Gardening 2022

[Jenkins]

Keep getting emails from the water board to conserve water, so have stopped using the hose to water the garden. Grass has gone yellow, but I'm sure it will survive, but some of the pot plants look distressed.

Have started throwing waste water from the kitchen bowl over the plants. Is this a good idea? Sometimes the water is a little soapy from washing up. Will it harm the plants?

I've taken to putting the plug in the bath while having a shower and using the collected water on the lavendar bushes & fuschias in the garden. They've not died yet...

 

[Poacher]

My tomatoes coming on well

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Looks like a good crop there, and you're more disciplined about removing side shoots than I am! Genovese basil is an ideal intercrop with tomatoes; we also grow Thai basil in between aubergines. Our outside Gardener's Delight toms started to ripen before the greenhouse ones, but now both are productive. Here's the first Pink Brandywine from the greenhouse, starting to rot, so destined for sauce!

Aubergines carrying a large crop, so will soon be eating these rather than buying them!

 

[jowwy]

Looks like a good crop there, and you're more disciplined about removing side shoots than I am! Genovese basil is an ideal intercrop with tomatoes; we also grow Thai basil in between aubergines. Our outside Gardener's Delight toms started to ripen before the greenhouse ones, but now both are productive. Here's the first Pink Brandywine from the greenhouse, starting to rot, so destined for sauce!

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Aubergines carrying a large crop, so will soon be eating these rather than buying them!
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not a fan of aubergines...but that crop looks a good un fair play

 

[dan_bo]

August

 

[CanucksTraveller]

I started about a month late with chillies this year but they're starting to produce well now and they should even accelerate if we get sunny days. Left to right:
Bird's-eye, scotch bonnet, cayenne, fuego, and Hungarian hot wax. The fuego are the hottest on the taste test so far, surprisingly. 🔥
The scotch bonnet are not as hot as I'd expected.

 

[dan_bo]

It's courgette surprise season!

 

[Supersuperleeds]

We've been picking outdoor tomatoes for a few weeks now, absolute bumper crop, our lass has proper green fingers.

Also had a greenhouse put up a couple of weeks ago, so our lass is filling that with seedlings already.

 

[Red17]

Lost all our sweetcorn again. Despite chickenwire all round and net over the top we found it had been trashed again. All plants knocked over and all cobs destroyed, same as last year.

Not sure if its foxes or badgers as both have been seen on the allotment but really love home grown sweetcorn.

 

[annedonnelly]

I might be getting an allotment
I've been on the waiting list for about a year and I had a call from the council the other day asking if I am still interested. So I'm going to view it on Tuesday.
I've since heard that the site is having a blitz on people who've neglected their plots so I'm expecting it to be well overgrown!

 

[Tail End Charlie]

I might be getting an allotment
I've been on the waiting list for about a year and I had a call from the council the other day asking if I am still interested. So I'm going to view it on Tuesday.
I've since heard that the site is having a blitz on people who've neglected their plots so I'm expecting it to be well overgrown!

Yes expect the worse, you might then have a pleasant surprise. Take it on, you won't regret it. Don't try getting it all ship shape in one go, cover up part with cardboard or similar and work the remaining bit, that way it won't seem as daunting. Now is a good time to take one on as you have all winter to work on it.
The Allotment Handbook by Alan Buckingham (try The Works, often discounted in there) is very good to have.

 

[Poacher]

Lost all our sweetcorn again. Despite chickenwire all round and net over the top we found it had been trashed again. All plants knocked over and all cobs destroyed, same as last year.

Not sure if its foxes or badgers as both have been seen on the allotment but really love home grown sweetcorn.

Why I don't grow sweetcorn; cubbies on patrol last night. If they take a liking to heritage tomatoes I'll have a real problem!

 

[annedonnelly]

Well I was right in thinking it might be a bit overgrown.

I chose the smallest of the three plots on offer, but more for the location than the size - I won't have to walk through someone else's plot to get to mine.

I think there may be some structure under the vegetation - perhaps the wooden edges of beds. We'll see when I get to grips with it.

 

[Sharky]

There is something green beginning to infest my beautiful golden yellow lawn, which didn't need any maintenance.

Should I be worried or just cut it down?

 

[Deleted member 1258]

There is something green beginning to infest my beautiful golden yellow lawn, which didn't need any maintenance.

Should I be worried or just cut it down?

Mine is yellow in the middle and green round the edges.

 

[Tail End Charlie]

Well I was right in thinking it might be a bit overgrown.
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I chose the smallest of the three plots on offer, but more for the location than the size - I won't have to walk through someone else's plot to get to mine.

I think there may be some structure under the vegetation - perhaps the wooden edges of beds. We'll see when I get to grips with it.

The plot beside mine has come up for grabs and looked similar. I've been over it with a paraffin flame gun twice and it now looks much more presentable. Someone is looking at it tomorrow.
Take it a bit at a time and you'll get there. I see you've got horsetail (every allotment has), learn to live with it, you won't eradicate it. I dig bits up where I don't want it and drown them to make a liquid feed.