MY WEEK : 38 (2ND OCTOBER)

Hello all, things are starting to slow down now on the harvesting front as many of my crops have now finished but there is still plenty to let you know about on my allotments.

This week I have continued with erecting my second tunnel which I hopefuly will get ready in time for growing next seasons Brassicas in. I have also continues to weed and remove crop debris which has been added to my compost heap despite a Wasp's nest appearing in there last week, I am waiting now for a couple of dry days so that I can lift the remaining Potatoes to store over the Winter months.

You may or maynot have noticed that there has been a couple of changes to my website this week, I have added three link buttons to suppliers that I use and have found to be excellent in service, price and service I hope that they prove an asset to you as well. Also in the top right hand corner of the website I have introduced a calendar of what I do and when on my allotments which in time as I gradualy update it I hope wil give some of you a good idea of where to start, please bear in mind that my allotments are in the West Midlands and this does affect when to sow and plant things usually North of where I am is 2 weeks behind and South is 2 weeks earlier than my sowing & planting dates.



This weeks task on my planting schedule is to plant my Garlic crop for next year, this photograph actually shows some Garlic seedlings that have sprouted from the ground where I grew this years crop, I will transplant these into their new position along with some of the crop that I have saved to use as seed. All I have done to prepare the ground for them is to rake in some general fertiliser (Growmore) and now have planted the cloves pointed end upwards at 2" deep, 6"apart with 12" between the rows. These hopefuly will produce a good root system before the onset of the Winter , once Spring arrives they will be ready to grow away to maturity.


I may have mentioned it before but the Carrots are really doing well now that the Autumnal weather has arrived, I had thought that they were past their best after the Summer heatwave scorched them but it just goes to show you that some things can recover after such severe growing conditions.





I don't really know what is going on with my Elstar Apple tree that I planted in the Spring it has decided to produce blossom as you can see from this photograph I am trying to find out if I should remove this or not and would appreciate any advice from my website visitors please.


I have continued to crop the second flush of Calabrese spears which have formed since I removed the main heads a couple of weeks ago, as you can see there are still plenty of rich pickings to be had from them.




The Early Purple Sprouting and the Brussel Sprouts plants are looking really healthy, I applied a second spray of Insecticidal Soap to them this week to help control the Whitefly, the product I use is called Savona and is available from the Organic Gardening Catalogue ( see link ), it is made from fatty acids and works on contact with the Whitefly, it is also effective in the control of aphids, red spider mite and other pests.


Around the site this week I have arranged for the delivery of more wood/bark chippings from a couple of local Tree Surgeons who would normally have to pay to dispose of this product and will gladly deliver it to you free of charge. It is widely used by our plotholders as a weed suppressant on their plot paths and car parks, it can also be added to the compost heap in small quantities although too much will make your resulting compost too acidic.


I have also been busy pickling some of my Shallots at home this week during the wet periods of weather, I have selected a hundred Shallots to use as my seed for next years crop and then have selected the best of the rest to pickle, the remaining ones will go onto the compost heap with all the skins and trimmings from the rest so that nothing goes to waste.











These photographs show how my first plot is becoming emptier and emptier, although it is a bit dissapointing to be nearing the end of the main growing season it is also an exciting time when planning ahead for next year.


And below I would like to share with you a sequence of photographs that show how one overgrown and almost un-lettable plot has been transformed into something spectacular which many would love to garden on in just a few months this Summer by two ladies sharing a plot.











In the beginning........................












As it is now.....

What a transformation in just a few months, it's a credit to them.


Well I would like to end this week with showing you a slideshow of my progress so far with erecting my second tunnel, although not complete yet I have gone a long way to accomplishing the hardest part of all, the clearance of the ground and erection of the framework. Thankyou all again for continuing to view my website and sending me emails which although I am sometimes a bit slow in answering, I am pleased to share my knowledge with you all, thanks Steve.