BS: Allotments!

Subject: BS: Allotments!
From: Spleen Cringe
Date: 29 Nov 09 - 06:35 PM

Spleen Cringe joins the Green Fringe!

Any other allotmentalists out there? Especially amongst the organically inclined? Just signed for mine today... I'm sharing a 10 x 30 yard hunk of land with a friend/neighbour. I can see a lot of weed removal and double digging coming on... but what next? Advice from seasoned pros welcome. I have a book, but am keen to listen to the voice of hard-won experience...

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: Ebbie
Date: 29 Nov 09 - 06:37 PM

Interesting. Is this kind of on the order of a community garden? Keep us posted as things progress.

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: Leadfingers
Date: 29 Nov 09 - 06:54 PM

Gawd ! He'll be on G Q T next !

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: Gurney
Date: 29 Nov 09 - 07:08 PM

Ebbie, my Grandad had an allotment. It was indeed a sort of garden, and belonged in his case to the local authority, and he rented it and grew vegetables there. He also had a sty and kept pigs there, fed with veg from the allotment and swill that he collected from the neighbours. Bet you can't do that nowadays.

Not a community garden, really. The produce belonged to the licencee.

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: gnomad
Date: 29 Nov 09 - 07:49 PM

I don't have an allotment, but know a few folkies who do, and have good memories of them from childhood. For those who don't know there is info here explaining what us UKers are talking about.

They definitely go on my personal list of "good things".

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: Mavis Enderby
Date: 30 Nov 09 - 04:08 AM

Allotmentalists - like it!

We've had two allotments over the last 6 years, and took them on without much gardening experience other than growing a bit of salad in the back garden. I suppose 6 years makes us partially seasoned, so for for what it's worth, here's what we've learned:

1. Take all advice with a pinch of salt. There are many ways to skin a cat, and there are plenty of people who are convinced their way is the only way. Likewise, there are plenty of doom-mongers regarding diseases, certain species of weeds etc, that make you think if you have any of these problems appear you will soon have a toxic plot unsuitable for anything! This isn't the case, there are few problems that can't be lived with or worked around. This goes for what's in print just as much as neighbourly advice.

2. Don't take on too much all at once. Sharing your 10x30 sounds good. Are you splitting the plot into two, or simply sharing work/fruits of your labour? There are advantages and disadvantages to both. If you get on well and can put in about equal amounts of labour then simple sharing sounds best - otherwise splitting the plot in half can be better for maintaining relations!

3. Likewise regarding taking on too much, what condition is your allotment in? If it's been lying fallow for long it can be a lot of work getting it back in to shape, and it can be a good idea to work intensely on a small area and cover the rest with carpet or similar (anything that blocks light basically) until you are ready to use it. We made the mistake on our first allotment of trying to get the whole plot ready in a half-assed way (i.e. leaving loads of perennial weeds in) and were very nearly defeated in our first year as we couldn't keep up with the weeds...

4. Get a hoe and be prepared to use it! If your plot has been fallow for more than a few weeks in the summer it's likely to have loads of weed seeds waiting to sprout next year. These can grow astonishingly fast, but it's quite easy to deal with these little and often with a hoe. Try not to let weeds grow to flowering/seeding stage - "one years weed is seven years seed" (but read this saying on conjunction with my doom monger caveat above!)

5. Only grow fruit/veg that you (or friends) like to eat. Experiment by all means, but don't grow anything you don't like or can't easily get rid of.

6. Similar to the above, it's a good idea to concentrate more on unusual or expensive veg, or simply veg that is best eaten really fresh rather than trying to be self-sufficient in low value stuff like that stores well like main crop spuds, cabbage, carrots, swedes, onions etc. Good examples are tomatoes, sweetcorn, early potatoes etc. Also look for varieties that have excellent taste or cooking qualities. Mainstream retail varieties tend to be based on appearance and shelf life - taste has been left behind. You don't know what sweetcorn tastes like until you've eaten a cob within half an hour of picking it!

7. Don't keep anything of value on the allotment. If you have a shed, I'd seriously consider not putting a lock on it. Get some old tools to keep on the allotment (often better than the new stuff anyway), and don't necessarily keep them in the shed - hide them round the back or similar. Locks are only for keeping honest people out. Thieves are attracted to the most secure looking sheds but still gain access easily (crowbar) doing a great deal of damage in the process.

8. Try not to throw money at your allotment. I've seen quite a few folks taking on a new allotment and spending loads on greenhouses, fencing, shrubs etc, and then losing interest fairly rapidly as the weeds take over. To me part of the attraction of allotments is not spending any money on them, and making use of scrounged / recycled stuff. For example, plastic bottles can make good cloches, old net curtain can make good fleece/net etc. Be inventive rather than spending money at the garden centre.

9. Spuds are a good 'pioneer' crop, and if planted in rotation combine a lot of the hard work of digging with getting a good crop. If you try and double-dig the whole plot you will soon understand the phrase "back breaking"! Depending on your soil type and drainage I wouldn't do much or any double digging as such, but I would put in some spuds in trenches and bank them up as they grow (pretty much the traditional way of growing them). This, combined with lifting them, gives you a pretty well prepared bed ready for next years crop (probably beans if you rotate your crops)

10. Crop rotation is a good habit to get in to. The benefits are two-fold. Firstly, by not planting the same type of crop on the same area year after year you reduce the risks of disease taking hold. Secondly, you get to provide conditions which are best for the follow-on plot. A common rotation is: Year 1 - potatoes (generously manured - they like a rich soil); Year 2 - legumes (peas/beans) - they like a fairly rich soil and have the advantage of 'fixing' nitrogen in the soil; Year 3 - brassicas (cabbage family) - these benefit greatly from the nitrogen added previously; Year 4 - root crops such as carrots. These like a fairly poor soil. You are then ready to manure the bed again to repeat the rotation with spuds. The easiest way to do this rotation is to divide the plot into four beds and move each crop forward one bed each year.

11. If you are organically inclined, as I am, it's a good idea to invest in some reasonable netting to keep pests off your crops. I've found this especially beneficial for brassicas (cabbage) otherwise these are rapidly reduced to lace by the cabbage white or small white butterfly. You need quite a tight mesh to keep these off - I've seen them get through 1/2 inch mesh before - they sort of fold their wings up to do it! Debris netting (the stuff used on scaffolding) is extremely goo, especially if you can get it cheap or free second-hand. Likewise some very fine mesh (net curtain or organic fleece) is useful to protect your carrots from carrot fly. Depending on your particular plot rabbits might be a problem too, in which case some chicken wire or similar might be handy. You shouldn't need to fence your allotment, it's usually enough to cover rows with 'nissan hut' type coverings of chicken wire.

That's about all I can think of now. I would recommend one book, The Half Hour Allotment for it's general philosophy as much as anything.

I hope you have a long and happy relationship with your allotment.

Pete.

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: Mavis Enderby
Date: 30 Nov 09 - 04:20 AM

...although w.r.t. the Half Hour Allotment, it has a bloody sprinkler on the front. Evil things!

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: Crow Sister (off with the fairies)
Date: 30 Nov 09 - 04:30 AM

I do more the pot growing easy stuff, with herbs (not pot). But these are the folks I've bought seed from. They also sell some organic seed: Suffolk Herbs

If you are inclined to try unusual or tastier varieties of your regular veggies, you could take a look at their 'heritage vegetables' section (see here too: Heritage Seed Library), as old varieties are often are quite colourful and said to have more distinctive flavour. The reason I mention them, is that many are at risk of being lost forever, due to costly EU regulations on registering them. Apart from the quaint history side of things, some suggest that having these old varieties is like veggie-gene security for the err planet, in case of virulent diseases attacking more common crops. Or something.. If interested, you should probably read-up, I just think these old vegetables look really interesting. Funny purple tomatoes, yellow beans and stripey beetroots and stuff like that! Plus your kids will think they're weird and good.

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: Bryn Pugh
Date: 30 Nov 09 - 05:03 AM

If I can help in any way, contact me on 01536 266 576, or

[e-mail].

NSALG here stands for National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners Ltd.

I am Legal Consultant to the National Society.

The web site is www.nsalg.org.uk

NSALG is a not for profit Members' Co-operative.

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: Mr Happy
Date: 30 Nov 09 - 05:10 AM

Garden Centres!!

I'd not recommend them to any serious crop grower, as most seem to stock a range of products aimed at 'the instant gardener'

That is, people who want a pretty display in their outdoor areas, such as ready grown flowering plants, shrubs, trees, often in decorative pots or containers at silly prices, along with pre-cast ornaments, sundials, gnomes etc & decking, pergolas, water features etc.

In these emporia, you really need to search for basic items like vegetable seeds and often you'll not find that the staff have any useful knowledge of growing anything.

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 30 Nov 09 - 05:27 AM

Get a shed.

Dave H

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: GREEN WELLIES
Date: 30 Nov 09 - 06:19 AM

If you're intending to grow organic on a traditional 'slug pellet and chemical sprays' allotment area, be prepared to be told you're wasting your time.

Check out what you can and cannot do/bring to the allotment.

Dont upset the 'neighbours'.

Dont paint your shed the wrong shade of green.

Move to a house with a big enough garden so that you dont need the allotment !!!

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: Micca
Date: 30 Nov 09 - 06:30 AM

Crow Sister do a Google for Joy Larkcom, she did a marathon trek around Europe some years ago (maybe 20+) searching for old varieties of vegetables (including some very striking Purple carrots)and has written a lot of books based on her own experience of "Growing your own vegetables"

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 30 Nov 09 - 08:01 AM

Spleen - allow me to register my envy and admiration. My mother-in-law is presently deciding which corner of her garden I might have to cultivate, nurture and manage my traditional hawthorn hedge...

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: Mr Happy
Date: 30 Nov 09 - 08:15 AM

Hawthorn berries are edible & you can also make wine, jam, jelly or add to brandy for extra flavour

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: Bryn Pugh
Date: 30 Nov 09 - 08:17 AM

Steep hawthorn blossom in a good quality vodka for six months.

A beautiful liqueur results.

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: Mavis Enderby
Date: 30 Nov 09 - 10:39 AM

Made a batch of haw (hawthorn berry) jelly this year. It's very good! Seems to have been a good year for haws - some were almost cherry-like.

Green Wellies - sounds like there's a tale behind your comments - do tell!

Pete.

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 30 Nov 09 - 11:17 AM

Indeed - but what about Hawthorn leaves? Amazing things; good for the heart, a rare appetite suppressant too, known the Bread & Butter Plant in old country lore and good in porridge too...

Although that liqueur sounds pretty good, Bryn.

My hawthorn will be in leaf in the spring; it'll be a few years yet before I can enjoy the blossoms and berries. Robert Graves believes that the May Flower was sacred to the ancients on account of certain - ahem - olfactory simulacra. The purpose of my hedge will be primarily aesthetical / ceremonial; I will manage & maintain it in the traditional manner as thing of beauty and ritual purpose.

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: GREEN WELLIES
Date: 30 Nov 09 - 11:33 AM

Ok Burton Coggles just quick though. Years ago when me any the other one were young our first house only had a tiny garden so we opted for a council allotment.

Well suffice to say everyone was older than us - by about 50 years, and of course us young whipper-snappers couldnt possibly know anything about gardening could we - eventhough he comes from a family of keen gardeners and me from a farming family.
And to be doing it the organic way then - say 30 years ago - well we were obviously pot smokin hippies wernt we.

The 'regulars' as we named them would regularly gather and just stand and watch! Beer in jamjars as slug traps, old cassett tapes unwound and strung across the cabbages to keep the pigeons off - it was a whole new world to them and of course 'it'll never work'. We made a greenhouse from old windscreens, overflowing compost bins were reported to the council who came along and took an inventory of the weeds we were growning.!! Everywhere was immaculate except for us and a gentleman from Jamacia, who sort of did it 'our' way.

And yes we painted the shed the wrong shade of green - three times.

I was so pleased when we moved house to a cottage with a garden measuring 14ft wide and 300yrds long !

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: Mavis Enderby
Date: 30 Nov 09 - 12:16 PM

Ah - thought so. There's still a fair bit of that attitude about but also a lot of 'new blood' too so the fight is a bit fairer these days.

Sounds a bit like the reaction to my siphon-based automatic watering device for my chilli frame. A masterpiece of tin cans, pop bottles and octopus-like arrangement of hoses, fed from the water butt. It was ridiculed until it was seen to work and contributed towards a bumper crop.

We also had similar problems with the council regarding weeds and upkeep, the concept of growing winter tares as green manure was obviously too new fangled...

Glad you have a big garden now - sounds like room for many short rows or a few very long ones!

Pete.

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: Crow Sister (off with the fairies)
Date: 30 Nov 09 - 12:50 PM

Bit OT, but thinking about plants and country lore - my Dad used to be great for all those funny little green weeds that you get on the verge.

He knew them all by heart and would point them out to me when we walked - Dog's Mercury, Plantain, Pineapple Weed, Fat Hen all that kinda stuff - he learned 'em outa Culpepper and could tell all the governances or traditional planetary rulerships too - like 'Jupiter in Leo' or 'Saturn in Gemini' and suchlike. Each governance described the plant's supposed virtues and nature, and thus indicated the kinds of maladies it might be useful for.

In a similar vein, these two titchy volumes are nice for the wanderer's pocket: Discovering wild plant names and Discovering the folklore of plants

I really aught to learn Bellamy's 'Fathers of Old'. Keep meaning to.

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: Spleen Cringe
Date: 30 Nov 09 - 02:15 PM

Thank you all for the responses, especially Pete's mammoth opus, which I have printed copy of. Some sound advice there.

I think most of the sorts Green Wellies described have moved on (in one way or another...). Five years ago the local allotments were nearly empty and the council was seriously considering closing them and using the land to extend the cemetery next door (did I tell you these allotments are particularly rich in nutrients?...). The remnants of the old allotment society made one last almighty push, and five years later all the plots are being cultivated, the turnover is very slow, there's a waiting list and the council have just given over an adjacent strip of land (not on the cemetery side!) to create additional plots. As well as fruit and veg, there are quite a few chicken runs and the Co-op and the council are helping the allotment society set up an apiary. Apparently, most of the plots are organically cultivated or heading that way. Seems like a great time to join. The place is a monument to make-do-and-mend: there's a kind of mad inventor chaos prevailing - some very neat plots but lots of salvaged bits-and-pieces and what you could only describe as junkyard art with practical applications. The previous occupants have left us some well weathered railway sleepers (raised beds here we come) and a compost bin and a lot of weeds...

I'm looking forward to planting a few fruit bushes. Other than that, my neighbour and I are having our first planning meeting this week. I keep you posted.

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: Mavis Enderby
Date: 30 Nov 09 - 03:55 PM

Sounds great Spleen. I can relate to the mad inventor and junk yard art ethos!

Something else worth considering at an early stage is an asparagus bed - takes 2-4 years to get a crop but well worth it (assuming you like asparagus of course)

Pete.

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 30 Nov 09 - 04:17 PM

Can we have singarounds there in the summer???

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: romanyman
Date: 01 Dec 09 - 12:05 PM

My computer has been on another planet for some reason it decided it wanted to be elsewhere, but now its back, I am glad to see allotments are on the increase, a great way of saving money, working with mother earth and somewhere to hide, now on a more serious note, any one near erith in kent, with an allotment is welcome to our weekly disposal of manure, for those worried about being organic , all our horses are fed with non gm feeds, and our hay is from an organic farm even the straws organic, sometimes we bag the stuff other times we load up a one and a half ton trailer, we can deliver for diesel, or you can come get it, hate giving it to the council coz dont really know where it ends up. pm me and its yours,

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 01 Dec 09 - 02:09 PM

Checking what is allowed is spot on. Friend of mine had allotment for years and suddenly the council would not let her use old carpet strips to keep the weeds down.

Get a water butt (or 2) to collect rain water. Drought conditions in south east a couple of years ago had my friend constantly lugging jugs of water to her allotment.

Make friends with the neighbors is good advice too. Start by admitting you are a novice and hope to get some advice from the experienced denizens. People like to talk about what they love. These new friends may be around more and help to protect your patch from pest both human and insect.

Good luck and let us keep us informed of your progress.

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: Old Vermin
Date: 01 Dec 09 - 02:41 PM

Dead easy to run an allotment well. You just needs enough time, most days and ideally every day, easy access, sufficient fitness and to have been doing it for thirty or fifty years.

Go at it gently but timely. Most effective gard'ner I ever did see was a man called Mr Marshall, I believe it was. He was then about eighty-summmat. Never moved anything but slowly and smoothly.

Being young and enthusiastic, I used to try to do mine all in a rush. This is the best part of thirty years ago. That worked a bit, but got me tired far too fast, so I never did enough. Full-time work in London didn't help, either. Anyway, one day, just for a laugh, after Mr Marshall had been and had his half-hour look-round and weed and chat, I waited for him to have gone and then what I did was to imitate his way of doing things for five minutes. To my surprise, I got much more done more easily that way.

Another thing. To quote Wilf - and he lived to be a hundred - if you sees a weed you just naturally takes it out then and there.

Did those old boys take the piss if someone else had a weed on their plot.

Of course, after work got busy and I spent too much of one March abroad, our plot rather deteriorated and I had to let it go.

Still remember it with much affection. Good vegetables, fresh air and good company. There was the man who said other people go to church, his allotment was his church.

Houses on it now, of course.

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: Old Vermin
Date: 01 Dec 09 - 02:41 PM

Dead easy to run an allotment well. You just needs enough time, most days and ideally every day, easy access, sufficient fitness and to have been doing it for thirty or fifty years.

Go at it gently but timely. Most effective gard'ner I ever did see was a man called Mr Marshall, I believe it was. He was then about eighty-summmat. Never moved anything but slowly and smoothly.

Being young and enthusiastic, I used to try to do mine all in a rush. This is the best part of thirty years ago. That worked a bit, but got me tired far too fast, so I never did enough. Full-time work in London didn't help, either. Anyway, one day, just for a laugh, after Mr Marshall had been and had his half-hour look-round and weed and chat, I waited for him to have gone and then what I did was to imitate his way of doing things for five minutes. To my surprise, I got much more done more easily that way.

Another thing. To quote Wilf - and he lived to be a hundred - if you sees a weed you just naturally takes it out then and there.

Did those old boys take the piss if someone else had a weed on their plot.

Of course, after work got busy and I spent too much of one March abroad, our plot rather deteriorated and I had to let it go.

Still remember it with much affection. Good vegetables, fresh air and good company. There was the man who said other people go to church, his allotment was his church.

Houses on it now, of course.

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: Old Vermin
Date: 01 Dec 09 - 02:42 PM

Sorry about that duplication - broadband fell over this end.

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: Mr Happy
Date: 02 Dec 09 - 05:21 AM

Do the council give any justification for their ban on old carpets for depriving weed seed of light?

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: bubblyrat
Date: 02 Dec 09 - 05:39 AM

My sister has got one in the middle of Lancaster. In fact,she's got two,as nobody else wanted one at the time that she applied! She,her partner,and the children ,just love to go there ; they share a greenhouse with some other devotees,grow masses of healthy "greens",and even have barbecues there ! I think my sister has,unlike me,inherited our dad's "green fingers",as he was a great allotment fan & gardener---he used to take me with him,but I was more interested in putting calcium carbide down mole-holes !

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: Crow Sister (off with the fairies)
Date: 24 May 10 - 04:02 PM

**REFRESH**

Well we ain't got an allotment, but we are growing a few veg this year.. It's nice. And completely unrelatedly I spotted a grass snake behind one of the raised beds (an old bath) today!
Lots of posh salad going down at the moment, plus some fancy spuds, marrows, tomatoes, garlic, onions, spinach beet, artichokes and ruby chard. We'll see what works (though the salad is going nuts right now).

Anyone else?

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: Mavis Enderby
Date: 25 May 10 - 08:18 AM

Sounds good CS. Which fancy spuds are you growing?

Just done some "emergency hoeing" on our allotment. We've been concentrating on the garden at home for the last week or two and the otherwise pristine allotment had practically greened over with chickweed and fat hen. I'd only nipped in to see if the spuds were up yet! Going back later with the strimmer to tame the grass paths...

On the allotment we have spuds (Charlottes and Kestrel), spring hero cabbages, loads of onions and shallots, broad beans, black currants, red currants, gooseberries, raspberries, strawberries. Parsnip seedlings just showing through, and I've got summer cabbage, leeks, runner beans, and french beans in trays ready to be planted.

The garden at home has sugar snap peas, tomatoes, cucumbers, courgettes, garlic, chillies, sweet peppers, carrots, various salad stuff, asparagus, chard, mooli, salsify, and beetroot.

I think that's everything!

Now to get back to it...

Pete.

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: Bobert
Date: 25 May 10 - 08:51 AM

We call these "community gardens" here in the Sates but same concepts apply... Actually a source of info for small gardens is at various websites that can be Google'd under "roof top gardens"... It's amazing how much produce can be grown in small spaces...

Others have recommended a shed and I would, too... With very little extra time or money you can collect rain water off it's roof... It is amazing just how much water can be collected from a small roof...

I also reccomend that you set up yer garden to grow in boxes... No, not cardboard but wood... Around these parts old railroad ties are cheap and readially available... There are alot of advantages to using them: 1. your soil will hold moisture alot longer meaning less water, 2. you will be able to manage yuor soil mixture better in a confined area and 3. this is a biggie, this will allow you to spend alot less time bent over...

As for your shed, if you situate it so that it has a window facing the afternoon/evening sun then it doubles as a green house for growing seedlings... And, of course, all your tools will be safe...

BTW, one thing that most gardeners don't think to do when growing produce is mulch... Yep, they mulch the heck outta trees and shrubs but don't apply the same logic to veggies... Mulch is very important for controlling weeds and holding moisture into the soil... We use straw for mulch and at the end of the season it get plowed back into the soil to provide humus and oragnic material for the next year...

Good luck with yer allotment and make it fun, too... BTW, it's okay to stop in at the "gardening 2010" thread...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: Mavis Enderby
Date: 25 May 10 - 04:13 PM

Bobert,

definitely agree with mulching. We have dry sandy soil so we need to conserve as much water as we can. We use grass clippings, and use them sparingly on pretty much everything. Helps no end!

Pete.

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: Jane of 'ull
Date: 25 May 10 - 04:17 PM

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: Jane of 'ull
Date: 25 May 10 - 04:21 PM

Apologies for previous blank response!

I just wanted to say this all sounds good as myself and a few others are thinking of sharing an allotment, I remember going to our local ones a few years back and it was just like being in the countryside, nice people and atmosphere. Trouble is, plots are much harder to come by nowadays cos it's become a bit of a trend and no longer seen as a pastime for just old people!

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: GUEST,Jim Martin
Date: 26 May 10 - 06:12 AM

Bobert - I understand that railway ties (we call them sleepers in UK & Ireland) are usually a very bad thing to use near vegetables as they contain creosote which is highly toxic!

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 26 May 10 - 06:27 AM

Visiting a garden centre last week I saw they had converted a plot of land they were no longer using to allotments with prepared soil, charging £5 a week (or £10 with a standard shed or greenhouse) a gift pack of seeds to start people off and discount at the centre. I don't know how that compares with local authority allotments, but at least it is a change to have "vacant" land round here not converted to golf courses or "executive homes".

RtS

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: Mavis Enderby
Date: 26 May 10 - 03:28 PM

RtS - I don't know what else might be included in the deal but those figures are about 10 times what we're paying for our allotment.

Agree with you on the executive homes/golf course bit though...

UKers looking for cheap/free land might be interested in Landshare

Pete

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: Crow Sister (off with the fairies)
Date: 24 Jul 10 - 11:32 AM

Hurrah!

Well, we've been stuffing ruby chard down almost every day for a couple of weeks, and still not bored with it.. I think it's much better than the spinach beet, though that is good too. Our wee spuds have also cropped and now stored in the old coal hole (dark and cool). Tomatoes just baby fruits as yet, but we were blessed with our first marrow today! A big fat green baby, like some alien / faery changeling snoozing among the leaves. Anyway it got hacked in two and I made this - which for anyone confused about WTF!? to do with the things, is definitely the thing to do with it in my 'umble:


Eliza Acton's Vegetable Mulligatawny (care of Delia & poked by me)

3 or 4 oz uncooked Basmati: Boil this for about 10 mins (not too mushy) then rinse in cold water. It goes in at the end, so leftover cooked rice is fine (around a couple of cups worth).

1 dessertspoon whole coriander seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds (I used caraway)
1 tsp cumin seeds
(I added a teaspoon Garam Masala for good measure too)

4oz butter (there is a lot of soup, but I used probably half of this amount)
3 large onions: peeled, sliced

1 & 1/2 lb peeled, seeded & diced marrow
1 large spud: peeled, chopped
1/2 lb tomatoes, chopped (I used a tin)

Water & Stock (my favourite stock is either Marigold boullion powder, or Kallo free-range chicken stock cubes - both very tasty)

First off bash the seeds up in a pestle and mortar (I don't bother with dry frying, but you can first if you want).
Melt butter then add onions and crushed seeds (that's what I do instead of dry frying).
Cook till nice and fragrant - you know..

Add veggies, and just enough water to cover.
Add your stock powder/cube then boil till veggies are soft: 20-30 mins - in theory (for some reason mine took ages, probably had it on too low).

Puree the soup. Don't faff around with a bluddy blender, do buy one of those hand blenders instead - they are as cheap as chips. But also don't blind yourself with splashing boiling liquid everywhere! Add extra boiling water if you don't like thick soups.
Salt & pepper blah blah..

Stir in cooked rice.

Serve innit.

Subject: RE: BS: Allotments!
From: Mavis Enderby
Date: 25 Jul 10 - 04:44 AM

Best time of year I reckon for the allotment - just getting to the stage where it's difficult to keep up with the crops!

Love your description of marrows snoozing among the leaves! We've grown pumpkins & squash too for the last few years and they are very much the same and quite dramatic when you find (or trip over) one hiding in the undergrowth.

The challenge this year (and for the last 2) is to try and grow some bushel basket gourds big enough to make a gourd banjo. First year I tried we had such a short and wet summer any gourds produced were'nt much biger than tennis balls. Last year I got perhaps half a dozen football-sized gourds but they have all but one rotted while drying them out over the winter. Fingers crossed for this year! A good excuse too for a link to my favorite gourd banjo clip on Youtube: Rollin and Tumblin

Chard is a great plant to grow. With a bit of luck you can keep it going right through to next spring/summer. Tastes great and gives you a Popeye-esque iron boost!

Pete