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Calling SMB veg growers

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DaveH said:
Almost everything does get eating. I love it in early spring when you dig things over and you find stuff you missed. It might be an onion started sprouting again, a parsnip, carrot, a few potatoes, the last few leeks or a swede that looked rubbish last year but grew a bit more over winter. There are a few times I've come in with a good handful of random veg and chucked it in a pot with sausages or something to make a 'free' casserole.
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Found some volunteer potatoes that had self sown in the strawberry patch the other day. Combined with the last of the spring onions and some Thai basil, made an interesting potato salad.
 

MackemBob said:
Found some volunteer potatoes that had self sown in the strawberry patch the other day. Combined with the last of the spring onions and some Thai basil, made an interesting potato salad.
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I always assumed any that had spread had been tiny ones that ended up in compost, I didn't realise they could seed that way. I do sometimes get them growing in the compost bins.

I have been eating some free spinach. I have a salad trug by the back door, but it didn't survive the heatwave. Some stuff that went to seed fell down a crack between a small wall and the edge of the patio. While everything else in the garden struggled, this spinach did really well. God knows why, very little soil and no water, but right outside the backdoor and ready to eat. Interestingly the stuff in the trug either seeded too or died back to the root, because that is all sprouting away again. No lettuce, but lots of small spinach and chard leaves.

I do get stuff that grows like 'weeds' all over the place. Often if a crop of something has failed, something else has already started to grow in it's place. Random squashes is another good one. Rather than dig stuff out, I just leave it and let the gaps fill naturally. It does make some random disorganised veg beds, but is the low work option and the plants that just appear have a massive headstart on anything else I might choose to replace the failed crop.
 
DaveH said:
I always assumed any that had spread had been tiny ones that ended up in compost, I didn't realise they could seed that way. I do sometimes get them growing in the compost bins.

I have been eating some free spinach. I have a salad trug by the back door, but it didn't survive the heatwave. Some stuff that went to seed fell down a crack between a small wall and the edge of the patio. While everything else in the garden struggled, this spinach did really well. God knows why, very little soil and no water, but right outside the backdoor and ready to eat. Interestingly the stuff in the trug either seeded too or died back to the root, because that is all sprouting away again. No lettuce, but lots of small spinach and chard leaves.

I do get stuff that grows like 'weeds' all over the place. Often if a crop of something has failed, something else has already started to grow in it's place. Random squashes is another good one. Rather than dig stuff out, I just leave it and let the gaps fill naturally. It does make some random disorganised veg beds, but is the low work option and the plants that just appear have a massive headstart on anything else I might choose to replace the failed crop.
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I say self sown, but I expect it’s probably been dropped when I’ve been carrying the tops of the potatoes to the compost bin (the strawberries are right next to it).
 
Now's the time to sow broad beans for next year.
Make sure they are the right variety for Autumn sowing, suggest "Aquadulce Claudia" and get them direct into the soil now.

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Georgewhitt said:
Aye. And beyond if you fleece it, and the frosts not too harsh.
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Been meaning to ask. How do you do that?
I have a load of fleece from renovating the front lawn the other week. Do I just chuck in on top? Or do I make a tent to keep the fleece from directly touching the plants?
 
Planted about 125 cloves of garlic over the weekend. Covered the beds with cardboard and cut small holes to plant them through, hopefully will reduce the weeding in the spring.
 
gasman said:
Planted about 125 cloves of garlic over the weekend. Covered the beds with cardboard and cut small holes to plant them through, hopefully will reduce the weeding in the spring.
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Do I just crack open a bulb and plant them? I have a little spot that I've not used yet and I could just chuck em in and cover in a leaf mulch I suppose.
 
PTR said:
Been meaning to ask. How do you do that?
I have a load of fleece from renovating the front lawn the other week. Do I just chuck in on top? Or do I make a tent to keep the fleece from directly touching the plants?
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Tbh mate, you are at the will of the weather.
To extend the season outdoors, you need a waterproof cloche, and fleece.
Best off, just letting them grow until the frost, and then pull them marra.
 
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PTR said:
Do I just crack open a bulb and plant them? I have a little spot that I've not used yet and I could just chuck em in and cover in a leaf mulch I suppose.
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People have grown shop bought garlic and it’s grown but you’re best off purchasing them from either wilkos or a garden/seed shop as they’re fine to grow in the uk climate. If you’re local I’ve got a fair few spare I can drop off.
That’s the gist of it though, just plant the cloves 2/3 inches down, try and look for the bigger cloves to plant as they’ll grow bigger bulbs.
 
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gasman said:
People have grown shop bought garlic and it’s grown but you’re best off purchasing them from either wilkos or a garden/seed shop as they’re fine to grow in the uk climate. If you’re local I’ve got a fair few spare I can drop off.
That’s the gist of it though, just plant the cloves 2/3 inches down, try and look for the bigger cloves to plant as they’ll grow bigger bulbs.
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Buy the right type for you to.
Soft neck, and hard neck varieties.
Soft neck, smaller cloves but keep better, hard neck larger and a bit stronger, but don't store as well.
Don't just plant supermarket stuff.
Not as good.
 
After five years on the waiting list, I've been given an allotment and I'm chuffed.

Seems to me to be the perfect time to get it ready for spring, I know I want my compost heap sorted asap and I'm going to weed the beds already there and cover with weed membrane over winter. I have a small polytunnel too that withstood storm arwen last year so I think it'll be fine.

  1. If you were starting out a new allotment what would you have done at the start ?
  2. I notice lots of ivy, sprawling everywhere, any tips on dealing with it?
  3. Also some bits of horsetail dotted about I noticed, again, any tips ?
Over to you, the fine horticulturists of the SMB.
 
High Entropy said:
After five years on the waiting list, I've been given an allotment and I'm chuffed.

Seems to me to be the perfect time to get it ready for spring, I know I want my compost heap sorted asap and I'm going to weed the beds already there and cover with weed membrane over winter. I have a small polytunnel too that withstood storm arwen last year so I think it'll be fine.

  1. If you were starting out a new allotment what would you have done at the start ?
  2. I notice lots of ivy, sprawling everywhere, any tips on dealing with it?
  3. Also some bits of horsetail dotted about I noticed, again, any tips ?
Over to you, the fine horticulturists of the SMB.
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Where's the allotment marra??
 
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