Described below are a number of tips which may be of interest to allotment gardeners. Whilst some may be original undoubtedly some are not. If you have any tips which you would like to pass on to a wider audience we would be pleased to receive them. Allotment gardeners have a reputation for inventiveness and using any materials to hand. Apart from protecting the environment by utilising materials discarded by others, it has the additional benefit of reducing our costs. Typically plastic containers of all types get re-used as do pallets. So if you have any tips you wish to contribute please email us at: webmaster@cthorpeallotments.co.uk Thanks.
Choose a topic -Companion Planting:
Companion planting is a technique that has been developed over many years.
Rowley Fields Allotment Society of Leicester have kindly supplied a list of
compatible plants. Select the link to view: Companion
Plants List
Eye Protection:
A use for discarded plastic drink bottles is to fit them over short canes to
limit the possibility of eye damage when bending down to tend plants. In
addition to being a physical barrier they tend to rattle in the breeze,
reminding you of the danger.
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Frost Protection:
A use for discarded plastic milk containers is to put one or two in the top of
your water buts. They are very thin walled and offer frost protection for your
buts. Also, they are normally graduated in pints and litres and are a cheap
measuring device. They can also be filled with clean uncontaminated water for
sprayer use.
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Fruit Protection:
Protecting large fruit trees from the ravages of birds and subsequently wasps
is a problem. A use for the junk CDs received via the mail or on magazine
covers is to hang them on your fruit trees. Although they are not very pretty,
I have found them to be most effective as a bird deterrent. Without the birds
damaging the fruit the wasps are no problem.
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Garlic:
The best time to plant Garlic is Oct/Nov as it needs a cold spell to enable it
to clove. Otherwise one large 'round' results; too big for the Garlic press.
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Knee Protection:
If like me you often get down on your knees to do the weeding on hard and stony
or wet ground you might find the following useful. I use some straw stuffed
inside a tough gardening grade polythene bag to kneel on. It may not do a lot
for my image but it does protect my knees and clothing.
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Net Protection:
I use discarded plastic cups or yoghurt pots inverted over my canes prior to
fitting the netting. They are a lot cheaper than the pukka rubber ones and they
are usually available for nothing, or if you are really desperate, the cups are
available for less than 1 for a hundred.
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Potatoes:
Stan tried Concorde and Rocket first early potatoes one year. They were planted
in adjacent beds and grown under identical conditions. There was
virtually no slug damage with the Concorde crop but severe slug damage with the
Rocket. The second early Kestrel is also very good at resisting slug
damage. Pink Fir Apple was also tried; a very strangely shaped potato with
wonderful flavour. The keeping quallitties are not brilliant but reasonable.
For more detail about mant potato varieties check out the
Potatobase.
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Root Crops:
A useful tip from Mike, for starting root crops like parsnip, leeks carrots etc
is to use the cardboard tubes left over from toilet rolls. Filled with compost
they make an ideal container for starting plants and they can be inserted
directly into the soil after the seeds have germinated.
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Runner beans:
I know 'its each to his own' as far as growing crops is concerned but I thought
I would pass on my experience with growing Runner Beans. I grow my beans up
canes arranged in a letter 'V' (not the normal inverted 'V') arrangement which
are supported at the row ends by two stout posts with cross beams mounted near
the top. This enables the beans to hang outside the canes for easy picking. It
also allows me to create a central trench which I fill with compost to which a
small amount of Growmore has been added (my compost is very variable). Our
allotment soil has a high clay content (at least mine has) and I find the
friable compost excellent in encouraging root development. I am trying a
variety called 'Enorma' this year after being most impressed with those grown
on Chris's adjacent plot last year. I hope to replicate his results (but he is
pretty good at growing crops!). I find that adding a small amount of lime when
watering (say a tablespoon to two gallons of water) improves cropping.
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Watering:
Watering vegetable crops, with an infrequent really good soak, has been found
to be more beneficial than frequent light watering. Lightly spraying tomato
plants and runner beans with water in the evening, when in flower, encourages
fruit setting and improves the crop yield significantly.
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Weeds:
Bindweed is a most pernicious weed with very deep roots For organic gardening
it should be dug out but it is very difficult. A successful way to control it
and minimise contamination of the plot is to train it up a cane, giving it a
false sense of security, and spray it once or twice with with Glyphosate
(Roundup or similar) treatment to which a small amount of washing up liquid has
been added to act as a wetting agent. Good luck!
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Horsetail is also a very difficult weed to
eradicate. Again oganic gardening requires digging out but the root is quite
delicate (in contrast to the plant) very thin rough and dark looking like
something that's dead but it isn't. A tiny piece left in the groung will grow
into another plant. However, it can be tackled in a similar manner to bindweed.
Glyphosate and washing up liquid can be used but in addition for best results,
it is necessary to damage/crush the weed to enable absorption of the weed
killer as it is pretty impervious to liquids. A number of applications will be
necessary. No wonder it was used as a kitchen pan cleaner prior to the advent
of the abrasive commercial products.
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White Fly:
A tip passed on from Norman is that a saucer containing Jeyes Fluid in the
Greenhouse keeps away White Fly. If you try it, let me know how you find it. It
has also been suggested that Jeyes fluid can be used to cleanse onion beds and
prevent white rot. Has anyone had any experience of this?
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