I finally gave up on my pea crop due to a pea moth infestation. I ripped the whole sad looking lot out of the ground! Very disappointing because it was a good heavy crop and should have provided us with a great harvest of 3 different varieties. So I have planted another 2 rows to replace those lost and hope we get something from them before the end of the season. It is now coming to the end of the pea moth egg laying season (June to Late July) so hopefully this crop should be pest free. I only planted them a couple of days ago and already the little green shoots are coming through.
I have also given over space for 3 rows of late new potatoes which should be ready for Christmas. I have planted Maris Peer, Emerald Vale and Carlingford – just 5 of each. Our early season new potatoes were nice but because I grew them in sacks, the harvest was a bit limited and very early so we have been without our own spuds for ages now. This time they are in the ground at the allotment. I also found that keeping them sufficiently watered in sacks is not easy so perhaps the sacks will be reserved for carrots in future. (which for the record have done exceptionally well in sacks this year)
In too have gone the last of the leeks raised from seed in the back garden nursery bed. They were very slow to establish compared to those raised at the allotment but I did end up with 70 viable ones so barring any nasty diseases or pests, we should have enough leeks to keep us in all we can eat come the new year. I do love leeks, they are so very obliging in the way that they will stay in the ground, regardless of weather until you decide you fancy one for dinner!
Pak Choi is another late season starter on our allotment. I initially planted some in the salad bed but it got gored by flea beetles so a new crop has just been sown under environmesh along with the radish.
I am off hunting for some cabbage and cauli seedlings to plant today. I only have 2 caulis left to harvest and ditto the Greyhound cabbage which have proved to be a great variety. So I want a dozen more of each for Winter/Spring harvesting (although a hardier type of cabbage will have to replace the greyhounds). I can’t be bothered with growing from seed as we are on holiday too much in August to give them the attention they will need and my last attempt at caulis from seed was an unmitigated failure!
Pack Doughty 