How does your garden grow?

[AngryOfTuebrook]

Took on a new allotment the other day.  Spent this morning trying to tidy up some rubbish and clear some weeds.

[TheHowieLama]

Big spring onions - lemon for scale

 

 

[Captain Willard]

My allotment in full bloom as captured by the reluctant and very very occasional visitor mrs Willard. That’s me top right peering angrily at an underperforming dahlia. 

[YorkshireRed]

4 minutes ago, Captain Willard said:

My allotment in full bloom as captured by the reluctant and very very occasional visitor mrs Willard. That’s me top right peering angrily at an underperforming dahlia. 

You’re a tree? I wouldn’t have guessed that. 
 

Who’s the chap, more towards the centre? He looks suspicious, you should keep your eyes on him, rather than the dahlias. I reckon he’ll be after your good lady, the minute your back is turned. 

[Captain Willard]

12 minutes ago, YorkshireRed said:

You’re a tree? I wouldn’t have guessed that. 
 

Who’s the chap, more towards the centre? He looks suspicious, you should keep your eyes on him, rather than the dahlias. I reckon he’ll be after your good lady, the minute your back is turned. 

That’s my new African female neighbour. She’s growing massive sweetcorn as per top left. 

[Captain Willard]

On 26/08/2023 at 23:17, AngryOfTuebrook said:

Took on a new allotment the other day.  Spent this morning trying to tidy up some rubbish and clear some weeds.

Lots of potential there. If I was you, I’d cut it all back with a hired Strimmer, spray the remaining foilage with weed killer, cover the whole plot with sheets of weed block and come back in march. 

[Champ]

5 hours ago, Captain Willard said:

Lots of potential there. If I was you, I’d cut it all back with a hired Strimmer, spray the remaining foilage with weed killer, cover the whole plot with sheets of weed block and come back in march. 

Decision time, Angry. To be organic or not.

Pick a side

[Chip Butty]

Been an ok this year, made difficult due to constant pissing down and having an abscess and op on me arse. 
carrots have been sound and the second crop will be even better.

Alliums ok ish, problem mainly due to not being able to de-weed. 
Garlic pretty much the same but the whiff of the garlic in the air when digging them up goes to back what Mrs Butty says about size not being important.

Spuds boss, peppers sound, Aubergine disaster, Courgettes good, cucumber really good, beetroot TBC’d, sweetcorn again another tbc’d and chillis as ever spot on.

 

[Captain Willard]

55 minutes ago, Champ said:

Decision time, Angry. To be organic or not.

Pick a side

Weed block will do a lot on its own between now and spring but some weeds may survive. I’m an impatient gardener hence the glyphosate. You definitely should make a pond, 

[AngryOfTuebrook]

2 hours ago, Champ said:

Decision time, Angry. To be organic or not.

Pick a side

I'm going to avoid weedkiller and pesticides as much as I can; I spotted a cat there today and I'd have nightmares about making him sick.

 

I've weeded one bed and covered it up, like Willard says.  Fucking hard work in this weather, but I need the exercise, so it's all good.

[Champ]

45 minutes ago, AngryOfTuebrook said:

I'm going to avoid weedkiller and pesticides as much as I can; I spotted a cat there today and I'd have nightmares about making him sick.

 

I've weeded one bed and covered it up, like Willard says.  Fucking hard work in this weather, but I need the exercise, so it's all good.

I’ve no idea what ‘weed block’ is but I’d go with cardboard, which has the dual benefit of breaking down to enrich the soil too

[TheHowieLama]

3 minutes ago, Champ said:

I’ve no idea what ‘weed block’ is but I’d go with cardboard, which has the dual benefit of breaking down to enrich the soil too

 

The black fabric stuff. 

[Champ]

On 26/08/2023 at 23:17, AngryOfTuebrook said:

Took on a new allotment the other day.  Spent this morning trying to tidy up some rubbish and clear some weeds.

What’s your plan for your allotment, Angry?

[Champ]

10 hours ago, Captain Willard said:

My allotment in full bloom as captured by the reluctant and very very occasional visitor mrs Willard. That’s me top right peering angrily at an underperforming dahlia. 

My dahlias have hardly done anything. To date I’ve only got one flowering although there’s another one that is now producing buds. So disappointing after only growing them for the first time last year. I thought it was just me or have others struggled too?

[Champ]

4 hours ago, Chip Butty said:

Been an ok this year, made difficult due to constant pissing down and having an abscess and op on me arse. 
carrots have been sound and the second crop will be even better.

Alliums ok ish, problem mainly due to not being able to de-weed. 
Garlic pretty much the same but the whiff of the garlic in the air when digging them up goes to back what Mrs Butty says about size not being important.

Spuds boss, peppers sound, Aubergine disaster, Courgettes good, cucumber really good, beetroot TBC’d, sweetcorn again another tbc’d and chillis as ever spot on.

 

Chip Butty, take a bow! That sounds like an amazing return. 
As I’ve just mentioned my dahlias have been hopeless but my tomatoes have been fabulous. So much better then last year when I think they just got too hot. Could that be a thing? I’ve only ever grown them in the greenhouse but I’m tempted to give growing them outside a go with all the watering that they seem to demand under glass

[AngryOfTuebrook]

5 minutes ago, Champ said:

What’s your plan for your allotment, Angry?

I've not really thought it through that much.  Probably go for some veg and stuff, rather than flowers.  It will take a fair bit of tidying, because some of the other allotment holders used it to dump stuff when it was unoccupied.  I might start simple with stuff I've grown before, like courgettes, cucumbers and cauliflowers.

[Captain Willard]

23 minutes ago, Champ said:

My dahlias have hardly done anything. To date I’ve only got one flowering although there’s another one that is now producing buds. So disappointing after only growing them for the first time last year. I thought it was just me or have others struggled too?

DM me if you want some tubers in the spring. I am planning to divide the plants I’ve got so will have a few spare. I think they will survive the post. 

[TheHowieLama]

23 minutes ago, AngryOfTuebrook said:

I've not really thought it through that much.  Probably go for some veg and stuff, rather than flowers.  It will take a fair bit of tidying, because some of the other allotment holders used it to dump stuff when it was unoccupied.  I might start simple with stuff I've grown before, like courgettes, cucumbers and cauliflowers.

 

I think you need to go organic then.

 

It's not wrong to use some chems on flowers/shrubs imo.

[Captain Willard]

20 minutes ago, AngryOfTuebrook said:

I've not really thought it through that much.  Probably go for some veg and stuff, rather than flowers.  It will take a fair bit of tidying, because some of the other allotment holders used it to dump stuff when it was unoccupied.  I might start simple with stuff I've grown before, like courgettes, cucumbers and cauliflowers.

Potatoes are super easy and good for breaking up old soil. 

[Evelyn Tentions]

On 27/08/2023 at 05:17, AngryOfTuebrook said:

Took on a new allotment the other day.  Spent this morning trying to tidy up some rubbish and clear some weeds.

What you need is one of these. 

Kill them with fire

[Captain Willard]

Wilkos are selling weed block sheets at £3 for  an 8m roll. 

[A Red]

We've got rabbits and moles but the biggest bastards of the lot are badgers, the TB twats 

.

[Section_31]

Planted some new grass by the border about a month ago and the roots are all desd already. Our garden dips in places so don't know it's because all the rain has basically fucking drowned it or what. I'm Saw Boss in reverse.

[Champ]

1 hour ago, Section_31 said:

Planted some new grass by the border about a month ago and the roots are all desd already. Our garden dips in places so don't know it's because all the rain has basically fucking drowned it or what. I'm Saw Boss in reverse.

Are you sure it’s dead? Grass is remarkably resilient 

[Section_31]

9 minutes ago, Champ said:

Are you sure it’s dead? Grass is remarkably resilient 

Yep deffo. It came up with no effort at all and the roots were like brown straw.