RHS Cancel 2021 Flower Shows

The Royal Horticultural Society have announced the cancellation of two major events in 2021.

RHS Cardiff and RHS Chatsworth, which were bothered cancelled earlier this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, have been cancelled for 2021.

In a statement the organisation said:

“WE, LIKE MANY OTHER ORGANISATIONS AND CHARITIES, HAVE SUFFERED LOSSES OF MILLIONS OF POUNDS DUE TO THE IMPACT OF THE CORONAVIRUS, AND HAVE HAD TO LOOK CLOSELY AT OUR FINANCES IN ORDER TO SAFEGUARD OUR FUTURE. WE HAVE CONSULTED ALL PARTNERS AND STAKEHOLDERS, AND ARE VERY SORRY FOR THE DISAPPOINTMENT THIS WILL CAUSE OUR LOYAL MEMBERS, VISITORS AND EVERYONE INVOLVED WITH THE SHOWS.”

Refunds will be issued within the next 21 days to those who have already purchased tickets for Cardiff and/or Chatsworth.

The organisation have also announced that the annual RHS London Spring Show will be moved in April 2021 to RHS Hyde Hall.

Greenworks Cordless Mower Has Landed

Some time ago just before or as we started to become #IsolatedGardeners a public relations company sent out an email about a New 48V 36cm Cordless Lawn Mower from Greenworks and asked if there were any gardening journalist, vloggers and bloggers out there that would be interested in having a trial machine to review.

I replied immediately and a week or so later I was informed that I had been selected and that a trial machine would be coming my way.

The 48V 36cm Greenworks cordless mower was launched for £199 at the start of the UK season, it immediately sold out as sales had increased fourfold in just six weeks. It appears that everyone and his dog, who was now housebound started to get gardening crazy. As a result there was a delay in getting out the review machines to the gardening press as they had run out of stock.

Additional production was shipped in from Greenworks’ headquarters and thus the evaluation machines have finally arrived. It appears that the new stock is also still flying off the shelves, and Greenworks look to be having good 2020 due to the new interest in gardening, thanks to the virus.

I have wanted a Cordless Lawnmower for some time that I can take to the allotment to cut the main path at the bottom of my plot and the path between myself and my neighbour. .

I have been using a combination of woodchips & paving slabs for all the internal paths between the 2.4m x 1.2m beds, however obtaining a regular supply of woodchips is difficult.

Now I have the cordless mower the last section of my new plot shown above will have grass paths. This will have the benefit that I will not have refresh the paths every two to three years as they degrade and turn into soil.

At the moment I take my grass clippings from home and from my Sisters and Daughters properties to feed my composting Dalek army. Having grass paths will mean that I have an additional source of green material directly from the plot to compost. As gardeners and allotment plot holders we all know that one can never have too much compost.

I will do an unboxing review, and a full review of the Greenworks 48V 36cm Cordless Mower in due course, I need the grass to grow in the back garden and I have only just made a visit the the allotment since before the lockdown as my wife is in the very high risk category and it looks like the 2.2. Million vulnerable people in England will remain at home and shielded until at least the 1^st August subject to what happens with any regional outbreaks or a second wave.

Use this link to find all future posts re Greenworks products that I review or use in a post. 

First Plot Visit In Four Months

So lots of Fathers day gifts from my girls. Kelly looked after Jen for me and did a nice Roast Dinner and Emma came down to the allotment and opened the gates and we cleared four sacks of weeds whilst social distancing so easy too do when you know the beds are 1.2m wide and 2.4m deep. My first visit in four months.

Plot Tour Video made just before leaving the allotment  

Thunderstorms and Heavy Rain Hit the UK

Heavy downpours and violent thunderstorms battered the UK this afternoon, with forecasters warning of further rain to come.

The Met Office issued warnings for thunderstorms across large parts of the UK today, with heavy downpours that caused flooding and disruption in places.

A warning is also in place for rain in the south on Thursday. Some areas could see heavy rainfall of 50mm in just a few hours, the Met Office warned.

“Although some places will miss these heavy showers and thunderstorms, where they do occur they’ll be quite lively, bringing torrential downpours with 25 to 35mm rain falling in an hour and a few places seeing perhaps 40 to 50mm rain in a couple of hours," Met Office Chief Meteorologist Neil Armstrong said.

Why We Need Wasps

Unlike bees, wasps are not exactly the most-loved creatures, but they are hugely important to the eco-system - and all of us. As well as being apex predators, eating their way through millions of kilograms of insects each year, they are also important pollinators. So, here's what would happen if all the wasps disappeared...

Space Saver Greenhouse Update

Germination so far 4 from 6 Baked Potato Butternut Squash and just seeing the last of six of the mashed Potato Butternut Squash showing its head. Sown on the 26th May so 18 Days ago

True leaves on the Cucumbers are growing well and these will be transplanted into their final locations next week 

Only one Waltham Butternut Squash germinated out of 9 seeds I really don't know what's happening here? Sown on the 20th May 23 days ago. I may have to look to see if I have another pack of seeds and grow some more, there is still time to make the magic happen.  

Flowers on the micro Toms which are staying Micro whereas 

There are a few dwarf and mini varieties here that appear to be growing a little taller than expected. Now is that due to the envii SeaFeed Xtra I gave them early on?

It looks like I may have to do a little sorting and some of these will have to be relocated to the bottom of the Greenhouse over the weekend.

Waltham Butternut Squash

Genus: Squash

Species: 'Waltham Butternut'

Family Name: Vegetable/Herb

Synonym: Cucurbita moschata

Hardiness: Half Hardy

Lifecycle: Annual

Lighting Conditions: Full Sun, Sheltered Sun

Soil Type: Clay, Chalk, Sand, Loam

Soil Acidity: Alkaline, Neutral, Acid

Germination Instructions

Sow indoors from April or sow direct from end May. Indoors, sow seeds on their side 12mm deep into 8cm pots of moist well-drained, firmed compost. Propagate or place on a windowsill. Min temp. 10°C. Germination takes 10-14 days. Once germinated pot on at once to a 12cm pot. Keep barely moist and protect from strong light. Acclimatise and plant out once danger of frost has passed. Plant with 120cm spacing to provide good air circulation. Offer protection from slugs if desired. Sow directly 4 weeks prior to last frost date. Sow 2-3 seeds on their side under cloches with 60cm spacing, thin to strongest seedling once germinated.

Growing Instructions

Prefers a sunny, sheltered spot, moisture and humus rich soil. Early flowers are likely to be male only, female flowers will follow as the season progresses, essential for pollination. Protect plants during cold nights with cloches. Water regularly to prevent drought stress. Apply a high potassium fertiliser. Avoid overcrowding the plants. Avoid shade.

Cultivation Instructions

When the crop is grown undercover allow insect access to ensure pollination. Pick mature fruits regularly. Prone to powdery mildew, treat accordingly. Water the base of the plant, not the leaves or fruit. Prone to slug and snail attack. Complete harvest before first frosts. Cut the squash from the vine leaving 5cm of stalk on the fruit. Cure prior to storing, allow 5 days in the sun after which they should store for months. Do not wash until you are ready to use.

https://www.chilternseeds.co.uk/item_1360f_squash_waltham_butternut_seeds

When to Sow

FEB	MAR	APR	MAY	JUN	JUL	AUG	SEP	OCT	NOV	DEC	JAN

• Sow Under Cover/Plant Indoors
• Direct Sow/Plant Outdoors
• 
  

This fine Butternut type is by far the most popular and widely grown winter squash.  Light tan-coloured with small seed cavities and thick, cylindrical necks without crooks, it yields heavily showing remarkable uniformity with fruits avg. 9" long, avg. 4-5 lb. The flesh colour is richer than others, is smooth-textured and has a unique sweet flavour, particularly after 2 months' storage. This is deservedly the most widely grown full-size butternut. Avg. yield: 3-4 fruits/plant. 100 days to maturity from planting out.

• A sunny spot protected from strong winds is essential.
• The soil must be well drained and rich in humus, the more the better.  I fill each hole at least 12” square with garden compost and paper at the bottom into which goes a single plant. For bush varieties 24in between each plant is fine – 48in for vines.
• Many winter Squash / Pumpkins like to sprawl out and need plenty of space. Vining Squash / Pumpkins require a larger area to run, whilst semi-vining and bush varieties of winter squash / courgette can be well contained.  If space is tight just keep turning the branches back to the centre to prevent spreading and over-running other plants.

Willow Man Cave

Paul Young from Allotment Junkies Facebook Group posted this picture of his Willow Wigwam 

Photo of Paul in his Willow Man Cave  

Myself and other asked him questions about it, and here were the answers. It was not made for kids but was made to provide Paul with shelter and shade. The willow came from a local supplier and they planted about 15 of them in a circle about 2.4m or 8ft diameter its about 2.4m or 8ft wide. The one in the picture is 3 years old 

I'm really thinking of make one one of these in the corner of my plot

envii Seafeed Xtra

The envii web site states that SEAFEED XTRA is an "Organic liquid seaweed fertiliser that contains additional iron and plant based amino acids to improve a plants root development and crop yield."

Envii use Ascophyllum Nodosum seaweed which is harvested in the UK between April & October when it is at its healthiest. They then add additional iron and plant based amino acids to provide plants with further nutrients.

Seaweed has been used for centuries by gardeners and is still recommend by celebrity gardeners. Using a liquid seaweed fertiliser allows easy and convenient access to the benefits of this natural plant aid, without having to scour the beaches collecting your own seaweed and processing it.

What makes SeaFeed Xtra special?

• ·         Includes additional iron and plant based amino acids.
• ·         Protects plants from harsh weather conditions.
• ·         It is 100% organic.
• ·         Provides plants with essential nutrients and minerals.
• ·         Contains one of the highest concentrations of seaweed.
• ·         Highly recommend in Grow Your Owns 2019 awards, as voted for by Charles Dowding.

The dosage rates in English can be found on the back of the bottle

The same information in other languages can be found by pulling back the rear label.

The product can be applied either via foliar spray or root drench, again following the guide on the bottle

Reapplication every 7-10 days is recommend for the best results

SeaFeed Xtra is suitable for everything, from vegetables to shrubs and hedges. The NPK of SeaFeed Xtra is 0.9-0.6-0 but it also includes extra iron and plant based amino acids sourced from sugar cane. None of the ingredients have been sourced from animals and the product has been recognised as being organic

Now what I really like about this product is that it has an in built dosage measuring chamber that can’t be lost and makes using the product clean quick and easy. As you can see there are different values marked on the front and the back of the bottle.

The camera doesn’t really do justice to the visibility of graduation scales, so I took a sharpie pen to them just to make them stand out better for the photos above.

As you squeeze the bottle the liquid rises up the tube on the side and floods into the chamber and you can use the appropriate side to measure the amount you need based on how you are going to apply it and what you are applying it on. 

I’ve now been using this product on my tomatoes pre flowers to help green them up a bit as some where a bit washed out this year, on my potatoes and my young Agapanthus and mint plants and I have to say the results have really been good. I would go as far as to say I don't think I have ever had so healthy looking foliage on my spuds in buckets.  

I will be using this product in the future and next year I'm going to try an experiment treating half a vegetable with Seafeed Xtra and the other half without and see what the difference in quality of final harvest produce is.  

Now that my tomatoes are showing flowers I'm now feeding them with the envii Maximato Tomato Feed. 

The Small Print. I have not been paid to review this product, I'm not on commission and I was simply provided with the product to trial and review.

Space Saver Greenhouse Update

Cucumbers reaching for more light but true leaves only just forming  

Mashed & Baked Potato like Butternut Squash starting to germinate 

Only one Waltham Butternut Squash breaking the surface 

Flowers on the Micro Toms being watered and fed from the bottom

Flowers appearing on the Tiny Tim's 

It's been colder and more overcast, not a lot of rain yet and the temperatures are down about 10 C on last week. 

Possible Rain

This was the forecast throuhout the day, the reality was so little rain the concrete path was dry 10 minutes after the rain had dropped 

Less Rain Than SAHARA In May

Planning and Reviewing June In Previous Years

Reviewing the diary over the last seven years for June

2013 - Potting up tomatoes & peppers, potatoes, cabbages, sprouts and sweet corn, dug beds 7 & 8  

 

2014 - Watering system installed on Mill Green plot 1A, Potted up Tomatoes into buckets, installed bed 12, Marrows in manure covered in cardboard. Beetroots, Harvested the first bunch of Spring onions. Harvested first early potatoes from buckets. End of the month bed 13 completed, second bed of runner beans sown.         

2015 -  Not many posts in the blog for this month in this year, it was however my first Vlog from the plot. first year trying French beans the family didn't like them and it they have not been grown again since. Potted tomatoes from vending machine cups into pots that were taken to the grow house on the plot. First year growing Marketmore cucumbers. Sweetcorn planted on Fathers day, First year for successfully growing a whole bed of Parsnips. First year for peas. Cherries on the cherry trees. Sent two Crimson Crush tomato plants.   

2016 - Very cold June. Grow House heaving with plants, Burpless Cucumber transplanted into pots, Tomatoes potted on from vending machine cups, Sprouts failed and I had to buy some. Third sowing of beetroots, First year for celery. Flooding at Wallington Railway Bridge

Second sowing of sweetcorn due to slow germination then the first sowing germinated after the first ! Drying Coffee Grounds

Mill Green - Runner beans planted out, sweetcorn planted out into beds mulched with cut comfrey, Sprouts planted out,    

Spencer Road - Onions, Potatoes, Beetroots and infrastructure works. 

Home - Tomatoes finally get transplanted into flower buckets.  

2017 - Due to wife being very ill and in hospital a couple of times, everything was late and many things just didn't happen. Sweetcorn was sown about a month later than usual, so were Beetroots, and the first early spud in buckets experiment for SoilFixer was also a month late. Very large double size Dalek picked up off Freecycle for Mill Green

2018 - Community work, clearing weeds from plot 4 for Sarah who has burn injuries and can't work her plot.  Crimson Crush & Rapunzel tomatoes planted on the plot.  Lark Sweetcorn planted, Moving slabs and kerb stones from Spencer Road to Mill Green, Sold my Handy Tiller & Generator that I had bought and had never used, Trimming tomatoes and giving a Comfrey feed, Butternut Squash in the bottom of Plot 1. Clearing Spencer Road Allotment and bringing items to Mill Green. Sowed more carrots, Spring Onions in cut down flower buckets, 24th June Cucumbers transplanted, Fixing the chairs, Comfrey pipe from Spencer Road plot set up on Mill Green, Shed maintenance replacing feather edge board, Trees from Jersey Plants Direct, 

2019 - Lots of potting up and growing in the Space Saver Greenhouse, Purchased CMH Heavy Duty Plastic Trays,  Lots of rain and flooding in the early part of the month. The contractor working on the property behind the wall cut down the trees and left branches on my shed. Lots of plums on the tree and the some bastard picked them all!  Beetroots disappointing this year wiped out by the intense heat and slugs. 24th June Butternut squash planted out, cucumbers starting to climb their framework, Trial of Nemaslug sent but they had to be stored in the fridge!, Weekend Heatwave with temperatures in 40C .Watering visits as a very dry and sunny June, Potatoes in buckets drying out very quickly, must consider toeing into the bed next year.     

Planned for 2020

Coronavirus UPDATE

Early into March I ended up self isolating because my wife is very high risk and from the looks of things we will be in isolation for a lot longer than the 12 weeks that Boris Johnson was originally talking about. 23rd March we went into Lockdown, however Allotments can still be visited as it's a form of exercise and mental relaxation and therapy, however in order to shield my wife, I have refrained from taking advantage of the lockdown loophole. 

The To Do List below will remain and be added too with fighting the weeds that will come due to the neglect. As someone who is on his plot all year round and does not leave it alone during Autumn & Winter and who uses it instead of therapy and for my mental well being it's tearing me apart not being able to get to her.

Yes I have decided my allotment is a woman, it is dealing with mother nature after all.

Three storms in February 2020 which was the wettest in recorded history, April 2020 turned out to be the sunniest in recorded history. It was as if the weather was mocking us as we were all isolating and in lockdown. There is no doubt that as the aircraft stopped flying and the cars on the roads reduced that the air quality improved, the skies looked more blue that I had seen for many a year. It's a shame we can't maintain the lack of use of polluting forms of transport. 

To Do List  

I've been very fortinate in that my Daughter Emma and Son-In-Law Andy have been visiting my plot and dealing with weeds, tidying up and installing new beds on Plot 1. They even managed to find me two new compost bins to match those I already have and have extended my Dalek Army complete with woodchip paths. 

Below is the to do list in no particular order of what has slipped because I can't get to my plot, a few items have been completed courtesy of Emma & Andy.  

Mill Green - Plot 1A

• Clear Bed 2 of Cabbages and cover - TBD
• Progress on the wall rebuild behind Shed - Contractor pulled off site due to lockdown
• Remove and dispose of Corex on the roof - TBD once wall has been rebuilt
• Re felt the roof of the shed - Tree removed from roof, temporary cover in place   
• Fix the potting Bench - TBD
• Clear the Wasp Nest in greenhouse 1A - To Be Done once the wasps have gone! 
• Rhubarb Bed to be created - clearance of weeds in current location and move when ready
• Tidy Up the Allotment  - Courtesy of Emma & Andy 
• Weeding - Courtesy of Emma & Andy    
• Clear Seating Area - Courtesy of Emma & Andy 

Mill Green - Plot 1

• As much infrastructure works as the weather will allow - Seven Raised Beds Constructed in Feb two installed in March and waiting for areas to be dug and weeded 
• Install the kerb edging along the bottom of Plot 1 - TBD
• Clear the weeds and install a 600mm margin around the perimeter of the plot - Ongoing
• Woodchip the Margin around the perimeter of the plot. When able  
• Beds and Paths -  Four Bead and Paths installed by Emma & Andy others to be formed when I'm able to get to the allotment again.  
• Erect the greenhouse - New Timbers to be cut and treated   
• Tidy Up the Allotment - Courtesy of Emma & Andy 
• Remove remaining Hawthorne bushes from the wall - Removed by Wally for me what a star my plot neigbour is.  
• Stock pile Hawthorne to dry before burning - Now covered to keep dry until September 
• Stockpile Timber ready for burning  - Now covered to keep dry until September 
• Planning - Ongoing

Home 

• Planning - Ongoing
• Catalogue Seeds - Vegetables for 2020 done just flowers remain.
• New Cut Path Weed Membrane - Completed during April 2020   
• New Cut Bed Weed Membrane - Ideal Isolation Job in dry weather 
• New Cut Planting Membrane - Ideal Isolation Job need to make some squash sheets c/w watering points

Reminders

• None at the moment.- Add when remembered.