Welcome to Notes From the Allotment

Hello and Welcome to a blog about allotment fruit and vegetable growing, sustainable GYO, and more.

I’m an organic gardener based in North Manchester, and I grow a wide range of fruit and vegetables, as well as a fair few flowers, on Plot #59 at Langley Allotments, Prestwich. I’m also one of the custodians of the Plot #79 orchard: see OrchardNotes.com for more about my interest in orchard growing and top fruit care and management.

Latest Blog Posts and Updates

• Still Here, Still GrowingApril 20, 2021
  As you’ve no doubt already worked out, Notes From The Allotment is currently dormant…
• Greenhouse Update, early June 2020June 2, 2020
  We’ve been so busy in the greenhouse for the past few weeks that it’s almost reaching maximum capacity…
• Another Round of Hot CompostingMay 27, 2020
  Having decided it was past time to re-load the SoilFixer Super Composter that’s exactly what I did earlier this week…
• Water-Rooted Mint CuttingsMay 18, 2020
  Starting new mint plants off in water is a really quick and easy way to multiply your stock.
• Seed Sowing Now in Full SwingMay 6, 2020
  May is the month when it really gets busy in the greenhouse as the warmth-loving seeds are finally sown.
• Greenhouse Update, late April 2020April 30, 2020
  It’s getting busy in the greenhouse as the seedling production line speeds up for spring.
• How To: Prick Out SeedlingsApril 20, 2020
  Hopefully this handy how-to guide will help anyone who’s wondering how to go about pricking out their new seedlings.
• Plot #59 Update, 07.04.20April 7, 2020
  Today I cycled down to the plot for my hour outside. The sun was shining, the lightest of breezes was blowing, and if circumstances had been different then I would have stayed all day.
• Plot #59 Update, 04.04.20April 4, 2020
  Jo and I invested our State Authorised Exercise Hour in a work session down on the plot today.
• 2019/20 Green Manure Trial – Winter UpdateFebruary 15, 2020
  Mixed results so far from the two green manure cover crop tests that I set up back in September 2019.
• Soft Fruit Re-Vamp, phase twoFebruary 9, 2020
  One job I definitely wanted to get done this winter was to finish the reorganisation of the soft-fruit section of plot #59.
• Bring on the SummerJanuary 5, 2020
  The winter months are no time to be tramping back and forth across your soil, but it’s an ideal time for catching up on your maintenance jobs…

Latest Comments and Discussion

1. 

   I would guess cutworms. We live in rural BC and have been battling them the last couple of years. They…

2. 

   Hi Justine – Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of things! Keep reading around the subject, try a few things,…

3. 

   I just started my first raised bed garden and am clueless! I bought some leek seedlings from a nursery. They…

4. 

   Hi June – I tend to use around 10-15cm of soil/compost – leek roots are fairly shallow, but you need…

5. 

   How deep should the containers be for the troughs?

6. 

   Hi Diane – To be honest, I’ve never tried taking cuttings. They tip-root so readily and so easily, it’s always…

7. 

   Can cuttings be rooted? If so, what time of year is best, and rooted in water or soil?

8. 

   Hi Kate – Grow pots sound like a good idea, but the netting might not be necessary. We could have…

Tag Cloud

2019 trials apple asparagus blackcurrant broad bean brussels sprout carrot cauliflower chilli clearing compost composting courgette Dahlia digging French bean Garden Organic garlic gooseberry green manure harvesting kale leek onion pea planning planting out potato potting on pruning raspberry redcurrant rhubarb runner bean seed sowing soilfixer soilfixer trial soil preparation squash strawberry sweetcorn Swiss chard tomato turnip weeding