Dublin Allotment October

Hops for beer making
Hops is a valuable constituent of the great beers. This attractive plant is easily grown and as a hardy herbaceous climber can, with a fertile soil and if supported, grow up to 6m (20′) in a year.
The young shoots are also good for eating in salads!
To sow, put in small pots with a light compost and cover with 3mm (¼”) of sieved compost.Keep moist at all times and be warned – germination is slow and irregular.
Plant out in late winter or early spring, plant about 3cm (1¼”) below surface.
This perennial will bear hops in its second year. Water this thirsty plant frequently.

Kale Shoots -The ultimate superfood
These little guys will bring a mildly sweet, earthy flavour to your salad or smoothie.
They’re packed with fibre, flavonoids, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins and antioxidants! Vitamins A, B, C, E and K Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc, Carotene, Chlorophyll, Amino Acids, Trace Elements. Protein: 30-35%.
Pre-soak seed overnight before planting. Spread thickly over a seed tray of fine damp compost. Cover with 1-2cm of compost and water, grow in full sunlight and harvest once the first set of leaves have unfurled. Sow in succession – ready in just 4 weeks from sowing.
Winter Mix Leaf Salad
There are many leaf mixtures that can be sown up to October outdoors that can be picked leaves over winter. These leafy mixes can even be sown through winter under glass or in a greenhouse.
The are usualy ready to eat in just a few weeks. You can even get several crops from the same seeds and they make ideal plants for beginners.

Mung Beans (Beansprouts)
Although these shoots are not for growing in the open – they can be grown in raised insulated boxes or under dark insulated glass. They are crisp and tasty and an easy to grow fresh vegetable which is perfect for beginners.
You can grow them on wet tissues or flannel and produce seedling shoots that can be used in lots of recipes.

Early Lettuce
Most Early Lettuce tend to have solid, small heads but their benefit is that they tend to be extremely early maturing meaning that their small heads with small outside leaves.
They are great for beginners as they can be very fast to see results. They can be sown thinly in warm, moist soil or compost, or even containers. They can be also be sown/planted under cloches for even earlier production.
Great for all types of salads burgers etc.