Allotment Vegetable Growing in June 2005
Sweetcorn under ClocheFlaming June arrives and all danger of frost is passed. Off with the cloches and stand back! The beginning of June and warm weather meant it was time to take the cloches off, This was the sweetcorn just before they came off. The sweetcorn was already trying to lift them - cloches really do push plants along. |
Sweetcorn out in the worldThe sweetcorn has taken off well but so have the weeds under the cloches. You can really see how well they are doing. In the foreground are the plum Roma tomatoes planted through weed matting which is weighted down with milk containers full of water. I discovered, eventually, that filling with sand which doesn't leak was even better! |
Comfrey RecoveringNearly ready for another cut already, the comfrey bed looks great. You can see the new plants are starting to show well now and the bed is filled, suppressing any weeds. There's more here: How to Grow Comfrey |
Pigeon Damage to CabbagesFront left is the remains of the cabbage at the edge where the pigeons can nibble it through the netting. Compare with the undamaged young cabbage rear right. The only real answer to pigeons is netting. Or a buzzard! |
Plot 5 Carrots & ParsnipsHaving been weeded and thinned, you can see that the carrots and parsnips are showing OK if a little patchy. It's a right old game sowing tiny seeds like carrots - wish I'd fluid sown them now. See Fluid Seed Sowing |
Top of Allotment Plot 5My bench seat, table with th coldframe and hosepipe at the top of plot 5 in the working area. Some seedlings in trays to plant out under the table shaded from the sun. Tomatoes in growhouses to the left by the shed. They're enjoying the sunshine. You can spot the marigolds to ward whitefly in there. |
View up Allotment Plot 5Potatoes in the foreground, beans to the rear. View from the comfrey bed to the top early June. |
Plot 29 Potato BedThe maincrops are together on plot 29 with the rows running east to west. There are 2 varieties, Sarpo Mira the super blight resistant new Hungarian type and Valor. I want to compare results so am treating them equally. |
Plot 29 Maincrop Potato BedThe potatoes are doing well, the Sarpo Mira to the left and the Valor to the right. The Valor have started flowering so they're definitely ahead of the Sarpo. |
Plot 5 Comfrey and First Early PotatoesThe comfrey is coming back from its cut with the first early potatoes behind. We're getting an excellent crop from the early potatoes |
Plot 5 HorseradishTucked away by the compost heaps, at the shady end of the plot by the fencing and hedge my horseradish plant is doing pretty well. Horseradish is an easy plant to grow but be careful using it. |
Plot 29 Onion DisasterHaving been hit by some sort of rust or mildew, the onion bed on plot 29 is looking pretty sorry. Yield is pretty low and keeping qualities doubtful. |
Plot 29 Onion Disaster CloseupIn the close up you can see clearly the effect of this mould or rust affecting the onions. There's nothing to be done now, even anti-fungals won't work when it has taken hold |
Allotment Rep LarryLarry working his plot 'till late with his ploytunnel and greenhouse in the background. |
Plot 29 Onion and Garlic HarvestHarvested all the onions, garlic and shallots except for the seed sown Red Baron onions which may yet still develop. The onions on plot 5 are OK so not a total loss |
Plot 5 Sweetcorn and TomatoesThe sweetcorn is looking well as is the Roma plum tomato bed. Climbing beans to the right. Everything is doing well in the good weather - hope it carries on! |
Plot 29 Water BarrelNext to the salad bed, which needs watering frequently, I built a platform for the water barrel. This is filled from a hosepipe. The nearest pipe is a ways away so a timesaver. |
Gaynor's PlotGaynor, partner of Larry working on her plot - she won a well deserved first prize in last years competition where I got third. |
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