Been a while!

I am sorry to anyone who reads my blog for the lack of writing. I have had a busy couple of weekends  meaning my visits to the plot have been quick and just haven't had time to write.


You'll be pleased to know that my First Earlies are coming up and my rhubard is still going mad. I have since planted my broad beans and my carrots at the plot. I was also given some spring cabbage pplants from a fellow allotmenteer last weekend, I planted these under netting in a raised bed and when I went to check on them this weekend, those wretched slugs/snails had already got in, living trails of slime behind them. Who knows what I will do about this, any suggestions welcome. I tried  egg shells and beer traps last year but this didn't work for me. Maybe I can try the shells again  this year as can put them in the outskirts of the bed.


My babies in the greenhouse are doing well and think everything is shooting up now. Celariac, peas, runners, leeks, chillies, toms, dahlias, marigolds and kale all coming up! I ordered some cabbage, cauliflower  and super hot chilli seeds from vegetableseeds.net, as they are very cheap with free delivery and they threw in a couple of extra chilli seed packets which made my day!


My Dad has made the base for my shed so I am hoping this will be up before the summer is over.


My extra exciting news is that we got a puppy on Sunday, he has been helping me in the greenhouse already!


Meet Albie

Update

I haven't updated for a couple of weeks as haven't had much time! Last weekend I did some allotment duties, lots of digging included. I dug a trench out for my asparagus crowns, planted some strawberry runners and planted my onions and red onions (apparently this was too early, but we shall see what happens!).

I have had a check of my seeds in the G-House but don't think the sun has been strong enough for them.
This weekend I have dug over a patch that I weeding it last weekend, so it is a ready patch when needed. It was part of the plot I hadn't touched at all last year so found more of that 'safe' aspestos tiling, glass, rope and plastic bags... the joys. I should piece it altogether and re-make an allotment of the past...

I planted half of my First Early potatoes, hoping there will be no frost. I will plant the rest in a couple of weeks just incase.

I thought I had lots of space but it turns out I am running out already, so I need to re-arrange my plan.

Oh, and my rhubarb is shooting up! Can't wait to make Rhubarb and Custard cake with my own roob. Yum!

Greenhouse and seed planting

Had a very busy weekend, (went to Brighton where I found some bargain potatoes and garlic - 3 for £5! Not the whole purpose of the weekend...) so only had Sunday this week for allotment jobs! On Saturday I had a phonecall to say my greenhouse was ready for collection so that was my first job today. I  decided that I would put it up too as think planting more of my seeds needed to take priority over the digging at the plot.

I was very proud of myself as I put it together without any help as the bf was out and my Dad was at work (It was pretty easy to be honest, but still). So once I had put the frame together my Dad arrived to help with moving it to the right spot and helping put the cover on.

I was then able to plant my chillies, peppers, celeriac and tomatoes (mixed variety). My Mum promised she would go up to the allotment and plant  a couple of fruit bushes she brought for me so that took that guilt away!

I feel like I say this far too often, but next weekend I am free ALL weekend so will definately be dedicating my time to the plot... Come rain or shine!

Yes no rain!

No rain today which meant I could get up the allotment. I had plans in the morning so got up there about 1pm and felt quite focused. Had a check of my rhubarb and this is coming along nicely.

Firstly I planted my gooseberry and blackcurrant bushes that Mum bought from the pound shop (my gifts only ever consist of allotment goods as of May last year). They were already sprouting leaves so should grow well, my others look slightly dead though but may grow?!

Then I dug over my patch for my shallots and planted some of those bulbs. Unfortunately, a few were mouldy so couldn't plant them all. I might have to buy some more as think I only planted about 20 in the end.

The third job was to move some tubing and netting to my vegetable beds ready for when my cabbages and red cabbages go in there, won't be for a while but just preparing and tidying.

I then pulled the last of my cabbages which were destroyed by slugs and caterpillars, but I had left them there to stop weed growth and fill the space - maybe a little bit of laziness too. I then dug over those bits and covered them with some black sheeting.

Next I attacked the weed 'patch' at the bottom of my plot that I have been meaning to do for a long time. They were all dead and easy to pull up just alot of work! Really pleased I have finished that bit though as it has been annoying me for a long time.

Here you can see the epic patch I dug today. Far left my netting with the tubing. This picture makes my plot look a bit of a mess but was pretty happy with it when I left today. So think past the photo!

Pretty successful day for me!

BUG RANT

So the main horrid bugs that annoyed me last year...

Cabbage White Butterfly:
Before I started growing Brassicas (last year) I didn't know anything about a Cabbage White Butterfly, don't be fooled by the word butterfly! They lay these disgusting eggs on your cabbages which will hatch into caterpillars and get right into the centre - another living thing that I used to think was cute - but NO MORE I TELL YOU after they destroyed my cabbages, before I realised I needed to cover them with netting! All a learning curve I kept telling myself. However, they did still get to my Brussel Sprouts through net. Genius these creatures. Hence my previous post how companion planting will help me get through this. Fingers crossed!

Slugs:
I haven't liked slugs in a long time to be honest, probably why I used to eat them as a young child, knowing they would be attacking my vegetables on my allotment in years to come. But now I hate them even more. My problem last year was finding HUGE ones feasting on my young in my greenhouse. I would check on plants coming along nicely ready to plant outside, then go back the following day to a slime covered stump. I tried cups of beer, egg shells and slug pellets around my green house in dishes. This wasn't completely successful. But it did look like I had committed a Snail/Slug massacre in a patch in my garden on some flowers. So this year I will try some Sage as well (as mentioned in prev post) and continue with beer/netting on some and egg shells.

RANT OVER

Companion Planting

After last years Courgette disaster - (round ones from some pumpkin/courgette cross contamination), because I thought they would be ok together, I have been thinking about mixing up some of my veg/herbs/flowers again but actually researching what growing goods are good for each other, aswell as those that don't like each other.

So after some research on various websites, I have decided to companion plant some of my vegetables for the following reasons:


1 - To make my plot prettier and more interesting (lame I know!)
2 - To attract the bugs I WANT on my plants
3 - To deter the bugs I DO NOT want on my plants
4 - To save on space (this is not my reason as I have quite a large plot but is a good one)


So, my plan from information gathered the last couple of days (all yet to be tested!):



I will scatter some flowers (MARIGOLDS, COSMOS, CORNFLOWER,  LIMANTHES,  NASTURTIUMS, BORAGE ) around the plot, as these attract the bees and butterflies  - for pollination and are a nice splash of colour on your plot. They keep away the aphids  - green flies, white flies etc... I think some attract predatory insects like hoverflies that eat the aphids too. But I don't need to know about all of that at the moment!


Plus, you can eat the leaves and flowers on the Nasturtiums and the petals from Marigolds in a salad - I haven't tried this. Apparently the petals can be used to colour rice as well.


Near my TOMATOES: as said above some BORAGE, MINT and BASIL. Mint smells nice and repels Aphids. Borage is said to improve tomato growth and make them taste better so we shall see! Basil said to improve tomato growth and flavour too.  

Near CABBAGES: MINT and THYME (will prob put this in between Toms and Cabs), as it also repels Cabbage White Butterflies/Worms. SAGE aswell as this repels Cabbage Moth and Slugs (ooh I hate them!) and OREGANO, (anything to save my cabbages from a holey mess - I will surround them!) again, deters Cabbage Butterflies.

With BROCCOLI, CAULIS, SPROUTS, KOHL RABI and KALE (all the Brassicas): OREGANO because as said above deters Cabbage Butterflies (hopefully making them extinct by 2012).With CARROTS: SAGE and CHIVES. To help fight off Root Fly and Slugs. I will also sow carrots inbetween my SPRING ONIONS as Carrot Fly do not like onions.

It may seem a bit hectic but will start adapting my plan I think to see what is best next to each other, which will make it seem less confusing I am sure... Might not do it all but looking forward to seeing how it goes!!

I will welcome any suggestions from other allotmenteers too!

Weather!

Sunday was my allotment day - however, it was rainy, windy and cold and I just couldn't face being out in the cold all day when BF was indoors hungover and in the warm and my Dad was in watching The Sopranos, I just couldn't pull myself away from the house.

So to be productive, I decided I would start to chit my early potatoes (which I have been meaning to do for a while!) using two of my seed trays as didn't have any egg boxes available - which I used last year.

I also sowed some of my seeds in my Mum's small greenhouse after the windy accident with my bigger one. Think I will have to invest in another because all my seeds definately won't fit in this one.

So far I have planted some Globe Artichokes, Giant Exhibition Broad Beans, Leeks, Sugar Snap Peas, Pea Douce Provence and Radishes. I need to buy some more seed trays this week and get some more stuff planted! Oh and I bought two bags of Shallot bulbs for £1.49 a bag to plant next weekend! If it is dry... 

So to finish off my day I decided to bake a valentines day inspired cake (just wanted to use my heart shaped tin - I love heart shaped things) and some choc cupcakes to give as a present for someone. I may have some cake as a treat tonight. I can't resist.

Digging out for the shed

I did want to start sowing some seeds this weekend for my greenhouse. However, thought the wind was ridiculous and the poor seeds would have ended up sprouting up on the next door neighbours lawn or something in a couple of months so dedided to give that a miss. But when going outside to walk to the allotment, my greenhouse (half sized one) had completely collapsed - definitely unmendable! :( So wouldn't have anywhere to put them anyway!

With the waiting for some help putting up my shed, I decided to start digging out a patch ready for the shed at the weekend. This needs to be done because my plot is sloped so need to dig out a flat patch for it. My Mum appeared after about an hour and helped me out, didn't completely finish but got a good block of it done! This was harder work than I thought it would be and am feeling the affects today... I am now determined to read up on how to build a shed and the stuff I need for it for the base etc... I am clueless on this part.

So after a slightly disappointing weekend, I decided to bake some cakes to make me feel happy again. Vanilla Cupcakes with m&m choco crispy topping! Yum! But am dieting so can't eat one, but it makes me happy seeing other people enjoying them!

Free Seed Arrival

I have received my seeds from http://www.vegetableseeds.net/default.asp today! Very excited as they were all free!

I am looking forward to my purple 'Red Bull' sprouts and my 'Sun Beam' pattypans, mostly because they are colourful!! I think I have enough seeds. For now...

Skip RAIDING...

Well not quite raiding, I found the kind workman and told him I have been eyeing up his skip for a week or so and wondered if I could take some stuff for my allotment. He said of course and that to take whatever I wanted - even the bath! The bath won't fit in my car unfortunately...

So my Dad came to meet me by the skip and we were like a couple of tramps in the dark loading up his car with wood mainly, we did get a few stares, I was going to go and explain myself with the allotment story but was far too excited looking in the skip to be honest. We mainly got planks of wood to use for a base for the shed, to make some more vegetable beds and make some posts to mark off the sections. Chuffed to be saving myself some money and making use of those poor wasted trees! :)

We might return in daylight when perhaps we will see some more gems!

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Dig Dig Dig

Today was time for more digging and planning out the plot ready for the start of planting things in February. I braved the freezing cold weather in my new killer boots ready to have a good old therapeutic dig.

It didn't surprise me that there were not many people out digging today as when I arrived, it was like the arctic up there - well not quite, maybe I wasn't wrapped up enough!

I had a check of my rhubarb and pleased to see it coming through - can't wait to use it for my rhubarb and custard cake!

Then had a check of my garlic which I planted back in October, this should be ready about summer time. This is growing well too.

 

I was prepared with my allotment plan on my Blackberry phone, which is fab as can keep on track with my plan (Bringing modern technology to the outdoors!). I started where I had left off last weekend, marking out little patches for the veg. As I have a whole year this year, I thought it would be easier if I de-weed little sections and mark them out, and then when it comes round to planting something there, giving it another proper dig. This way I will get more done early on and it won't be so disheartening!!

The ground was wet and all the mud sticking to my new boots, not ideal for conditions for digging but I was determined to get rid of the brambles - glad no one was around to hear my foul mouth everytime a bramble went through my glove into my poor fingers! I dug away for about 2 hours and felt I made a bit of progress, only a small section to go until I have dug the whole allotment (since I had it last year that is!). I may have a celebratory coffee when I get to that stage.

I am getting frustrated with my shed as I was very lucky to get it off Freecycle, it has been sitting there unerected for a couple of months now, one panel was warped when we got it so that is on top of the other panels, protecting them from the weather. I can't put it up until we have enough posts or something for the base - my Dad is helping with this job as I can't do this alone! Also, my boyfriend won't join me at the allotment until my shed is up! He wants a hammock too - lazy!

Skip Searching...

This is something that all allotment holders need to master - searching through rubbish. Today I drove into the carpark and it was like seeing money. Planks of wood in a skip (vegetable beds?), a bath (attractive feature??) small bits of wood (marking out patches??) doors (urm, clutching at straws here...) but anyway lots of stuff that I could use at Plot 39- FOR FREE!!

However, I have not YET got to the cheeky stage yet of just taking things without asking so I am waiting to speak to one of the builders with a sweet smile. Fingers crossed!

x

To start - Beg of January

I thought I had better start doing something with the allotment after the snow, frost, rain! had stopped me visiting to check she was ok. I went up to check it and everything was ok. A missing compost bin lid which I found on the neighbouring plot and some cloches blown away but other than that, everything safe! I had a rough count of steps to work out metreage etc... ready for planning, dug a few weeds and went home feeling determined.

I decided to used Excel to make a plan. It is very rough and can adapt as I go along. I looked at what I want to grow this year and organised when I need to plant seeds etc... I was pretty impressed with myself! After planning, I went shopping for seeds and spent about £20 (I am sure I will see the savings in the veg!)

Today, I went up to the plot with my Dad and his cordless drill to make a couple of vegetable beds and mark out some patches with sticks and string! It is getting there!! I have 5 little patches ready and am working my way down the plot. So much to do!!

Watch this space...

Hello

Last summer I finally got my allotment at our local plot after being on the waiting list for a year. I got Plot No.39. The plot was a brand new plot so not established. The digging was hard work (and I still haven't finished) digging up old window frames, aspestos roof tiles (the 'safe kind' we are told), massive concrete slabs, a taxi driver's ID pass, marbles, flints flints flints, massive roots, you name it we found it. Unfortunately nothing valuable. Basically, our local council just bulldozed everything in sight (there were previous allotments there years ago but had grown over with brambles etc...) and turned in back into the ground that was really helpful.

In terms of planning and having an organised looking plot, I was unsuccessful, as wasn't expecting to get one so hadn't prepared enough seedlings etc... just enough for the garden and I needed to dig over before planting anything. However, it was a great year for learning - as grew things I hadn't grown before, cabbages, sprouts, runner beans etc..., learnt new techniques (I was very proud of my runner bean wigwam) and have become more resourceful (often looking at rubbish thinking, hmm, could that thing be used in my allotment??!) and had lots of lovely vegetables to eat - even if some of my courgettes were round and my carrots maybe a bit phallic! So looking at those things, a fab success.

SO, I thought I would start fresh this year from January, having a full year to plan what I want to grow and BE ORGANISED! The best way to plan out my time and assist with next years growing was to keep some sort of diary which I can update photos etc... so this seemed the best option for me!


About me  -

I am in my 20s, I enjoy allotmenting and baking and have just started to knit so I may sometimes go off track, i'll apologise in advance! Oh and I called the blog 'Courgettes and Cupcakes' as Courgettes were the first thing I grew so where my love for this started and it was a running joke with my family a couple of years ago - as with all people that grow veg I am sure, "we're having courgette AGAIN?!". And the Cupcake part, because I just love baking cupcakes. As simple as that!

x