Sunday 29 June 2014

Veggie Update

Here is an update from our allotment. These pictures were actually taken a week ago...have been too busy painting and gardening to hang about on the net.
My tomatoes are tall and in all honesty either need more headroom or have to be cut. I hope that our polytunnel can be finished on time to move both the tomatoes and the cucumbers to a loftier environment. They have grown quite a bit in the week which has gone since the picture was taken.



I also managed to tidy up the shed bit and install a shelving unit. It is still quite a squeeze to get past the wheelbarrow, but at least I can find my things easily.


Outside my asparagus is still sprouting the very thin stems. It is only a year old plant and has been moved, so no surprises there. My strawberry beds are kept strictly for good rooting, so I have nipped all the flowers away as soon as they appear. I have let them make some runners, don't know whether this is a bad idea. In the front you can see my chamomile edging: as I would not have any crops there anyway, it is better to have something to keep the weeds down.


Behind the hut in still very messy area I have my pumpkin growing together with couple of courgettes. I have bigger courgette plants in the main veggie area. 


My newly planted black currants have started well. As there will not be any crops this year I filled the spaces in between with flowers and edged the whole lot with lettuce. Pretty!


The kales and broccoli and such are doing well. You can also see here the different contraptions to support beans. The runner beans along the tepee and the other at the fencing.


 I am holding my breath with these dudes. There is a rampant blight in the allotments at the moment and I can just hope that our potatoes won't get it. You can see our compost bins, the incinerator and if you squint the comfrey in the corner.


One thing, which has not gone brilliantly; the peas. I was too slow to realise that I was feeding pigeons...My peas suffered a BIG setback and I ended up putting some seeds next to the seedlings to fill the gaps. These will come much later. I also have some seedlings growing in the greenhouse and hope to plant them in the polytunnel. In my experience the peas are a dead cert crop in there!


I moved our globe artichokes with us and they don't disappoint. Despite moving and dividing them, they are making artichokes for us to eat. In the background you can see my plant collars hanging for storing. In this way they don't offer slugs and snails as cosy quarters as when they are stored on the ground.


Do you have a garden? What is happening in there? Leave a link, I would love to see!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow.. Looking good! Love the chamomile edging (why didn`t I think of that)
Do you have Nasturtiums in with your veg? I had several planted around my Courgettes and Marrow..have had dreadful problems with black fly. I Googled it, and sure enough - they love Nasturtiums. Checked the Nasturtiums and they were covered in the little devils!
Have replanted them away from my veg, and made some garlic infusion to spray the Courgettes/Marrows (hate garlic it seems) Fingers crossed.

Mama Elf said...

Yes I have nasturtiums with my veg...It keeps some of the critters confused when there is a mixture of planting. I have used calendula and tagetes as well in previous years. This year all my planting was very hodge-podge. I notice that the kales growing together with nasturtiums are doing better than the ones without, so definitely going to have them with all of them next year.

Now...not sure whether it is a good idea about moving your nasturtiums, unless the black fly is attacking your veg as well. Contrary to many people's belief, it is not always to expel the critters that flowers are grown with veg. They are as often there to attract pollinators and being the SACRIFICIAL plant. If the black fly is eating your flowers, they are doing their job. The same goes with tomatoes and basil; you want the green fly to be attracted to the sweet smelling basil instead of your tomato vines!

Do you have a blog or pictures of your garden on a picture site? Would be lovely to see.

eclectichomelife said...

Your garden is looking fabulous. i have been very lazy in mine this year and now regret it bitterly. New potatoes are only just about ready, the pesky slugs ate and ruined ALL the broad beans, the tomatoes are ok but also a bit late, the mange tout and peas are thankfully doing well. Celeriac just gone in, but who knows.... Instead I have been painting garden furniture today instead of weeding and that is really needed. Here is the link: http://eclectichomelife.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/colour-zest-for-garden.html