Seed setting and planting times

Hi lottyman, wish I could help but I'm sitting here surrounded by seed packets, onion sets and chitted potatoes - haven't done anything yet - although some of the allotmenteers on my site have planted potatoes and onions.
Some of the more dedicated plot holders have completely finished preparing their plots for planting but it's been so wet, cold and windy not a lot seems to be going in the ground yet. Our site is on the very edge of outer London & Kent in Bexley.

Hello Tashalou and others
That is exactly what I need the times when dedicated allotmenteers set their seeds and plants The growing season in the south can be many weeks in front of the north and thats the information I would like so that I can prepare a fairly accurate chart for all newbies and anyone else who wants to use it.
Thanks again
Lottyman

Just visited No 1 daughter (who is also a dedicated allottmeteer) and she has just put down her tomato seeds, inside, on the kitchen window ledge. She was astonished that all 15 only took two days to germinate.
Speak to you soon no doubt
Tash

Hello tashalou
Tell no1 daughter to place a mirror or a piece of card covered with tinfoil behind the seedlings and it will stop them growing towards the light Some of my pals use a small cardboard box cut in half diagonally and covered with tinfoil.
Happy gardening
Lottyman

Hi Lottyman

On Sunday, 13th March indoors I set off the following from seed - sweet peppers, bush squash - patty pan, globe artichokes.
Outdoors in plastic greenhouse - broads, beans. This is my first full year of allotmenteering - I obtained my plot on the 27th July 2010.
Have set first early potatoes chitting - arran pilot.
The weather has been so bad - cold and wet that I was only able to get on at the end of February. I went down on about the 21st Feb and parked the car on a front section which is still fallow. It took 10 minutes to get the car off. Needless to say I am planning to cultivate this part of the plot too and leave the car on the road
Am using windows excel for a plan of my allotment using raised beds. About two thirds will be under cultivation by the end of this year.
Fab site only discovered it about 10 days ago.

Hello pamd and welcome to the site
Thanks for the information
I am hoping to plant my Arron Pilot's this week We in derbyshire are promised a good week weather wise As there is more than 2months yet when we can get a damaging frost be very careful what you set outside
Concentrate on preparing your ground and don't be too eager to start setting.
Best of luck
Happy gardening
Lottyman

I hope to plant them this week. Nothing is growing in Surrey at present. Relying on autumn parsnips, leeks and apologies for kale,broccoli.

Hello rjefferies
Thanks for the info but I can't believe that nothing is growing. I've planted 12 rows of early Arron Pilot to-day and hopefully 8 rows of Kestrel second earlies tomorrow when the spuds come up I shall protect them from frost with strawy horse do do's
then middle of may earth up covering the do do's then hopefully be digging tatties in June. yum yum can't wait
Happy garden ing
Lottyman

All potato in, leeks, onion sets, garlic, beetroot,carrot,shallots, they are all going in with a weather eye on the frosts. South East England.

Hello hawnet and others
Thanks for the info. duly noted ready to go on my list but I feel your garlic, shallot's and onion sets should have been in weeks ago. By the way, Have you heard of chitting carrot seed, and starting beetroot off in plug cell trays
Happy gardening
Lottyman

We're in the Midlands. I planted out my pot grown broad beans last weekend (fingers crossed) . Onions and shallots and garlic are doing well, turnip and beetroot are starting to germinate. Asparagus (planted last year) is popping up.

Planted peas a couple of weeks ago, normal, mange tout and sugar snap.

Zena

Hello Zena
Hope your peas are poking through now so make sure you have got them well protected against the 2 legged rats.
Happy gardening
Lottyman
PS can't wait to see some pictures !

My husband has taken up a new hobby, which compliments the allotment perfectly, any 2 legged rats as Lottyman calls them that happen to hop over the fence into our garden ends up on the dinner plate!!! Gary also has a freind who lets him have his ex show chickens and he fishes, he is never more satisfied then a completly free dinner! Last summer he shot a pigeon that came over the wall and had been seen on our neighbours goosgogs and he found 18 whole large gooseberries in the gulet! What damage they can do in one visit.
Unofrtunaltely it is only legal to shoot them on your own land so it is no recommended for everyone to take their air riffles to their plot.

Hayley

That's made me very sad. I love our pigeons and feed them daily in the garden. Why not just protect your crops instead of shooting them - they are beautiful birds!

I shall net our peas

I'm new to this forum, also new to allotmenteering, having finally got one in November, however I do have a bit of gardening experience but more so in perennials and fruit than veg. I've liked the informal advice so far and I expect to be looking for more as I go through the season! We tend to be a bit later here in Aberdeen but I think we're maybe a bit conservative, it's only seed (!) and the season is short enough as it is.

I was very late with onion and shallot sets because I was still digging out couch grass (halfway done now!) but got them in on 20th March. Also put in a dozen garlic that I had planted in pots in November.
I planted out my chitted tatties (Epicure and Charlotte) on 9th April. By the book this could be late for Epicure and early for Charlotte but I have grown to these dates before and done well.
I planted Sutton seedlings (gift from uncle on nearby plot!) and a couple of rows of Bunyards Exhibition and Onward peas from seed on 10th April.
The basic plan now is to get beet, parsnips, brassica and leeks in over the next couple of weeks, in the meantime I've a lot of digging, forking and couch grass cropping to do.
By the way Lottyman, in the Aberdeen colloquial an allotment is called a plottie so I could have been Plottieman.

Hello Zena
I am very sad to hear that you obviously know nothing or don't want to know anything about flying rats
The best place for a pigeon is in a pie.
You are obviously not aware that a farmer looses a terrific amount of money when flocks of flying rats decend on his newly planted fields.In our towns and cities they fowl the buildings and if the droppings are not removed it builds up and the acid in it damages buildings
The flying rats have interbred with a type of seagull and they are also a menace scavenging on spoil heaps and spreading disease by roosting and nesting on any ledge they can find. I know you arenot the only one who feeds flying rats but I honestly think you should all be rounded up and locked in a secure place because
pigeons serve no useful purpose what so ever.
Happy gardening
Lottyman

Hello Garth and welcome to the site
i think your parsnips should have gone in at the very first available opportunity leek plants should be ready to go in by now but it all depends what variety you intend to grow
Some of the best seed potato's come from Scotland I am also of the opinion that that the best raspberries and jostaberries come from Scotland so you are well placed for some good gear
Can you post some photographs of your plot good and bad parts then we can offer advice to make things easier because time is precious
If you go to the home page click on forum then scroll down to website feedback click and scroll down to upload photographs then follow the instructions carefully.
All your photographs should be taken with a digital camera in a jpg format and loaded onto your computer
You can also change the scarecrow under your user name to a picture of your choice by following the other set of instructions
Happy gardening
Lottyman

lottyman- i think your comments to zena are pretty harsh! We are all free to have our own opinions, and when we voice these we should do so in a manner that does not make harsh judgements about other peoples choices and opinions. For example 'should be locked in a secure place' or 'obviously know nothing', etc etc.
All zena has said is that the comment about shooting them made her sad, she did not say it was wrong etc. What people do on their own land/plot is their choice.

Mimmee

Hello all and Mimmee
I'm sorry if my comments hurt anybody but I was always brought up to say what I think
If anybody can give me a good and valid reason for the existance of pigeons other than putting in a pie then I am willing to listen and whoever introduced the collared dove into the country in the early 20th century ought to have had more sense because there again they serve no useful purpose what so ever and are now as big a pest as the dreaded wood pigeon

well what exactly is OUR purpose? Surely we are all just trying to live our lives, and they have as much right to be here as we do! We arnt exactly the most brillant of species- we also spread diseases, and make a mess, we pollute our planet with chemicals and destroy the ozone layer, which is far worse in my book then any damage that the birds in question do!

Mimmee

Hello Mimmee
I sincerely hope these differences of opinion we are having are of a friendly nature because as you say in your last post if we all take that attitude and way of thinking we should let rats and mice run around and destroy everything. I DON'T THINK SO.
As for man destroying the ozone layer that is something I cannot prove and neither can you.
When you sit down and think about things it all boils down to the fact that man is his own worst enemy through greed and avarice but as in everything there are a few exceptions
I hope Zena does not take my comments to heart but my feelings are very strong on the subject and I can't stand food being wasted on things that serve no useful purpose
There are other subjects I feel very strongly about so perhaps I should write a book after all I am only here to help (hopefully constructively)
Happy gardening
Lottyman
PS We help to conserve all birds except pigeons,and magpies

Hello all

Prefer not to comment further

Zena