Good morning all, a few allotment home growing tips would be most great fully received ☺

[**bustysinclaire**]

Well, not sure whether I've bitten off a bit more than I can chew but I'm going to give it ago.

I've acquired an allotment very very near to my oh's on my new home it is in a very bad overgrown state so there's a lot of work to be done to get it ready before I can do any type of planting, so it looks like it is unlikely that i will be able to grow much if anything this year.

I have been told that doing a bit at a time is better than trying to get the whole lot up and running straight away, so what I would like to ask is.......

If there are any home growers out there could you give me any tips on what type of things I could try to grow that don't mind being planted late in the year.

Any allotment tips would be most appreciated and one thing I could do with knowing is how to tackle slugs and snails effectively without using harmful chemicals etc.  As I have noticed the allotment next to mine have lost some lovely newly planted young plants already.

[javikha_4]

It's looking quite good considering you only took it over this year, and you have a small crop of vegetables to show for it already

The grass as you've found out will have to be dug out manually, same as the bindweed unfortunately...I can see a bit in with the grass in that picture

You're right, don't compost either, you could leave it in a plastic bag, till it turns to slush, but that may take some time, so if its possible i would take the waste down to the tip if they accept green stuff

far as potatoes go, you can't have potatoes and eat em in general, so either leave whole or slice once/twice with part of tuber and root, , and if you do slice leave out to scar over to avoid rot, if you want to try.

Would agree with view don't be too concerned about annual weeds over autumn and winter

good sharp hoe on flat ground quite effective with minimum effort for removing annuals

[**bustysinclaire**]

Evening all, bit late to be evening though lol xxx

I have a done an afternoons digging today but sadly have had to dig up some of my potatoe plants as something has got at them and they have started to die off.

I have looked in my veg growing book but there is nothing in there to explain what the problem may be so I will have a Google but if there are any spud growers about perhaps someone may have some ideas.

I thought it would be better to dig them out rather than leave citing plants next to ones that seem ok at the moment,. I have tried to take a few photos to see if anyone can say what the problem might be.

The plants foliage just seems to slowly wilt wither and die. The ones I have dug up have all got fairy good root on and showing small new potatoes starting to grow, not many on each plant but it shows I would have had some sort of crop. The main stems of the plant have either been part eaten or rotted (I can't decide which) right low down underground. I have taken a picture of some of the 

Iittle potatoes too.  It is a shame because they had started off well, but I think I meat loose the lot because it does seem to be spreading through both rows. Any how I'm learning and have to learn about the diseases and pests too.

I'd be grateful for any ideas, many thanks. I will say though that I cooked the bigger ones and the were fine and very tasty as potatoes go.

 

[theelench]

I would guess at Leatherjackets, a common pest on lawns that cause brown patches by eating the roots.  Although they're big enough to see they are also easy to miss as they're a grey colour and blend in with the soil.  Could also be slugs, they do go underground in loose soil, just slithering between the lumps or going down worm holes.

Another explanation could be that there is nothing wrong with the plants.  Have they flowered and aren't potatoes usualy harvested after flowering?  Could be simply their natural life-cycle.  If I remember correctly you planted them a bit late, so they haven't had time to develop bigger potatoes before flowering, having flowered they are now starting to die down naturaly. 

[**bustysinclaire**]

Hi quibono,.

Thanks for replying and yes I planted late so I didn't think they would be ready yet,. The healthy (at the mo ) plants have just started flowering but some are definitely dying before time.  I have also got some type of fruits coming from the flowers too,. Any idea what I do with those as I haven't found much of a reference to them apart from a picture.

I have googled but don't seem to be able to find anything apart from what you suggest, the leatherjackets and slugs.  I will definitely have to find a good way of dealing with those.

I'm getting beautiful runner beans though.  Also some tomatoes are now ripening.

[cee-dee]

There's two things to check out, potatoe blight and potato wilt.

The green "fruits" after flowering on potatoes are poisonous.

[**bustysinclaire**]

Thank you very much CD.

I have just googled both those,. The wilt looks very like what time can see with mine.

I have got quite a few fruits developing too so it has prompted me to find out about composting so what with dresses and fruits they will be burned along with all the other rubbish I've got to dispose of.

Thank you xx

[**bustysinclaire**]

I have just eaten the most deliciously tasting tomatoes I have ever eaten.

The first lot of my own tomatoes, I haven't got many as I only put a couple of plants in a grow bag but they taste so much better than any I have ever bought.

Even that has been worth all the hard digging.

[bankhaunter]

I have just eaten the most deliciously tasting tomatoes I have ever eaten.

Commercial varieties are grown for their cropping qualities and not taste.

I was listening to a food programme on Radio 4 where a commercial sweet pepper grower was describing his ideal pepper, the presenter said, I notice you didn't say anything about taste.

Says it all really.

[**bustysinclaire**]

Good morning all,

Looks like Autumn has arrived here.

I'm really chuffed with my haul of runner beans I picked yesterday, I had such a large bag I can share out between my children's families.

We had some with a roast yesterday and have some sliced for the freezer too.

I don't seem to have list any more potato plants either so hoping for some more of those too.

Would anyone like to posts any pictures of their favourite of unusual vegetable.  I am thinking of  having a corner of my plot kept to try and grow some different things that aren't the normal things grown.

I have also now got my polytunnel to effect so would appreciate some ideas of things to grow perhaps through the autumn and winter.

Many thanks xx

[bankhaunter]

They look yummy.

This seems to have been a good year for beans I've been eating them two days out of three from the local market, for about the passed month, probably no more than half a dozen had any string.

[theelench]

Your beans look delicious.  A tip from my father -- leave the roots in over winter and plant next years beans in the same place.  Beans have Nitrogen fixing bacteria on their roots that help them grow stronger, they pick them up from the soil, by planting in soil where they are plentiful it happens quicker and gives them a better start.

It's a bit late for this year but one useful winter crop are Leeks.  Sow a row of seed in summer (not sure when exactly but it will say on the packet).  When big enough to handle, transplant using a dibber.  Just make a small hole, drop in a plant and fill the hole with water.  The mud at the bottom will cover the roots and by winter you have a crop.  If you transplant quite closely you can thin as they grow bigger and use them as early Baby-Leeks.

A couple of more exotic veg. my father did quite well with were Florence Fennel with a delicious aniseed flavour and a type of giant Garlic, cricket ball sized bulbs but very mild and good for roasting. 

[**bustysinclaire**]

Thanks bank & quibono

They are delicious, so tender too, I didn't think they were doing very well they had a hard start but they must be very resilient plants because the eventually out grew the canes, I will use longer ones next time.  I only used 6 ft ones as I was having to watch pennies.

Thank you for the advice and suggestions for future beans, and I'm going to check out the leeks and garlic, I have fennel in my garden as I love the smell but not really sure what to do with it culinary wise xxx

[theelench]

There is a different type of Fennel grown as a herb and for its seeds, Florence Fennel is grown for the large leaf bases that make a "bulb".  You sometimes see it in the supermarket -- white with short tubes sticking out of the top.   I like it chopped in salads, in Spain they used to steam it as a side veg.

[**bustysinclaire**]

Arhh, thanks I seem to remember seeing something like that. I'll google it, and see what dishes I can use it in. Xx

[javikha_4]

It's not blight,  those look fine overall, potatos a bit small, but that's not unusual.

nice beans.

[**bustysinclaire**]

---

@javikha_4 wrote:

It's not blight,  those look fine overall, potatos a bit small, but that's not unusual.

nice beans.

---

Thank you.  xx

I'm just wondering then, could the potatoes be small because I used/planted  some from my kitchen that had just started sprouting as I didnt use them very quickly, instead of seed potatoes? or wouldn't that usually have made a difference?

[cee-dee]

They might have been small because there were too many sprouts on them.

The old hands used to "chit" potatoes they were using for seed. That is, they stood them (usually) large end up in a seed tray in warm place in the light and allowed them to sprout before planting.

After harvesting potatoes, they used to store root crops in a "tump" (also called a "clamp").  That was simply a layer of straw in the ground, the potatoes piled on top, more straw round the sides and covered in soil, the tump built up with straw and soil. I remember ours being about four feet high. The idea was to keep light from getting at the spuds and to stop the frost getting at them.

[**bustysinclaire**]

Oops, pressed the wrong icon lol I've sent cd green 😮

Thanks cd that's very interesting.  I'll have to see what the spuds are like that are left,. They're still not died back enough to dig up yet xxx

[cee-dee]

You don't need to wait until they've died back.

Although people might be horified by this, farms kill off the above ground growth with weedkiller before harvesting the spuds!

[theelench]

I was puzzling about that.   I knew about "chitting" but thought it was done to get them to sprout before planting and give them a quicker start in growing foliage.  I didn't know it limited the number of shoots.  My only explanation for the small size would have been late planting and / or dry weather neither of which seemed to explain it this year.