KarenE wrote: I've also got a mini pumpkin and a mini white pumpkin to save seeds from, plus still got 2 huge butternuts and 1 ginormous pumpkin (we didn't do Halloween carving this year) in the greenhouse to eat over winter. I'll save the pumpkin seeds too, as they were so huge.

unfortunately seeds from pumpkins & marrows are not likely to be like the parents - they are all part of the same family group so will hybridize readily (bees visit flowers across different plots so will carry pollen from other flowers)

KarenE wrote: I've had to dig out huge clumps of couch grass,

if you don't mind using glyphosate, you'll find it is very effective on all grasses especially couch grass - if you have some green grass on the plot now, it will kill it off - grass still keeps on growing even in winter except in extreme cold like snow and ice. I once had some dregs left in a bottle which was hardly worth using so I added water to rinse the bottle out and tossed it on the grass during a harsh frost expecting nothing. And for a while nothing happened until one day it was brown and dead ....
After catching up on your diary I am glad I gave up my plot last year - I don't think I could have coped with a drought year (and there were stand pipes on our site) or someone using the water butt that I have had to fill up myself. Weather wise it's hard to know what next year might bring but I had noticed a pattern when a cold wet spring seems to typically follow a dry summer ... then again, we might end up with a dry spring followed by a wet summer instead. Oh the joys of growing your own LOL
Do you use mulching? It does help to keep some of the moisture under the soil surface for longer but the trick is to put it down before the soil surface starts to dry out. Also consider using mycorrhizal fungi to seed the roots on plants (unfortunately it doesn't work with brassica) - I definitely found seeded crops were able to withstand dry conditions better (the fungi spreads out much further than the plant roots to obtain water and there is an exchange with the plant for nutrients) It definitely worked with sweetcorn during one of my experiments in a dry summer year.

KarenE wrote: As usual, the blueberries were chickened, and I must move them up to the plot next year to stand any chance of getting some berries off them.

Beware the pigeons and blackbirds unless you can cage the plants - it would have to be an extraordinary year for blueberries where I ever got any for myself. Blueberries also need a lot of water (the roots are surprisingly shallow compared to other fruit bushes) which you might struggle with.
You have done well considering the growing year we had - I certainly could not have coped - and some of the setbacks as well. I hope next year is a better one

Down to the allotment today to start clearing weeds ready for this year's planting (which is way off but it was such good weather, I had to take advantage). Not a great deal done as I injured my hand a while back and can still only do 1 handed stuff, but I managed to clear a patch of weeds away - the soil was so easy to work.
Still got onions and leeks growing as well as some kale, cabbage and I think sprouts although no sign of any sprouts on them so I may pull everything up. I also have what I think is purple sprouting broccoli which has self seeded everywhere, so I may keep a few. Got loads to do down there but I can only go at a slow pace
At home, I've cut back the autumn raspberry canes and thinned out the red gooseberries a bit, plus weeded my patches and dug over the soil.
I'll do a little at a time as long as the weather holds

I managed to do a bit more weeding down at the plot a fortnight ago but filled up the rubbish sack I had there and been waiting for new ones to arrive. I have to take the rubbish down to the tip as the council won't collect from there (sure someone'd fill all the bins up with their own rubbish anyway) Again it was easy as the soil was perfect to work with, even though I can only do stuff one handed. Now the weather has turned atrocious so I haven't been there since. It'll be a mud bath now.
Hubby fixed my gazebo fruit cage for me before the winds hit - just in time & hopefully it's stayed upright. I need to move a blackcurrant and sort out the strawberry patch.
At home all my little plots are cleared. I will have to sort the raspberries out as they are encroaching on both of my top plots, but they are in shade due to the apple tree so it's not as though I can grow much there. At some is where I usually have the tomatoes, cucumbers, salad crops and herbs
So the great sewing bee has started, with seeds rather than thread! Last week I sowed my french beans (yellow and green), peas (will do more when I clear the plot, whenever that will be), sweetcorn, cucumbers, pumpkins, squash and caulis, cabbages and sprouts. Decided to give kale a miss this year, nobody eats it.
This weekend I've put my tomatoes in - roma, tumbling tom and some heritage varieties that I saved the seeds from - st pierre which is an ancient italian (really unusual taste), bloody butcher (an old german medium sized fruit) and christmas grapes which is a cherry. Also sowed peppers, which I never have luck with, pak choi and this year I'm going for rocket & lambs lettuce and little gem, romaine and lollo rossa. I'll successional sow as we go along. Also got basil dsowed and I need to sow some oregano
I've also sown loads of flowers for the pots, hanging baskets and borders (if the chickens don';t wreck everything). I'm trying to clear a lot of junk out of my borders - honeysucan unattractive honeysuckle, golden rod, massive grasses etc - and made a good start in the autumn but was then scuppered by my accident. For the borders I've sown oriental poppy and foxgloves, as the ones I had growing naturally are getting less and of course never in the place I want them. I've also sown busy lizzies, petunias, sunflowers, dahlias, zinnias, and a few others. Should be interesting if everything comes through & I nbeed to pot on as my greenhouse shelves are full already!

KarenE wrote: tomatoes - roma, tumbling tom and some heritage varieties that I saved the seeds from - st pierre which is an ancient italian (really unusual taste), bloody butcher (an old german medium sized fruit) and christmas grapes which is a cherry

.... I thought St Pierre was an old French variety? .... I have grown Bloody Butcher before and was the first to mature on my plot in the year I grew a number of varieties outdoors. Size ranged from one large fruit to medium and small all on one plant. Can't tell you flavour as I don't eat raw tomatoes but it did end up in a spaggy bol. I like Roma for cooking but this year I'm going with San Marzano which makes lovely sauce.
You have been busy sowing - I know the feeling about where to put stuff when potting on. We always manage it somehow.

Hi LL
The St Pierre says Italian on the label, although the name is clearly French. Perhaps it's a printing mistake. I bought them all as plants reduced last year from our local garden centre and they never really did anything, so it'll be interesting to see if they do any better from the seeds. I'll give them a go, not losing anything if they don't work out!
I like Roma for the bruschetta, salsa and Capri salads - they're quite fleshy. I might give San Marzano a go next year if they're better for sauce, I do a lot of that (as you can tell, we are very fond of Italy!)
I can't believe I have a few things sprouting already! The beans are showing signs, there's a sweetcorn poking up and one of the brassicas.
Yes it's amazing how many seed trays you can squeeze onto a shelf

KarenE wrote: The St Pierre says Italian on the label, although the name is clearly French. Perhaps it's a printing mistake.

I think it's a typing error - google "St Pierre tomato" and every suggestion says "old French" - even Seeds of Italy says French. Sounds like a nice tomato so hope they do well for you

Let's be diplomatic and speculate it comes from the French/Italian bit of Europe?! Savoie has been both in times past.
I'm so impressed by how much you've done with just the use of one hand. Is it any better yet?
I'm also fascinated by how far on everything is there, Karen. Is it all still OK or have frosts affected it?
A friend was nudging me to do a bit more, but even without snow we've had heavy frosts yesterday and today, so I'm loathe to do too much in the way of sowing or pruning.

Hi FR! Good to see you're joining us in the diary section! We've had hail this week and last with frosts but where I am (east midlands) we seem to be in a little micro climate and tend to avoid the worst of the weather. That said, I'm having patchy luck with seed germination this year and I find most things only start coming up around late march time.
My hand is getting better thanks, it's still very tender at the tip so I do have to be really careful with it. I caught it on one of the chicken's nesting boxes this week and had to come inside, it was that painful! I've also lost mobility in my finger now so that is adding to the problems.
Anyway, since we've had some lovely weather this week I've been getting down to the plot for an hour a night, and doing a bit of weeding with hubby's help. We've probably got about half the plot cleared and I'll be heading up again in a bit. Too late to sort out the strawberries and move the currant, as everything is sprouting away, so that will be a job for later this year.
Already harvested some purple sprouting brocolli which self seeded on the plot! Most of my over wintered brassicas will be pulled up except the kale, as they've blown. The chickens are enjoying them. I left a lot of onions in over winter too but they've done nothing so I'm pullig them up too - they are more like huge spring onions.

So far I've got green and yellow beans growing quite happily in the greenhouse, as well as cabbages, caulis and sprouts. All doing well enough that I've just potted them on. I have 4 or 5 of the St Pierre tomatoes potted on, 1 roma (probably old seed) and about 5 or so Bloody Butcher. I've also got a fair few Christmas Grapes and Tumbling Toms just starting to sprout up which is good as I like to grow them in hanging baskets.
4 cucumber plants have come up and again have potted them on. I'm going to grow a couple in the greenhouse and a couple on the plot.
No luck at all with the pumpkins or squashes which is disappointing and it's not even old seed. I've resown so fingers crossed something comes up, otherwise it'll be a trip to the garden centre to buy plants
The sweetcorn was doing nothing so I sowed some fresh seed a week or so ago and that's now starting to poke through so that'll be good.
As usual, absolutely no luck at all with sweet peppers and it's all fresh seed. It's been years since I successfully managed to grow a sweet pepper.
Continuing the bad luck from last year with lettuce and again all fresh seed. I have 1 little gem that's come up, 1 romaine but the lollo rosso is fine. I've sown more seeds but that'll be successionally sown through the season anyway. Pak choi as usual is up & running fine
I also sowed a load of flower seeds - sunflowers, dahlias, foxgloves, poppies, busy lizzies, lobelia, chinese lanterns, petunias, zinnia.. hardly anything has come up. Maybe now it's getting warmer it will, but I think it might already be too late for growing on flowers.

KarenE wrote: I left a lot of onions in over winter too but they've done nothing so I'm pullig them up too - they are more like huge spring onions.

were these meant to be overwintered or were just summer onions left in the ground? If they were sowed / planted in August-November for overwintering, they will only bulk up in April/May (when weather warms up and good strong sunshine) for lifting in June .... (the summer onions left in the ground on the other hand will just go to seed so probably as well they were pulled out)

KarenE wrote: I'm having patchy luck with seed germination this year and I find most things only start coming up around late march time.

Despite the relatively mild winter, the early spring is rather cool for this time of year. I too have found germination to be a bit sporadic - some seed I have thought were duff are still popping up weeks after the initial sow. So don't give up on the flowers just yet (I didn't sow giant sunflower seeds until the 1st week in May when I entered the "tallest" sunflower competition a few years back - they ended up very close to the winner's height and all in flower) A good trick which I can't remember where I learned it for summer plants but has worked really well (I was successful with courgette/winter squash and the sunflower seed) is to put the seed trays into a car - in the spring sunshine, cars get very warm and kick start the germination.

Been really busy up at the plot this last few weeks, doing marathon weeding, marking out paths and preparing beds for planting. My gazebo fruit cage collapsed (the plastic fittings all broke) so we bought a new gazebo and some replacement parts and now have a gazebo with extension for my brassicas and peas as well as my fruit.
Cabbages, caulis and sprouts are planted out but not broccoli as they were a late sowing and only just sprouting now. I've also planted loads of peas - some already growing & some straight into the ground. The raspberries are coming up lovely as are the strawbs and blackcurrants
I've also planted out yellow and green french beans in my middle section, with space for squashes. I only have 1 butternut squash germinated at home and still nothing from the pumpkins so looks like I might have to buy a few plants. Very disappointing this year, and all fresh seed too
I've put out a set of white onions as well, and just put a few sprouting potatoes in as well. It's the first time I've marked out beds and I feel like I have a proper allotment at last!
Still to go in are the sweetcorn, the broccolis when they are big enough, and I'm going to plant some tomatoes and a cucumber up there too as I have plenty already to go in the garden. Still have leeks and celery in from last year
In the garden at home, I need to repair my chicken-proof fencing before I can plant out the salad, pak choi, cucs and bush tomatoes. The cherry toms are mostly planted out (the bigger ones anyway) and I also have strawberries in hanginmg baskets too. The chickens have already eaten ALL the leaves from my raspberries and are bouncing up into the gooseberry bushes to get the newly forming fruit. I should fence it all of but I can't be bothered
The garden is looking quite nice as we spent a bit of time getting it ready for henpal visitors last weekend

You've been busy.
Good luck with the hen-proofing :)

I had noticed you hadn't been posting - I can see why!

KarenE wrote: I only have 1 butternut squash germinated at home and still nothing from the pumpkins so looks like I might have to buy a few plants. Very disappointing this year, and all fresh seed too

When did you sow the seeds? Winter squash need really warm (as in hot sunshine) and humid temperature to kick start germination (indoors or greenhouse rather than direct where soil temperature can still be on the cool side), that's why I try to coincide forecast warm sunny spring weather when sowing winter squash seeds - like we had over Easter. The smaller seed of Harlequin squash, cucumber and courgettes I sowed during Easter have popped up like weeds but the big seed squash varieties (to be fair are also past their expiry date so I wasn't expecting them to germinate)) are only just starting to emerge and most likely the recent drop in temperature and cloudy conditions had slowed them down.
As you are only about 50 miles or so down south from where I am, it's not too late to sow more winter squash (maybe not butternut - they do tend to need a longer growing season than other winter squash) but would suggest sooner rather than later.
EDIT: Out of interest, where did you buy your fresh seed? It's possible the supplier's storage conditions may be partly responsible, and some seed supplier's are better than others (I'm especially pleased with Premier Seeds Direct off ebay at the moment - all my new seeds have had good germination rates and the price is very good for the amount of seed you get)