Allotment - Shallots

This is our first year attempting to grow shallots so will see how they go. 


You buy shallots in sets similar to onion sets, basically baby shallots. These are planted in rows approx 8-12 inches apart in rows 18 inches apart. We just got enough for a single row of 15 in total. Each shallot set should grow to form approx 4-8 shallots each so we should have plenty assuming they all grow well that is.


We used the same method as with the garlic, made a small hole with a dibber, filled it with compost and pushed the shallot into the compost so that just the tip was visible. Thats pretty much it. Hopefully the compost will provide plenty of organic matter for the set to feed on. 


You have to keep an eye on the shallots in the weeks after planing as the birds seems to quite like to pull them out of the soil thinking they are worms, if you see a shallot has been pulled up, then just pop it back into place. 

Allotment - Parsnips

Parsnips have a reputation as a difficult crop to grow, maybe we were just very lucky last year but we got a very decent crop of Parsnips with what seemed like a simple enough care plan.


Last year I sowed parsnips in 2 different ways. One was the conventional way of sowing thinly approx 1 inch deep into finely prepared soil in rows approx 12 inches apart (Some books advise to double the row distance to 24 inches). 


The other way was to use a dibber to create a conical shaped hole approx 6-8 inches deep to the same spacing as above. These holes are then backfilled with compost and compressed gently. Once all these holes are prepared you can then go back and make a small hole say an inch deep on top of the compost and drop in 1-2 parsnip seeds in each (2 is a good idea as parsnips have a notoriously poor germination record). Backfill the hole a little and job done. 


The results were fairly impressive with the parsnips planted into the compost holes far outgrowing the others. In general the were longer, wider looked generally straighter than the others. 


The major drawback with this method is it is very time consuming at sowing stage. However the results are far better so its definately worth the effort. We decided this year to plant all our parsnips in this way. A big advantage is that when making the initial hole with the dibber you manage to eliminate any stones that could damage the parsnip as it grows.


We have 2 different varieties of parsnip, F1 Countess and White Gem. We did 36 compost holes in all so 18 of each variety. Weed control is very important as parsnips do not like competition. 

Allotment - Garlic

We already have winter sown Garlic in the Ground that was planted Late Nov / Early Dec which should crop in early summer time. 


We are big garlic users in our household so decided to sow a spring planting also. Ideally you would do this Early March time but we only got around to it late March but are hopeful we got them in just on time. 


To sow garlic it couldn't be easier, you usually buy a pack of 3-4 certified garlic bulbs which have around 12 cloves each in them. All you have to do is split each clove apart from the bulb, you need to allow 6-8 inches between cloves in rows approx 18 inches apart (we made our rows a lot closer at approx 8 inches apart) and 2-3 inches deep. Conventionally all you have to do is push the clove into the soil at the above spacing and that's it. 


This is how we planted our winter garlic and they seem to be doing quite well. See image below. 

As an experiment we made a small hole in the soil with a dibber, we then filled this hole with some compost and compressed it slightly. Then we planted a clove of garlic into the compost and covered it so just the top was visible. This is the method with which we sow our carrots and parsnips and I just wanted to give it a go. It is a good way (at least I hope it is) of giving the clove a good start as it has lots of organic matter to feed on. I have not read about others doing this and there may well be a good reason for that but I said I'd give it a go. Only downside to this method is that it is time consuming. 

Allotment - First Early Potatoes

The first vegetable to be sown this year are our First Early Potatoes. We only planted 10 seed potatoes as there is just the two of us we should get a good return. Also early potatoes do not store well so we pretty much have to eat them as they are harvested. This will be the first year for us growing earlies so I am looking forward to seeing how well they do.


We planted these the usual way, dug a small trench about 6-8 inches deep and added some manure and a sprinkling of Blood Fish & Bone, a balanced fertiliser to help them along as Potatoes are a hungry crop. We placed each tuber (sprouting eye facing up) about 12 inches apart in rows approx 24 inches apart. 


Just to help protect them a little from a late frost we added some straw dense manure on top to keep the soil warm, when the plants are poking through the soil we will earth them up on top of the manure which will add additional organic matter to the potatoes. See image below. 

Allotment - March 2012 (New Beginnings)

Well its a new year (I know the year started in Jan) but in terms of the allotment March is the beginning for me this year. 


I will admit over the winter I have not been to the allotment even half as regularly as I should have been but this year I am back and armed with a plan.


The aims for 2012 are fairly straightforward:

• Improve the quality of the soil.
• Improve on the crops that grew well last year, be it size, quantity etc.
• Do not waste space on vegetables that realistically will not crop well outdoors (especially true for my allotment given its exposed location).
• Grow more typically 'Irish' vegetables. 

I like to think we learned a lot last year, I was not in truth, altogether happy with the return of vegetables we had but that was down to our own mistakes. I have learned however and this year I will be aiming for a much better return.

Half the fun is in the learning experience so I will accept it and move on. 

One mistake from last year was the crop protection from pests, we lost or had a lot of damage particularly to our turnips, cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower plants from various pests. Lesson learned: protect crops adequately

Hardening off was something that we didn't understand enough about until it was too late. We had a lovely variety of strong plants at home in a nicely controlled environment. Once they were exposed to conditions in the allotment however they (mostly) either withered and died or had severely stunted growth and failed to crop entirely or cropped miserably. Lesson learned: Start everything off in the allotment, under cloches / protection if needed but at least it will be stronger for being outdoors from the start of the year, additionally wait a little longer to sow to allow weather to heat up sufficiently. 

Compared to this time last year we are way ahead of ourselves, instead of building beds and filling them with soil in a mad panic I was turning over soil and adding manure (something I didn't get to do last year) so hopefully improving the quality of the soil.

I have also spent a few quid (£15) on a garden planning software to better help us plan what to grow, where to grow it and most importantly what to plant after it has cropped for succession growing. Last year for instance once the potatoes were dug up in August we just left the ground empty when we could have been growing something else making better use of the space available. That hopefully will not happen this year.

So I am full of beans, raring to go and almost impatient as most of the prep work is done, now all I can do is wait for April so I can start sowing.

Allotment - Harvest 2011

Looking back on 2011 in the Allotment I wasn't overly happy but on seeing some of the pictures again I don't feel too bad, we did manage a good crop of a lot of vegetables. I felt a little disappointed in the returns overall but that was down to my own mistakes as much as anything else. Not protecting vegetables from pests was a major faux pas that we wont be repeating in 2012. 


Below are some pictures of the harvests from last year. 

Digging up the first of the Main Crop Potatoes. 

A good selection of veggies for dinner. Left to right from picture, some Alpine Strawberries, Butterhead and Cos Lettuce, Peas, Potatoes, Runner Beans, Carrots

After we harvested all our Main Crop Potatoes, we set them on some newspaper in the apartment to dry before placing them in a large plastic container to exclude light, we left the lid slightly ajar so the air could circulate . They stored in this manner until Just after Christmas when all we were left with were the small potatoes we were too lazy all along to peal. It does not look like many in the picture but for our needs they were ideal. 

Some of the carrots harvested, we generally harvested them as we needed them until October when I lifted them all, cleaned, peeled and froze them for later use.

The first Turnips were harvested in early July. These ones are a variety called 'Purple Top Milan' and were harvested a little bigger than tennis ball size. The Turnips following on from these suffered from a lot of pest damage due to not being covered during their growing season. Also in the tray was some Rocket. We were not short on Rocket for our salads during 2011 at least, it grew quicker than we could harvest it. That said we did plant about 10 plants so we were knee deep in Rocket before long. It really is a prolific cropper. 

Allotment - Sowing the first seeds

We began sowing seeds in late March with a view to planting out in the allotment once we got the keys so to speak. Our aim was to try and plant some of the fruit and vegetables we eat regularly and also a few more exotic types.

We bought 2 propagators, basically a covered seed tray that traps heat inside, some seeds require a lot of heat to germinate which cannot always be guaranteed in March in Ireland. We also purchased a plethora of small to medium size planting pots, trays, compost etc for all the other seeds we planned on starting off at home.

Seeds sown in Propagator for moving to allotment at a later date were as follows:

Tomato - 8 seeds total, 2 seeds per pod so 4 pods

Cherry Tomato - 3 seeds total

Peppers - 24 pods planted (we never realised before hand that 1 seed equals 1 plant and each plant can produce 6 - 10 peppers - we will learn for next year)

Strawberry - scattering of seeds per pod, 15 pods total

Leeks - 20 seeds in total, 2 per pod so 10 pods

Cucumber - 3 seeds total

Seeds sown in pots or trays, placed in Cold Frame to germinate for moving to allotment or finishing off at home were as follows:

Basil - 8 seeds total, 2 per pod so 4 pods

Butternut Squash - 3 seeds sown, 1 per pot

Sunflower - 2 seeds per pot, 3 pots total

Seeds sown in pots or trays, left on a sunny windowsill to germinate for moving to allotment or finishing off at home were as follows:

Sweetcorn - 9 seeds were sown individually in 3 inch pots

Broccoli (Autumn - Green Calabrese) - Sown in a seed tray, approx 24 seeds in total

Carrot (Autumn King 2) - After reading up on the internet I tried sowing 12 in peat pots to be grown at home and transplanted to the allotment - very much so experimental

Parsnip - After reading up on the internet I tried sowing 12 in peat pots to be grown at home and transplanted to the allotment - very much so experimental

Runner Beans (Scarlet Emperor) - 5 seeds were planted in 3 inch pots

Baby Beetroot - Sown in 3 x 5" pots, approx 9 seeds per pot