vegmonkey

First entry of 2012

2012-01-17T20:07:00.002Z

Went to the plot in the afternoon after work to do a little digging and let the chickens out. Plots looking really good, well ahead with all the digging and am about to start construction of the new greenhouse. Over wintering Garlic, onions and broad beans are all doing well. Still eating onions, potatoes and (frozen) broad beans from last year. Leaks, spinach, red cabbage, jerusalem artichokes and herbs still growing... Will add some up to date photos.

Tomato

2007-08-26T15:07:00.000+01:00

Picked the first tomato of the year from the greenhouse in the garden.

Sowing the seeds

2007-03-10T17:43:00.000Z

Tim and me had a good few hours at the plot today. We planted shallots, broad beans, peas and scottish potatoes.

Harvest Festival

2006-12-18T21:27:00.000Z

It was late but we finally got round to having our harvest festival.
We had a beetroot salad for starters followed by braised red cabbage, mashed potato, jerusalem artichokes and onions, and sausages. Everything except the sausages, lettuce and tomatoes was from the plot which was pretty good going.
Next year we hope to have even more variety. Could happen..

Bonfire night

2006-11-05T20:59:00.000Z

Here are a couple of pics from the bonfire we had tonight. In the first Mark keeps a watchful eye on his Nissan Micra, and on the second Tim feeds the fire with dead weeds.

Die weeds

2006-10-24T22:21:00.000+01:00

Sprayed an area of the plot this evening with some excellent completely degradable weed killer. For use February to September only.

Onions and Garlic

2006-10-22T16:13:00.000+01:00

Tim and me had a very pleasant time at the plot this afternoon. First we cycled out along the Cam to the garden centre in Horningsea to buy some garlic (Wight Cristo £1.59 for 2 bulbs) and red onions (Electric - £1.50 for 2 rows worth). We also visited Fen Ditton's One Stop for some milk; an essential part of the coffee break.

Once at the plot, we dug over an area that had been used for potatoes last year. Digging was easy; the earth was soft and there weren't too many weeds. The weather was overcast and it rained occasionally but the temperature was perfect.

After planting the garlic and onions we cut off the Jerusalem artichokes as they are starting to die. We left 6 inches of stalk sticking up so we can dig up the artichokes later. We've got a very good crop this year.

We also piled up some earth round the leeks. A bit late but it should still help.

Dan

Potatoes

2006-10-04T21:20:00.000+01:00

Here's a good link for potato varieties: http://www.britishpotatoes.co.uk/varieties.asp
We're going for Arran Pilot, Cara, King Edward, Maris Piper and Picasso.

What's Good?

2006-09-17T20:25:00.000+01:00

It's almost the end of the growing season, so time to remember what was good and what wasn't.

What did well

Onions:
The onions were fantastic. All of the 3 types we planted did very well. Unfortunately I didn't record the varieties, but the red ones were the best. We could have done with more of them. The ones planted in October were the biggest. They weren't ready much before the spring planted ones though. We've got loads of onions but having more wouldn't have been a problem.
Next year: Same again

Shallots:
They were pretty good. A fair size and nice and juicy.
Next year: Same again.

Garlic:
We had high hopes for the garlic as it seemed to be growing so strongly. However, the end results weren't great. They were all a bit small. At one point the weeds were bigger than the garlic plants so it was probably this that stunted their growth.
Next year: Same again but with less weeds.

Beetroot:
Worked very well. Would have been better to have thinned them out more.
Next year: more

Rhubarb:
I made some excellent jam from the rhubard; very tasty.
Next year: Get some manure so the crop is bigger.

Spinach:
Had a lot of trouble getting them started. Eventually the perpetual spinach worked. Could have done with more. Next
year: More

Radish:
Worked well.
Next year: Same again.

Potatoes:
Worked fairly well. We had a long period of dry weather so they weren't that big. The ones that were planted later were still alive later when the rain came so had a chance to grow. Some of the potatoes were planted very late but were still fine. The Desirees (reds) grew well but weren't great for cooking. One variety of white (not sure what) were lovely; excellent boiled. We had no problems with disease or pests.
Next year: about the same amount (15kg). Less desiree.

Broad beans:
Did very well even though they got blackfly. The trick is to pinch of the top of the plant when the blacklfy arrive. There wasn't much difference between the plants that were sown direct and those grown in the greenhouse. We had 6 half rows which produced a good amount of beans.
Next year: Same again.

Leeks:
Didn't work from seed even though I tried many times. Plants grown in the green house are doing very well though.
Next year: Grow more in the greenhouse.

Red Cabbage:
Plants grown in the greenhouse are doing very well.
Next year: Same again.

Jerusalem Artichokes:
Growing very well. Good strong, healthy plants.
Next year: Same again

Potential for Next Year
Courgettes and tomatoes both did very well but as it was thought that these needed a lot of water we only had a couple of plants. In fact they did very well, surviving well during long dry periods.
I planted three artichoke plants. One has done very well and we can expect fruit next year. More plants are needed though.
Everyone else on the site has loads of asparagus. As it's Dan's favorite veg we should make sure we get some going next year.

What was Bad

Most of the seeds we planted didn't grow. That included carrots, sweetcorn, parsnips, swede, broccoli and lettuce. For next year we should think about nets and using slug pellets maybe.

Runner beans: Didn't do that well for some reason. Grew fine from seed later on but some of the plants died for some reason. Did one row which didn't produce much at all. Next year: Try a couple of rows.

Problems: Slugs, snails and birds are the biggest problems, preventing most of our seeds from growing. Weeds need a huge amount of work to keep under control. We failed miserable to do this this year.

Potato bugs

2006-07-26T10:36:00.000+01:00

Well at least the vegmonkey plot hasn't got potato bugs (colorado beetles?)

From potatobugs.com:

Q: I have potato bugs in my vegetable garden. How can I rid myself of these pesky critters?
A: Drench your entire yard with gasoline and set it ablaze. Once the fire has burned itself out and the ground has cooled, cultivate the soil to a depth of seven feet, saturate the area with battery acid and top the surface with gasoline. After a few minutes, most of the surviving potato bugs, now irritated, will burrow up for air. Set the yard on fire again, and let it burn itself out. The remaining bugs should be crisped. Add water. Only then, and only maybe, will you rid yourself of potato bugs.

Update

2006-06-30T00:07:00.000+01:00

A vegmonkey! update is well overdue. Sorry I haven't written for a while. There's been so much else to do that's more fun - like sitting in the sun..
Not much work's been done on the plot lately, but we have been reaping what we sowed. It's great how life let's you do that. We've been picking huge onions for a couple of weeks, and yesterday I picked the first broad beans. They were blumin good too. Had them lightly boiled with oil and salt, italian stylee.
Coming soon will be some fantastic garlic. Better than Mr. Murray's we reckon.
The potatoes will be ready soon too. I think some kind of vegmonkey! banquet is in order.

First crop

2006-05-09T20:16:00.000+01:00

Look at this baby. Our first onion. It wasn't quite ready but who cares. We ate it fresh. Really nice and sweet. We're going to have some good onions :-D

Dan's Dinners

2006-05-01T20:32:00.000+01:00

You might like to check out my new blog Dan's Dinners(link works now). Soon to be featuring produce from the vegmonkey plot.

George and Erin

2006-05-01T12:49:00.000+01:00

Yesterday at the plot we were lucky enough to host special guests George and Erin, who did some excellent work digging and sowing some flower seeds.

More on those beetles

2006-04-25T12:58:00.000+01:00

Here's an excellent link about wireworms (found by Cate): www.kitchengarden.co.uk

If we keep the plot weed free they'll go away after a few years. So it looks like we're knackered.

Dan

rambles

2006-04-19T20:33:00.000+01:00

Things seem to have quietened down on the beetle front. We found a couple of wireworms (the beetle's larva) while digging at the weekend. Another row of broad beans has begun sprouting at the other end of the plot, and so far there's no sign of beetles..

The "excellent" thermos flask I bought in February broke last week. The cause of the breakage was unknown. So I went back down to Tesco's at the weekend where I purchased a replacement. This model is made from the finest quality chinese stainless steel (as recommended by Cate) so it should last forever. It has a keep hot time of 8 hours which should be adequate for our needs. Unfortunately it only came with one cup so coffee breaks currently take twice as long. I plan to fix this by keeping a couple of spare cups to the shed.

The current vegmonkey outlook is Good. The team are looking forward to a feast of homemade rhubarb crumble in a couple of weeks.

Dan

little bloody beetles

2006-04-10T21:11:00.000+01:00

The vegmonkey plot is infested with little beetles which are eating the broad beans before they can grow!
I think some kind of chemical warfare is required. Any suggestions?
thanks,
Dan

Recipe: Minestra di pasta e patate.

2006-04-03T14:35:00.000+01:00

Here's a recipe for Pasta and Potato soup from one of our italian readers (Flextris):

Ingredients for 4 people:

200 grams of pasta (ditalini or grattini or small checks or pointers)
3 potatoes
1 onion
4 spoons of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
parsley (or oregano)
1 litre of stock

Fry the onion and chopped parsley in the oil. Shortly afterwards add the potato (sliced) and the garlic. Keep frying until the onions are golden brown.
Add the stock and cook for 10 minutes.
Add the pasta and cook for the time recommended on the packet (around 10 minutes). Don't overcook the pasta!

Serve with with grated parmesan on top.

Some pics

2006-03-28T19:06:00.000+01:00

Here we have a fine pair of vegmonkey workers. Darren is fully focused on the weeds, while Mark takes a break to contemplate life, veg, and mother nature's motherings.

And below and left a bit are the first two rows of desiree potatoes. I would have liked to have had this text nicely to the right of the pic but I haven't got all day.

update

2006-03-28T18:53:00.000+01:00

So..
This weekend we dug a bit and planted 2 rows of desiree potatoes. Not sure if it's too early or not.. Who knows?
I also sowed some peas, broadbeans and beetroot directly in the ground, and had a chat with the neighbour.
As my first batch of courgettes all died of cold I've put another load in the airing cupboard.
I've also got some dwarf french beans, globe artichokes, and brussel sprouts in there too.

Dan

weather and bread

2006-03-16T21:47:00.000Z

The weather's been so crap for over a week so nothing's been happening on the plot. At least this lunchtime it was ok ish so I dug 5 rows. The weeds are still growing nicely.

When the weather's crap and cold the best thing to do is make bread. Look at this baby I just made. I'm quite proud of it. Tasted great just out of the oven (that's not my playboy mug).

Dan

dig

2006-03-05T20:42:00.000Z

It was a lovely sunny day in Cambridge today so Mark, Ben, Darren and me went off to the allotment to do some digging.

On the way I purchased the cheapest fork B&Q had available - £14.99. It's got a good quality wooden handle but the fork itself is quite roughly made and requires an extra push to get it stuck into the ground. Not bad, but I'm not overly impressed.

At the plot we got a fair amount of digging and weeding done. I've left the new fork in the shed to see if it gets nicked (we put a lock on the shed before christmas but the kids broke in and stole Mark's gas burner, so now we just leave it open). We've dug about a quarter of the plot now.

Back at home I sowed some red cabbage seeds and put them in the airing cupboard.

Dan

Bargain

2006-03-01T18:59:00.000Z

Beetroot seeds for 29p a packet from Aldi. What a bargain!

Jerusalem

2006-02-27T19:26:00.000Z

Yesterday (sunday 26th), as it was sunny (but windy and very cold) I went for a quick trip to the allotment.
I planted some lilies and a row of religion-free jerusalem artichokes (Cate gave me 4kg last week). I also began digging the beanzone. I've got high hopes for it.

Meanwhile back in the greenhouse, the pea and broad bean plants are doing very well. The beans are about 4 inches tall, the peas at around 3. The courgettes are growing slowly; they're about an inch high now.

I sowed some celeriac seeds in the airing cupboard over a week ago, but there's nothing happening at all..

Dan

another good one

2006-02-21T12:47:00.000Z

Saturday 18th Feb was another good day in the vegmonkey calendar.
Numbers swelled to 5 with the addition of two guest workers Tim and Darren. The guests did most of the work with Dan directing and making coffee.
Rain during the week had made the soil heavy and sticky so the work was hard going. Despite this, we planted 8 rows of seed onions (1kg).
We also took delivery of a load of potatoes - about 15kg. Planting them will be hard work, but luckily it's too early for them now

A successful day

2006-02-12T12:04:00.000Z

Ben, Mark and myself had a very successful day at the allotment yesterday.
Before going, we bought an excellent thermos flask from Tesco. A bargain at £5.82; full 1 litre capacity and it came complete with 2 good sized cups. Tescos do stock a 1 litre model for around £3.50 but this had an inferior "keep hot" time and the cups were inadequate. I felt that an additional 2 pounds was a small price to pay for the higher level of quality that comes with the genuine "Thermos" brand. Fair trade ground coffee, a selection of cakes, and a pair of 41p gardening gloves were also purchased.
On arrival at the allotment we met with Jim, a member of the allotment committee, with whom we discussed the rental of a rotivator (£5 plus petrol). On previous visits our plot had seemed overwhelmingly large and clayey and we felt we needed some mechanical assistance to dig it. Following a re-examination of the soil, which is now much dryer, and a further discussion with experienced allotment owner John Murray, it was decided that a rotivator was not necessary. We will dig the whole plot by hand.
We then proceeded to sow two rows of 'student' parsnips, one row of 'green windsor' broad beans, and two rows of shallots. A successful day indeed.

Dan

New life

2006-02-08T18:24:00.000Z

After only 5 days the first beans and peas have sprouted! 2006 is looking promising.
We're all set for sowing some more seeds directly in the ground this weekend.

Dan

Hmm.. (peas and broad beans)

2006-02-05T15:26:00.000Z

This Blogger thing has lost one of my posts.
Yesterday I posted that I'd sown some peas (a grano rugoso progress n.9) and some broad beans (left over from last year's crop). They're both in the airing cupboard.
Dan

Tomatoes, tomatoes

2006-02-05T15:21:00.000Z

Just put some 'Consulato Genovese', 'Moneymaker' and 'Marmande' tomatoes in the airing cupboard. And some zucchino bolognese too. Going to need a bigger airing cupboard at this rate.
Dan

Where it's at

2006-01-16T19:21:00.000Z

Ben, Mark and Dan visited the Veg Monkey plot on Sunday 15th and planted some garlic that Dan recently received from a friend in Derbyshire. It produces huge cloves in cold and wet Derbyshire, so we're hoping it will work well here.

This is the second planting of garlic. An italian variety was planted in November and is just beginning to shoot.

We also have some onions (red and white) that are now about 4 inches high and growing well.

The weeds are also growing very well. We hope to hire a rotivator soon to dig the plot. We can't do it yet as the earth is too wet. We've got very clayey soil that sticks to anything.

Dan