The predicted visit from Jack Frost came last week vindicating our decision to protect some of the tender plants on the allotment.
The potato shoots that oblivious to the dangers and were pushing up through the earth survived and the shoots waited until the frost had moved on before reemerging. The photo below shows how some of the shoots were attacked earlier when Mr. Frost turned up a day before he was due and caught us napping. The later shoots appreciated the added protection.
Meanwhile the potatoes planted in crates in the garden greenhouse are enjoying a much more cossetted lifestyle.
Many of the strawberry plants are full of flower and so were also given some protection.
Again you can see how the earlier frosty caught some of the flowers and blackened the centres meaning those flowers won't produce fruit. Our belated protection, however managed to save most of the flowers from frost damage.
Hopefully the risk of frost has now passed so, I removed the fleece and enviromesh that were providing protection and was happy to note that many of the plants were producing fruits. It will soon be time for the next lot of protection namely netting to protect from the birds.
We are still being kept busy tidying areas of the plot that are in need of attention and as we still haven't had any rain lots of watering is necessary. It seems that not too long ago I was bemoaning the fact that the plot was soggy and muddy but in a relatively short period we now have parched dusty earth. Watering the plot can be really time consuming as if just one other person is using water at the same time the water pressure is really poor. Unfortunately for us we are at the end furthest from where the water enters the site.
Martyn, spent time emptying one of our compost bays. We have several bays some of which we use for composting weeds but this bay is purely for vegetable waste and grass clipping. After riddling the compost using the side of an old bird cage as a sieve, the resulting compost was distributed around the plot. It is soon used up. I'm amazed how some people seem to be able to produce enough compost for all their gardening needs - we can't.
We are continuing sowing seeds, pricking out seedlings and growing plants on in the garden greenhouse and soon it will be all systems go planting on the plot. We always sow seeds relatively late compared to many other gardeners, but we know that we can't risk planting most things outside until mid May.
Dahlia tubers that had been potted up have now moved outside to harden off and free up some greenhouse space. Most of those stored are now growing. We were going to buy some additional tubers this year but under the circumstances this will probably not happen.
We harvested very little last week - May is always the month of sparse pickings for us. We pick leaves off lettuce plants growing in the greenhouse as we need them and they rarely get a mention as no sooner are they picked than they are eaten.
Of course where would a May time harvest be without a few sticks of rhubarb?
This week I am linking to harvest Monday hosted on
Dave's blog Our Happy Acres
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I know the frost zapped some of my runner beans at the allotment but not being able to visit myself because of shielding . . . I'll have to ask how the strawberries are faring. Being rather at a remove from things at present I hadn't even thought about asking how much fruit has set. I know the strawberries flowered and are being watered - and that's it.
ReplyDeleteIn the autumn I think I will have to find out how to get a load of manure or something delivered to the allotment. The ground, already poor, is being depleted by not having enough compost to dig in. Even if rats didn't eat our vegetable offerings as fast as we put them in the bin, I wouldn't have enough compost to spread around.
I hope that your strawberries have lots of fruit, Lucy and you have someone to pick and deliver for you. It must be really frustrating for you. Let’s hope things aren’t too long before it’s all under control.
DeleteMy goodness, you do have some good crops happening now, and to look forward to in coming months. I will be grateful to have just a little harvest this year, but hope to be back on track next year. It takes a lot longer to reclaim my land from neglect now that my arthritis hampers progress.
ReplyDeleteI hope that you can recruit some help with your gardening, Deborah.
DeleteIntermittent showers have arrived in Edinburgh thank goodness. Surely no one can generate as much compost as they could use. Mind you I don't equate garden compost with potting compost or "multi purpose". Interested in your weedy compost. We generate a lot of this. Do you leave it longer or drown it in water or smother it in plastic bags to rot anaerobically? Do tell.
ReplyDeleteSad looking black eyed strawberries. Is that sweetcorn I see sprouting - I only sowed mine yesterday!
No showers here yet , Mal although it’s dull. We don’t use the compost for growing in either just as a soil improver but some advocate a 6 inch mulch of compost on all beds which for us would be several lorry loads. We just pile the weeds other than things like bindweed into a large heap where it stays for a couple of years or so. Our opinion is that you will never get rid of weed seedlings anyway so adding compost made from weeds is unlikely to add much to the problem so you may as well get some benefit from them.
DeleteWhat a sturdy compost sifter. Ours have wood edges and are heavy and rot in the weather. Compost looks lovely. Looks like a bountiful strawberry crop ahead. And that lettuce is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteIt’s just part of a large bird cage, Sue, we accidentally several years ago ended up with about a dozen zebra finches in it fingers crossed for lots of strawberries.
DeleteThose potatoes growing in the greenhouse are so green and lush! I think our last frost spared our plants last week, except perhaps for a few iris blooms.
ReplyDeleteI just hope they’re not just too growth, Dave. The frost didn’t have any effect on our irises.
DeleteYou may have sparce pickings now but mercy, those potatoes in your greenhouse are HUGE! I know all will work out for the best. Garden on....
ReplyDeleteThe ground is so dry this year Lisa. We need some rain so that the soil is damp enough to plant out some of the plants currently in the greenhouse
DeleteI always enjoy reading your weekly blog Sue, and seeing how things differ/are the same in different areas. That potato plant is most impressive so I hope it gives you some tasty new potatoes soon. My earliest are growing in the ground in the unheated polytunnel and are only about a foot tall!
ReplyDeleteI’m glad you enjoyed the blog, Kathy. It is quite amazing how many things we have in common with people all across the world and as you say some things are very different too. I’m sure the tunnel provides you with plenty of opportunities for all year round gardening. It’s something that we’ve never owned. It’s constantly on our allotment site so I’m not sure how well it would stand up to the weather.
DeleteI think the ‘Excitable’ new gardeners have been encouraged by some of the TV gardeners to plant too early. Have you tried taking dahlia cuttings to increase your stock?
ReplyDeleteYou’re right, seed packets don’t help either Brian. We have grown dahlias from cuttings in the past but really I want some different varieties to add different colours to the dahlia patch.
DeleteIt was a risk of frost here too Sue. I covered with flees tomato and pepper seedlings. But 3 of they suffered a lot. Your lettuce is great.
ReplyDeleteI’m hoping that’s it as far as frosts go for this year, Nadezda I think that we got away with things lightly, thank goodness
DeleteOur weather news and apps are always wrong, but thankfully no frost here.Your strawberries are looking great and at least you get to pick from the lettuce plants. I always wish we could make enough compost too. xxx
ReplyDeleteApparently< Dina one fairly well known gardener who advocated 6 inch mulches of compost was seen having lorry loads delivered.
DeleteWe had been down to the allotment the day before frost was predicted. The potatoes were just beginning to come through and I thought that I had covered them enough but it was not to
ReplyDeletebe😢 I think that the following couple of nights may have been colder than it was forecast. We could do with rain too soon Sue. I think that like you I sow on the late side but things soon catch up.
At least the potatoes will come back, Anna unlike strawberry flowers. Sow in haste repent at leisure?
DeleteOur frost thankfully passed without much damage - the only thing we lost was some coriander, and that wasn't doing too well anyway!
ReplyDeleteWe emptied a big 'dalek' compost bin that had been left by the last people in our house and it didn't go very far! We've got a lot of bindweed in our garden, so that's the only thing we don't put in as when my dad took over his plot, he couldn't get rid of it and is still pulling up the stuff almost 2 decades later!
We can beat that DQ three decades on and bindweed is STILL a bind on our allotment. Just a tiny piece missed soon aims for plot domination. Sorry I guess it’s not what you want to hear.
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