Allotment update – 9/5/2017

I decided to give onions from seed another go this year. I have grown the red onion ‘Brunswick’ and a Spanish variety called Liria, from real Seeds. Brunswick I pricked off singly into modules, the twenty to a half-tray size. Liria I did singly, in pairs and in threes. Yesterday I planted them all on my plot.

I’d also made an early sowing of leeks which I’d pricked out into a 2 litre deep pot. They were about a foot tall so I planted them too. I was surprised to get 35 from the pot.

Elsewhere on the plot I’ve recently planted out lettuce, trying to grow pretty by edging a path with alternate green and red.

My early sowing of Meteor peas need support; I’m hoping that the later Twinkle, which was described as short and self supporting, will need little or none.
I had some Onward peas from last year and not confident that they would still grow, sowed them in pots. They’re all planted out now. Sugar Peas I have direct sown.

My direct sown parsnips seem to have started coming up and disappearing again. That has been my experience with almost all direct sown stuff. Whether ’tis slugs or leatherjackets or wireworms or some’at else I don’t know.
Some of the mulch material I spread in the autumn had a lot of shredded leaves in it. Possibly partly because it was a dry winter, they are largely still there. I think slugs are hiding beneath them and attacking cabbages I planted through them. I’m now working any compost I apply just before planting into the soil surface a bit to avoid that happening.

Spuds aren’t looking bad, just hope the blight stays away long enough to get a decent crop.

Gooseberry sawfly is rampant this year. They are the undisputed champions of hiding in plain sight. You squash every one; the following day there are hundreds more.