Allotment Vegetable Growing in September 2008
Val Stripping Sweetcorn 01/09/2008 We've far more sweetcorn than we can eat fresh so we freeze most of it. This is Val stripping it in the kitchen whilst I'm getting the pans of water to the boil etc. One slight problem, we haven't finished last year's sweetcorn yet! |
Blanching in the Kitchen 01/09/2008 This is our set-up for blanching. From right to left.
You can download a blanching time chart from the site. |
Vegetable Exhibition at Harrogate 12/09/2008 One of the stands at the Harrogate Autumn Show from the National Vegetable Society. The display on the left won a red card (first prize) |
Medwyn Williams Display Stand 12/09/2008 Chairman of the NVS is Medwyn Williams, MBE and this is his stand for his seed company at the show. You can see why he has 10 RHS Gold Medals. |
West Yorkshire DA Stand 12/09/2008 The West Yorkshire District Association of the NVS put a fantastic display stand up in the main hall at the Harrogate Show. |
Setting Up Awards and Prizes 12/09/2008 Following the show, the NVS has its AGM and the prize giving ceremony. Here you can see them setting up the shields and cups ready for the start.
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Onions on the Show Bench 12/09/2008 Think your onions are good - these guys really know their onions (couldn't resist that!) Absolutely perfect dressed large onions. How the judges choose, I don't know. |
Parsnips and Carrots 12/09/2008 If you watched the film Crocodile Dundee II, then you might remember where someone tries to mug him and pulls out a knife. The hero says "Call that a knife? This is a knife!" and pulls out a huge one. So, call that a parsnip? These are parsnips! |
John Bebbington Wins First! 12/09/2008 Member of our DA (Crewe & Nantwich) John Bebbington won his first ever National First Prize with a cauliflower at this show. Unfortunately the shot I took of him getting the cup failed but I got this in the grounds. Well deserved, could not have gone to a nicer person. |
Award Ceremony 12/09/2008 This is the actual award ceremony with the president of the NVS, W Hargreaves, handing over a trophy. Quite an emotional time for the winners. |
My Parsnip and Root Bed 14/09/2008 This is one of the deep beds on plot 5 with carrots, salsify and parsnips. If the tops are anything to go by, the parsnips should be good this year, even if not the standard of the NVS show ones above.
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Asparagus Bed 14/09/2008 This is my asparagus bed. Up at the far end you can see the remains of a Plum Roma tomato plant, killed by the tomato blight. What a shame, it was producing well but 2008 has, like 2007, been a bad year for blight. |
Pumpkins 14/09/2008 The pumpkins, courgettes and outdoor cucumbers have gone down now but I'm hoping these three pumpkins will ripen up a bit in the sun. Strangely, the part that was on the ground has gone orange although the rest is still green. |
Larry's Tomatoes 14/09/2008 Larry, our allotment rep, started some new plants from the removed side shoots of his seed sown tomatoes. These Cedrico are usually golf ball size but the cutting started plants have produced very large fruits. |
Weeds on Larry's Plot 14/09/2008 I'm afraid my plots have gone a bit out of control but at least I don't have the giant weeds that Larry has on his plot. Still, it should compost well.
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Massey Ferguson Trumps Merry Tiller 21/09/2008 The chap who has taken over the late Allan's plot arrived in this tractor. I was somewhat jealous, after all it is a bit bigger than my Merry Tiller. The Mantis wouldn't come out of the shed! But I had the last laugh, it's too big to actually get onto his plot! |
Larry Working on his Plot 21/09/2008 I took this from the other side of the site using the zoom on the camera. It was a beautiful day and Larry was busy getting his weeds down, I think. If you see above, you can see the size of his weeds! OK, I admit it. They're lovely flowers Larry. |
Tomatoes in the Greenhouse 21/09/2008 The tomatoes in the main greenhouse are still doing really well. The Canadian Jaune Flamme and Yellow Pear are both really productive and lovely tomatoes. They were grown from saved seeds sent to me by Gloria Logan who has written some articles for the site on Saving Your Own Seed |
Compost Bin Full 21/09/2008 This is the compost bin on plot 5. A couple of days ago I built the heap (see building the compost heap) and already it has sunk down by a foot or so. It won't be long before it is about half the size it started off and then I'll fork it into the bin on the left. |
Harvesting Borlotti Beans 25/09/2008 Val's harvesting borlotti beans in the afternoon sunshine on the plot. They've done well this year and we've loads. The plants in front are globe artichokes, planted this year. They're really impressive but we've not taken any artichokes this year, cutting the heads as soon as they appear so the plant builds its strength up for next year |
Autumn Onions under Fleece 25/09/2008 I've planted autumn onion sets but wanted to keep the pigeons off so this magnificent construction should do the trick. The fleece is well off the soil so the leaves won't be squashed when they show and the degree or two difference under there should bring them along faster. |
Pumpkins Ripening 25/09/2008 The pumpkins are ripening nicely on the table in this fair weather. They were a lot greener when they got put on there. I'd hoped for a few more but 3 decent fruits from one plant isn't too bad. |
Last of the Early Carrots 27/09/2008 Cleared the half barrels of the last of the early carrots. The maincrop carrots are in a raised bed. I've just been pulling from the barrels as we need, leaving the rest to grow on. I suppose these are the runts of the litter! Anyway, I'll cook these and make carrot mash, which I love, for the freezer. It's basically the same as carrot & parsnip mash, but without the parsnips. |
Sarpo Potatoes 27/09/2008 For the first time, my Sarpo potatoes have been affected by blight and the yield isn't too good to start with. Usually they do so well and the other potatoes have done quite well this year. The blighted ones are in the wheelbarrow. |
Club root 27/09/2008 Up to now I've been free of clubroot but the blessed stuff has struck me. Unfortunately, once you have it, you're stuck with it. I'll have to change the way I grow now. This is a shot of the roots off a cauliflower. See: Guide to Club Root Plasmodiophora brassicae – Control Clubroot |
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