Harvest without the labouring-in-the-fields

[menthe_reglisse]

This year our garden has been pretty much out of action - the builders have been digging it up, covering it in scaffolding or storing all their stuff in it. PB and I, in particular, have really missed gardening. Every now and then, PB will say sadly 'I *miss* weeding' or 'Please, please, please can we do some gardening?'. We have pretty much only

Comments

[menthe_reglisse]

Be doubly impressed; I have two hazel trees (because they fruit much better if there's another nearby). They are both far too big for the garden now they are 7+ yrs old but another good thing about hazel trees is you can coppice them.

[menthe_reglisse]

I aim to please. (Actually, that is so not true. I aim to speak truth-as-I-see-it but with due regard to kindness and utility. That's harder than trying to please people, for me)

[bethanthepurple]

Is Sorrel fairly slug resistant? Chickens and mental health has take toll on mine & wife's energy to tend to the allotment in general, so this year has largely been damage control, crying over tomato blight and swearing at slugs. Would be nice to have something productive & delicious to aim for next year.

[julietk]

I haven't had blight but my carefully-early-planted tomatoes have still not produced any ripe tomatoes :( one or two look promising for next week, though, & I can always make green tomato chutney if need be.

It has been a pretty dreadful year for most things, though, agreed. There were several reasons why I had to give up on the allotment (most prominent being the whole "giving birth, tiny baby" thing), but my damage-limitation potato-&-mulch plan might have worked in another more helpfully-weathered year :/

[menthe_reglisse]

Quite possibly! I hope you are not discouraged for next year.

[julietk]

My rocket self-seeds everywhere, now including all the cracks between paving slabs in between the raised beds. I've also, as you have, found parsley to be a prolific self-seeder once it gets going. OTOH I've never had any luck with sorrel despite repeatedly planting it.

Raspberries are great for the minimal maintenance thing. I am keeping thumbs crossed that my autumn-fruiting cuttings from the allotment (taken at totally the wrong time) have actually established themselves & will RETURN in the spring.

Yay permaculture! Although I am still working out how to apply said principles to our raised beds. I would not wish to be without courgettes, and having finally gotten carrots growing would quite like to do them again :)

[thekumquat]

Slugs got most of my spuds, but seeing as my efforts at gardening in the last year were bunging rotten spuds from the Xmas sack unider a couple inches of manky clay soil, er, that's it, I'm quite pleased with 5lb edible potatoes,a crumble's worth of Victoria plums, one cherry and about 10 strawberries.

We cut back more of our long- neglected garden the other day and discovered 3 more Prunus trees, probably Apple. Will find out next year - the plum and cherry only really fruit if pruned.