Posts under ‘allotment’

Although we’ve been held back by the weather, there are some jobs which just had to be completed this month.
We applied a second spraying of winter wash, which will hopefully keep some of the fruit tree pests at bay. Winter washes are based on plant oils and are suitable for organic gardening. Before we started [...]

The snow and freezing cold weather has restricted our visits to the allotment to gathering winter vegetables. This lack of activity gave us the ideal opportunity to plan for the coming season and finalise seed orders. Now we have everything that we need to start the new season…except favourable growing and soil conditions.
It is tempting [...]

December announced its arrival with the first real frost of the year. The onset of the cold weather meant it was essential that all necessary frost protection was in place. Outside the bay tree – at the moment more of a small bush – has been draped with a couple of layers of fleece and [...]

A new month and it seems like an entirely different country. Autumn now seems to be heading inexorably towards winter as posts in our weather blog show.
We made just a flying visit to the plot to harvest a few vegetables and make sure plants in the greenhouse had sufficient water. We didn’t even stop for [...]

On the plot and in the garden we have continued the big tidy-up. Weeds continue to grow and so dealing with them is still a major chore.
Whitefly are everywhere and are constantly being disturbed by our activities. This year they have arrived fairly late but seem to have reached plague proportions. Clouds of them [...]

Last week we dug the last of our potatoes and this week we have been browsing seed potato suppliers trying to decide which varieties to plant next year. There always seems to be so much to take into consideration. Suppliers are obviously going to present the seed potatoes that they sell in the best light [...]

October was heralded by fierce winds that has either stripped most leaves from bushes and fruit trees or reduced them to tatters. The large felty leaves of the kiwi are now brown and shrivelled and the banana plants in the garden are completely tattered and sorry looking.

Several years ago when we first took the plot we inherited several old apple cordons and redcurrant and blackcurrant bushes. These had to be rediscovered in the overgrowth that soon swamps a deserted plot and were surrounded by coarse grass which each summer became overgrown and difficult to control.

September has continued the theme of strong winds and rain. Yet another cardoon has been battered to the ground. Work on the plot has been frequently interrupted by sudden heavy rain but despite that that we have managed to spend some time on the plot. We have sown winter salad crops, (spring onion – Guardsman [...]

This week’s talking point has to be our largest tomato which weighed in at almost 1.1kg or 2½lbs.
It’s another Brandywine beefsteak variety (or maybe buffalo steak in this case) which is known to produce huge fruits although I haven’t come across one as large as this in my trawling of the Internet. General information says [...]

Harvesting has been the predominant activity this week. The second largest of our Brandywine tomatoes weighed in at 700g or 1½ lbs. It provided a thick slice of fruit - with some to spare - for each of three sandwiches. There is an even larger sister awaiting harvest. Both of our monster tomatoes were growing [...]

The harvesting highlight of the week has been the Oullins gage plums, many of which have been turned into jam. A degree of caution has to be exerted when harvesting as the plummy aroma has aroused the taste buds of the wasps. The Victoria plums are now beginning to ripen.
The effect of blight has been [...]

Blight has continued to do its worst this week. Some outdoor tomato plants have been wiped out and there are signs of it having infiltrated the plot greenhouse. In an attempt to prevent the potato tubers from being affected we have cut back all the haulms. Although Sarpo Mira potatoes have some signs of [...]

Green Lane Allotments
17 July

This week has been a real disappointment for July. Visits to the plot have more or less been to harvest in between showers. Heavy rain has pounded the soil, and once the sun has dried the clay surface, it can crack and become hard and lumpy.
However, the crops are growing well and [...]

Guest blogger Ali bagged her allotment two years ago. She shares her tips for novice allotmenteers here.

Don’t despair
Once you have acquired your coveted plot, don’t despair if it is a jungle of weeds of every shape and form. My current plot was thick with brambles, bindweed, six trees, and lots of rubbish including an old [...]