Monday 28th June 2010

Posted on June 28, 2010 by clairesallotment

Another hot day at the allotment, so I took is steady. Filmed harvesting your Gooseberries, that should be on next week. Ooh they’re yummy, can’t wait to make jam. I’ll put the recipe on the blog if you want to try it. Picked more mangetout and courgettes. Will have the mangetout tonight for dinner and the courgettes tomorrow. It’s all growing well, but needs a load of rain as the soil is getting very hard and digging any weeds out is tough. I’ll be up there again tomorrow, no rain is forecast for this area in the immediate future. It should be raining as Wimbledon is on!!

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9 Responses to Monday 28th June 2010

  1. orchardmummy's avatar orchardmummy says:
    June 28, 2010 at 8:32 pm

    Hi Claire, I left a really long message and its just disappeared! Oh well, just wanted to say ‘love the vids’ really. Are you growing cucumbers? Mine seem to be growing REALLY slowly. I am watering them regularly through bottles suck in the ground to get the water right to the roots so I don’t think it is lack of water. Any ideas?

    Regards
    Claire (!)

    Reply
    • clairesallotment's avatar clairesallotment says:
      July 2, 2010 at 6:03 pm

      Hi Claire,
      Yes I am growing cucumbers this year, I’ve got 3 at the moment. Don’t water them too often as this increases the chance of mildew. Wait for the compost to dry out then water again from the bottom. They like it warm, so make sure they’re in a lovely warm spot. When the first flowers appear feed with tomato feed every 7 to 10 days. Hopefully they’ll buck their ideas up soon and also make sure you talk to them, they like a chat.

      Reply
  2. frazzledsugarplummum's avatar frazzledsugarplummum says:
    June 28, 2010 at 9:53 pm

    Looking forward to the recipe, Claire. You are funny…raining for Wimbeldon. We are looking forward to that too here in Oz. We are getting plenty of rain these last few days in Tassie and heavy frost when it isn’t raining. How long does it take for you to water everything if you are doing it by hand? It takes me ages but thats ok…thinking time. Is your allotment far from your home? I’m lucky just having the backyard: I can go out between other chores and when it is not too hot. LOL funny how temperatures are all what you are used to: 22/23 sound pretty good to me. My broccoli and brussel sprouts are growing nicely since it got colder.

    Reply
    • clairesallotment's avatar clairesallotment says:
      July 2, 2010 at 6:12 pm

      Well Andy Murray’s out. Got beaten in straight sets in the semi final. Looks like I’ll be in the garden all Sunday now. Will post recipe for jam up this weekend.
      It takes me about 1 and a half hours to water everything by hand. But I’ve split the allotment in 4 and so weed and then water, so each quarter gets a thorough water every 4 days. I’m listening to my ipod, so I’m quite happy, singing away as I garden, and a little boogie every now and then.

      Reply
      • frazzledsugarplummum's avatar frazzledsugarplummum says:
        July 2, 2010 at 9:41 pm

        Hi Claire,
        I like to weed after rain if I can. It is so much easier although I do weed when I water if I see a renegade weed. I get mine done to the chorus of kitties on the window sills crying to come outside.

  3. orchardmummy's avatar orchardmummy says:
    July 2, 2010 at 7:12 pm

    Hi , I like the dividing into 4 parts, weed then water idea. The weeds are really going mental and I was finding it a bit defeating. Working this way will make it less of a chore. Are all veg plants okay with a good water every 4 days, or do some things need watering every day?

    Thanks
    Claire

    Reply
    • clairesallotment's avatar clairesallotment says:
      July 9, 2010 at 1:59 pm

      It just makes it easier to manage, dividing the plot up, especially if you have a lot of space. If you work really hard on combatting weeds 1 year, then you’ll have much less the following year. Don’t let them go to seed, otherwise you’ll be back to square 1 again. Once the plants are established and settles in the ground then watering every 4 days is fine. If you’ve just put something in, then water every other day until settled. The general rule is, if the leaves wilt then they need a water.

      Reply
  4. freddychef's avatar freddychef says:
    August 14, 2012 at 2:31 pm

    I’ve had a fight with cutworms for years in my gooseberry bush but this year was able to maintain the bush and a yield of berries is possible but as here in St. John’s , Newfoundland our weather is quite unpredictable(a week of near 30 with a lot of sun and humidity to a week of rain drizzle and fog) I see that I can only pick a couple of cups of berries before they redden too much and lose that little edge of tartness. so I will pick away and while at sea(28 days) hope that there will be more in a month…or could I pick those smaller green ones now and freeze them for jam or sauce or pie?

    On another note one of my black currant bushes has yielded this year(not much) and the raspberry canes are wild and big but few berries–what to do….

    Reply
    • clairesallotment's avatar clairesallotment says:
      March 22, 2013 at 2:57 pm

      If you’re going to be away for a while, once some of the berries are ready I’d them pick them all. If you freeze them to put in a pie later, they’ll just need a bit of extra sugar to counteract the tartness of them. At the end and beginning of the season for the fruit bushes I would add a substantial amount ouf manure to the base of the plant. No need to dig in, just leave on the top of the soil. Fruit bushes need a lot of goodness and this helps them a great deal. Also a great deal depends on the weather, if you get a late frost just as the blossoms are coming out, that can affect the crop. Hope you have a great year, and loads of fruit to make jam, pies and the like.

      Reply

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