The picture below shows the dead rocket (centre front), ‘woody’ radish (centre right), bolted lettuce (back right) and broad beans falling over (back left). So a big tidy up is needed, and some replanting and watering. But we have had good crops of lettuce, radish and broad beans, so all has not been in vain.
The next picture shows what ten minutes TLC can do, with plans for next planting. I’m avoiding putting the same crops in the same SF (rotation), so lettuce (centre front) basil (centre right), swede for winter (back right) and a few radish where I’ve removed the front onions.
And with the broad beans staked, the whole SFG watered and new seeds covered with fleece, it looks like this:
Onions! Not good this year. If you remember I planted 3 onion sets at the back (north east side) garlic in the centre and 3 onions grown from seed in the front. The sets continue to grow, slowly, but the garlic and onions from seed have developed ‘white rot’, yes even in the hot weather, and are of little use. This looks like a fungus on the base of the onion and the roots are stunted. The disease is often ‘bought in’ on sets or manure etc and easily transferred by foot from plot to plot. It infects the ground for at least a decade and there is no known organic treatment. The onions may grow to a decent size but will not keep more than a couple of weeks. We’ll wait to see whether the sets survive.
Now the good news! The beetroot are growing, with one looking almost ready, which is good as I transplanted these as seedlings rather than growing from seed in situ.
The potato on the right above looks healthy.
Just as I am taking goodness out of the soil, I must put something back, so before watering I’ve sprinkled a small handful of ‘blood-fish and bone’ over the ground. This organic fertilizer is widely available in this country but its use is global. However, not everyone can just pop to the garden centre to buy a pack. Here are three women I met in West Africa crushing dried fish remains and bones, with pestle and mortar, under a mango tree. Hard work in high temperatures!
To update you on other crops growing on the allotment:-
Here are the sweetcorn, with beans just starting to climb beside them and a squash plant to the right and in flower behind.
Below, the potatoes are starting to flower with the broad beans growing above them, and beginning to set pods (if you look closely). However, this crop of BB is being attacked by black fly, so I’m going to try to reduce that by spraying with simple washing up detergent.
Finally, this is why we do it! A good bowl of mixed green salad and a plate of pasta with broad beans, French beans and peas gently sweated for a couple of minutes in olive oil and garlic; delicious. Really fresh and NO chemicals in growing or preparation!
I hope you are also enjoying your crops; any suggestions for what I should plant in the squares as they become available after harvesting?
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