Allotmenticity - Tuesday 21st August

I decided to transplant some of the Spring Cabbage seedlings now they are big enough. I've been lucky so far with all my other brassicas that there isn't any signs of Club Root, but just to make sure I used the same process as before. I dig out a large hole where I'm going to put the seedling and sprinkle in a good handful of Lime. (By handful I actually use a scoop). Then I fill the hole with the compost from Compost Corner and finally plant the seedling in the centre. In effect it doesn't have any contact with the soil and is surrounded by a Lime barrier. It's worked so far, so why change?
I'm having good results from the copper bracelets. I keep finding slugs with huge slime trails which go up to the ring but then stop. I then scoop them up and add to a bucket of salt. Die you B******s Die!
The fancy "Country Boots" I bought have given up the ghost. Not a good purchase really, so I did a quick "parf" on the web and found the wonderful pair of Wellies at Screwfix for £9.99. I added a flash to the photo for effect. They've even got a re-inforced toe-cap. Hopefully they'll last longer than their predecessors.
Oh and I've found 7 Gladioli flower stems! One minute there was nothing and within 2 days whooosh. I'll photograph the full colour results when they bloom, and send them to Barry Humphreys or should that be Dame Edna?
What's happening with Man U? Come on guys a goal or 2 wouldn't go amiss!
And it's Open-air gig time this weekend with "The Legend that is Alvin Stardust". We're at Trentham Gardens, Stoke on Saturday and then Lincoln Castle on Sunday. Fingers crossed for the weather.
Let's Rock,
The Captain.

Allotmenticity - Tuesday 14th August

Well after a few hectic days travelling the country I've finally managed to grab a few minutes to catch up with events at No87.
Last week was beautiful weather and so I got a start with the new Compost Corner. I've slimmed it down so I can fit a cold frame in on the end of the shed. The remaining compost will be distributed around the plot as necessary. I did a trial run with the Gazeebo and it fits perfectly in the "Corporate Entertainment Area" at the rear of the shed.
I've converted the Filing Cabinet that looked like the Monolith from 2001 into 4 small salad beds and a large deep cold frame kind of thing. I'm considering trying some Horseradish and maybe Ginger in it. I broadcast sowed some exotic salad leaves and they're already through. Obviously they like the enclosed space. I've got some Spring Cabbage ready to transplant which I'll do when it stops raining.
As I mentioned last time, the Fig tree has exploded into life again and is full of fruit. I read somewhere that the 2nd fruits don't do well, but with the 1st lot just dropping off on their own maybe it might be 2nd time lucky.
Her Cissyness and I played with the Big Band at Laurance's surprise 60th birthday on Sunday at our favourite restaurant "The Boathouse" in Sutton Park. It was fantastic and a great time was had by all.
A special mention to Rikki "The Polish Princess" my fellow crew member whose birthday it is today. "Szczęśliwy dzień urodzenia" Mrs P.
And finally to the 3 "Gazeebo Girls" who came down yesterday and had such a great time. I now know what Keith Floyd and Rick Stein went through trying to cook in a gale!!! Still Paella will never be the same again. Cheers Girls!
Happy Allotmenteering,
The Captain.

Allotmenticity - Monday 6th August

What a beautiful weekend down on No87. I've been trying to make the most of the great weather before the gigs start kicking in and my free time gets less.
I've pretty much cleared the old shed away. I think there was enough wood to make 3 sheds, what with all the patching and strengthening that had been done over the years! Whilst clearing some of the rotten wood I came across this Beetle. It's about 1inch or2.5cm in length and not too bothered about running away! Any ideas what he is?
Seeing as a lot of the top growth on the first 2 rows of maincrop spuds has died back I thought I'd check out their state. We've had a lot of people saying they'd got Blight on our site, but judging from the King Edwards I dug from just a tiny spot about a foot square I think they're going to be ok. I passed them on to Mr C the "Spud-Man" for his comments. First impressions seemed favourable!!!
I've got some more Figs on the tree again. The first lot all fell off which I put down to the cold snap we had, so this time I'm hoping they might hang around long enough for a few to ripen.
Does anyone have any experience with Figs?
And I'm pretty chuffed with the Broad Beans I've sown as a catch crop after the Arran Pilots. They've got loads of flowers on, and I'm spraying regularly with the nettle stew. Boy that stuff pongs!!!
I've got some ideas for improving Compost Corner with new panels, the shed needs the roof re-felting, and I'm under pressure to get the Gazeebo up for a soiree some time soon. Trouble is, I'm off down to the Isle of Wight at the weekend with "The Legend that is Alvin Stardust", then back on Sunday for a gig at my favourite restaurant in a marquee. No pressure there then!
And finally well done to Lewis Hamilton and my team Man Utd for both winning at the weekend.
So until next time,
The Captain.

Allotmenticity - Wednesday 1st August - Going, Going, Gone

As I said in my previous blog my next task was to demolish the old shed at the top of the plot to make space for a car . Well here's the proof of my endeavours. The only thing left standing is the filing cabinet which hopefully I'll find a home for. I made 2 trips to the tip and it looks like there's at least another 3 or 4 to come. I'm recycling a lot of the old wood to make a new Compost Corner and with a bit of luck if the weather stays fine I should get most of it done. It's a shame we're not allowed bonfires as I could convert most of it to potash.
Onwards & Upwards,

The Captain.

Allotmenticity - Tuesday 31stJuly

"The early worm catches the bird!!!" I made an early start the other morning, and there sitting on my shed was the Kestrel. I crept down the next plot and managed to get a few shots. It just sat there and looked at me before finally flying off. "Brilliant!"

I'm keeping up to date with weeding and I've sown some more Spinach and Coriander in the bed where the peas were. A lot of the Lettuce are starting to bolt now, so they are bulking up the compost bins. I opened one yesterday to be eye to eye with a little mouse. I'm not sure how I feel about this as they can be a real pest although I don't really want to spend time trying to catch it.

I'm in the process of reshaping the plot. I want to demolish the old shed at the top and make a space to put the car and also redesign Compost Corner as it's pretty old and all the original pallets have rotted. I plan to use some of the wood from the top shed to build the sides although most of it is bound for the tip. (Pics to follow)
I read a piece in Celia Brooks-Brown's blog about the green Tomato-like fruit on her Potatoes. She wasn't sure what they were. Well exactly the same thing happened to me the other day and I asked my neighbour Ken as I spotted the above on some of his spuds. The answer is leave them alone. I found this explanation on another website:

"Occasionally gardeners are surprised to find small, round, green, tomato-like fruit on their potato plants. These fruit are not the result of cross-pollination with tomatoes. They are the true fruit of the potato plant. The edible tubers are actually enlarged, underground stems. Normally, most potato flowers dry up and fall off the plants without setting fruit. A few flowers do produce fruit.
The potato fruit are of no value to the gardener. Potato fruit, as well as the plant itself, contain relatively large amounts of Solanine. Solanine is a poisonous alkaloid. The small fruit should not be eaten. Since potatoes don't come true from seed, no effort should be made to save the seed."

So now we know! Oh and the purple cabbages in the row of Greyhounds appear to be Red Cabbage. Obviously the seed packers at Suttons have the occasional lapse of concentration or maybe the odd joke with the punters. So I've got half a dozen Red Cabbage for next year, provided they manage to avoid the phantom Cabbage stripper. I've stepped up the Nettle Stew spraying and watering and so far it does seem to be having a positive effect, especially on the recently sown Broad Beans. They're following the early spuds as a catch crop and are really dong well.

I've picked some of the Rocket and Mustard Greens I got in one of the mixed seed packets given to me by Mrs Moose. They are so tasty, especially the Mustard Greens. It's like have a spoon of Colemans on a green leaf!

Well it's time to make a move. I'm borrowing a Volvo estate to take the wood to the tip today. I've had my bowl of porridge so I'm ready to rock.

Captain Tongo reporting for duty,

Over & Out!

Allotmenticity - Sunday 22nd July

Well I'm finally back on Plot 87. I've just spent a fantastic week sailing in the Solent with 2 very good friends, Skipper David and The Polish Princess, aboard the yacht Bonamy. We set off from Port Solent and went to Lymington, Poole, Studland Bay (where we caught 9 Mackerel and ate them from the Barbie within 2 hours, now that's fresh and they tasted unbelievable!). We then sailed to Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight in a force 7 (Yes I did say SEVEN) gale. Well that WAS an experience! I'm not sure if the word "exhilarating" sums it up correctly or just Scared Out My Bloody Wits is better. Still we arrived safely. The next day was brilliant with hardly any wind and I actually took the helm and we sailed to Priory Bay which can be seen in the top photo at sunset. The final day we went back to Port Solent and saw a dolphin just off Portsmouth.
The weather was great all week, so image my surprise when I was caught up in an hour and a half of standing traffic on the way back because the M40 was flooded. It was as if the world was coming to an end when I finally got back to Birmingham. Torrential non-stop rain.
Fearing the worst I visited plot 87, but everything was fine. No flooding and all the seedlings and cabbages doing really well. The only thing is the Coriander is in full flower (2nd picture).
I must admit I'm puzzled as to why the Greyhound cabbages I sowed have included a couple of purple specimens. Lovely colour, but is this normal? More to the point can I eat them?
And specially for Primrozie my friend from the US, I've added a photo of the Nettle Stew. As you can see I've used an old water tank like you find in the roof and used a large green garden bag. (An onion sack would be better) This is then punctured with a knife and suspended in the tank.
I've picked a heap of peas which I've frozen and some of the good Hispi cabbages.
So it's dinner tonight with fresh Spinach as well as Spuds.
Bye for now,
Happy Allotmenteering,
The Captain.

Allotmenticity - Sunday 8th July

Welcome to the new addition to the No 87 family of tools. He's called Joe. (Birmingham Calling!) It's been difficult to find the gaps in the weather just lately, but the good thing is we don't have a problem with drainage down here, so I'm quite confident that the spuds will be OK. I've already had some very tasty early Arran Pilots. I'm sowing Brad Beans as a catch crop each time I dig them up. Pic 2. The cabbages hopefully seem to be free of Club Root. Now whether that's down to the liming, the fact I planted each one in a cocoon of compost I'm not sure. It will be interesting next year when they go onto this years spud patch.
The up and down weather has caused the Coriander to flower as can be seen from picture No3, but I've had great success with the Parsley and the Cos Lettuces are fantastic.
The Peas are doing great and now starting to form good pods. I've learnt that it's not a good idea to grow them up either side of nets as they quickly grow into each other and it makes picking them difficult. I've also gained an attractive newcomer to the pea patch. Could this be my entry into the drug trade!!!
I've sown some Spring Cabbage and also some more carrots, Tarragon and some Rocket and Mustard Greens so the production line continues.
With a bit of luck I might be doing a bit of sailing in the next week or so, but I'll have to get some work done before that.
Well done Lewis Hamilton, shame he couldn't win but another podium!
Until next time,
The Captain.

Allotmenticity - Wednesday 20th June

Just a quick addendum to yesterdays blog. As it was such a nice day I thought I'd nip down and grab a photo of the new nets kindly provided by Nursevon. As you can see they look very tasty. I also wanted to update the view from Compost Corner over the plot. It's amazing the difference from the first photo taken 4 months ago!
And finally I've managed to capture the Kestrel who pays his daily visit. He gave me half a chance by hovering nearby.
I used some of the Nettle Stew to spray on the Brassicas. PHEW!!! That stuff stinks, but hopefully all the pests will think the same and stay away.
OK that's all for now folks, off for a snifter.
The Captain.

Allotmenticity - Tuesday 19th June

Don't speak too loud but it's stopped raining! What with Father's Day and the recent deluges of biblical proportions it's been rather difficult to get down to No87 but finally I've managed a couple of hours. Boy do those weeds love a drop of rain! Also the peas have come alive and I've just picked a good lot for a couple of lunches, along with 1 new potato plant as you can see in the orange bucket. I'm going to have to be more careful with the fork as somehow you always manage to spear a couple of the precious ones!
The rest of the spud crop has really shot up now with the recent rain and the brassicas seem to have settled in now. There's a bit of pest damage but thankfully mostly on the end of the rows. Father's Day brought a sprayer so I've given the lads a good soaking of B&Q "Death to Bugs" which will hopefully help. I'm going to try the Nettle Brew I've made as well so all you Organicheads out there calm down. The turnips are really ready now as can be seen and I'm thinning the carrots. The one failure has been the onion sets which caught something that curled the leaves and really stunted their growth, so I've boldly ripped them all out and used the bed for some Tarragon seeds, more carrots and I'm looking for Spring Cabbage. The Raspberries and Strawberries are great and I've had a couple of punnets worth which considering they were abandoned twigs when I started is pretty good. tasty too!
Big congratulations to Mike & Anna on the new Cox, Rebecca Shelley. Looks like a headache on the way wetting her head!
Thanks to Nursevon ( The nets are Brill. Photo to follow!) and The Frog Princess for the comments it's great to know someone out there appreciates my waffle.
Also thanks to M&S for there kind remarks about my use of their bags.
A voucher might have been nice!!!
And sad to hear of the death of Bernard Manning. Although he was not liked by some people, I can only say that I worked with Bernard many times and found him one of the most kind & generous guys you could meet. These people who spend their life whingeing on about Political Correctness should remember this country was built on a sense of humour and God help us if we ever lose it!!!
Moan over!
Curry night calls,
Until next time,
The Captain.

Allotmenticity - Sunday 10th June

A great day today, Lewis Hamilton has won his first Formula 1 Grand Prix. Watching him do it meant I didn't get down to No 87 until gone 8pm, but what a lovely evening. Warm and still, with the Kestrel out hovering nearby. I'm going to get a photo of him soon.
I've finished the path onto the plot, with a few extra bricks from an old derelict shed. It's a bit better to get on now instead of wading through knee deep grass. I need to clear the rest of the top next, including the old shed.
The first of the fruit has suddenly arrived with Strawberries and Raspberries all starting to ripen, peas are starting to form and it will soon be time to try the first of the early spuds. Mr C, The Spudman, is anxiously waiting!
I'm trying an idea with nettles I read on a website. I've filled an old water tank from a loft I found with water, and immersed a bag full of nettles in it. I made a load of holes in the bag first so it would sink! Evidently it's a really good liquid organic plant food you can water on. Also it can be used as a spray for all sorts of bugs. One thing I do know, it don't half stink!!!!! I have to get spraying my cabbages though as something is finding them rather tasty.
Finally a word from Captain Tongo's Soapbox.
I wish that broadcasters would learn how to use the English Language. It drives me mad when certain presenters constantly use the word "Now" to start a sentence introducing a new item. On occasion I've even heard it used twice in the first few words, " Now we're going over now to the weather". Come on "Auntie" you should be setting an example!
Moan over, I'm off to watch a replay of Lewis. Good Lad!
Speak soon,
The Captain.

Allotmenticity - Sunday 3rd June

Well compared to Friday, yesterday was fabulous. Almost too warm to try any hard work down on No87. I was in the shed when the storm landed. My God I thought I'd been hit. There was an almighty bang and everything in the shed jumped, including me!!! And the rain....
I'm doing my thing for the environment by recycling old plastic shopping bags and using them as bird scarers over the brassicas. Mind you not just ANY old bags, but M&S bags. Sliced lenghtways into 4 and then tied onto twine stretched over my bent bamboo supports. I'm going to send a link to their customer services department. Are you watching Mr Rose?
I do like a bit of order.
The compost bins finally arrived from the council and have been put into action. The heat generated is amazing and the first one is nearly full. But then the next time you open it it's gone down. I'm using a mix of lawn mowings, weeds, home compost and grass with help from Garotta. (Sounds like a Brazilian footballer!!)
As you can see in the photo I've made serious inroads into "Compost Corner" lately, but I'm going to start afresh with the stacked up stuff I've taken off the plot previously and stored in the bins in front of the shed.
Flowers on the peas!!! They're doing really well. I've transplanted most of the Pak Choi. The seeds germinate SO fast you can hear them growing! (A bit like the Chinese economy!)
I've upped the production of my copper bracelets as the slugs are very lively at the moment. They seem to be working, but only time will tell.
We had some frost the other morning, but fortunately I escaped with only a handful of spuds affected. A couple of other sites had big problems. It seems to be all down to pockets of air and sheltered beds.
Welcome to a new member of the work force. Bethling bought me a funky fork for my birthday and it's been called into action immediately. I've also got a new Hoe, called Chi Min. I picked up a packet of Sulphate of Ammonia and have given the cabbages and brocolli a good feed, hoeing it in around the roots. The club root is still a worry , but they seem to be doing well so far so fingers crossed.
My next project is to get a useable path onto the plot which involves digging up a load of rubble and relaying bricks. It'll make it much more civilised so it's navvy time.
I'm also awaiting a delivery of some quality manure courtesy of "Johnny Plier-Hands". It's from a local stud farm, so that should give everything a boost for next year. (Wonder if it's got some Frankie Dettori in it!!! 15th time lucky, good on ya!)
I'm happy to say Nurse Von is finally moved and hopefully sorted, Tongo Jnr had a good day the other week and things are finally getting back to normal. We've a Big Band night on the 14th so things are gearing up for that. Where do I find the time?
Well that's it for now,
Happy Allotmenteering,
The Captain

Allotmenticity - Sunday 20th May

Welcome back to Allotmenticity. My apologies for the gap but what with celebrations for Man U winning the Premiership and Her Cissyness celebrating her birthday it's been difficult to fit it all in of late. (The hangovers haven't helped either!!!)
However it's all looking pretty good down on No87. I've got the first flower on the new spuds as you can see and all the others are now flying up.
I've managed to transplant my Hispi and Greyhound cabbage and the Calabrese and Purple Sprouting Broccoli are now in situ. I've also started to use the abundance of stones that have appeared to create paths in between the beds. My motto, "Waste Not Want Not" or in Latin " Wastus Nada Wantus Nada"!!! I've also raided to 99p Shop for bent bamboo canes and nets to protect them all. I've transplanted some Cos Lettuce in between the rows of cabbage as a catch crop.
I'm trying various slug protection remedies. One is the obvious pellets which I'm sprinkling around the seeds, but a couple of other newer ideas. One is to use crushed eggshells which I baked in the oven and then mashed in the pestle and mortar. Evidently you can use bran or grit. The reasoning being the little b*****ds don't like the texture. My other trial is the "copper bracelet" method. As the pictures show I stripped some old wiring that you would use for mains and cut it into lengths about 20 mms long.(8 ins in old money!) You then wrap it around a container such as one used for slug pellets and wind the ends together. Then you slip off the bracelet, bend the straight join at 90 degrees, slip it over the lettuce or cabbage plant and press into the soil. Supposedly the copper reacts with the soil and gives them a tingle through the slime. Better than the back of my spade Winston I suppose! The jury is out so watch this space.....
I also found this moth in the shed. Just thought it had really cool markings.
Finally Happy Birthday to Tongo Jnr.
So until next time,
Happy Allotmenteering.
The Captain