|
More
Web-sites!
Wellington
Field Allotments Hixon
Gardening
Tips
By Mrs FM
Hartley.
Unusual
& Old
Fashioned Fruit
Trees.
Unusual
Vegetables,
Herbs & Other
Edible Plants.
Environmental
Issues And Going Green.
Books
By
Alan J Hartley
|
|
The End Of Summer.
I would guess that we sold about half of the trees and garden plants in
our September Allotments Fund Raiser sale. Some of those Plants left
will be used in the Hixon Rail Crash Memorial Garden which is in the
local Church yard. The planned Wildflower Garden that is to go by the
new Composting Toilet and Storage Shed on our Allotments will need quite
a few of them as well, because, like all things to do with Allotments,
the first rule is to try and do things as cheaply as possible so we
don’t really want to go out and spend a fortune on Plants. The rest of
the Plants that were leftover will grow on for next Springs Plant Sale.
Having said all that, the Total Raised on the day was an excellent £269,
but there was another £108 that was added to that from personal sales
which I made beforehand to Family, Neighbours and Friends. There were
even a few more odd sales made afterwards for things that people had
wanted and they had not been able to get on the day. This year, our
second Year, the Weather was very kind to us with a lovely warm and
sunny day. The whole thing ran smoothly and I had lots of help getting
things organised with help coming from most of the Committee and a few
others. It really was a friendly morning and everyone was very happy
with everything. Some of the Ladies had made Cakes that sold well and
they gave away Cups of Tea to wash the cakes down. Chairs were brought
out of the Village Hall for people to sit on and it made a real social
event of it with people just passing the time of day while eating the
Cakes and chatting away. Oddly enough the Produce that we had for sale
didn’t sell well and we had to twist people’s arms with a bit of fun to
clear it. Hopefully, the event did the Allotments some good by raising
our profile with a few more villagers. We certainly seemed to get a few
more on our waiting list for Plots after the sale.
As I say at the Start of September, we had a brief spell of dry, and
quite warm weather after what seemed an eternal deluge. However, it
didn’t last and we got back to more normal temperatures and weather
generally. It was still a bit early as my Runner Beans hadn’t really
finished, but the Canes had all collapsed some time before and they were
going to seed along with the Climbing Borlotti Beans, so, I “Bit the
Bullet,” and cleared them all up saving what pods I could to dry off and
recover the Seeds for next years sowings. The Bed was then weeded and
covered with pieces of Membrane which is something a lot of Plot Holders
do on empty Beds after harvesting to keep them clear of weeds over
winter until they are re-planted in the Spring. The reason I coved this
bed though, was to make an area to stand the remaining Trees on that
were left-over from the Sale, or that had been too small at the time for
it.
With the thoughts about my oncoming Cataracts operation and subsequent
inactivity until they heal up properly, I have been making a real effort
to keep on top of things and get some of my Autumn jobs done a bit early
so that they are done before Winter. Consequently, I finally got round
to removing two very mature, but totally useless Grape Vines that were
to be replaced with more suitable varieties for our climate. They had
grown well, but had been bought because they were cheap and as a result
they did not produce any fruit. I also decided to take out the two very
mature Honey Berry bushes that were equally, totally useless and put in
two Blueberry bushes. I had tried Blueberry Bushes before and not had
much success, although another Plot Holder, further up the site, does
very well with his. Apparently, when he had planted them he had dug a
big hole for each Plant and filled it with a Bag of Ericaceous Compost
that they like. So, I decided to prepare their planting soil this time
by doing a similar thing. I used a lot of Homemade Compost instead of
buying it, but it should be OK as it will be a bit acidic as well. I
shredded the Honey Berry Bushes and used them as a Mulch elsewhere on my
Plot. I then decided to take out a wild Quince Tree that was doing no
good as I think the patch where it was, was just too dry for it. It had
shaped up Espalier style quite nicely, but always struggled to keep it’s
leaves on and I don’t like having to water things regularly. That is to
be replaced by a small Mulberry that I have growing on elsewhere. I
won’t move that though until after the Leaves have dropped and it is
safe to disturb it. Indeed, after the Leaves drop it will signify the
start of “Bare Root,” planting season when it will be the ideal time to
plant Trees that are sold without Pots. In fact it is a better time to
Plant most things, even if they have been supplied as pot grown,
although, with care, pot grown Plants can be planted at any time.
On the subject of Trees it will soon be time to put new Grease Bands on
my Fruit Trees. This should be done every Autumn after the Fruit has
been picked, and after they have been pruned, to cut back the excess
growth and to make fruiting Spurs. I will also have to check all of the
ties both to make sure that they are secure for the coming winter and
that they are not strangling the Trees. Generally, there are one or two
Posts that will need to be replaced as well as they don’t seem to last
many years. They say on the Tickets that they are guaranteed for 15
Years, but they don’t last that long. However, I have never tried to
take an old Post back under guarantee ! ! !
Unlike the Figs, the Apples did not ripen early and I started picking my
first Apples at the beginning of September as usual. They are a bit
grubby, but not too bad, however, there do seem to be a lot of Windfalls
that I am trying to make use of in Fruit Crumbles, or just trimming them
with a knife and eating.
I will have to wait for quite a while yet and indeed until we start to
get a few Frosts before I can start harvesting my Medlars. They will be
the last of the fruit to be picked apart from Cape Gooseberries which I
haven’t grown this year anyway. Some years I have picked those at
Christmas time because the Berries ripen inside their little paper cases
and are protected from some of the cold by being wrapped up. Quite a lot
of Vegetables on the other hand, will continue being harvested for a
long time yet with roots like Beetroot and Turnips, and Brassicas
continuing until the worst of the weather spoils them. Indeed Leeks,
Jerusalem Artichokes, Parsnips and a few other things will go on
throughout the Winter.
As always, Allotmenteers find that every year some things do better than
others and this will change each season. Two things that were a complete
waste of time for me this year were, the Malabar Spinach that I tried
and it just didn’t grow after being transplanted out onto my Plot, and
the Edamame Beans which didn’t germinate very well. I was a little bit
sceptical about both of them as the packets said that they needed warm
weather and a warm spot to grow. As our site is on a hillside and
exposed to the wind, I was not very hopeful from the start. Maybe things
like that would be better grown in my sheltered Garden at home,
especially if they are grown on the Yard close to the House.
Going into October it won’t be long now before we get our first frosts
of the Winter. It is not until January, or February before we get the
harder ones though, but nevertheless, the occasional early frosts can
still do some damage if Gardeners aren’t prepared for them. I have
started to prepare my Greenhouse already. The first thing was to check
out my electric Fan Heater. I know electricity is expensive, but it is
clean and efficient and the fan keeps the air moving which in itself can
prevent further problems. Cold, damp, still air, in a Greenhouse can
encourage Mould and Fungi to develop and you won’t be able to open the
Windows for ventilation if you have covered them over with Bubble
Polythene. From that point of view putting up Bubble Polythene
insulation can be a double edged sword as it really does make a big
difference on keeping the greenhouse warm and saving on heating, but it
does dramatically cut down on the natural ventilation from all of the
drafts. With the Windows covered over you can still open the Door though
and opening it for a few hours during sunny spells will help. Another
way to prevent some more problems created by pests over winter is to
thoroughly clean everything down with a mild disinfectant wash. This
will help reduce any problems from over wintering Slugs and Snails and
other creepy crawlies like Mealy Bug. Cleaning the glass to remove
painted on white shading, or indeed just to remove the build up of green
slime, is always another good job to do. This will dramatically improve
light levels in your greenhouse and will help the plants make the most
of what light there is on dull Winter days.
For myself, I will have to put some of the staging back inside the
Greenhouse to stand the many Trays of Seedlings on that there will be as
Spring comes around. I always remove some of the Staging to make space
for My Tomatoes, but those will be finishing soon and will be cleared
out. I will do my best to recycle what I can of the Compost of which
there will be quite a bit as the Tomatoes are in big Pots. The experts
always say that you shouldn’t re-use old Compost as it will be depleted
of goodness and it may encourage Disease. However, I think as a filler,
in the bottom of large, planted Tubs, it can be put to good use.
Alternatively, I know a lot of Plot Holders simply use it as a mulch, or
soil improver, on their Allotments.
With the colder weather coming I will soon be bringing in my Banana,
Cannas, Palms, etc. Hopefully, in their semi-dormant state, over Winter,
they will go under the Staging where they will benefit from the warm
surroundings without really having much need of light. The Citrus,
however, will need to go on top of the Staging where possible as they do
need better light levels and will suffer if they don’t get it. My Yacon
Tubers will also need harvesting before they get too badly frosted. The
Crowns will be cut down, divided and Potted, to be kept frost free over
Winter before being started back into growth in early Spring next year.
I have found that the edible tubers can be stored for many weeks if they
are kept dry and in a frost free place - very like Potatoes, although
you don’t need to worry about light spoiling them. There is certainly no
need to keep them in a Fridge.
Chrysanthemums are fairly tough and will be the last things to be
brought in for shelter. I will Label and roughly pot mine, but I am
hoping to get a few old Stools from Work as they only get composted,
because they are always worried about disease developing on old Stools.
Whatever I do over the next couple of Months though, I will have to do
very carefully because, shortly, I am due to have my Cataracts done on
both of my Eyes.
 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Adverts
|
|