Garlic Planted!

Despite it being far too wet, it was a case of take the opportunity available. So I planted about 15-20 cloves of Solent Wight and Jolimont. They're a lot bigger than the usual Thermidrome I've grown for the past 3 years, so be interesting to see how they get on - assuming they don't rot first.

I had another go at the old greenhouse walls. It appears as though the one at the back may have to stay there! It's reluctant to come down. So the greenhouse re-assembly plans are still on hold.

I also had a bit of a play with my new Azada, which I'm sure will be great when it isn't quite so wet. Certainly going to be good for those areas that still need to be sorted out and are covered in weeds.

I've lifted the netting higher on the brassicas (probably a good month later than I should have), so it's fingers crossed the rabbits don't get in underneath.

After the success of last years leaf mold/mulch in the large builders sacks I've been collecting some more from the valley below. We are lucky to have many trees in Sheffield, but I reckon it takes about 10 bin bags full of leaves to rot down to provide a multch for one of my beds. I've also learnt, the bags need far more holes in them than they had last year and the leaves from the lime trees in the valley are far quicker to rot down than beech leaves. So far I've filled one of the builders sacks. The other one is about half full of last years beech leaves which I'll top up again. I also have a smaller wire leaf mold basket which could do with filling up too. Not too mention (the long neglected) plot no 2...

It's also the time of year when my thoughts turn to getting a delivery of manure. Unfortunately, I'm not quite sure when I'll have the time between now and the end of the year to sort this out :>(

Still going!

Yes, I am still here but I seem to spend more time dismantling greenhouses than gardening these days. A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to acquire a free greenhouse, so long as I dismantled it and took it away. Despite having absolutely no experience in doing this, of course I said yes!

Obviously some help would be useful, so I managed to persuade a stranger I'd only spoken to on the internet into helping, who helpfully bought her OH along too. A couple of days later, and many aching limbs later, I'm now the proud owner of a dismantled greenhouse in two separate locations.



It's quite big and transporting that much glass and that sized frame across Sheffield - a city with a some big hills and a lot of pot holes - was very interesting!

To get this up on the plot, I now have to demolish the old brick base. Easy? No, it's actually in better shape than I'd realised and is reluctant to come apart. Also the ground level of the greenhouse is about 40cm lower than that outside the greenhouse. It's currently back to the drawing board about what to do about the base.



So whilst I'm thinking about that it was time to repay the greenhouse dismantling favour to Michelle. I'm not at all jealous it's bigger nor that it came apart far easier... ;>)

Where did the light go?
I do love the colours of autumn, but it does herald the shorter days. Which in turn means chances to visit the plot are few and far between. I have managed to collect several bags of leaves - my most successful crop perhaps? Being plentiful in supply you have to do nothing to them to make a tremendous mulch or better still leaf mold.

The garlic, onions, broad beans and peas remain unplanted.

Gone but not forgotten

Some b*stard decided they'd nick my wheelbarrow the other day to cart off the rest of the scrap they were stealing from other plots around me :>(

They may also have taken the fork too - or that could just be a bit too well hidden and I've forgotten where I put it - again.

It was duly reported, but I doubt I'll be seeing it again. What's most upsetting is that there are several others in full view on other plots and mine was well hidden and on top of the manure heap.

Long overdue update on everything else coming soon...

Where does the time go?

I'll tell you where the time goes at this time of year, it's picking everything and trying to keep on top of the weeds! This is some of what I've picked in the last few days:



Which features radish, lettuce, potatoes, peas, broad beans, onions (overwintered - red and white), shallots, mint, raspberries, loganberries, strawberries and blackcurrants. And I have to say I'm quite chuffed with that!

To keep on top of all the fruit this year I've been making jam. Around 35 jars so far this year! So far we have Rhubarb and Orange, Gooseberry, Strawberry, and Raspberries jam, and Marmalade - and the burnt strawberry jam of course... Although it has to be said it is still OK in jam roly poly.

Busy, busy, busy!

Life on the plot continues apace, so to catch up quickly:

Potatoes (Charlotte) are going down well with a couple of plants providing enough for one meal for the four of us. The children did complain about having potatoes so often, but then queried where they were the next day!

Strawberries remain an ongoing battle, but I'm please to report the 'fortress' finally seems to be working and picked about a kilo last night. This makes up for going to Whirlow Farm to pick strawberries - they're expensive, but it is a charity that the kids love going to - then spending several hours trying to get the jam to set, only to burn it. The recipe (HFW jam 'guru') wasn't great either as there was far too much lemon in it as well.



I'm also getting quite a few raspberries from the 'self set' plants dotted around the plot and the summer raspberries are just beginning to take off on plot no 2. Getting a few red currants at last - netting the plants a couple of months ago obviously paid off! - and hunting through the weeds the blackcurrants (on plot no 1) are also just starting.



However, these are just insignificant compared to the Gooseberries. I picked over 2 kg of these from one plant!



I've also made another batch of rhubarb and orange jam, this time with enough sugar for it to set properly.

The overwinter onions are keeling over, so I dug up half a dozen last night - including a couple of 'monster' ones! You can't really tell quite how big the are in this picture, may need to take another photo ;>)



Nearly forgot about the radishes as well, which have managed to escape attention from the slugs this year, so have been having a steady supply of mixed radishes.

Allotment Fair
Last year we had a hog roast on the site for plot holders, with some other food and music. So this year we (as an Association) decided to apply for some funding from the council, and we were lucky enough to receive some to put on a larger event inviting people from other sites in Sheffield, as well as from the Allotment Regeneration Initiative.

We probably had a couple of hundred people over the day, beer from Bradfield Brewery (most upsetting as I was driving!), elderflower cordial (supplied by me!), lots of food from various plot holders, music and the all important slide (don't ask!) for the children. Oh and a 120lb organic pig ;>)

The bar



The pig



Coming soon...
The dwarf peas and Broad beans should be ready in the next couple of weeks, with more raspberries and blackcurrants.

Allotments: an obsession?

It's been a while since the last update. It's that busy time of year, and not always on the plot, and I seem to struggle to update the blog at this time of year. Whilst I would do a quick catch up, I have to moan (no doubt at length) about my strawberries.

Now I grow good strawberries. It's not that I'm particularly talented in growing them but I spent a reasonable amount of time selecting a couple of decent varieties for taste above all else (Chelsea Pensioner and Gariguette from Ken Muir). Everyone who has been privileged to taste them has agreed that they are very good. Sadly, I struggle to get many strawberries off the plants due to pests eating them before I get to them.

Originally I had problems with slugs, then I thought it was birds, then mice, before finally catching a squirrel legging it with one of my strawberries in its mouth last year. War was declared. The children were banned from from feeding them at the Botanical Gardens. Large amounts of netting were bought. All to no avail.

This year the feeding ban remains (and they know that it's because the rats with tails are stealing their strawberries) and I started off with chicken wire around the outside of the strawberry bed, straw under the strawberries, slug pellets and netting over the top. Half a punnet of strawberries later with only a few losses I thought we'd reached an acceptable compromised. However a later trip revealed this was not the case. The tree rats decided they wanted everything, having chewed their way in through the netting, decimating all of the (partly) ripened fruits and many still green strawberries.

So tonight I spent over two hours putting chicken wire over the top and tying it to the surrounding chicken wire and joining the two strips together. I then made sure the bottom of the wire was firmed in to the earth, sprinkled chill powder (they supposedly don't like that) around the outside and over the top where the wire is tied together to try and stop them chewing through the string and then covered it all over with the netting again. Quite how I'll get in to pick any strawberries that survive lord alone knows! As I was doing this a couple of the thieving little b*stards popped up at the bottom of the plot and did a runner when they saw me. If this doesn't work I'm going to start sleeping there. With an air rifle.

I couldn't help but think I'm probably growing the world's most expensive strawberries. Gariguette are sold in Harrods, at this rate it'll be cheaper to get on a train to go and buy them in London. To be honest it'll probably be cheaper to get on a train to France to buy them at this rate. But it's a matter of principle and I will not be beaten.

And breathe.

Some older photos from a few weeks back:

After many years...

I'd like to think I'm finally winning the battle with the hedge. This is further helped by the new neighbour who maintains trees and hedges for the National Trust which is a bit of a bonus. For his professional reputation I should point out that most of the hacking of that hedge was carried out by me!

Looking down the plot - OK it's a mess, but at the bottom of the plot you can see the remaining few bits of the hedge adjoining the plots below as well.



Looking up the plot - the hedge at the top of the plot looking like it's well maintained... It's not.



Out and about on the plot everything has picked up in the rains, and strangely I've not seen any slugs or snails??? Even saw a few bees around on Saturday, so feeling pleased I left the comfrey go to flower:



The dwarf peas are picking up a treat and remain largely unblemished by either bird or slug attack today. Not entirely sure why, maybe the fewer trees on site is finally helping, but they also have some twigs from the hedge and string to help protect them:



Discovery
I've finally made it into the old greenhouse and cleared out one of the beds. Well I say cleared out, but I'll be digging out glass from there for many years to come. I'm finding it absolutely fascinating sorting it out and the picture below does not do it justice. The base is about 90cm high, and approximately 3 x 7 metres - yes it was vast! What you can't see in the picture (and can't really be captured) is a water tank to the left of where I took the photo from. This is set into the ground and is about 50cm deep, but is fed into by the much larger tank outside via a pipe through the wall - presumably the outside tank collecting the water off the greenhouse?

It has to be remembered that this has been there for many years now, the site is on a very steep hill and on the outskirts of Sheffield so quite how whoever built it got the materials there is beyond me! I still harbour thoughts of putting a polytunnel over this base, but I don't think it's as stable as it once was.




Any mycologists out there?
In tidying up the plot I found a small patch of mushrooms next to the (privet) hedge, growing in amongst the old bits of hedge I know use to bean sticks and the dead leaves. Now I've no idea what these are and am wondering if they are edible at all. Now my wife's cousin (an 'amateur' mushroom hunter, but by her own admission, no expert) seems to think they could be St George's mushrooms. Anyone have any thoughts???