Plot 49 - August on the Allotment 2011

Hehee Ruth I have monetary motivation, and I want a freezer packed with produce I don't have to buy! I think the way I've decided on what to plant is by what is the most expensive to buy.. even in season. Peppers, nice tomatoes, unusual squashes, mangetout and sugar snap peas... goji berries and cranberries etc .. are all silly money per pack.. and you can preserve almost everything from the garden, with the exception of lettuce and radishes! Shallots in majority over onions as I love them better but they are roughly £1.50 for 400grams in Waitrose.. and little difference anywhere else.. and the best thing is they store for around 9 months + if you dry and store them properly. Shallots sets are about that price for the seed shallots. but they sprout out 8-10 shallots per seed shallot.. unlike onions who just get fatter! I wont do many maincrop pots as they are really cheap to buy and I can use the space for something else, but I will do things like anya and other varieties of new pots as they are just scrummy!

I'll be freezing most things, this yr I froze a couple of squashes with good results.. it takes a little preparing.. ie cube them up toss them in a large saute pan for a few minutes.. leave to cool.. put on a tray fast freeze.. and put into bags.. but its great for things like roasts.. you can cook them from frozen. most veg you can either par saute or blanche and then freeze.

Fruit.. some I freeze, some I make jams with and some I dry in the dehydrator for breakfast etc. So this yr I will be able to do all of it!!!!! I will get a bigger chest freezer I only have a square one for storage atm.. but a main freezer in the house. But I think I'll get a huge one somewhere and put it in the garage too as it saves space in the house and its cheaper to run it in the garage

hehheee.. no watering.... NAKED LOL not that I would dream of it.. but most of them are over 60 ... I am the youngest on the site!!! LOL


edit...
Oh, if anyone is interested in good dehydrators, I have a L'Equip one.. a lot older looking than the one on the site below! I got it in Germany yrs ago but I know a few of my friends have bought them from here..... http://www.ukjuicers.com:80/dehydrators


ahh found it This is the one I use.. http://www.lequip.com/product.php?prod_ ... Dehydrator
Its so easy, and uses less space than freezing.. so things like mushrooms.. fruit.. well almost anything.. I even dry flowers in it sometimes!!!

[clothmama]

Ems - I'm so excited for you (and loving how excited you sound!!) I so look forward to hearing all about your journey and I'm sure there are heaps os us that will learn lots from your posts!

I set up some new forums last week so am going to move into the 'veggie patch'

that sounds so exciting your giving me the gardening bug. we grow our own veg each year doesnt always work out well but we try. last year my entire kitchen was tomatoe plants but failed terribly didnt even get one red one outside i had peppers,jalepanos,lettus(my naughty ducks ate them all) had carrots the wild rabbits ate. peas yum yum yum i ate them,potatoes got a small few,leeks,scallions,onions,garlic,parsnips, also had strawberries,golden rasberries,black currents and gooseberries.its so much fun this year ill try be more strict with my growing got lazy last year and didnt mind it all very well. best of luck with it all.

congratulations on the new allotment, your plans look fab.

and at your neighbour's plot - i've never seen an allotment that's not mud

well I'll make sure that I can update exactly when I'm sowing, planting out etc so people can follow along if they want I think a plan of your veg plot helps, because then you know what you've planted out in that space the year before, and some veg like a certain soil. If you go with the rule potatoes follows lime, follows legumes/pulses, follows brassicas, follows roots rule you really cant go wrong. Theres no double digging, you are giving the plants to be exactly what they require in the soil.
Theres a standard 4 yr rotation plan here...
http://www.allotment.org.uk/vegetable/c ... tation.php

So exciting to have an allotment, I just wish I had the time and dedication to care for one, it must be so rewarding

Well thankfully, through the summer, I've bribed a couple of others in the family to help look after it as it will need a lot of attention for a good three months then. All I need to give them is a veg box or some preserves now and then and they will all be happy The kids can have a "lorry tyre" bed each to keep them occupied and get them interested, they make excellent mini beds.. they keep the soil warm, you can drill holes in them and put strawberries round the edge, and I think a couple of years ago we used copper wire round the edge of them to keep the slugs off. There is enough room in them to grow some strawberries, baby carrots, and a sweetcorn plant and a couple of sunflowers.

Sounds exciting

for getting the plot - it looks fantastic!! Although I would be really intimidated by such a large space to fill and look after

We have been growing a few bits and pieces over the last 4 or 5 years and have (kind of) worked out what grows well in our clay soiled, north-east facing garden. All the legumes we have grown have done pretty well - we got mountains of runner beans from 2 plants that my mum gave us last year (but I don't really like them). The peas, mange tout and broad beans did ok - just enough to keep the girls entertained and us supplied for the odd stir fry etc. We always get masses of courgettes, but the squash and pumpkins failed to crop .

I found what I think are raspberry canes hidden at the end of our garden last year - we moved them to a better position with more sunlight in the autumn so I'm hoping to get better fruit this year. I really want to get a couple of blueberry bushes to put in pots too - I think you're spot on trying to grow produce that cost a lot to buy in the supermaket. Things like carrots, onions etc seem barely worth it, but I might try and get hold of some shallots to plant this year