ALLOTMENT PLOT BELONGING TO HENRICK, ITS A PRIZE WINNER

HENRICK HAS A WONDERFUL ALLOTMENT AT MERTON 

The blue squares on my friend's allotment

The plot which Henrick has created is full of delightful surprises. At one end he has a large pond with various kinds of carp, and a chalet where he entertains friends on Boxing Day!
The various buildings he has made are changing over time and on each visit I marvel at something new!
This sketch is of a blue and red square on the trellis near his greenhouse.
Through this square, you can see other squares that are cleverly built to show an impression of recession to a far distance.
Colour is also important on this allotment, everything is painted, usually blue, green and red, and everywhere are great swathes of flowers, climbing up, cascading  down.  A feast for the eye.

ALLOTMENT SOCIETY PLANT SALE - CAKE SALE TOO!

MY ALLOTMENT SOCIETY IN LONDON IS CALLED 'MAGA' - WE HAVE AN ANNUAL PLANT SALE TO RAISE FUNDS, IN MAY EACH YEAR

THE HUT, WITH HOME MADE CAKES, ENJOYABLE!

Lovely weather on May 17, and lots of plants to buy, as well as delicious cakes;  here is my sketch of the cake sale inside the Allotment Society hut, with helpers and visitors enjoying the home made cakes.
Unfortunately, (or fortunately) I left my money behind, so did not eat anything. Had to borrow some cash to buy a tray of leek seedlings, though. Thanks, Philippa!

VEGETABLE GARDENING IN LONDON 2014

GOOD THINGS HAPPENED IN 2013 - AND THE SUN SHONE

One of my best experiences was the Wild Food Walk which I participated in, at Petersham Nurseries, near Ham Common.
It was in December (which is now so last year!).  Here is a link to my two blog posts about

PETERSHAM NURSERIES  and

THE FORAGING WALK WITH CLAUDIO BINCOLETTO

The Petersham Nurseries also produces a Blog and there is an interesting post on 1st November, which I think is written by Claudio, he is writing about truffles 'Truffles - Myths, Legend & Reality".  Here is a link November's Wild Food Walk

THE ALLOTMENT SITE IS MORE OR LESS COVERED IN FLOOD WATER!

The winter vegetables I have grown are  still standing. Some brassicas: sprouts, kale and winter sprouting broccoli, which is not yet sprouting, of course.

Today I went up there, wearing wellies, and had to splash my way along the path to cut some brussell sprouts.  I also dug up some more parsnips, it was a job to lever them out of the soggy mud, I can tell you!

To wash them I doused them in a puddle on my plot, not very hygienic I know!  But have you ever tried to wash sticky clay of parsnips, or other roots, with no running water?  The water supply on the allotment is turned off every winter, and is not back on again until April. 

About half the plots on our site now have areas which are under water. One or two are almost 80% flood, very disheartening for the plot owners, that is if they bother to come over a look.

This time of year it is not usual to see more than one or two other people there, and the main task is to lug bags or barrow loads of soggy manure - the kind that is mixed with wood shavings - we do not usually have the better horse manure mixed with straw.  Apparently stables now economise by bedding their horses on sawdust.

LONDON ALLOTMENT GARDENING IN 2013 - WAS IT DIFFICULT? NAH....

ALLOTMENTS IN LONDON ARE DIFFICULT TO GET

SO THEY SAY, BUT ALLOTMENT PLOTS ARE AVAILABLE WHERE MY PLOT IS SITED, IN SOUTH WEST LONDON

MAGA

We have a good Gardening Group to belong to;  it is called MAGA for short.

All plot holders and also gardeners without plots, can join for about £3 a year annual sub. You can buy seeds, garden tools, seed potatoes and onion sets, fertilisers, string, netting and a lot more.  Also you can come along to the Summer Party and the Pumpkin Fest.

DO YOU WISH YOU HAD A KITCHEN GARDEN?

Then try out a little allotment, the small plots are just right to start off with. Spring is a good time to start, when everybody is feeling optimistic.

Link to Local Government site to apply for an allotment

VEGETABLE GARDENING IN LONDON IS GREAT

One of the best things about growing vegetables in London, is the chance to get to know other gardeners, most of them are pretty nice people.  Some are a bit odd........

You can enjoy a bit of wild life too!  Birds, butterflies, bees, and the muted roar of urban traffic.

Garlic planted September now growing in November

BOXING DAY ALLOTMENT PARTY

Parties are good to have on your allotment.  You can ask all your friends and not have to worry about the washing up, just have disposable cups and plates, and a small barbecue if possible.  There is usually nowhere much to sit and you are forced to talk to each other because there is no music or dancing, of course.  Gossiping is compulsory (only joking!)

On Boxing Day we went to our friends' party on their plot, where they have a wonderful wooden chalet complete with a patio and a covered area to keep off the rain, and a mini kitchen.

We had delicious parsnip and apple soup, piping hot - thanks to Philippa!

Also on the menu were hot dogs in buns, and a raised pork pie - home made. Plus wine and beer and fruit juice.  Mulled wine was heated up, using home made wine, made by Paul.

An allotment party is a very good way to end the gardening year.  I strongly recommend it!

WHAT WAS GOOD ABOUT GARDENING IN 2013?

WE HAD A GOOD YEAR, DIDN'T WE?

Now at the tail end of the year, when it is dark and wet and cold, it is nice to look back at photos of your garden.

Pleasant to do because some of the best parts I photographed, and they are good to remind yourself, ready for next year.  I will put a few of these photos on this blog.

Frogspawn, arrived late

Marsh marigolds in my pond

Lovely bees on the cornflowers on my plot

Hope the cornflowers come back next year

Potatoes did very well this year

Symptom of the dreaded brown rot on apple tree

Self sown poppies by the pond

Cucumber plants in the greenhouse

My friendly neighbour on the next plot

The squash plant

Lily, so beautiful

Two more friends on the allotment

The hemerocalis bought at Walmer Castle

Big, juicy and delicious

Pelargoniums I admired at Walmer Castle

The veronica plant hates hot dry summers, I don't

Chilies in the greenhouse, good crop

Nicotiana bought at a plant fair, still flowering in November

Nice to come home to, front garden

Virginia creeper, also self-sown (from next door)

Now its winter I must read this

Delightful stone sculpture at Wisley RHS garden

Also at Wisley Autumn Show, these cheerful local brewers

TULIPS

Late autumn is of course the time to plant tulip bulbs, and I have just bought the very last lot, half price at the Garden Centre.  These are 6 Queen of Night and 6 Ballerina, plus 20 dwarf assorted colours, unnamed varieties.  Got to get out there tomorrow and plant them, in a place where I do not remember seeing tulips last year (not an easy task).  I hope the pesky squirrels leave them alone.

FIRST FROST

The frosts have started and I just went into the greenhouse and covered the scented pelargoniums in their big pots (too big to come into the house) with a bit of horticultural fleece I collected from the allotment rubbish heap.  Hope the little darlings make it through, as most of the cuttings I took from them do not seem to have taken.  It costs quite a bit to buy new pelargoniums for the next year.

ALLOTMENT - MORE PROBLEMS!

Yesterday as it was not raining or blowing, I dug up yet more clumps of grass on my allotment.  All the grass seeds blow over from the next plot, which is not cultivated.  Then by the spring, these grass clumps are huge, with mega root systems.  I have learned this by bitter experience!

An ongoing problem, too, apart from all the other problems over on the allotment, is a very large walnut tree on another uncultivated plot.  It is self-sown, not very old but already spreading its branches across over my raspberry patch. It has walnuts every year, and every year the squirrels get every single nut.

I asked if it was going to be felled, and a member of our committee replied that it probably has a 'Tree Preservation Order' on it, thus preventing its removal.  Quite mad!  It means that nobody will take this plot and cultivate it, as the tree takes all the nourishment from the soil.

BRASSICAS AND PIGEONS

My brassicas are now cover up with an assortment of nets, bits of old plastic fencing, chicken wire and yet more nets, weighted down with old bricks -  all to keep off the pigeons.  It is so impenetrable that I have given up trying to get into it and pick a few brussel sprouts.  Will make a supreme effort if there are still sprouts left, to get some for Christmas lunch, yum!

MAY NOT BE MUCH MORE NEWS ABOUT GARDENS IN DECEMBER BUT KEEP WATCHING THIS SPACE - YOU NEVER KNOW

SEEDS OF VEG FROM OVERSEAS, GOOD AND BAD RESULTS

THE AMERICAN CONNECTION - SEEDS FROM THE USA (and EUROPE)

Cardinal Climber

I have tried several seed varieties sourced from the USA, both the West Coast and the East Coast. 

Its fun to get seeds from other countries, if you can. although of course there are restrictions of actually bringing in plants, except from countries in the EU

Mortgage Lifter

SUCCESSFUL  TOMATOES

The most successful tomato plant I have this year is called Mortgage Lifter (Burpee Heirlooms).  It is huge, and bears a lot of fruit - it tastes yummy as well, a beefsteak variety.  Also I like the yellow one in the photograph (probably Golden Sunburst) and the long green sausage-shaped (Green Sausage) one is nice and juicy but not very sweet.  

Some Heritage tomatoes

I also grew Chocolate Cherry, (see the photograph) but it is just the same as the British 'Small Chocolate Cherry' which I also grew.  Nice though, and again, lots of fruit on them.

Although Bloody Butcher (I liked the name) also Burpee Heirloom, is a good plain red, it is nothing out of this world flavour-wise.

CLIMBING FLOWER VINE

The flower is called Cardinal Climber, and though not very 'showy' it has a certain shy charm!  It is about 1 inch across, or less.  It cannot be said to be very impressive in its impact, but I like the pretty leaves too.

Cardinal Climber

I grow it up a shrub, sharing space with Morning Glory, which at this time has refused to flower, although the Morning Glory flowers in another part of the garden.  According to some info I read 'humming birds can't leave it alone', so there you go, you humming bird lovers!  

I have not noticed much interest from local insect life, or from birds, come to that.

BEANS ARE STRUGGLING IN THE HEAT

The climbing bean plants are still producing lots of lovely beans.  A triumph is the long purple ones, with an Italian name, Trionfo Violetto (Burpee Heirlooms).  They seem to do OK despite the heat and lack of sun, while my best-of-British runner beans have got the sulks.

CUCUZZI CARAVAZZI

What a mouthfull!

Cucuzzi Caravazzi

Do you see these cucuzzi!?  Seeds from The Chase C Hart Seed C. I have got some huge summer squash  on my three plants.  The Cucuzzi Caravazzi  plants themselves are pretty gigantic and climbing, with long tendrils and with small white flowers unlike courgette (zucchini).  It is apparently of the same family though. They cook up nicely and I mix them in the pan with ordinary courgette (zuccini).

The snails like browsing on the outside of the cucuzzi, so I cannot get a good, unblemished example to put in the next Annual Flower Show, at my Allotment Society (MAGA), which is  on Saturday, 7 September.  Pity, as I thought there might be a class for unusual vegetables.

BASIL

My best basil plants have been consistently from Italian packs of seeds, and you get a huge quantity of seeds which seem to last for years.  First, though, go to Italy. Or here in the UK you can often buy  seeds, with the name of Franchi, or Seeds of Italy though they work out much more expensive than buying them in their home territory.  

Lidl sells seeds, which may or may not come from Europe.  I am trying their gherkins this year.  If you miss one, you get a sort of gherkin marrow.

NO SO GOOD

My dill from my pack of Dill 'Mammoth'  (Livingston Seeds) was a bit of a flop, or at least less of a mammoth - The seeds did not grow very big plants, but maybe I did not give them enough TLC.  Very disappointing.

RADISH, WATERMELON  

A big disappointment was Radish Watermelon (The Chase C Hart Seed Co.)  The radish I grew next to them was a British one, called Annabel, and that was excellent, but poor old Watermelon did not manage one white-with-pink-inside radish.  A flop.

I grew some plants of Armenian Cucumber (Livingston Seed Co) but nothing doing - one plant germinated and when planted out,  it kicked up its heels and died on me.

Also disappointing was Squash Genovese, (bush habit), the plants died after producing just a couple of squash, and the Early Prolific Straightneck, which is yellow and still producing, is far from prolific, and a lot of the squashes have rotten ends.

GET YOUR SEEDS NOW

The local garden centre is now selling all their varieties of seeds for half-price. That means I have to be very firm with myself and not buy a whole lot more!  I have got lots left over as it is.

And if you wait even longer, they sell seeds for 50p a packet. That's a huge saving especially on F1 seeds, which can be £3 a pack, more or less.

Seeds can usually be sent to the UK from abroad.  Also plants bought on trips to the EU are now permitted into the country.  A friendly neighbour on the allotments regularly brings in lovely healthy plants from Slovenia, where his family live.  You should see the size of his kohl rabi this year!

UN-CULTIVATED ALLOTMENT PLOTS, SHAME AND NAME!

ALLOTMENT SITES WITH LONG WAITING LISTS AND OVERGROWN PLOTS

Our allotment site has a few plots that are not well-cultivated. Some have been vacant for a time.

One plot next to mine is a real disgrace.  The tenant is the local Adult Education College, where courses are held under the heading 'GARDENING AND HORTICULTURE'.

The thug grasses next to my plot

Every year this plot is left to grow a waist high covering of thug grasses, interspersed with thistles.  Every year the seeds from this plot blow over to my plot and the two other plots which are its neighbours, as well as further afield.

In the prospectus for 2013/2014 there are 19 Gardening and Horticulture courses listed at the college.  In the past a group of students have arrived in summer, for three or four morning sessions, presumably as an aspect of one of these courses but they do very little.  This spring and summer I have not seen anybody.

We are luck to have a new  keen committee, and under 'self-management' our committee are convinced of the necessity of getting tenants on all the overgrown plots and to give notices to quit if the allotment holders do not or cannot cultivate their little piece of south London.

Unfortunately the college, up to now, has not acted on notices of 'non-cultivation' that has been sent to it.

I should be so pleased if they do decide to quit, so that somebody can take on the plot and reap the rewards of growing vegetables and fruit.  It would make my life easier too!

HOW TO FIX THE PESKY PROBLEM OF HOSES NOT CONNECTING TO THE SPRAY GUN

AMAZON.CO.UK FOR GARDENING STUFF

I have written earlier about my problem with hose connections and watering.

You see, I have a grand total off 5 hoses, bought or given over the years.

The yellow and pink ones and spray guns

Two at home, one yellow for the short distance from the tap and the front garden, and one pink long one for the end of the garden, where there is a fig tree and a micro pond.

On the allotment, I have two plots, 45 rods each, separately.  So I have this arrangement:

Two hoses, one yellow and one blue, connected to one another  (some distance from the communal tap) and yet another, green, for the second.

 We are lucky that our allotment site permits the use of hoses, but not sprinklers.

I BUY STUFF FROM AMAZON FOR THE GARDEN  - here is the link

Have bought some Hozelock fittings from Amazon.co.uk this summer.

HOZELOCK WATERING FITTINGS - here is the link to Hozelock's website

These promise to be superior quality to the ones I have been struggling with up to now.  So far so good.

There is a metal tap connector.

There is a metal and plastic fitting to go on the end of the hose, for connecting to the tap.

There is a small metal spray gun.

Like I do with plants, I have over the years collected spray guns.  They don't  seem to last long, in my experience.  They tend to clog, and there is no easy way to clean them.

Have bought stuff in the past from B & Q, Homebase, and The Garden Centre, but now have put my trust in this new metal Hozelock equipment, thanks to Amazon.co.uk.

Time will tell if it is worth the extra money!

HERE IS SOMETHING I READ ON THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL WEBSITE

My comment is, oh well, its so necessary to be an optimist, otherwise you would just give it all up!

"Although watering sounds like a simple task, supplying just right amount can be a challenge.

• Too little and plants can be prone to bolting, powdery mildew and nutrient deficiencies such as blossom end rot in tomatoes
• Too much water can cause leafy growth, which is great for lettuce, but not for root vegetables such as carrots which can split
• Overwatering can exacerbate slug and snail problems and encourage foot and root rots"

THE BIG GARDEN PROBLEM, HOW TO KEEP ON WITH THE WATERING!

The green one

The blue one

WATERING, WATERING, OH WELCOME, RAIN!!!

Last night, we had rain here in the South East.  So lovely to wake up in the night and hear the drenching noise of heavy raindrops.

HOSES

I wonder if anyone else has problems with hose fixtures?  It drives me wild when the connections part company with the hosepipe, water sprays everywhere and I have once again to walk back to the tap, turn it off, reconnect stuff then walk back to the tap and turn on the water again.

The yellow one

I have loved the blue sky and the pleasure of sitting outside for an evening meal, but after nearly three weeks of hot, dry weather I have got really cheesed off with the task of keeping plants alive.

Some things in the front garden, like michaelmas daisies, have definitely given up the ghost, where the soil is dry as a sandy dessert, no possibility of it holding moisture.

There is a link to advice from the Royal Horticulture Society on watering vegetables, here.

Royal Horticultural Society advice

GIANT WATERLILLY

WATERLILLIES, THEY GET SO BIG!

Picked this morning from my pond

I made a gamble a couple of years ago.

There on the Allotment rubbish heap (which includes junk as well as green stuff) I found a huge, woody root of waterlilly.

Obviously somebody had found it too big for their pond, and chucked it out.

My gamble was to grow it in my small pond for a couple of years, and then do the same thing, chuck it out when it got too big.  I cut a couple of pieces off the large root and tied string round them.  Then I lowered each piece into my two ponds, one small, one minute.

THIS YEAR, RESULT

The flowers are truly beautiful, but the leaves are very large.  This morning I cut off all the biggest leaves, which were hiding the flowers and I picked a bloom to put in a vase.  It is getting a bit droopy already, but is still lovely.

Next year I really might have to get that  root out and chuck it away, meanwhile I love it.

My pond is a real pain though, so much work removing exuberant pond irises and sundry water plants, not to mention the problem of finding small holes in the butyl lining.  I think these leaks are caused by herons, who come into the garden looking for the fish.  I have a few sticklebacks.

I have also seen herons fly off with frogs in their beaks.  Its a hard life if you are a frog.

NATIONAL GARDEN SCHEME - PADDOCKS ALLOTMENT AND LEISURE GARDENS

NATIONAL GARDEN SCHEME - GARDENS TO VISIT IN LONDON AND NATIONWIDE

http://www.ngs.org.uk/


I went to see the Paddocks Allotments yesterday, (at 12 pm the temperature was probably over 30 degrees).  The Allotments was open for one afternoon as part of the National Garden Scheme.

SCARECROWS

The Society had arranged a Scarecrow competition and us visitors were asked to put three in order of preference.  I chose this one first, Prince William and The Duchess of Cambridge, then Elvis, then Goldilocks and the three bears.

Which ones would you have chosen?

Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, still waiting

Elvis in  all his glory

Goldilocks and the three bears

I also liked these

Forget its name

Grandad Scarecrow?

GARDENERS SHOP

This site has a very good shop, where you can become a 'Garden Member" for £3, and buy your compost,  manure, tools, seeds, fertiliser - you name it they have it, very well stocked. I am a member and I am also a obsessive purchaser of plants, so yesterday I bought a bay leaf rooted cutting, an aloe, a dianthus and something they called 'Hawaiian Honeysuckle.

Plant sale, I could not resist!

More plants for sale

 THE ALLOTMENT WAS A MIXTURE OF HIGHLY CULTIVATED PLOTS

 and those like mine which are in need of more care and attention, in fact taking over your life and leisure....

Here are some more views of things I liked the look of

Lovely old watering can

Through the netting

Good idea to support nets

Follow route to find scarecrows

Bean poles go straight up, unlike mine which are twiggy

Ranunculas don't look real 

Grandad's pot

Nana's pot

Raspberries jostle for space

Carrots in pots seem to do OK

Lovely yellow argyranthemum

They took on this plot four months ago

Hanging baskets are on a lot of the sheds

What a good idea for flower pots fixed to a hanging basket frame

I liked this shady corner under the tree

Mega broad beans

Cherries and roses, what a lovely mix

Some plots were suffering from the heatwave

So get out there and visit all the other gardens in the National Garden Scheme ....well I tell you this, but I am a bit lazy when it comes to trecking out into Surrey or North and South East London, especially in the heatwave.

I prefer to sit in the shade and enjoy looking at my own garden.