Hi Hivers,
It's been a few months since I posted due to a laptop issue! However I am back and have some time to post now that the allotment has been put to bed for the year.
I had a fantastic crop this year due to a larger diversity of seeds and plants.
As usual, I did the 4 bed rotation which seems to work for me.
You can see my previous updates below
Preparing The Shed Area & Topping Up Beds
All Planted - Full Systems Go!
Bed 1
Bed number 1 was a pretty active bed this year, there are still some leeks and red cabbage overwintering and ready to harvest at any time.
Below is the Kale and Chard - I am not doing chard next year despite I love the richness of the colour I never eat it. The Kale was really good however needed to be covered with butterfly netting as it just attacked from day 1!
Lesson learnt for next year.
The beetroot in this photo is doing really well. My Grandma who is 85 has been pickling my beetroot almost weekly throughout summer. She couldn't get enough of it!
I wasn't planning on doing brassicas this year but the mood took me. I had a good harvest of Broccoli albeit small heads.
Cluster grown beetroot - This was the first year growing this way it worked well.
My overwintering weedy leeks! Looking forward to eating these on toast with wholegrain mustard and cheese!
Bed 2
This was a quiet bed this year. I harvested the potatoes and the Garlic and then it was pretty much empty. I did try to start some salad greens however I neglected them and the tomatoes I planted as well.
Mt Garlic harvest was good however the bulbs were smaller due to rust infection. However, as you can see I was still left with a good quantity.
Bed 3
The Squash and Courgette Bed, well it ended up being the Squash, courgette and Cucumber bed due to a misidentification during planting. Thought they were squash but ended up being cucumbers and boy oh boy did I have a massive crop of cucumbers. Over 150 I handed out to friends, ate and gave to my local veg shop!
The big winter squashes here weighed in at I think 11kg and 13kg! Biggest I have ever grown.
Cucumbers!! This is the last of the harvest and there is still loads left I think I counted over 40!
Lino stealing a courgette and munching on it ha ha
Leaf Floor!
Looking very proud with my squash =D
Bed 4
Bed number 4 was the 3 sisters bed! This bed was full to busting with Corn, Patty Pan Squashes, Courgettes, 3 different types of beans, butternut squash and rouge chard!
Here is me sampling my mini cucumbers which I thought at this point was my only cucumber plant, little did I know ha ha!
First time growing corn and it tasted so much better than corn you but in the supermarket. I was really pleased with how well it germinated each kernal.
These were my Barlotti Beans - never grew these before either
Corn with the beans and mangetout growing up and then my climbing bean tipis!
Didn't see this Patty Pan growing near the bottom was huge!
View from the plot over the summer months.
Climbing Beans!
Bed number 3 in peak season.
Early photo for comparison
Harvest Throughout The Season
And now its all wrapped away for winter. I have planted any onion or garlic this winter as I have had to concentrate on DIY in the house. Plenty to look forward to next year though!
