Sunday 8 February 2009

A week of snow and ice

And freezing temperatures have kept me off the allotment. The roads are cleared up nearly now but the ground is frozen solid.

Have been reading and planning though - My DH is drawing a scale plan of the plot so we can chart out where everything will go!

Have bought some cheap seeds - nowt too expensive for my first year.

And am planning on planting some jersalem artichokes soon!

I've just been reading about these trees - Truffle Trees - Hazel Truffle Tree Gift, Native UK Truffle Trees
They sound fantastic!

Tuesday 27 January 2009

RHS Spring Flower Show, Cardiff

Love gardening? Why not visit one of the RHS shows? They are now at
RHS Show Cardiff on 17–19 April 2009
RHS Chelsea Flower Show on 19–23 May 2009
Hampton Court Palace Flower Show on 7–12 July 2009
RHS Show Tatton Park on 22–26 July 2009

If you live near Cardiff (Or Cardiff is nearer than London on Manchester) then you should really go along and have a great time. There'll be so much inspiration there!

The RHS Spring Flower Show, Cardiff will be returning to the parklands of Cardiff Castle on 17th to 19th April 2009 and is selling out quickly! The show will once again dazzle the Welsh capital with inspirational show gardens, beautiful displays of spring flowers and a host of fun activities for all the family to enjoy.

Located at Bute Park, behind Cardiff Castle in the heart of the city the show offers the best of Wales and the best of spring all rolled into one must see show!
Royal Horticultural Society
Friday and Saturday: 10am – 5.30pm
Sunday: 10am – 4.30pm

Save money by buying tickets in advance
RHS members: £8 (in advance)
Public: £9 (in advance)
On the day tickets: £10

Children 16 and under FREE with an accompanying adult.

Dobies Seeds

Dobies Seeds
Dobies - the gardening experts

Dobies Seeds

Best selling veggies
1. Beetroot Boltardy Seeds - now I like beetroot especially pickled, so I might have to try growing some of this.
Resistant to bolting Price: £0.85

2. Carrot Maestro F1 Seeds - being carrot fly resistant is helpful!
Carrot fly resistant! Price: £1.95

3. Garlic Solent Wight Bulbs
British bred variety Price: £3.75

4. Broad Bean Imperial Green Longpod Seeds
Up to 9 beans per pod! Price: £1.35

5. Pea Hurst Green Shaft Seeds
Peas with a sweet flavour Price: £1.40



Best sellers
1. Garlic Lover's Collection
A great selection of bulbs for the garlic lover!
Price £12.40

2. Plum Victoria
The nation's favourite plum!
Price £18.95

3.Beetroot Boltardy Seeds
Resistant to bolting
Price £0.85

4. Begonia President Mixed F1 Easiplants
A beautiful mix of bronze and green foliage!
Price £9.95

5. Strawberry Malling Opal
Probably the best everbearer...ever!
Price £10.95

Weather Forecast

Says it's going to rain tonight - I'm not planning on going tomorrow anyway to the allotment, but we were thinking about putting an hour in today... It's a bit icy right now though so maybe if it warms up a bit...

My friend Arnold was right - I've turned into a right weather watcher!

Monday 26 January 2009

Suttons Seeds

Having a good look round all the seed companies websites and tonight it's Sutton's Seeds -
Suttons Seeds and Plants

They've got loads of seeds and plants - I've just seen aubergine. I think I might try that another year rather than this first year.

I know I want to grow some peas or beans. We all love peas but I'm the one who likes beans. So I guess more peas than beans ... I never liked runner beans when I was a kid and my gran grew tons of them - huge tall lines of green leafy beans and bright red flowers. But one day I tried them lightly cooked with pasta and pesto and it was the best meal I'd had for years. They were so lovely! They were picked from the garden of the house I was staying at - so very fresh and lovely. I've never had any that good since!

Oh and broad beans. I grew some when I was a kid. Just a couple of plants at the side of the garden path, white flowers with a black splodge and lovely fat beans. I do like broad beans with bacon! Mmm. You can tell why I've wanted an allotment can't you!

They've got about 18 pages of veggie seeds - and plenty of plants available too as well as flowers, fruit bushes and trees.
I've probably got enough fruit to start me off on my allotment so I'll avoid looking at currants now (need a good ID guide for id'ing fruit bushes as I've got currants of some sort..)

So def veg.
The things we eat are celery, onion, carrots, lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, peppers, peas, - then smaller amounts of beans, and of course various fruits apples, pears, grapes, melons etc.

So the basics of the veg look easy. Onions - sets or seeds? Ooo pickled onions - shallots, spring onions. Yes we eat a lot of these.

As well as the basic info they give planting advice too:

Onion Ailsa Craig Seed

Traditional favourite!

Large bulbs often used for exhibition. To ensure colour, shape and finish sow in January under glass at 18-21°C (65-70°F). Can also be sown outdoors in March and April. Not recommended for long storage. Bulb onion variety.

Price: £1.30 Code: 172866

Units: Average Packet Content 250 seeds


Culture: Sow maincrop onions March-April outdoors, and thin early. For very large onions sow December-early January and transplant seedlings in spring. To store - lift and allow to dry in full sun, and hang in ropes in cool airy conditions. (24 weeks maturity.)

Sowing Time: January or March and April


So I can see that I either buy them this week or wait til Feb to worry about buying seeds.


Not good storers - something to consider. A big onion crop that won't store will means you'll lose onions to rot or mould.


I'm getting a clearer idea each time I read something else I want to grow though! and it's nice to see extra bits of info on seed sites too.

Two hours today

We were there working for two hours - moving more compost and some other jobs.
These included pruning the grape - hadn't got a clue so cut it back quite hard to the main stem for the most part. It looks loads better but if I get no grapes this year I'll not be surprised. We were told by someone on the site to ensure we cut it back hard else it bursts through the glass. I could already see where it'd been pushing at various panes and finding it's way under the edges so I gave it a good pruning back.

Once I'd done this I picked up all the bits and took them to the skip - the leaves went into the compost bin but the stems seemed quite touch so I got rid of them. When we're set up for composting properly (When Nic's built the new bins) we'll not throw anything away unless we absolutely have to.

Then I started on the raspberries. These were hard going and some of the stems were too tough. There seemed to be a lot of stems that had fruited last year and not much new growth. I've read raspberries last about 7 years so I'll be looking to add a new one at least this year.

I put some of our excellent compost on the rhubarb patch and discovered we have a 1/3 of a container of chicken manure.

The shed definately needs a tidy up so I can make sure I know what other treasures we've got lurking!

Two frogs again today!

A friend was very surprised to hear the allotment came with a shed and a greenhouse. A shed is essential for storing all your tools in and for hiding in when the rain comes down (It didn't today!)

We also saw our neighbouring plot holder today - someone we'd not seen before. I'm envious of his rhubarb it seems to be doing well. He turned up about half twelve which was just as we were finishing.

I quite like being there first thing - it's lovely and quiet apart from the motorway which was quieter today.

Books about Allotments

If you don't want to borrow a book from the library here are a selection





Plus all the allotment books at play have free delivery

Allotment Gardening: An Organic Guide for Beginners - Susan Berger | Books
£7.49 Free Delivery | You Save £2.46 (24%)

The Allotment Book - Andi Clevely with foreword by Jekka McVicar | Books
£9.99 Free Delivery | You Save £3.00 (23%)



The Complete Allotment Cookbook: Over 200 Great Recipes from Plot to Plate - | Books
£6.49 Free Delivery | You Save £0.50 (7%)


Digger's Diary: Tales from the Allotment - Victor Osborne | Books
£5.99 Free Delivery | You Save £2.00 (25%)



Practical Allotment Gardening: A Guide to Growing Fruit, Vegetables and Herbs on Your Plot - Caroline Foley | Books
£9.99 Free Delivery | You Save £3.00 (23%)



The Allotment Keeper's Handbook: A Down-to-earth Guide to Growing Your Own Food - Jane Perrone | Books
£11.49 Free Delivery | You Save £3.50 (23%)



Practical Allotment Gardening - Caroline Foley | Books
£2.99 Free Delivery



The Allotment Handbook - Caroline Foley | Books
£9.99 Free Delivery | You Save £3.00 (23%)



One Man and His Dig: Adventures of an Allotment Novice - Valentine Low | Books
£5.99 Free Delivery | You Save £2.00 (25%)



The Allotment Specialist | Books
£4.99 Free Delivery



The Allotment Book: Seasonal Planner And Cookbook - A. M. Clevely | Books
£14.99 Free Delivery | You Save £5.00 (25%)



Allotment Folk - Chris Opperman | Books
£5.49 Free Delivery | You Save £1.50 (21%)



The Half-hour Allotment - Lia Leendertz | Books
£12.99 Free Delivery | You Save £4.00 (23%)



The A-Z of Allotment Vegetables - Caroline Foley | Books
£9.99 Free Delivery | You Save £3.00 (23%)



My Life on a Hillside Allotment - Terry Walton | Books
£9.99 Free Delivery | You Save £3.00 (23%)



Allotment Cookbook - Kathryn Hawkins | Books
£9.99 Free Delivery | You Save £3.00 (23%)



Your Allotment: The Down-to-Earth Guide to Plot Paradise - Clare Foster | Books
£9.99 Free Delivery | You Save £3.00 (23%)



Successful Allotments - Pauline Pears | Books
£3.99 Free Delivery



How to Plant Your Allotment - Caroline Foley | Books
£7.49 Free Delivery | You Save £2.50 (25%)



My Life on a Hillside Allotment - Terry Walton | Books
£5.99 Free Delivery | You Save £2.00 (25%)


21st-Century Smallholder: From Window Boxes To Allotments - How To Go Back To The Land Without Leaving Home - Paul Waddington | Books
£9.99 Free Delivery | You Save £3.00 (23%)


Practical Allotment Gardening - Caroline Foley | Books
£6.99 Free Delivery | You Save £2.00 (22%)


Close to the Veg: A Book of Allotment Tales - Michael Rand | Books
£8.49 Free Delivery | You Save £2.50 (22%)

Using the Plot: Tales of an Allotment Chef - Paul Merrett | Books
£12.99 Free Delivery | You Save £4.00 (23%)
21St-Century Smallholder: From Window Boxes To Allotments - How To Go Back To The Land Without Leaving Home - Paul Waddington | Books
£5.99 Free Delivery | You Save £2.00 (25%)
The Allotment Gardener's Cookbook | Books
£9.99 Free Delivery | You Save £3.00 (23%)

The Allotment Chronicles: A Social History of Allotment Gardening - Steve Poole | Books
£7.49 Free Delivery | You Save £2.50 (25%)

Food From Your Garden And Allotment | Books
£11.49 Free Delivery | You Save £3.50 (23%)

Your Organic Allotment - Pauline Pears ; Ian Spence | Books
£9.99 Free Delivery | You Save £3.00 (23%)

The Allotment Handbook - Sophie Andrews | Books
£5.49 Free Delivery | You Save £0.46 (7%)




Allotment Days: A Celebration of the Wonderful World of Plots and Planting - Matthew Biggs | Books
£7.49 Free Delivery | You Save £2.50 (25%)



Your Own Allotment: How To Find It, Cultivate It, And Enjoy Growing Your Own Food - Neil Russell-Jones | Books
£9.99 Free Delivery | You Save £3.00 (23%)

Allotment Handbook - John Smith | Books
from £5.64 Free Delivery


The Allotment: Its Landscape and Culture - David Crouch ; Colin Ward | Books
£11.49 Free Delivery | You Save £3.50 (23%)

The Window-Box Allotment: A Beginner's Guide To Container Gardening - Penelope Bennett | Books
from £26.20 Free Delivery


Grow Your Own Vegetables: A Practical Handbook for Allotment Holders and Those Wishing to Grow Vegetables in Small Gardens - Stanley Currie Johnson | Books
£15.49 Free Delivery | You Save £0.46 (2%)

The Allotment Ghost and Other Adventures - Stephen Bowkett | Books
£4.99 Free Delivery | You Save £1.00 (16%)

Allotments - Twigs Way | Books
£4.99 Free Delivery | You Save £1.00 (16%)

Joe's Allotment: Planning And Planting A Productive Plot - Joe Swift | Books
£13.49 Free Delivery | You Save £4.50 (25%)



The Law of Allotments - J.F. Garner | Books
£18.49 Free Delivery | You Save £0.46 (2%)

Allotments - Jane Eastoe | Books
£6.99 Free Delivery


The Magnitude of Ming: Command, Allotment, and Fate in Chinese Culture - | Books
from £39.96 Free Delivery

Thoughts on the Objectionable System of Labour for Wages in the West India Colonies: And on the Necessity of Substituting a System of Tenancy and Allotment of the Staple Cultivation - Henry James Ross | Books
from £12.43 Free Delivery
The Allotment Affair - Carol Shepherd | Books
£9.99 Free Delivery

Allotments And Small Holdings - John Little Green | Books
£23.49 Free Delivery

The Cultivation of Allotments - Percy Elford | Books
£13.99 Free Delivery | You Save £0.46 (3%)

The Cultivation of Allotments - Samuel Heaton | Books
£13.99 Free Delivery | You Save £0.46 (3%)



The Allotment Experience: Everything You Need To Know About Allotment Gardening - Direct From The Plot - Ruth Binney | Books
£8.49 Free Delivery | You Save £2.50 (22%)


Allotment Gardening | Books
£2.99 Free Delivery


Teach Yourself Allotment Gardening - Geoff Stokes | Books
£7.49 Free Delivery | You Save £0.50 (6%)



Homegrown Vegetable Manual: Growing And Harvesting Vegetables In Your Garden Or Allotment - Steve Ott | Books
£13.49 Free Delivery | You Save £4.50 (25%)


Essential Allotment Guide: How to Get the Best Out of Your Plot - John Harrison | Books
£4.99 Free Delivery | You Save £1.00 (16%)



Cherokee Women in Crisis: Trail of Tears, Civil War, and Allotment, 1838-1907 - | Books
from £17.77 Free Delivery