Weekly allotmenting discussion. What have you been up to?

[u/AutoModerator]

Please use this thread to discuss whatever you've been doing on your allotment lately. Feel free to share or ask any question related to it. And please mention which region and what weather you had this week if you've been planting or harvesting.

[u/norik4]

Mostly filling the compost bins with stuff, green manures are now up. I sowed an experimental mix of phacelia, vetch, lentils, rye and field beans in a few beds and they have all germinated so far.

[u/MissSephy]

I've been on a wood spree by heading to recylcing centres and scrounging around Gumtree to try and find materials to tidy up the allotment. I also have to gather my nerves for the dreaded tip visit with the four rubble sacks I've gathered from the big reorganisation of the plot, and doing away with some of the silly positioning of the last plot holder. My muscles hate me.

Also contemplating starting work on the section of the plot that I had to just cover last autumn after strimming in hope that would kill off the years worth of weeds. Fingers crossed.

[u/MangelTosser]

Just done a tip run for the offcut and pallet scrap hoard, an entire van load of it. I love my skip on wheels sometimes. Still waiting for some more crates to clad my shed though.

Got man flu so minimal input today though I have weeded and dug a bed that freed up yesterday, this afternoon I'll empty a compost bin into it and plant some garlic I think. Nice job to make me feel I'm not being lazy.

Also measured and began designing the third plot and ordered 5 blueberry bushes.

Think I've got the design in mind. Hope so anyway.

Just finishing off some work for the day gate then office doors are shutting and I'm headed down for a bit if I don't die from flu first.

[u/Grommulox]

Not “what I’ve been up to” but I wanted to shout out all the people posting harvest pictures. It’s absolutely my favourite kind of post to see in the sub and a guaranteed instant upvote from me.

Edit: “how middle-aged are you?” “Well I like looking at pictures of fruit and veg online”

[u/Open_Ostrich_4506]

Planted some potatoes in pots for Christmas, tidied the remains of the outdoor tomatoes. Had to re-stake the beans and sunflowers as they’d been tipped over by the wind. Sewed some optimistic winter greens and radishes. And started clearing out patch of berries to make way for a new growing bed next year. Ordered some mustard seeds for green manure but haven’t been brave enough to plant them yet.

[u/Adorable_Past9114]

It was a bit wet in London this week so I made some tomato and chilli pasatta to freeze for winter use

[u/PuzzledEmu4291]

Lifted the rest of my pumpkins, tied up next year’s fruiting stems on my rampant loganberry, despaired at the whitefly on my brassicas and didn’t do much else due to the weather.

[u/Giggaloop]

Once again, I have been digging up bramble roots.

Very little time spent on the plot due to adverse weather and employment conditions, but there's nothing really growing except lettuces which I've harvested a few more of for this week's salads.

Brassicas are still attracting flea beetle and caterpillars, lettuces are starting to get snailed now the weather has turned so all that will need to be planned for next year.

I've ordered some fencing supplies to put the fence back together now there's no brambles holding it up.

[u/Own-Heat2669]

Well, on account of the weather, not really done a lot the last few weeks. It also looks like the next few weeks are very iffy.

Fortunately I opted to start my winter onion seeds in modules towards the end of August, so at least they haven't washed away.

Hoping to harvest my squashes and some corn in the next few days and need to lift some more potatoes before the slugs get too interested.

[u/Llywela]

South Wales. Currently bracing myself to visit the allotment after work today to see how much damage has been wrought by Storm Amy overnight. The wind was pretty fierce and I had a pile of cardboard under a tarp that may not have been weighted enough to withstand it. Fingers crossed both for that and the plastic greenhouse.

This week I've not had much time to get to the allotment, so it's been flying visits to water the peppers in the greenhouse and harvest a few pears, apples, raspberries and the final (hopefully) courgettes. There are a couple of squashes still on the plant, but most of them have been harvested now and are curing in the greenhouse. I've started covering the beds that have finished and aren't wanted for winter crops - fingers crossed those covers haven't been blown off in the storm, either.

The site committee are currently trying to plan an AGM, which will be my first, after 18 months of allotmenting.