Harvest Disaster | New Brassica Bed | Loads of Allotment Updates!

[@larathomas625]

JB your slightly hysterical carrot laughter really made me chuckle! You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself! I consistently fail to get carrots to even germinate in sunny Surrey. If you were a serf you wouldn’t have another full time job either 😀

[@meghanplamondon8639]

JB, building a good deep rich soil take time, lots of time. Leaves,manure, healthy grass clippings in the compost bins….over a few years. You are not alone in your quest. ❤️

[@felicitywoodruffe4087]

@JB I put used coffee grounds around the base of each stem of plants i thought might get slugged and it has worked perfectly .im on my 4th year now of using coffee grounds ,my garden is completely surrounded by trees and bushes and we get a lot of rain all year round in the west Midlands and the slugs come out in their hundreds .i collect them up and take them to the field next to the canal .the coffee really works around my vegetables and herbs

[@rebabs]

My carrots have always been rubbish too, until you taught me to plant them in egg boxes and this year they're really good. Now I just need you to tell me how to get bigger onions. 🤷🏼‍♀️...or perhaps not. 😂

[@Dawn_Grows_Veg]

Great video update. I garden on heavy clay too and feel your pain, the concrete crust and the sticky claggy underlay is as you describe. Please know that your updates are so reassuring. I would think the majority of your subscribers (including me) keep coming back to watch your videos because you are in a similar situation to us. Part time veg growers juggling life, jobs, family and our veg gardens. We love hands in the soil and the occasional win against the odds, rather than a journey of self sufficiency. That maybe the dream but isn't the reality. Oh and the plum rot thing, affects my Victoria plums and Greengages most years. I think it is a combo of insect damage - wasps and Plum moth in my case, although this year the squirrels have taken to biting a hole in some and once they get brown rot, it spreads through the fruit it is near or touches, I get this with my apples too. The moths lays eggs in the blossom and the little caterpillar buries its way inside the fruit as the fruit develops. When it is big enough it tunnels its way out again to drop on the floor and pupate. Fungal spores and bacteria then gets into the fruit and starts the rot. You can use pheromone traps to attract the male moths. From memory you need to put them out around late April/early May time to catch the male moths before they mate with the females, thus reducing the number of moths laying eggs. It is the same for Coddling moth which affect apples in the same way.

[@dyoung-g2k]

There's never enough time. You just do the best you can and don't worry about what you can't. Most importantly enjoy what your doing otherwise it's just not worth it.

[@PreatorRaszagal]

That tomato plant in the greenhouse! So many flowers 😍Aww, that poor pumpkin 😥Haha "can't wait for that to get eaten by a mice, and slugs". Such an optimist! 😄Medieval JB would starve for sure haha. But grats at actually getting some carrots! My parents plum tree always have a lot of fruits that rot like that. My dad just usually gives it a good shake and than rakes everything that fell down into the hedge 🤪Sadly enough it doesn't look like there'll be many usable plums this year... How will I make my home made OPK then?! 😥Nice that you're fixing the sharp edges of the tub! 👍

[@JBNat]

I was really excited to try and make opk this year! Checked on them the other day but it looks like every fruit is gone :(

[@PreatorRaszagal]

@@JBNat 😥Kind of the same with my parents tree. I remember taking a photo in the en of June and it had LOTS of fruits forming. When I was there last weekend I could hardly see any fruits left on the tree...

[@mikeinportland30]

I have given up on no dig in my raised beds as we get so many moles, if you do no dig here, their elaborate underground highways inhibit root growth with so many air filled tunnels.... and forget about Hugelculture! It just becomes a mole hotel! They love it (maybe because so many worms attracted as well.

[@christinebrooks6364]

Hi JB, nice plot update. Thanks for sharing and take care 😊

[@OtterwoodCottage]

It’s been such a tough year all round - no surprise that mojo has taken a holiday - mine too! There’s always next year though 👍 Would some mulch is some kind help with your soil drying out? Might also encourage more microorganisms if you regularly mulch the beds with woodchip or grass clippings maybe?

[@debbiegibson6113]

Over 30 years of gardening in clay, it sucks! It holds water to the point it causes root rot and then it drys to the texture of cement. Best thing you can do is raised beds filled with great soil. Put a cage around everything so 4 legs have to stay out of things. I finally moved to Oregon and my ground is so nice. Now my problem is weather but oh well, better than terrible soil.

[@CropswithColin-gn7gg]

Oh JB, just think you would pay a fortune in a fancy restaurant for the tiny carrots, you did better than us, ours haven't even germinated yet! Big licks from Colin the dog.

[@Tuinfee]

I also used to have this problem with my plums and it was caused by the larvae of the plum moth. Since I started using pheromone traps, my plums look fine.

[@MrLaking123]

I feel your pain about the onions, JB. I've got the same problem. They're about the size of a ping-pong ball, lol.

[@susanmontague1361]

Hang in there JB. I’m praying for you.

[@debbiestickney9626]

Have you considered putting solar powered fans in the greenhouses? It would benefit the plants by the increased airflow. It also strengthens the stems of the plants. Enjoying the videos.

[@ritahobbs5256]

Thanks for update re potty mouth was almost in tears as I couldn’t see it 😂😂😂

[@BumblebeeAdventure]

🐝thanks for the great video🌻

[@Carol-oc7mx]

Hi JB A carrot is a carrot, on the whole with larger roots what do we do cut them up onto smaller pieces. So here i think you have a win win situation smaller roots so less cutting 😊. Just enjoy

[@ritahobbs5256]

Perhaps onions need more water than you’ve time to do JB? … if you were a commoner… back in the day … you wouldn’t be working all hours apart from on the land … however your allotment looks grand! I watched a new allotment couple try to dig concrete up the allotment yesterday looking tired and dispirited… had a chat about no dig and to watch CDow, JB & Jesse ❤❤❤

[@LC-ut7sh]

Heya JB thanks for the vid. You show the real side to allotment life. I have many experiences similar to yours. My runner beans are coming in thick and fast now and are a saving grace for this year.

[@charissatroup5611]

My onions this year were not winning any prizes, either. My fault, really, I let them get crowded out by other things. I've harvested them all, and decided I'll dry them, and replant them in pots indoors under the lights for an indoor winter crop of green onions. Hopefully. I also harvested all 5 of my carrots, lol. They look good, but I'm glad I've got some more coming.

[@lesleyannehall8040]

I dont want to be a kill joy but do you think you should maybe take the pressure off yourself a bit, cover some of the beds and have a proper rest. Just enjoy a few beds and come back refreshed. Gardening is no fun when its a massive chore.

[@juliefowkes9796]

For years we failed to grow successful carrots, we have loam /clay soil. We then made a sand and sieved light soil mix in a raised container and our carrot germination and size is very good. Why not turn one of your pallet collars into a carrot bed with that soil mix. And but a enviromesh top to stop carrot fly.

[@karenwright2444]

After a 4 years of no dig, the last summer to spring deluge of rain has compacted my soil despite leaving crops in the ground to help so this winter I'm going to broad fork just enough to aerate before adding a huge amount of compost and dung will be added .... then fingers crossed!

[@JBNat]

Sounds like a great plan, good luck!

[@jaynekennedy8469]

Getting healthy soil is a job in itself. I built two pallet compost bays at the start of this year. I’ve just emptied one onto my beds, so turned the other bay into the empty bay for aeration. I got five large bags of horse manure from a local lady and put it in my compost along with 3 large bags of grass clippings which I collected from a local green space and 1/2 a wheel barrow load of fine wood clippings. I’m hoping it will be ready before next year’s growing season to top up my beds again. There are lots of worms in it and I’ve even got some slow worms in there. My compost looks healthier than some of my soil but hopefully I can change all that over the next year or two.

[@angeladrummie4461]

Oh JB, The onions and carrots need lots of water, maybe that is why they haven't reached their full potential. Hope the foxes behave and leave the squash plants alone ! Take care X

[@Gardenofglory-l6v]

Hi JB it’s good when you could have a good laugh at yourself and still do what you have to do, enjoy your video say hi to Jess ❤

[@wardy89]

Have you considered broad forking, not to tun the surface but to start to loosen the subsoil.

[@marilynstanbury5098]

Your fruit looks like greengage’s to me and they are so prone to rot, I don’t know what the answer is, just eat the good ones as they come because I’ve never found them to store. Another cheerful video as I do always enjoy them and feel better after knowing that I am not the only one who can’t keep up with all the gardening jobs as there is never enough time. I absolutely hate having to make structures to cover crops up, it’s the worse part of gardening. Thanks

[@ritahobbs5256]

Your chuckle 😂😂😂😂

[@thetweegarden]

My crystal apple cucumber had faciated stems last year but still produced well. Hope your cucumber produces. I’ve felt very meh about the whole allotment thing this year, not down as such just a bit lacking in energy for it. It’s hard to describe really. I didn’t put a video out for a month or watch any others because I just didn’t have the energy to film. It’s been a funny year. Those blue flowers are beautiful!

[@JBNat]

Thankfully I have lots of backup plants and I've got about 20 cucumbers in the fridge. I need to get pickling! Totally get where you're coming from, the mojo will return do not fear!

[@nitelite78]

Know what you mean about the wobbly water pipe. I wish it were easy to get fencing pins without the curled top parts so canes weren't necessary. So basically steel rods. Don't know why places that sell fencing pins don't sell those too. What I did the other day with some water pipes that are bending over on the bed is use some fencing pins right next to the water pipe and just use the hook curved parts at the top to kind of rest the water pipe against. Seems to make the whole structure much sturdier.

[@JBNat]

Ohhhh that's a great idea I might try that! But yes I wish you could easily get the pins with a flat top!

[@jaynekennedy8469]

I’ve got rid of all my lemon balm, it is so invasive! Radish pods are nice if you pick them young, eaten fresh or pickled. I’m trying wood ash round my brassicas to try and deter slugs after finding some in our fire bin at home. The allotment plot next to mine has just been abandoned and is one large bramble patch. So far I’ve picked 3kg of blackberries from the edges of it! Going to be jam making soon 😊 I feel the same as you about being self sufficient. I’d be better off foraging sometimes than growing which is hit and miss.

[@tracybromage-spencer1882]

Ah JB I have the exact same reaction to my "harvest" this year! 😅 If I had aimed for baby carrots I've successfully achieved my goal. My red onions are pants. And the caterpillars had a great time on the rest of the broccoli. This year is a write off. My tomatoes are looking ok. Maybe get two this year😅😅😅.

[@UrbanWhiteBuffaloFarm]

Hey J.B. Those carrots made me laugh so hard and not because they are so small but rather that I have never grown a single one any bigger!! Every two year I buy 3-4 packets and plant them and then I pull them up looking just like those. I throw them away and two years later I try again to no avail😒. Now I can grow enuf potatoes to keep Russia in Vodka for years. This year is my hands down best onions and they are average at best. I am actually excited for next year's onions. Do you have a circular saw you could just cut the pointy bits off. A grinder would work as well. Do you have a pocket knife? You could cut the pool noodle so much better. You know I don't want to preach or know it all. I used to always say when asked I was tired or something similar. One day I just decided to not say that anymore and I decide I would just say I am as good as I am going to be. I do not believe in telling untruths or stretch the truth. So I figure at any given time I am as good as I am going to be. With all my many surgeries and at my lowest I have and still know I can look around and within moments I will find someone doing worse than me. That is a very humbling thought! Cya next thyme, Steven

[@maureen3621]

My trial this year has been growing carrots only it appeared to feed the slugs. However, just when I thought I’d got a crop growing, I went to my allotment plot yesterday and found something had dug a big hole in the middle of them. ☹️ Still, I persevere! 🤨

[@janebolton8971]

Just a bad year for everyone plus work it’s so disappointing we wish so much for summer and all that goes with it and then no courgettes x

[@JoyoftheGardenandHome]

Did you trim the onion leaves? They may need more leaf surface area? Also the spooning technique may need employing on the tough crust?

[@teresaedwards3659]

Those blue flowers look like chicory? We have them at our cabin in Eastern Wa (growing wild)

[@quietspacearts]

greengages are green when ripe

[@AnyKeyLady]

I'd take that onion JB! Our Boxing day Rosa Lunga di Firenze AKA Long Red Florence were the only ones to survive. They are currently the size of my baby finger nail and that is being generous! lol I might pull them out to dry and see if i can plant them as sets. Our leeks look like spring onions and the spring onions look like chives! I wouldn't worry about being the only one! lol I have found the cloud cover has made it really humid. Even when it has rained the soil looks dry and it has been a lot more windy too this year. They used to sell pool noodles with a hole in the middle a bit like pipe insulation but thicker that was easier to cut. Is there any reason why you can't turn the bath around so the sticky out bits are on the other side? Anyway, hope you are feeling in a better frame of mind soon. I have started sowing our autumn crops. Looking forward to growing some new things this year. Take care, enjoy the warm weather the next few days and have a great week!

[@helenagreenwood2305]

If I've got a couple of jobs to do I usually do the one I least want to do first 🌿 the others don't seem as bad then 😀 I planted 6 pepper plants into a large container it's about 18"deep and 24" diameter - they're all about 18" tall but none have flowers 🙄 somehow I've managed to find 2 other smaller plants in other pots which do have flowers but not sure what they are yet I've never grown peppers before so we'll see 🌶️🌶️ Ps don't feel guilty about feeling you're not helping your parents as much as you think you could/should I'm a mum of 3 all in their 30s they've got their own lives to cope with - any help they give is massively appreciated but I don't expect it 😀

[@JBNat]

@@helenagreenwood2305 that's a really good sign that they're not flowering too early, it's normally around mid August you want loads of flowers so they can fruit and ripen by the end of September :) I'm often still harvesting at the end of October though so don't worry too much

[@helenagreenwood2305]

Oh you've just made me feel much better - thank you 🌶️👍​@@JBNat

[@Brenda-xc7sq]

It looks like you have some very successful crops to harvest despite the heatwave and your busy life. By the way, is it a visual illusion or does the bath look in better condition at the other end, in which case, is it possible to turn it around and move it alongside the other greenhouse to protect from the rough edge. I find onions need quite a lot of water so this heat is perhaps hindering them. The plants you were putting in look in wonderful condition.

[@JBNat]

Yes your eyes are right on the bath! I put it round the way I did because of the gradient of the earth there - if I put it the other way it would fill up with water ha!

[@PacificGardening]

Favorite things to do to relax are in front of a screen? What games are you playing?

[@JBNat]

hahaha bingo! Still working my way through BG3 but also recently discovered 'beyond all reason' which is an amazing opensource remake(ish) of supcom/TA. It's really got me hooked!

[@PacificGardening]

@@JBNat oh man BG3 might be a top 5 favorite game of all time for me. I never played D&D or Baldur’s Gate prior to playing it, but I’ve beaten it like…4-5 times now? Even got my wife into it.

[@JBNat]

@@PacificGardening ahhh I love it, have you played Divinity 2? It's the one Larian did before BG3. I couldn't get on with #1 but #2 is its own masterpiece. I've still not got past Act 2 - I got there in singleplayer and then spring in the garden hit and I ran out of steam, but we've started a second multiplayer one that I play with a load of mates and we've just got to Act 2. It's so great!

[@PacificGardening]

@@JBNat I haven’t! I need to check it out

[@durbatov]

Fencing pins cut the u off the top golden 4 ur mdpe pipe

[@durbatov]

Also iv noticed that onions get pot bound and grumpy fast in cell trays you need 2 keep potting them on they grow roots faster than tops when young they stress n don't grow

[@JBNat]

I'll invest in an angle grinder one day and it will make my life so much easier I reckon.

[@VivSimmons]

If you were a medieval peasant this would be your full time job and a case of grow or starve! I do think you need to have more soil in your raised beds. Not a criticism just a helpful hint hopefully. I realise your time is limited.

[@amandar7719]

Your horse manure should be riddled with worms. Type of manure from horses kept on poor pasture and filled with dewormers? Have you emptied your hot composter yet? Your PT will be a fantastic growing area and a weekend haven over the winter. Don’t think many of us will get a decent carrot harvest this year. FY feedback…. My sweet peppers are doing brilliantly outside and under cover. Hot peppers are dreadful! 😖

[@JBNat]

This manure is too hot for worms! When I've used fresh stuff like you say it's absolutely riddled, but the bagged stuff is still warm when it arrives on the truck. Hot composter still has a little way to go until emptying, very interested to see what's going to come out.

[@LucRom-kz5uw]

Fantastisch Good video jb the greenhouse the oogsten uploadtes Tour te moostuin planting 🪴🌿🌱😎⛱️🌤🍹✌️🥬🫑🥦🥔🥒