Allotment Vegetable Growing in May 2005
Plot 5 Comfrey Patch 11/05/2005 Mid may brings a patch of decent weather although the sunny days are balanced with cold and a few frosty nights. Beginning to get in shape. Some plants were cut for the early potatoes and those that were not cut are more than ready. A few cuttings have been planted although they are not doing much yet, comfrey leaps away when it gets going. |
Plot 5 Comfrey Patch after the cut 11/05/2005 A full cut taken, time to provide some fertiliser. Comfrey is pretty greedy so a fair amoung of fish, blood and bone with some sulphate of ammonia to really give it a nitrogen boost. I don't use chemical fertiliser usually, the sulphate of ammonia was used to assist the rotting down of a heap of wood chippings and this is the only plant I would use it on directly. |
Plot 5 Comfrey for the tomatoes 11/05/2005 The cut was allowed to wilt for the day then laid under the weed fabric where the tomatoes are planned to go in June. It will provide valuable nutrients, balanced towards the tomatoes needs. The next cut will be used to make liquid feed. |
Plot 29 Brassica Cloches 11/05/2005 Having planted out the cabbage and cauliflower the next problem is how to stop the pigeons from eating them. Covered in cloches with open ends (I don't want them too warm). The ends were blocked with some wire netting. Peas in the foreground. |
Plot 29 Onions, Shallots & Garlic 11/05/2005 The autumn planted onions and garlic are doing really well, which is good as we have run out of onions and the garlic is pretty ropey. We still have some shallots, which keep better. The recovered green compost bin can be seen back in place. |
The Brassica Cage 16/05/2005 Worse even than the slugs and caterpillars, pigeons will eat a row of seedlings in a flash, so the anti-pigeon cage. The two long sides are made from wire netting on battens staked into the ground joined by bamboo poles and draped with a large net. Fingers crossed they don't learn to dig under the wire.. but there are rumours of rabbits... |
Tomatoes in Growbags 16/05/2005 In the garden we have two growhouses with tomatoes. I insert 9" bottomless pots into the bag and plant deeply into them. This gives more compost and encourages root growth. It also makes it easier to water. Each pot also gets a marigold to deter whitefly. |
First Early Potatoes 29/05/2005 Earthed up first earlies on plot 5 showing well and starting to flower at the end of the month. Flowering indicates the tubers are ready or near ready to harvest. |
Maincrop Potatoes 29/05/2005 The Sarpo Mira and Valor maincrop potatoes on plot 29 are coming along now (end of the month). They should be ready to earth up in a couple of weeks.
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Onions and Beans on Plot 29 29/05/2005 The runner bean tipi or is it teepee (left) with onions in the foreground. |
Teepees for beans on Plot 5 29/05/2005 Left to right, looking up the plot from the compost bins.
for information see How to Grow Runner Beans |
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