Forgot to mention...

.... the onions are not looking too bad but haven't grown as much as the garlic and shallots.  

We're going to leave it for the winter and plant some more in the spring.  If nothing else, it's best not to have everything growing all at once.  There are some other holes where some of the beans etc. haven't grown yet but again, we'll plant these in the spring with new seeds.  Hopefully this way we'll extend our crops further.

Well it sounds good in theory!!! :)

Not what we were expecting...

We had a brief visit to Doug last week and just pottered around.  As expected, the fleece had pretty much been trampled by a fox - they never have been good at disguising their footprints!!! So we lowered the fleece to ground level and pinned it back down.  Also did a bit of general weeding but otherwise not much needed doing.

This week was different....

We went down yesterday to check it out quickly as Phil was working today so it wouldn't be as easy to go.  What we found was not good.



Some not-so-nice people (probably kids but no proof either way except for the trainers being worn) had managed to destroy the cloche at the front of Doug and trample across much of the rest of him.  Most of the ground sheeting we had put down had also been ripped up.  Not sure where many of the pegs had gone, we found a few but certainly not all of them.  Our storage box had also been damaged, although not seriously.  We therefore made a quick trip to Homebase to buy more pegs and another cloche.

I went down on my bike this morning to sort it all out.  
In the end, I managed to repair much of the damaged cloche - one end is completely ruined but I was able to re-feed some of the wire supports back through the plastic and as a result was then able to re-position it over the purple sprouting broccoli.  The new cloche we bought has instead gone over the broad beans.  I re-laid the ground sheeting and put in a large selection of new pegs.  One of the neighbouring plot holders also loaned me some iron bars to help weight it down until he needs them back in the spring.  I did some extra weeding in and around all the rows so it's starting to look good again. All is not lost, it was just very annoying!

We're not sure if we'll have much time next weekend, so hopefully this week will be less eventful :)

Doug's been fleeced!

The weather was good this weekend so we thought we'd make the most of it.

It's still unseasonably warm here on the south coast which is good for me who feels the cold very easily, good for Phil because I'm not warming my cold feet on his back and good for the growth in Doug.

We have been warned that if there is too much growth now, it can cause issues when the cold weather does hit but we're still working under the assumption that anything we do grow is a bonus.  

The brassicas are pretty much surviving.  Some are falling foul of slugs but many are growing and getting bushier.  While the good weather continues, the cloches are not making much of a difference, we're sure this will change as winter progresses.  The garlic is huge!  Most of our broad beans have now emerged and some are looking rather good!  The shallots have also grown a lot, so we're just really waiting for the onions to peek through (there's three shoots now but it would be good if the rest of the two rows to show soon.)

Some of the herbs have thrived since we re-planted them.  The coriander, we fear, probably won't make it but it was always a possibility that some of them wouldn't survive.  The fruit bushes all appear to be doing well and our rhubarb crown has a new shoot - really exciting!

We were also offered a taste of the neighbouring plot-owner's rice wine brew... very potent!  I had a cup of it (Phil just had a sip since he was driving.)  Apart from making my accent rather thick, I appeared to suffer no ill effects and it was rather delicious!

Our final task was to start protecting the shoots with fleece.  We constructed a frame over which the fleece fitted rather nicely - more by luck than design I hasten to add.  It should help protect the garlic, broad beans and shallots against the worst of the elements.  We have been told that the local foxes like to use it as a trampoline so we are fully expecting the whole thing to have collapsed by the time we go back.  We have had footprints over the black ground-cover material, so we wouldn't be surprised if we have foxy issues:)  Time will tell! 

Bigger shoots and more herbs!

It was a very quick visit today.  We spent much of the morning at the Remembrance Parade but wanted to at least plant some new herbs.

Our garlic is now almost 6" high and many of the broad beans are peeking through.  Our hope over the next week is that the bean shoots are not destroyed by pigeons and/or slugs and/ or whitefly before we can cover them with netting.  The shallots are also growing taller by the week.

The assorted brassicas appear, in the main, to have taken well and are beginning to show signs of getting bushier.  They were always going to be one of the things that were a bonus if they survived at all but appear to be proving that it's good living down in the milder south.  The plants under the cloches at the moment only appear marginally better than those outside, I'm sure the difference will become more pronounced as winter progresses.  Once it starts to get really cold, we'll probably cover more of the crops with a fleece to help keep them protected.

We picked up some potted herbs in Asda - mint, parsley and coriander - and these have now been added to our herb area.  The sage, thyme, rosemary and lemon balm from previous weeks all look to be taking well, so with luck we'll have quite a plethora of flavour available to us in the spring.

 
The other news is that we have bought a cold frame for Nigel.  This will allow us to harden off the seedlings produced on the windowsill before they then go out to Doug.  Peas next :)

Herbs and shoots!

How exciting!!!!   We went to see the progress of the garlic etc. last Sunday and were absolutely stunned by the growth.  Many of the garlic shoots were over 3" tall, a few of the broad beans were showing through and there was even signs of the red onions peeking through from last week.  

Unfortunately, my back was still not quite right, so I was unable to do anything except sit and watch as Phil and Lyta did all the work.  I did my best to sit meekly and quietly while they worked hard - obviously only giving much-needed direction when they asked for it.....

We (and I'm using the royal "we" here, obviously) planted out a few herbs from Nigel - sage, thyme and lemon balm.  Nigel's herbs had been very pot-bound so we're hoping that their new-found freedom will help them to thrive.  We will be adding more to our herb collection soon.  I have planted some purple basil seeds along with garlic chive at home so those can be planted out into Doug next spring when they're properly grown.

Lyta also helped Phil to cover some of the ground we won't be using until next spring.  It seems a waste to have to keep weeding that particular patch when covering it does the same job. This area will be the all-important purple potato, purple carrot, purple tomato patch next spring so we want to keep it as clear as possible.  

Back next week to check on the shoots and start to consider what needs covering and protecting - more from birds and animals at the moment than frost, but also from the elements as autumn progresses.....

...coming soon in the next exciting installment.... will the cauliflower last the winter... will we see a gooseberry next spring .... will Lyta ever manage more than 5 minutes of weeding in one go.... find out sooon in Doug the Allotment :)

New cloches and bad backs

So the clocks went back last night and that means an extra hour in the day (sort of).

Mary and I had been out yesterday and got a couple of bits and pieces from Homebase that we thought were needed for Doug and some more veg to plant. We had also dug up some more soft fruit bushes from Nigel (our miniscule back garden) to transplant into Doug.

Well the weather this morning was less than inspiring but off we went over to Springbourne in the drizzle. Once on site we got to work planting a couple of rows of red onions and then it was onto replanting the soft fruit bushes. I got the holes dug and Mary heeled the bushes in. We then decided to prune them back ready for the winter. This is when disaster struck, as Mary bent over to start pruning her back went. She's now sat on the couch with an ice pack and various pain killers.

As Mary then couldn't work anymore she supervised as I planted the new savoy cabbages and put the cloches over some of the brassicas we had already planted. I don't think there is much more we can plant until the Spring now, but if half of what we've planted comes up we'll be very happy.

Early Signs are Looking Good

Popped down to see Doug this morning after a few days away and we were greeted by the sight of some well taken brassicas (so far we've only lost one seedling), some healthy looking fruit bushes but most excitingly of all two rows of garlic shoots!

Unfortunately this morning was just a flying visit to measure up for some cloches but we'll be back tomorrow to do some more work (weeding, digging, etc), plant some cabbages and have a general tidy up. Hopefully some more pictures to follow tomorrow as well.

Purple Raspberries

We had a very important delivery yesterday.... three Glen Coe raspberry canes.  

The Glen Coe purple raspberries in their new location

Since Phil and I both had the day off work, we took time to go down with Lyta to plant our lovely new additions.  With any luck next year we will then be able to pick lots of purple raspberries and make purple jam :P

"When I were a lad..."

"The trubble with t' youth of today....."

Phil took the opportunity  to wear his new cap and smoke his new pipe so that he looked like the grumpy old git he is trying so hard to become.  He could be heard pontificating about the youth of today, and how it was different in his day!  Lyta took plenty of time to pose as well.

We were very surprised to find that only one of the purple sprouting broccoli plants had died, the others appear to have taken well. All the cauliflower plants are still going strong.  We still don't really expect them to come to anything but it will be fun finding out.

Then one of the other plot holders gave us a whole load of beetroot, including a red & white variety which is cooking nicely on the stove as I type. Yum :)

More planting

I had to visit Doug on my own today :(

The allotment shop is only open on a Sunday for an hour or so, and I do feel a somewhat compelling requirement to purchase at least some of what we grow therein.  We knew they had garlic and onions (although they only had shallots left) and I found both those and some broad beans for my morning of planting.

I had cycled down to the allotment bearing a pot of jam.  When we visited yesterday, Doug had been generously adorned with two currant bushes so I wanted to thank the donor.  It turned out that the previous plot owners had provided the kind gift so the jam went to them.  It appears this is quite a common thing - the donations of spare plants, not the jam reciprocation.  It is a lovely community - plenty of people offering help and advice - which is wonderful and scary at the same time.  As the "new kids on the block" everyone appears to know who we are but it's going to take ages for us to remember who they all are.  I'm grateful that we have the obvious connection.  It makes trying to integrate easier for someone like me who finds using social skills such a challenge!!!!

And so I set to planting.

We bought a rhubarb crown and a blueberry bush yesterday afternoon so my first job was to inter each of those.   One of our plot neighbours, Jerry, generously gave me a watering can full of water with added food which would help the blueberry bush to settle.  He also advised me to plant some of the garlic between my rows of broad beans to help reduce black fly.  He said there was no proof it works because it's difficult to tell how bad the pests would have been without but he always did it, so I took his advice as gospel.

So in after the brassicas went a row of just garlic, two rows of broad beans with another row of garlic in between and finally a row of shallots.
My final task was to put the netting over the brassicas.  They're probably more at risk from frost, cold and slugs but at least we're pretty much taking bird damage out of the equation.  We said from the start that anything we got from those plants would be a bonus so we don't expect much.

Doug really is now beginning to look like a proper garden.  We have a very long wait before we can harvest anything but it's great to have the time to ease into the routine and hopefully begin to see what develops.  We'll be back next week to see what's going on :)

Doug's been Dug!

Feeling quite tired this evening, but also quite proud of ourselves because we spent the late morning/early afternoon digging over Doug's beds and putting our first plants in!!

It took Mary and I the better part of 4 hours to dig over the 2 beds - fortunately the people who had it before us took really good care of the ground so the digging wasn't as hard as it could have been. for which I am eternally grateful!

Can I just say at this point that chicken pellet manure really, really stinks - but hopefully it's helped enrich the allotment!

So far Doug now has Cauliflower, purple sprouting broccoli, red currant, raspberries and strawberry plants growing on him. Whilst I'm busy in the New Forest tomorrow Mary will be busy planting a rhubarb crown, blueberry plant, garlic and onion sets.

I hope you enjoy the photos, I'm off for a well earned beer!

The List so far

Just to keep in with the theme of Doug I thought I would do my first post in a gentle purple hue!

After an evenings research I've found we can get purple fleshed potatoes - that has got to be the best. Imagine sitting down to purple chips or purple mash. Would you eat it or create a picture?

We've also found out that we can get purple carrots, garlic beans and a whole host of other veg. One of our best finds at the weekend was purple raspberries!

Anyone want to come to dinner in a few months time?

All set to go

Meet Doug.

He is approximately 8x7 yards, needs some digging over, some manure and a bit of weed clearance but otherwise is all set to go. He already has some strawberry plants at the back and a couple of raspberry plants at the front. The rest is up to us. This is where the hard work and the fun begin.

When I went down this morning, I met some of the other plot-holders, all lovely people ready to share knowledge, plants and home-made vittels (this could get very messy!) :)

Our first decision

It's going to have a purple theme.

Purple has long been my favourite colour and it's intrigued me for a long time about how many purple fruits and vegetables it's possible to grow. Now we have a reason - purple fruit and veg are high in anti-oxidents (must be good it sounds technical!)

The hunt is now on for as many different types of purple fruit and veg as we can find :)

In the beginning....

We applied for two allotment plots a few years back. The waiting lists were each in the hundreds so we expected a long wait.
In the meantime, we managed to get some practise in with Nigel the Garden. Nigel is painfully small but we tried very hard to utilise the space as best we could. We made mistakes but still managed to get small crops of various different fruit and veg.

Then a week ago we got the call for which we had been waiting so long.

Bournemouth East Allotments had a quarter plot for us and would we like to come and see it? Bit of a no-brainer really.

The following day we found out that it was probably one of the best vacant plots going - it was being given up by a plot-holder who was moving to a bigger plot, not one which had been neglected. Our fears of it being too hard to even get started had been dispelled.

We're under no illusion that it will be hard work but it's going to be fun too!