I think that the plants in the flower borders are looking better at this time of year than the beds of vegetables are , so we have another picture of them to head the article this week. July and August are the months of the year when picking the fruits of our work take most of, certainly my time, it is also a most enjoyable time. There are still many other jobs which cannot be ingnored or else the plot will suffer, not only this year.

The weeding must be continued with or else they will seed and spread more work for next year or indeed later on this year. So it is this that has been taking my time last week and probably most of this too, it is surprising how soon they get established. One of the new plotholders on the site came up to me last week and told me he had been off work sick for the past two weeks, and couldn’t believe how the weeds had taken over. His first job this autumn was too do as I told him when he took over the plot, and make sure that ALL the weed roots were removed before planting next.

There are many plants that are thriving in this warmer spell of weather like the french beans and celery, while others, like courgetttes are begining to put on the growth they should have earlier this month. The leeks planted out about a month ago are now standing up well and begining to grow.

It is also time for some crops to die down as they come to the end of there season, onions for example. The leaves are begining to fall over and the bulbs are filling out, they should now be left until the have died down completely. When this has happened they should be lifted with a fork to loosen the roots and left to dry in the sun, if possible.

There are more plants coming into production each week, this week the runner beans have started and the outside french beans

JOBS FOR THE WEEK
1 Weed Doing
2 Remove old compost heap
3 Sow more salad crops Done
4 Transplant where needed Done
5 Continue lifting potatoes

WORK DONE THIS WEEK
Sunday
Start weeding brassica bed
Remove leaves of tomatoes with blight on them
Pick
Lift potatoes
Water
Monday
Continue weeding
Water
Pick
Tuesday
Weed in brassica bed
Pick
Lift potatoes
Water
Wednesday
Water
Pick
Weed
Thursday
repair damage to shed from vandalism
Water
Pick
Friday
Weed
Pick
Water
Saturday
Weed celery
Pick
Water
Clear cold frame
Transplant seedlings into modules and larger pots

CROPS PICKED THIS WEEK
Potatoes
Tomatoes
French beans
Runner beans
Cucumbers
Courgettes
Calabrese

After the blight in the potatoes it has done some damage on the tomatoes in the tunnel, but the affected leaves have been cut off and hopefully they will continue cropping. All the onions are now in the greenhouse drying off,leaving some more empty space on the plot. I will have to get on with the rotavator on dig pover these areas.

The sweetcorn and the climbing beans are comming on well and the leeks are looking good. We ate the large water melon and enjoyed it very much. The rhubarb chard always looks good as it is growing, it looks just as good in the borders!

The rain keeps on falling and the weeds grow on and on. This last week has been a case of weeding between the showers(!) and watering in the tunnel, (too much water in one place and not enough in the other). Then there is some picking of the few crops that are producing.
The beans, climbing and dwarf, are growing quite well with the humid conditions, however a lot more sun would improve things. Celery is an other crop that seems to like these conditions more than some.

The sweetcorn is doing well in the tunnel, last week the silks had just started to appear, this week there is pollen everywhere and the cobs are begining to fatten. This is the earliest that I can remember seeing Peppers forming and the aubergines flowering. The tomatoes are producing trusses of fuit, we just need more sun to ripen them.

I noticed yesterday that there are one or two potatoes showing through the ridges after the haulms have been cut off, these need covering with soil to prevent them going green. The squashes that I planted out first have now settled in and are begining to run through the sweetcorn and beans, they are even starting to set fruit.

JOBS FOR THE WEEK
1. Weed
2. Plant out more lettuce Done
3. Transplant more seedlings Done
4. Sow more in tunnel 1
5. If dry, remove old compost heap

WORK DONE THIS WEEK
Sunday
Weed bean bed
Pick
Water
Cover potatoes exposed by rain
Tie in grape vine leaders.
Monday
Water
Pick
Weed
Tuesday
Water
Pick
Plant out lettuce
Wednesday
weed,weed and more weeding
Water
Pick
Cultivate areas weeded
Thursday
Cultivate between crops
Transplant seedlings into modules
Water
Pick
Friday
Water
Pick
Saturday
Water
Pick

CROPS PICKED THIS WEEK
Potatoes
Beans
Courgettes
Calabrese
Cabbage
Tomatoes
Spring onions

ALLOTMENTS COMPETITION

This is the time of year when the growing of crops is continuing on it’s own, without a lot of help from us. So we start thinking of other things, how good is our produce, how well are we looking after our plot? How can we tell?
The councils allotment competition is one way, and judging is starting on Monday 23rd and will carry on for two weeks. The results are released about two weeks later and the Presentation Evening will be held on Monday 29th of October.
The cups and certificates will be presented by the Lord Mayor, after a talk by Dave Hampsey, a local grower, exhibitor and judge. The venue is at present unknown as the Oasis Suite may not be available.

SOCIETY SHOWS

A second way to compare how we are growing is to enter your local show and compete directly with other growers on your site or in your area. Even if you are not competative to that extent why not go and see what other growers can produce, it might surprise you!
I have heard it said, and indeed have said it myself, “I’ve got better on my plot!”. The point is it is on your plot not in the show. Maybe you have grown better but can you grow it for the show and be ready on the day?

Go and see a show even if you dont want to enter this year, next year you may think differently? I have prepared a list of the shows and locations that I know at this time, if your show is not here let me know the date,time and location and I will add it to the list. Do this by adding it as a comment or e-mailing me.

LIST OF SOCIETY SHOWS 2007

AUGUST

11th Northern Moor Gardening Society
St Michaels and all Angels Church Hall, Orton Rd, Northern Moor. 2.00 to 4.30pm

25th & 26th Gorton Horticultural Society
Collier House, Wellington St, Gorton Sat 2.00 to 5.00pm, Sun 12.00 to 4.30pm

27th Crumpsall and Cheetham Horticultural Society
Allotment site Mon 12.30pm onwards

SEPTEMBER

1st Levenshulme and District Horticultural Society
Allotment site, Highfield Rd, Levenshulme Sat 2.00 to 5.00pm

2nd Brighton Grove Garden Society
Birchfields Community Centre, Birchfields Rd, Platt Fields. Sun 2.00 to 4.30pm

2nd Ackroyd Avenue Society
Venue and time will be given when I know

2nd Ivygreen Allotment Society
Allotment Site, Ivygreen Rd, Chorlton Sun 2.00 to 4.30pm

To locate the allotment site use the find a plot button, on the bar at the top of the page, click on the site name. When the map comes up click on the ‘hybrid’ button and zoom in using the scale at the left hand side.

I think we will get the bad news out of the way first - BLIGHT. In 10 days my potato bed went from a beautiful green area to a patchwork of green and dying stems. now as you can see I have cut them all down to save the potatoes. The majority of the damage was done over night on Saturday. When I left on Saturday at about 6 o’clock it wasn’t too bad and on Sunday I was going to cut out the damaged stems and leave the rest to carry on growing, but the damp conditions overnight and Sunday morning ruined the majority of the plants.

Now for some better news the beans are thriving as is the celery and most of the brassicas. The crops in the tunnels are coming on in leaps and bounds, the sweet corn has just started showing the silks and the tassels are begining to drop the pollen. The tomatoes are forming and growing, as soon as we get some longer periods of sun they will start ripening.

I think that a lot of the outside crops are suffering a bit with all the rain as it is washing away the food in my sandy soil, so I will have to do a bit more feeding than I normally do.
This year I have planted the melons in large pots to stop the stems rotting before the melons get to a reasonable size, they are beginning to run now so we need to start to train them.

The experiment with cabbage in bottles is working because the pigeons cannot get at the growing heart to stop growth. The squash are starting to send out runners and flowers are forming with some fruit setting, and the buttercup squash planted out later have now settled and are beginning to start growing. At last the courgettes are putting on size and looking healthy.

JOBS FOR THE WEEK
1 Remove old compost heap
2 Weed rest of the beds
3 Plant out lettuce,chard and brassicas. Done
4 Sow carrots in tunnel 1 for a late crop. Done
5 Sow next batch of brassicas,lettuce and other late crops. Done

WORK DONE THIS WEEK
Sunday
Finish weeding round old shed and compost
Cut down potato haulms
Water
Pick
Tidy out old plants from cold frames
Monday
Sow next letttuce, calabrese, spring cabbbage and spinach beet.
Transplant lettuce into modules
Sow beetroot, radish,spring onions and swede in beds
Water
Pick
Tuesday
Weed
Pick
Water
Feed
Wednesday
Pick
Water.
Weed tunnel 1.
Tie in grape vine leaders.
Thursday
Water
Pick
Friday
Plant out chard and lettuce
Sow carrots in tunnel 1
Pick
Water
Saturday
Weed tunnel 2
Water
Tie up tomato stems to wires
Pick

CROPS PICKED THIS WEEK
Potatoes
Lettuce
Beans
Strawberries
Cucumbers
Courgettes
Calabrese
Cabbage
Tomatoes