Strawberry runners

With the advice of Monty Don on Gardeners World,Our Plot at Green Lane blog,Allotments 4 All and the people at the Allotment shop,I have been sorting out my Marshmello strawberry runners.
First job was to clear away the straw,then I cut off any leaves that were brown or shrivelled.
Then I filled some pots with compost and played hunt the runner and untangled it.
Some had already rooted in the soil so I cut them off from the parent plant and gave them a good watering.
I placed a runner in a pot and weighed it down with a couple of stones and hopefully they will take.
I also brought a few runners home, potted them up and pinned them down with a paper clip.
Looking forward to having numerous new plants later on in the year.

Bank holiday weather

Left for the allotment in sunshine,harvested a few bits and it rained,walked home and 5 minutes later bright sunshine.A typical bank holiday

 Today's harvest Pink Fur Apple potatoes,Gem squash,Headstart F1 sweetcorn,Primo cabbages and White Lady runner beans.I also harvested the last of my Pentland Javelins and some Charlotte for a potato salad.

 A caterpillar on my nasturtiums.

I weeded my brassica cage after getting my neighbour to help move it.

Weeding.Planting and Harvesting.

A sad morning spent cutting off the haulms of my blighted Pink Fur Apple and Picasso maincrop potatoes.I have now got 5 rows of maincrops left in the soil.i just hope that I have some to store overwinter.

Harvested some more Losetto,Autumn Bliss raspberries,Annabel dwarf french beans,Pink Fur Apple potatoes,my first Gem Squash,Red Sun and Senshyu onions and a Black Beauty courgette.
I also made a new batch of Borage tea which I use as a fertiliser.
I planted up lots of lettuce Verde A Fogglia,Pink lettuce,Brune d'Hiver,Austrian Greenleaf and Rocket to fill up a bit of space.

In the tomato house is a lone Monkey's Ass tomato.I will probably use it to save some seed for next year.

2nd Anniversary

2nd anniversary time.In August 2010 I took on this .

 Now I have finally weeded and dug over all of it.I have a plastic path to seperate the 2 halves.On this side I currently have sweetcorn,tomatoes,lettuce,beetroot,radishes,potatoes,raspberries.little gem squash and my brassica cage.

 On the other side looking a little barren now are onions,carrots,shallots,parsnips,maincrop potatoes,runner beans and french beans.

 My first harvest from one plant of Pink Fir Apple,a bit early but blight dictates.

My first Autumn Bliss raspberries,very tasty they are too.
The weather has been blissful,possibly too hot to dig and hoe but needs must.I have planted out some Ishikura spring onions,Flyaway carrots,Chioggia beetroot and Red Salad Bowl lettuce.
I have harvested White and Painted Lady runner beans,Early Nantes carrots,Black Beauty courgettes,Golden Gourmet shallots and Red Sun onions.

Allotment and Garden update.

Harvesting continues.
Over the last couple of days I have had Pentland Javelin and Charlotte potatoes,French Breakfast radishes,Boltardy and Chioggia beetroots and White Lady runner beans.
I have planted Sparkler and French Breakfast radishes,Samish F1 spinach and little Purple Sprouting broccoli plants that i started earlier in the year.
I have weeded my Onion bed and harvested some Golden Gourmet shallots and Red Baron onions.
I have also made a cane cage for my Autumn Bliss raspberries.
In the conservatory i have made winter plantings of Romanesco cauliflower,Black Tuscany kale,Italian Flat leave parsley,Blue De Solaise leeks,Siberian kale,Durham Early cabbages and Black kale.
I have potted on some Sweet Genovese and Purple basil and some Catmint for the cat.
I have had a reorganisation of the greenhouses and out go Early Tanana to be replaced by Sungella,Monkey's Ass and Losetto tomatoes

Saturday at the allotment.

I spent a nice saturday morning watering and weeding

My first White lady runner beans,Charlotte potatoes and a couple of Flyaway carrots.I also dug up a couple of Early Nantes from a failed sowing earlier in the year.

 I weeded my Gem Squash area and have a tiny Gem squash,just hoping for some nice weather to encourage them.

 I weeded my Brassica cage which contains Falstaff brussel sprouts,Primo cabbage,Green and Purple kohlrabi.I also weeded the Helenor swedes and Snowball turnips nearby.It's amazing how quickly the weeds grow.

The tomatoes are still hanging on,leaves are being regularly stripped and there are a number of Shirley,Harbinger,Losetto and Maskotka green tomatoes.
The afternoon was spent in the garden emptying one section of my compost system and filling/mixing another section.I will use it to fill up flower troughs and plant some lettuce in them.
I have started saving Latah and Early Tanana tomato seeds for my Seed Circles and have a batch of the former drying off in the Utility room

This week at the allotment

A decent week's weather.Much weeding has been done.

White Lady runner beans,ready to be harvested in a day or two.

 The Headstart sweetcorn is fattening up.

 I gave my neighbour some of my Hungarian Zucchini and they have had a decent sized one,mine are still a way off having been planted later.Here is my first Black Beauty courgette about 4 inches long,hopefully the first of many.

Today's harvest of Pentland Javelin,still more to come.I also harvested my first Primo cabbage and some Charlotte potatoes.
In the garden I have potted up some Koralik,Sungold,Dwarf Mr Snow and Tasmanian Chocolate into large buckets.
I have managed to eat some Early Tanana which were a bit on the bland side and Latah which after a bit of sunshine had a decent taste.I also have had a few Piccolino cucumbers from the Conservatory.

Start of another month.

I managed to get a bit of weeding and harvesting done today before the rains arrived

 My first attempt at growing swwetcorn,this is Headstart F1 and there are some cobs showing.

 In between my sweetcorn I have planted some Black Beauty courgettes which are flowering but as yet no fruits,

 The runner beans are climbing and are in flower but as yet no beans

Due to the blight on the plot I have cut down the haulms and this is today's harvest of Pentland Javelins,I also harvested some Charlottes,the last of the Albignesian Wight garlic and an Early Nantes carrot.
The Early Onward peas have finished so are now in the compost bin.
I don't hold out much hope for the allotment tomatoes and seem to spent ages snapping off discoloured leaves,at least there are a few green tomatoes which have had a borage mulch to see if it gives any protection.
I have planted rows of Autumn King and Flyaway carrots,Ishikara spring onions,Axima and Blue De Solaise leeks.
I have finally had some Latah,Early Tanana and Koralik tomatoes from the garden,some Chioggia beetroot and some Piccolino cucumbers.
I have potted up Sungella,Principe Borghese and Sweet Million tomatoes as well as a batch of Sweet Genovese and Purple Basil.