12 days ago I sowed seeds of pumpkin (aka winter squash) 'Crown Prince' and 'Buttercup' in the only greenhouse my disability still lets me use ( Read more... )

 I am having an issue with people stealing veggies and seedlings out of my garden. I know that its ridiculous and uncalled for. Its happened twice now. A couple of teenagers picked almost ALL of my strawberries and today all of my okra is missing by a mysterious bike rider.

Long story short, I was leaving in a hurry to get my son from school and as ( Read more... )

There's a move afoot to remove a 'burden' on local Councils in the UK. The 'burden' of providing allotment gardens. We have until April 25th (yes, 4 days from now!) to make our opinions on this known but I've only just found out about it.

If you wish, you can read about it here. That webpage says ( Read more... )

My OH purchased some 'stuff' to use against our onion white rot problem and I'm a little alarmed to see that it's Armillatox. This isn't licenced for sale as a pesticide in Europe. But it's available as an 'outdoor cleaner' and its manufacturer does claim that it's effective against white rot. That claim can be found by following the link 'fungal ( Read more... )

I knew some of our allotment neighbours had white rot but we'd been hoping to avoid it on our Lottie. Today those hopes are dashed. For crying out loud. What a mess it has made of our beautiful onions and our plans for future crops now have to be rethought. The only hope remaining is that it's not across the whole allotment - my first boss, who ( Read more... )

For vegetables I use a 6-course rotation which, in fact, involves a 3-course rotation done twice. Hungry crops; brassicas; roots. I do it that way instead of a simple 3-course rotation because my plot is sunnier at one end than the other. I like being able to choose, each year, which of the crops in each rotational group get full sun and which can ( Read more... )

A neighbour told me that she's started using a seed dispenser to sow her carrots. It frees her from the pain that attacks the arthritic base of her thumb if she sows small seeds using thumb and forefinger. I don't know exactly what device she's using, and I'm lucky enough not to have arthritis, but I found this which might be suitable.

Today I had plans for working on Lottie (no that's not my girlfriend, it's my allotment) but my body didn't agree. So off went girlfriend to strim Lottie's paths while I potted up some aubergines and sweet peppers for the greenhouses. And I sowed some butternut squash seeds. Most of this year's cucurbits are doing well but the butternuts didn't ( Read more... )

This winter I had big plans for my Lottie. Some of them got achieved but not all of them. Of couse, gardening always does involve some things that you plan but don't achieve, but in my case I've had to admit that my disability is worse now than it used to be. And that it's permanent ( Read more... )

Some people kindly helped me move more duckboards to my plot and they make barrowing much easier. Neighbours, they're so great ( Read more... )