We managed to get quite a bit of work done at the allotment last week and we certainly feel that things are turning a corner. The emphasis is gradually becoming more on getting ready to plant.
There was still some bed preparation which involved deciding where each of this year's crops would be planted, then moving and positioning the relevant pieces of weed control fabric onto the appropriate beds.
Once in place the fabric was mulched with well rotted wood chippings which next year will be dug into the soil.
Some of the flower beds were weeded and are now ready for additional planting. We have already earmarked some plants at present in the garden for a move onto the allotment.
Last year we tried, unsuccessfully, to grow some nasturtiums in an old wheelbarrow. We think they failed possibly due to being in too shady a position so we have moved the wheelbarrow, as shown in the photo at the top right of the group above. We will try again - the gardeners' mantra.
We have also actually started planting. The first lot of onion sets have been planted. As usual they have been planted in channels cut into weed control fabric.
Before planting the channels were filled with multi purpose compost to give the sets a bit of TLC to give them a start. The planted bed was then covered with twigs to provide a bit of protection. Animal tracks - maybe fox tracks - often pepper newly dug beds and birds often take the opportunity to dust bathe in newly tilled soil.
We have planted five varieties of onions this year, Centurion, Hercules, Red Karmen, Rumba and Sturon. Another bed will be planted with onions shortly. We used to first start sets off in modules in the greenhouse, but one year we compared growing this way with planting the sets a little later, directly in the ground. The ones planted directly, soon caught up with those first planted in modules. The module grown sets suffered a check to their growth when planted out, whereas once the the sets planted directly started going they had no such check to growth.
Our dahlias had been stored over winter in paper potato sacks in the garage. They seem to have survived and last week were potted up until we are ready to plant them on the allotment.
We use lots of celery, but it is one of the vegetables that we just don't seem to be able to grow. Recently, Martyn watched an interesting idea on YouTube which showed how you could regrow celery from the base of shop bought celery. We decided to have a go ourselves.
We cut the root plate off a bunch of celery and placed it in a tub containing water. Once stems started to grow the whole thing was planted. We don't expect 'normal' sized stems but it will be interesting to see what we get.
One crop of stems that we have no trouble growing is rhubarb. Our earliest variety is now producing a crop of good sized stems.
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| 23 March |
Much to our delight our PSB is now producing lots of shoots. No PSB envy for us this year.
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| 19 March |
As we now need to clear beds that still have some overwinter crops growing, we dug the last of the beetroot and also a large batch of leeks. The leeks below will be used to make Wensleydale patties. These are a Yorkshire version of Glamorgan sausages whereby the Glamorgan cheese is replaced with Wensleydale and the mixture shaped like small burgers rather than sausages.
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| 24 March |
Sadly, although we still have carrots and parsnips left in the ground, these are now beginning to regrow so are unlikely to be fit for the pot. This is a major departure from last year when we had no carrots and quickly used up our few parsnips. You never get the same outcome, year on year, when growing your own vegetables which makes planning how much to grow a tricky balancing act. If we were to cut down on how much we grow next year, we would probably be faced with a lean crop. I guess it all adds to the challenge and makes us really appreciate when things go well.
By the way, I know I get lots of visitors who never comment and I'd love to know who you are. Why not say hello? You don't have to have your own blog in order to join in conversations. It may seem that everyone who comments knows one another but bloggers always welcome new commenters, after all that is how we all started.
Wensleydale patties' recipe I used this recipe and just substituted the Glamorgan cheese for Wensleydale. I shaped the mixture into patties rather than sausages.. The quantity in the recipe makes 6 patties. I cook them for 20-30 minutes in the oven 200C/400F gas 6 until they are browned and hot. They freeze well. I flash freeze on a tray before bagging them as shown below/
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All looking good! Hope it isn't as cold with you as with us? Must look up a recipe for Wensleydale Patties, as Glamorgan Sausages are a favourite. I tried that growing things from stems, with onions and lettuce with varying degrees of success, but let's say I would have starved if I had waited for anything useable.
ReplyDeleteWe came across Wensleydale patties in the cafe at Rievaulx Abbey, Deborah. I thought that they were very similar to Glamorgan sausages and so I made my own version based on a recipe that I found on the Internet and it seemed to taste the same. I’ve added the recipe that I use on the post.
DeleteYou are right, no two years are the same for a gardener! At least with my little plot I'm never likely to have much of a glut... The Celery experiment looks interesting. I wonder if it would work with Celeriac too?
ReplyDeleteI guess it would be more difficult to get it to create a celeriac root, Mark. If the celery woks I’m guessing that it will only produce garnish sized stems.
DeleteYou post the most interesting recipes. Wensleydale patties is something I've never heard of before. Funny thing, I just saved the top of a parsnip and put it in some water. It has grown into a beautiful feathery top very quickly. I think I'll try the celery bottom and maybe a rutabaga top. The Apiaceae seem to respond best to this treatment.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link to the recipe. What do I call mine since I am using an Irish cheddar? That relish recipe is also mouth-watering. Such comfort food.
DeleteBe careful with the parsnip, Jane as the sap can cause dreadful burns if it gets onto the skin in sunshine. It will be interesting to see what happens to all our experimentation. I’m not sure what to call your version of the patties and you are right although I haven’t tried making the relish it does sound tasty.
DeleteNo two years are the same - agreed. I've dug up the tail end of the carrots. These ones were the second sowing after a first sowing no show, and weren't thinned at all so are on the small side. Added to this the root fly must have got in at the end of the net. So it has been a disappointing end to the crop and I am quite glad to be done with them. My enthusiasm will return before the new season's crop is ready.
ReplyDeleteThat’s the beauty of gardening, Mal there are new starts every year when we hope things will be better. It’s never boring.
DeleteHello , I,m sure I,ve said "hello" before but maybe not for a while . It's all looking good on your allotment ....what an exciting time it is now with tearing open our seed packets and getting our hands into the earth ! I wish you all the very best for this years crops and harvests . . . and hopefully a reasonable balance of weather . Debbie :)
ReplyDeleteHello, Debbie, yes I remember you commenting before but thanks for your comment this time. Let’s hope all those seeds that we will soon be sowing produce a great harvest. Perfect weather would be good wouldn’t it?
DeleteWhat a lovely bunch of PSB! I am having envy for sure, though I'm thankful to have even a taste of it here. I'm also envious of your onion planting. I'm still waiting for the soil to dry out here. We got another inch of rain yesterday so it will be a bit longer before I can fork up a spot. I've got some multiplier onions that are ready to go.
ReplyDeleteWe are really happy to have a successful PSB harvest this year, Dave. The second bed that we need for the rest of the onions is a bit too wet at the moment so we are hoping that the few dry, windy days will have improved things.
DeleteGood to see your progress. It's wonderful getting plants into the ground. I saw something on facebook re growing plants from all sorts of veggies. I must give it a go myself.xxx
ReplyDeleteIt is good to get started, Dina. Look forward to seeing what you try.
DeleteI've grown celery that way before and use it for year-round celery in a pot when I can't grow it in the ground because it's too warm. I move it to afternoon shade to keep it from getting bitter. It's a great project with kids. Here's my blog post on the topic: https://www.ediblegardens52.com/ediblegardens52/cut-and-come-again-celery-r9dmx?rq=celery
ReplyDeleteAs always love seeing the PSB.
I’ll check out your post Sue. The PSB is especially welcome after a few years of failing completely with it.
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