Welcome to Lesley Upton’s allotment blog, where she explains what fruit and veg she is growing on her allotment in September. Here she looks at the spring onions, beetroot, carrots, squash, potatoes and leeks on her Berkshire plot
I’ve been really pleased with the produce from my allotment over the past year. I’ve had success with broad beans, strawberries, lettuces, carrots, potatoes, sweetcorn, runner beans, French beans, spring onions and beetroot. Not so good were the onions (not one was worth saving), garlic (I kept three out of about 20) and peas (they were swamped by weeds because I didn’t pay them enough attention and the pigeons got to them). The cauliflowers didn’t do too well, either. Maybe I didn’t water them enough.
Growing well, though, are the Brussels sprouts, parsnips and cabbages.
Spring onions and beetroot
I grew ‘Guardsman’ spring onions this year, instead of my usual ‘White Lisbon’, and I’m really pleased with the results. I must have picked about five bunches over the past couple of months – and they have quite an intense flavour. I’ll certainly be growing them again next year.
The ‘Boltardy’ beetroot also grew well. Many people at the allotment said it was a good year for beetroot, whichever variety they sowed. I’ll stick to my tried-and-trusted ‘Boltardy’ again next year, I think. My neighbour certainly likes it!
Carrots and squash
For the first time ever, I had a crop of carrots grown in the ground. Normally I grow ‘Early Nantes’ in tubs or plastic containers, but this year I also tried sowing them straight into the ground. And I was so pleased with the crop! Pictured are just a few from a row I sowed next to the spring onions. I seem to have finally found the soil they like to grow in!
The butternut squash should be ready next month, so I’m making sure they receive plenty of water. I’m always caught out by how far they spread – and this year is no exception. I’m trying to ‘train’ them to grow in a particular direction!
Potatoes
Wow! What a year for main crop potatoes. The row of ‘Picasso’ potatoes I planted back in March has really come good. In fact, I have never grown potatoes so big. There are definitely quite a few baking potatoes in what I’ve dug up so far, and other people on the allotment have said their potatoes are a good size, too.
The ‘Desiree’ variety were good, but not so big. I’ve grown both varieties for a few years now and will continue to do so.
Leeks
So far, the leeks are the best I’ve ever grown – apart from the leek rust. The bright orange pustules on the leaves are a dead giveaway, and I think the humid conditions a few weeks ago might have contributed to it. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot I can do, but remove the worst affected leaves and make sure I don’t compost them.
I won’t be pulling up the leeks until October at the earliest, so I hope they don’t get a lot worse. I haven’t had leek rust for a few years now – last year it was leek moths that caused the damage!
Let’s keep gardening!
One of the great things about lockdown was that more people discovered the joy of gardening and growing things and we greatly hope that this won’t wear off now that ‘normal’ life has resumed.
This blog is an insight into what the AG team is up in their gardens, what we like to grow, what we pick and harvest, what’s worked for us and what hasn’t – because like everyone, things go wrong for us too!
Our gardening ‘agony uncle’ John Negus is also still working hard. Send him your problems and questions, with pictures if you can, and he will get back to you with an answer within 24 hours, as he has been doing for decades.
Contact him using the AG email address at: amateurgardening@futurenet.com
We already have thriving Facebook page but are also on Twitter and Instagram. These sites are a brilliant way of chatting to people, sharing news, information, pictures and just saying hello – we will get back to you as soon as we can.
Best of all, as gardeners are generally lovely folk, more interested in plants, hedgehogs, tea and cake than political shenanigans and points-scoring, so the chat is friendly and welcoming.
You can find us at:
Facebook: Facebook.com/AmateurGardeningMagazine
Twitter: Twitter.com/TheAGTeam
