March 2021 was the month that I took on the new plot but April 2021 was when I started paying for it, so I have officially been on Plot 16 for a year now, and what a year!
April this year has been a much quieter affair compared to
last year. I have started a new job so I am further away, and the weather has
been colder and drier than usual.
The seeds that I sowed in March are doing well – the parsnips
are slow but they always are, the radish, swede, turnip, and salad leaves are taking
over, and the things in the tunnel are growing away. Three of the four
courgette seeds I sowed way back in the middle of March have popped up so that’s
good, I was getting worried about them as they were my last four seeds! I have sown more seeds in April, so this week I will be sowing my third lot to get some succession growing going on.
This month (May) I will be sowing: carrot, parsnip, radish, salad leaves, flowers, spring onion, leek, squash, sunflowers, cosmos, brassica, swede, turnip, and whatever else I can get my grubby hands on.
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| A very majestic carrot seedling |
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| Cosmos in the tunnel |
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| Three of the four yellow courgette seeds have germinated |
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| PSB growing well!! This will be harvested next winter, in February. In it for the long game. |
I have used up and restocked my flower seeds, and used them up again. I have also been using the seeds I collected last year, I need to try and up my game this year to get more, and collect more variety.
Flower seeds have included calendula, tagetes, cosmos, sea holly, poppy, cornflower, love in a mist, nasturtium, love lies bleeding, verbena bon, bergamot, lobelia, scabious, heartsease, pansy, lesser celandine. A mix of edible and non-edible. My allotment theme for this year is MORE IS MORE.
The raspberry canes that I transplanted and cut right back
are growing really well, so that’s good. I know that these are super productive
canes and the fruits are so yummers. I have planted them at the back of the shed
so they can be tied up. This bed is in dire need of a good mulch and compost top up but I'll leave that 'til winter so I can put down more cardboard and then the mulch atop.
I made a second herb bed with the plants I dug up from between the paving slabs, and I have planted them in a small bed alongside the pomegranate bush, and then I topped it off with grit for many reasons. But I think I need to uncover it from the grit, remove the plants, and put new, actually alive ones in. Oh well. Live n learn.
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| Defo need to do some grassland habitat management. |
I have started cutting, tying, hanging, and drying this years herbs too. From the plot I have cut thyme, lemon thyme, sage, rosemary, and marjoram.
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| My very technical drying space and technique. Put the herbs into small bundles, tie with twine, hang from the curtain pole in the spare room. Wait. |
I’m still picking chard.
My April to do list was thus:
·
Tidy and try to organise shed a bit, put more
shelving units up
·
Weed out strawberry & blueberry beds
·
Sow more seed – more flower seed in the beds,
and more carrots etc.
·
Put up two more arches somewhere and brace
·
Hack back bramble behind the shed
And I’m pleased and proud to announce that I’ve done none of
it whatsoever!! Except a bit of seed sowing but not a lot.
I have a week off work now so I am planning a couple of days at the plot to get it back under control. The grass is getting very long and tufty, and I do need to empty and tidy the shed. And dig things out to bring home, and tidy the slab and brick pile…
We have finally had some rain at the start of May which is
good as all five of my waterbutts have been empty for a few weeks now. I do need
to upgrade the butts this year so that’s something else to work towards.
So, Mays to do list!:
·
Empty and tidy shed
·
Cut back bramble
·
Sow more seed – carrot (out), parsnip (out),
flowers (out), peas (out), beans (out), squash (in), sunflowers (out – am going
to direct sow and see what happens).
·
Dig out blueberry into a pot and bring it home
·
Weed smaller beds
·
Pick more chard I guess
Things I’m Growing On The Allotment (so far):
1. Pear
tree
2. Apple
tree
3. Almond
tree
4. Quince
bushes x lots
5. Carrot
6. Parsnip
7. Swede
8. Turnip
9. Radish
10. Spring
onion
11. Leek
12. Garlic
13. Onion
14. Lettuce
15. Spinach
16. Rocket
17. Mizuna
18. Mustard
leaf
19. Raspberry
red
20. Raspberry
yellow
21. Strawberry
22. Blueberry
23. Pomegranate
24. Peas
25. Beans
26. Broccoli
27. Courgette
28. Chard
29. Sage
30. Thyme
31. Lemon
thyme
32. Orange
thyme
33. Rosemary
34. Lemon
balm
35. Lime
balm
36. Oregano
37. Marjoram
38. Lavender
39. Mint
40. Chives
41. Feverfew
42. Fennel
43. Nasturtium
44. Calendula
45. Heartsease
46. Corn
flower
47. Love
in a mist
48. Love
lies bleeding
49. Verbena
bon
50. Tagetes
51. Bergamot
52. Lobelia
53. Scabious
54. Sea
holly
55. Poppy
56. Lesser
celandine
Things I Am Going To Grow:
1. Pumpkin
2. Cosmos
3. Hollyhock
4. Comfrey
5. Sweet
peas
6. And
I quite fancy another little tree but not sure what
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| This apple tree cost £10 and it is laden with flowers! |
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| Last years leeks |
