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.