What have you learnt this growing season?

[mr steev]

Slug pellets are a neccesary evil

We haven't used anything against slugs this year, apart from lobbing them in the compost heap when we find them. We haven't lost anything to them* except maybe the odd lettuce leaf but we had plenty on the go so it was no great loss.
The weather/blight, onion fly and mice have been our main problem.

* Really hope that our massive pumpkins are ok. A bloke in the pub was telling me how they can look giant, but when you pick them they are hollow and have been munched away by slugs. Saying that though, the 'smaller' ones (bigger than a football anyway) were fine, and I struggled to move the massive ones so I hope they'll be ok

Another thing I've learnt is the benefit of keeping your plot and paths clean and weeded. Apart from the fact that once a few weeds get in they can soon take over, it leaves less hiding places for slugs n snails

 

[Dubversion]

that there is no plant on earth Pie Eye can't destroy just by 'caring' for it.

 

[mr steev]

that there is no plant on earth Pie Eye can't destroy just by 'caring' for it.

Is that why we don't hear of the brixton allotment anymore?

(((pie eye and her plants)))

 

[oneflewover]

For the price that seed are, it is never to late to put some in and give things a go. When I got my allotment at the end of July i just put in Brassicas, a near neighbour put in beans and beetroot aswell and has had some to harvest.

 

[lil-Pixie]

I've learnt that you should always keep your neighbours happy, that way they look on you kindly and hand over lots of extra growing things, like carrots, beans, potatos !!

 

[ill-informed]

Grow carrots in a raised bed filled with well rotted turf scraping from a sports field.

I got the soil for free, it was a very sandy loam that grew perfect looking and delicious carrots.


Beetroot did well in it as well BTW.

 

[crustychick]

can anyone tell me the advantages/disadvantages of growing in raised beds/or not? I am curious. There are a few plots on my allotments that have raised beds for some stuff, and most which don't have any - is there a great advantage???

ta

 

[TopCat]

I learnt that early girl grows well in our shite weather.

 

[ICB]

Always slash your tomatos back viciously before going on 3 weeks holiday or you'll come back to a jungle of green with a few green pea-sized fruits buried therein

 

[ill-informed]

can anyone tell me the advantages/disadvantages of growing in raised beds/or not? I am curious. There are a few plots on my allotments that have raised beds for some stuff, and most which don't have any - is there a great advantage???

ta

This is my 3rd allotment and this time i decided to do raised beds. I took one look at the jungle of twitch, ground elder, bindweed, bramble, nettle etc and decided i had better things to do with my time, so i just strimmed it then covered it, the beds were made from scrap scaffolding planks and filled with compost that i got free from a previous job. I then put wood chip on the paths.

Disadvantages:

• Have to make the beds

Advantages:

• Less weeding
• Looks better
• Easy to maintain the beds, ie weed a bed in under 5 minutes, therefore less demoralising
• Easy to keep a track of crop rotation
• Better drainage
• Easier to alter soil type, pH etc
• Stops you walking on and compacting the soil
• Better height for working on
• Stops you getting muddy
• Child and pet friendly

Overall my plot is very easy to maintain, looks great and has produced some excellent crops.

My next jobs there are to put up a new shed (an almost new 7x6 for free ) a greenhouse, more compost bays and a chicken wire boundary to keep the puppy from runnning all over other peoples plots not sure if i'm allowed to build a fence, but it'll just be temporary until he starts to listen to me a bit more.

 

[crustychick]

This is my 3rd allotment and this time i decided to do raised beds. I took one look at the jungle of twitch, ground elder, bindweed, bramble, nettle etc and decided i had better things to do with my time, so i just strimmed it then covered it, the beds were made from scrap scaffolding planks and filled with compost that i got free from a previous job. I then put wood chip on the paths.

Disadvantages:

• Have to make the beds

Advantages:

• Less weeding
• Looks better
• Easy to maintain the beds, ie weed a bed in under 5 minutes, therefore less demoralising
• Easy to keep a track of crop rotation
• Better drainage
• Easier to alter soil type, pH etc

Overall my plot is very easy to maintain, looks great and has produced some excellent crops.

My next jobs there are to put up a new shed (an almost new 7x6 for free ) a greenhouse, more compost bays and a chicken wire boundary to keep the puppy from runnning all over other peoples plots not sure if i'm allowed to build a fence, but it'll just be temporary until he starts to listen to me a bit more.

hmmmmm, interesting... will put it to the others....

what did you cover the plot with once you'd strimmed it?

 

[ill-informed]

hmmmmm, interesting... will put it to the others....

what did you cover the plot with once you'd strimmed it?

£60 worth of 100grm membane off ebay. I could have saved money with carpet but wanted it to last longer.

I plan to remove the compost from the beds and cut the membrane out to improve root growth, drainage etc, but only when i'm absolutely sure that they're dead. Next year it will be 2 years so that should be long enough.

 

[lynne8]

I haven't learned much 'cept next year I'll grow more herbs and get a different tomato plant, mine was not successful.. I'll dry more sage and get more chives to snip and use. My Rosemary is going on 5 years old and comes indoors for the winter. I'd love to grow some chili's and onions next year, and maybe a bay tree thingy. I am jealous of some of the stuff you grow tho' we have such a short growing time and this was such a shit summer.