...till May be out - goes the old expression, meaning, (and you can take your pick here) don't think it's getting warm until either the May blossom or the month of May is done. Well never has the expression in recent times been as apt as in 2021. Because, wasn't May cold!
In fact this spring has been a real challenge for getting things going at the allotment. April's drought has been followed by a period of persistent rain by day and frost by night so for anything that needed to be in the ground by now, you took your chances. As with all years there are successes and failures but this year has been particularly tough for getting things going. Here's how we are looking on the BG Veg plot as we enter flaming June
Potatoes
During the winter months, one key priority is to get your potato beds ready and the spuds in on time. The earlies I managed to get in roughly on time (mid April) but the maincrop were a whole month later because the allotted bed was either too dry or too wet to work over. And this year I've introduced a '3rd way' using some 10 gallon potato bags filled with manure/compost/soil. These are bigger than the ones used in last year's experiment as I liked the protection the spuds got from slugs and snails, it was just the yield was poor. So by my reckoning, bigger sacks = same protection but more potatoes.
The earlies and the potato bags have actually both started well, all things considered, and whilst the maincrop are still only just starting to show, perhaps this will give me a little more 'succession' in my cropping later in the year, rather than a weekend of digging up, bagging and then storing the harvest for up to 3 months - a process which inevitably results in some crop loss during storage.
However, no matter how good my succession plan is it won't match the success one of my 'polytunnel' owning friends has who, by sowing inside the tent, has been able to start so much earlier and is already enjoying new potatoes from 2021 sowing!
Sweetcorn
If you were reading the blog last year you may remember my sweetcorn experience was a disaster. Most of the greenhouse seedlings got 'eaten' and what survived got attacked and flattened by pigeons and peacocks (more on peacocks later) when it finally got in the ground.
Well, I was doing my annual greenhouse clean last month and I think I may have identified what it was that had a penchant for my sweetcorn. I give you exhibit 'a' below.
We don't live far from farmland and families of doormice frequently over-winter in our garage (encouraged last year by a breakfast of 'chitting' potatoes as I found out to my cost!). This little fella obviously fancied a little day time heating to go with a greener diet and was found shacking up in an old towel in the greenhouse!
I started the sweetcorn off in the greenhouse again this year and after one night of once again catching him feasting on emerging sweetcorn shoots, I quickly transferred what was left to pot on indoors.
The result is what you see in the lead picture at the top of the blog, sweetcorn seedlings now planted out and netted to stop the pigeons and peacocks attacking. And how do I know we also have a peacock problem at the allotment? I give you exhibit 'b' below found buried in one of my raised beds! Dandelion head added for scale. I think it found its way into the raised bed by fox and is one of last year's eggs so will not hatch...which is just as well for my (and others on the plot's) sweetcorn.
Brassicas
These are going to be really late this year. I was preparing the ground in April in 2020. It's June now and I still have some bed digging to do (which I can't at the moment because we are back to weeds and concrete clay soil) so I am potting up individually sprouts, calabrese, cabbage and purple sprouting broccoli and hoping that I can keep them in the greenhouse to be planted out in late June or early July. I'm always confident that nature can catch up growing time and this year I'll be putting it to the test.
And a final word on last year's purple sprouting broccoli which you harvest the following spring and for which I had high hopes. Well after a couple of weeks of enjoying some early spears and with an absolute bumper crop ahead of me, some strong May winds removed my net protection (which had been present since planting out last year and was, in my view, the secret of the good performance). Those opportunist pigeons (again) only needed the one night invitation to help themselves to 9 months of brassica labour. I have written on many occasions in previous blogs, never say you're having a good year till it's actually on your plate!. Here is further proof.
Cucumbers, Tomatoes and Aubergines
Cucumbers were one of last year's successes so I'm growing them again in exactly the same way, 3 plants in the green house and 3 outside on our south facing patio. - both sets in grow bags. However I've never grown aubergines before and I'm going to treat 6 aubergine plants just like cucumbers and see if I get the same result. As for the tomaotoes, its been so cold they have taken two months to germinate. I'm only doing cherry tomatoes in baskets this year, but these will again be late cropping unless nature can speed up a bit!.
Salad Stuff
Lettuce, beetroot and radishes for 2021 are all in growbags or baskets in the garden this year (with one raised bed back at the plot and currently netted). Again, birds are the problem here - if you don't cover your seedlings you lose them. I'm trialling these plastic grow bag covers and at the moment they are doing a good job of keeping out birds and slugs!
Peas and beans and onions (and garlic)
Again, taking my lead from last year, if it ain't broke don't fix it. Dwarf beans and peas/mangetout will be grown in large pots in the garden so I can keep on top of harvesting. The runner beans have only gone into seed trays this week.The onions and garlic were set in the ground last autumn.
All good with the 'legumes' (horticultural term for the peas and beans), I have some fairly strong seedling plants now but the wet/drought/cold has really confused the onions which in the most recent hot spell have started to bolt (the little domes on the end of the stalk that indicate the plant is about to seed) so will have to come out. Too late to put in spring sets now too so I just have to accept this year's onion crop will be poor and all down to the vagaries of the weather. The garlic, on the other hand looks in a bit better shape. I should find out how much better shape when I start to harvest next month.
The sunflower competition!
My previous blog on growing sunflowers and our work's sunflower competition is not based on experience, just a bit of research. I have followed my own advice though and decided to grow my sunflower at the allotment from seed sown directly into the soil. I have had to provide protection from slugs as well as add some organic matter (manure) and calcified seaweed to enhance the soil.
It may not look very big at the moment, but at least I have one small seedling through. I will update as we go through the summer on this.
And finally, still harvesting
Yes, for the first year ever, I can honestly say I am now doing all year round harvesting. Here's a selection of what we've been harvesting through March to May - broccoli, spinach, leeks, cabbage (red and white) sprouts, kale and...rhubarb- the first produce grown exclusively in 2021.
Hopefully, next month, there will be a few more examples of 2021 fruit and veg to join it. Until then...it looks like we're in for another dry spell so make sure you keep on top of the watering - at least my water butts are now full!
#allotment #growyourown #rain# drought #May# #sunflower
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