job. Weeds offend me, but I will just have to tolerate them until things dry out a bit.

I consulted Pete’s copy of Dr Hessayon, the vegetable bible, and decided it was the right time to pinch the tops out of my broad beans as they have just set pods, and were really starting to get covered in blackfly.

After this I planted 60 pots of sunflowers. The ones I sowed in the soil in April have all failed to germinate, due to the cold and the damp. To be honest I can’t personally be bothered about them now, but having had several conversations with bemused plot holders about my theoretical sunflower hedge, I feel obliged to try and make it happen, so have sown another lot, albeit rather late, in the cold frame.

The runner beans have taken a pasting from the wind and the cold, but look like they will all hang on if only the weather warms up a bit now.

Apart from this things are fairly shipshape on Plot 14, and will have to blunder on for another week before I get chance to put in much time down there again.