Friday 27 May 2011

It's Nearly Time

Look what I found at the allotment on Sunday. It's nearly strawberry picking time. If truth be told, I've already picked a few strawberries from plants in the garden which were overwintered in the greenhouse, but it won't be long until I'm picking from the allotment too. I hadn't even netted the allotment ones, the netting we used last year was no good, I'd left it in place too long and when I came to remove it, it had got tangled up in all the new growth and ripped as I pulled it off. When I realised that some strawberries are beginning to ripen I hotfooted it to my local nursery and bought some new netting, I don't trust those pesky birds to leave my delicious fruit alone.

The sweetcorn which I sowed in plantpots nearly two weeks ago are growing well. I sowed thirty seeds and twenty six have germinated, this will give me a block of five by five plus one spare, that's plenty for us as there's only me who eats it. The beans which I sowed have been slower in germinating and are only just beginning to do so now, though they've been residing in the greenhouse whereas the sweetcorn are on a windowsill in the house. It just shows the difference that a little heat makes.

The schools break up for half term today and hubby has also taken next week off from work. I'm hoping to spend some time at the allotment as my to do list is getting longer and longer. I haven't even got my maincrop potatoes in yet, and there's all the brassicas to plant out too. Fingers crossed for some fine weather.

21 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 27, 2011

    My strawbs have produced zero but I think it's because they are old plants and I need to purchase new ones in order to achieve crops. My beans have all failed and I've had to resow - I have no idea what has happened to half of them - some were eaten by slugs but the others went all limp and died so I'm wondering if they were attacked fromm underground? I've also now ordered my proper greenhouse so once it's here and erected I shall be giddy with excitement at spending lots of time in there! :)

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  2. Mine are not as far on. Makes you salivate just looking at the pictures!

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  3. I've had 3 strawberries so far, and the birds got one before I netted them. I don't have enough plants/space anymore to get loads, but those 3 were delicious!

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  4. We have brassicas to plant - we were waiting for the ground to be a bit less dry before we did but can't wait much longer.

    Hate to say it but we have had a bowl of strawberries already as we haven't managed to net yet so picked some that were almost ripe and left them in a sunny porch to finish off.

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  5. Are you going to put straw under them?

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  6. Yum Yum!

    Everyones strawbs seem to be quite far ahead but ours are lagging. Nowehere near ripening yet!

    Martin :0)

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  7. We picked our first strawberries last weekend, the first are always the best aren't they. The girls loved them and we can see some more ready to pick this weekend!

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  8. Strawberries already! Ours have only just started flowering! This weather we've been having has not been helping the growing at all! Well done you!!

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  9. Wishing you a happy time in the garden next week...! Hope the weather improves. We have overcast, but not wet conditions here, with strong winds still. Not ideal!

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  10. Already - only flowers here yet.
    Hoping you get some fine weather over the weekend for all your plans. It's a very frustrating spring.

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  11. Wow your strawbs are well ahead of ours- enjoy!

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  12. We have no strawberries because Steve dithered too long :) I'm happy with my raspberries, he's the strawberry fool ;)I would like to give them a go next year though and seeing yours doing so well in encouraging, thanks. Mo

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  13. Oh they are looking promising Jo. Mine have started to blush. Just need a bit of sunshine. Hope you enjoy half term and get get everything done that you want to.

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  14. How exciting to be getting a greenhouse, Ruth. Mine's only small, 6X4, but I still love it. My original strawberry plants are in their third year now so I took some runners last year ready to replace them with, I'll do that every couple of years as strawberries don't produce well for longer than three or four years.

    They smell divine, Kath. I can't wait to be in the throes of a glut.

    It's worth growing strawberries no matter how few plants you've got, Su. Those in the supermarket just never measure up to home grown.

    I don't blame you picking the strawberries before they're fully ripe if they're not netted, Sue. The birds have had a few of mine from the garden which aren't netted. I think I shall do the same as you from now on.

    Thank you for visiting, Don't unplug your hub. I've never put straw or anything else under the strawberries before and they've always been fine, so I'll take my chances again this year.

    I suppose it depends which variety you've got, Martin. I've got early, medium and late varieties to extend the season a little, and this year for the first time I've got some everbearers too.

    You're right, the first are definitely the best, Damo. I bet your girls will love them, my daughter eats most of ours.

    At least you know you've got some to come if they're flowering, Rosie. They'll be all the sweeter for the wait.

    It's those winds which I hate, Mark. They seem to have settled down here today, but the greenhouse door had been blown off yesterday.

    I can't remember a spring like this, Linda. I just hope we haven't had all the summer we're going to get.

    We've had a few more strawberries now, Freerangegirl. I still haven't eaten any though as my daughter is beating me to it every time.

    What a shame, no strawberries, Mo. Still, it's a good job you've got your raspberries if you prefer them. I'm not over keen on raspberries, I much prefer strawberries.

    There's no sunshine around here at the moment, Anna. I'm wanting some rain for the ground but with it being half term I'm hoping it comes overnight so we can get out during the days. Fingers crossed.

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  15. AnonymousMay 30, 2011

    Lucky you, mine are ages off. Good idea about the greenhouse though, I will have to keep some inside next year. Hope you have some sunshine today, we haven't but apparently Thursday is the day!

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  16. Dear Jo, It's nearly strawberry time in my kitchen garden. This will be my first crop. I hope mine is as successful as yours. P. x

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  17. AnonymousMay 31, 2011

    Lucky you, I don't think that I'll be getting any this year!
    I hope to be sowing my bean and sweetcorn seeds this week.
    Have a good allotmenteering week! Flighty xx

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  18. My strawberries remain resolutely green Jo, I'm sure much later than last year ..... but there are lots of them! The first strawberry of the season is really something to look forward to, if the birds don't get there first!

    Enjoy half term.

    Jeanne
    x

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  19. We don't have many strawberries up at the plot, just half a dozen plants that were freebie runners from another plot holder. We race the birds for them, rewarding ourselves for a bit of weeding with a nice juicy treat. Good luck with your "to do" list - hope you conquer it.

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  20. We have been picking strawbs for a few weeks...I intended to get so much done with having a week off work but it never quite planned out....hope you got to spend plenty of time on the plot!!

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  21. My strawberries were only in the greenhouse as they were waiting for a bed to be dug for them at the allotment, Bluebell. I've found that keeping them under cover does bring them on though, and you get an earlier harvest, so perhaps it is worth doing.

    How exciting to be getting your first crop of strawberries, Pam. They taste so much better than those bought at the supermarket. Hope you don't have to wait too long now for them to ripen.

    Sorry to hear about your strawberries, Flighty, but I know you prefer raspberries so I'm sure they'll more than make up for them. Hope you managed to get your beans and sweetcorn sown.

    I hope you're starting to see some of your strawberries ripening by now, Jeanne. This last week of sunshine will have helped them along. The slugs have feasted on a few of mine at the allotment.

    Your half a dozen plants are better than none, Janet, and what a reward for all your hard work.

    I didn't get much time at the plot either, Tanya. I don't know why I make plans, they're very rarely carried out.

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