The Dobby's Pumpkin Patch - An Allotment and Beekeeping Blog!: October 2008

FYI

Clicking on any of the pictures will open them at full size in the browser window, which means you will have to use the 'back' button to return to the main pages, whereas clicking to the left or right of any picture will open them in a new window, if you fancy a closer look at any of the piccies we've posted! We've included a Google Earth satelite picture of our plots and this years planting plan at the bottom of the page, next to each other. If you choose the Earth view on the satelite image you can rotate the image until it is lined up with the planting plan, then use the arrows in the plan to scroll from Plot 2 to Plot 1.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Time for an update methinks!

Sorry I havent posted about the plots for a while, been mad busy at work, then had a slight accident in my MINI, which really upset me for a couple of weeks, only just now getting back into the swing of things!

So, things are winding down on the plot now, and most of the harvests are now in, apart from the winter veg (sprouts, cabbages, jerusalem fartichokes, leeks, parsnips, celery, turnip, swede, etc) plus the last few peppers, chillies, tomatos in the greenhouses and the late raspberries, which are fruiting like mad!

The plot has become a bit weed infested over the past month or so, but we've still been cropping regularly, as can be seen from the balance sheet below!

Total costs so far this growing year

Rent (for 2 full plots and a half plot) £100
Seeds £30
Seed Spuds £20
Compost / Grow Bags £20
Fertilizers etc £20
Muck £10
Lopper (tool from wilkos) £13

Total costs £213

Total Harvests

2 batches overwintered garlic (97 bulbs) =£50
Rasps 60lb =£512 (£8.40 a lb at Tescos!)
Strawbs 13lb =£65 (£5 a lb at Tescos!)
Courgettes x 180 =£90
Rhubarb 21lb = £42
Cucumber 60 = £30
Chillies / peppers = £25
Spuds 90lb = £60 (£0.50 -0.80lb at Tescos)
Onions = £75
Radish =£8
Mange Tout 20lb = £50 (£2.50lb at Tesco)
Broad Beans 15lb = £30 (£2lb at Tesco)
Lettuce x 10 = £6
Broccolli = £30
Cabbage = £35
Caulis = £15
Carrots = £20
Tomatoes 145lb = £170 (£1.22lb at Tescos)
Peas = £30
Runner Beans 65lb = £130
French Beans = £15
Mushrooms = £3
Apples = £25
Aubergines = £2
Brussel Sprouts = £10
Leeks = £10
Pumpkins = 62 = £100
Sweetcorn = 35 = £40
Swedes = £5
Turnips = £5
Beetroot = £5

Total Harvest so far 2008 = £1693 - a profit now of £1480!!

I'd say there's 220+ more leeks (£100+), at least another 20lb rasps (£160), another 12 cabbages (£10), 4 more caulies (£8), a bed of Jerusalem Fatichokes (£50), about 50 bunches of celery (£40) plus about 30 bunches of grapes still to be harvested yet (the grapes are almost ready, another couple of nice days of sun and they'll be ready for harvesting!), so if they ripen and we get them in, we could be looking at a further £400+ of crops still to come, which would take our growing total to over £2000 for the year! Not bad at all, despite the lack of summer again this year!

We're on holiday in a couple of weeks, and are hoping to get the plot put to bed for the winter, rebark the paths and cover the beds etc, so hopefully we'll have some piccies to post at that point, but until then I hope you've enjoyed seeing how our plots have developed and what we've been able to harvest this year! I hope you're own harvests have been as good and that you've enjoyed you're growing, thanks for reading!