What we did today...

We have already cleared all the perennial weeds from around the polytunnel, fixed gravel boards along the outside, lined the gap between the boards and the tunnel with black polythene and filled this with shingle to  prevent any weeds growing close to the tunnel walls and to allow the areas around the tunnel to be strimmed without damaging the walls.

This is what we did today :

• Attached a mesh screen to the back doorway of the polytunnel.

• Hung a polythene blind at the back doorway to raise/lower as temperature dictates.

•  Rebuilt the front door and re-covered it in UV stabilised polythene sheeting.

On Wednesday, the door will be hung and we will then concentrate our efforts on preparing the allotment beds, leaving the remaining work inside the polytunnel for those cold and rainy days when it is not possible to work outside.
.

Light at the end of the tunnel...

We have acquired a polytunnel !

 .

A neighbouring allotment holder has given up his plot, leaving this polytunnel which abuts on to our patch.

 .

We have managed to clear the jungle that was growing inside and removed the door and the curtain, both of which will need repairing.  The door will then be hung so that it faces onto our plot.

 .

As you can see from the picture, we have been washing the inside and outside of the tunnel with a solution of Jeyes Fluid to remove the algae.

 .

The next task will be to construct raised beds inside the tunnel and fill them with compost ready for planting in late-Winter.

 .

Rodima

Comparison time again !
 .

Last year we grew a variety of red cabbage called 'Kalibos' which produced heads of an insipid pink colour. 

 .

This year we obtained seeds of a variety called 'Rodima' from vegetableseeds.net and these produced some beautiful, deep red cabbages that are superb when pickled.

We will be looking to grow more of these next year.

Autumn Planting

We had a poor harvest of shallots and garlic this year, which I believe was caused by using our own bulbs for planting.  

. 

. 

So, this year, no expense spared !  We bought garlic bulbs ('Solent Wight' & 'Picardy Wight') and shallots ('Jermor') which were planted yesterday.

.

I will be sowing broad beans 'Aquadulce' during the week.

.

Thinking forward

We are looking to create a series of fixed raised-beds at the patch with grass paths running between them. I have been trying to calculate where the beds should be, bearing in mind that we have crops that will be standing over the Winter months.

.

The Uchiki Kuri squash were grown in a bed that had been filled with manure, but my initial calculations had a path running through it !  So this morning we have been recalculating the layout so that the manured area would be fully utilised.

.

The area has now been weeded and dug over and we will fix boards along the edges before adding more manure to raise the bed.  We will plant garlic here in the next few weeks and plant more squash when the garlic is harvested in June next year.

.

Marina di Chioggia

This wonderful squash originates from the seaside town of Chioggia near Venice. The Italians use it for many local dishes, including a rather tasty gnocchi.

.

We grew two plants in a container of manure next to the compost bin and they have run riot. We have been cutting their leading tips back  to encourage the plants energy into the fruits and have been rewarded by three monsters.

.

The one shown here was hanging precariously from the wire fence, so I decided to remove it for it's own safety !

 

Sunny September Sunday Morning

We've just got back from a productive morning down at the patch. Heather planted a row of daffodils which will be used for cut flowers in the Spring and I took down the enviromesh that was protecting our leeks.

.

The picture shows our late-sown carrots (Autumn King) in front of squash (Uchiki Kuri). Behind these are our leeks (Bleue de Solaise and Autumn Giant), then sweetcorn with Love-Lies-Bleeding in front of the brassica cage.