Another week of sunshine, showers, warm and cold. I dont know how the plants put up with it because I can't. Still picking fresh veg every day, plenty of beans, tomatoes and courgettes to name a few. Below are some 'early nantes 5' carrots. These are a good size and very little sign of carrot fly damage so a great success this year so looking forward to growing many more next year. The tomatoes are 'harginger' variety and have done really well this year no signs of disease and have put up with some neglect but i have been rewarded with some nice tasty tom's. The last picture was collected today (Friday) 'cylindra' beetroot, 'parmex' carrots, courgettes and leeks. The leeks have been picked a bit early but we wanted some to eat right now.

If the weather stays dry tonight i will hopefully get some more veg and tidy up and cut the grass

Post Holiday Overgrowth

Not just me thats overgrown on holiday, but the allotment is bursting with plant life. All the wildflowers and sweetpeas in the borders fill the pen with colour and fragrance. Whilst away the weather has be quite dull and wet which i suppose is a blessing because it looked like it was going to be anoher hot month after June. It is quite cold and wet at the moment and with so much to do it is a little frustrating. As you can see from these pictures there is plenty to do and pick.

Quite a few of the courgettes have grown too large and are alomost marrow size. I have taken these off to encourage more courgettes to form. The 'bianca de triese' are long and curled but they taste very sweet. The sweetcorn contiue to grow with plenty of cobs forming and the runnerbeans are flowering well and some beans are forming. Hopefully the weather will pick up then i can get things straight

Picked lettuce, courgettes, beetroot, peas, beans, pink fir apple potatoes and radish

Pre Holiday Rush

We are going on holiday tomorrow (Friday) so this week has beeen a bit of a rush trying to get all plants into the ground and make sure everything is tidy and away for the next 2 weeks. Ronnie in one of the other pens is keeping an eye on things til i get back. Hope it's not to hot and dry for the plants. A view of the pen before we left. Everything growing well


One very large chinese cabbage. Off to some friends for their tea or two, A variety of courgettes and a row of nicola potatoes!

I'm off to France. ta ta for now!

Flaming June Turns into Roasting July

This week has continued to be warm and humid with temperatures slowly creeping up as the week progresses 23-25 degrees most days. One or two thunderstaorms with the worst rain of Tuesday but this had little impact on dry land! Most plants doing ok but a rush to get organised for convention and holidays. Not much in pots now so they will go into any available space. Need to sort out strawberry runners and pin them into pots. No more sowing now until after holidays unless its a couple of rows of radish or similar outside.

This set of photos taken on Thursday morning hopefully showing where everything is and how its growing. This will give a good indicator for next year

Staring at the west facing border I have Broadbean 'bunyards exhibition' (sown 27/2, planted ?)very nice stir fried young whole pods. Next are peas 'oregon sugar pod', kelvendon wonder', 'meteor' (6/4) kelvendon wonder' (4/5)



In the border you can just make out more broad beans (sown 4/5), in the raised bed from left to right runner beans 'cobra' (sown 4/5) peas 'kelvendon' and 'meteor' (sown 7/6) dwarf bean 'valour' (sown 7/6) fennel (sown 8/4 & 11/5) peas 'meteor' and 'sugar pod' (sown 4/5)



Just between the two lots of peas are a row of dwarf beans 'tendergreen' (sown 4/5) next a row of peas 'celebration' (sown 14/4) spinach beet 'perpetual spinach' and swiss chard 'bright lights' (sown 6/4)

Just behind these raised bed some sweet peas in the border, slow to get going but worth the wait. Nice sweet fragrance and hopfully attracting useful insects plus adds a splash of colour to all the green!

Looking further along the nursury bed lots of cuttings and seedling waiting to be planted out in autumn. To the right are some sprouting broccoli 'early purple', 'late purple' & 'italian'waiting to be planted out but they are sprouting now so i am cutting off and eating the heads as they are ready. Not sure if this is supposed to happen but why waste them. Under the netting are 'green calabrese', dwarf kale and calevo nero (all brassicas sown 25/3) The netting has protected them well with no catapillar damage. The dwarf kale has been especially nice to eat just picking a few leaves per plant and cooked with a little oil and garlic.

Courgettes in tyres! The tyres have protected the plants from the worst of the weather and will keep the courgettes of the floor and protect them. Staarting at the top left and going clockwise are 'kojac', '?', 'dundoo', 'defender', 'zucchini', 'golden zucchini', 'bianca de trieste', 'kojac' with 'butternut squash' in the middle. As you can see the two zucchinis and butternut are not doing as well as the others (all sown 15/3, planted out 13/5)

Here is my attempt at the three sisters growing of sweetcorn (sown 12/3), baby sweeycorn (sown 14/4) bean (sown 4/5?)and squash (sown 25/3)together. As you can see all three are doing well although the beans have grown far quicker than i thought so they will need some cane to support them.


These are the leeks and onions. Not sure whether to grow or not next year, wait and see. I am Tempted to grow overwintering onions to fill the gap next year. Most sets were planted end of March/early April

In these shots its the fruit border. The beans have finally recovered from being put out too early when the weather turned much cooler. Other beans that were planted narly two monthe later are not much further behind. Lesson here i think. Dont sow too early! Not sure of the varieties.

The kid's raised beds are doing well with peas, lettuce and carrots as are the beetroot and chinese cabbages in the next bed

The herb bed is growing well. I think it is more for decorative than useable herbs. There is some lemon balm, thyme, garlic chives, oregan, tarragon and sage which can be used in the kitchen but the others are mints which may need digging out and putting in a border instead!

These strawberries are well protected from the blackbirds and are just starting to ripen

The potatoes in tyres are also doing well, not sure weather to do the same again next year or maybe put strawberries instead.

Friday and Saturday was rain so very little done. On Sunday I divided up some primroses, potted up a couple of cayenne and peppadew chillies and a bit of weeding. Weather gone sunny again. Too tired to do too much, sal and kids went to the farm to go horse riding and i read up on taking cuttings and had a nap in the pen house. I took some photo's to show the progress so far and dug up some 'Dunluce' first early potatoes. As you can see from the pic's, not very big plants but some nice big spuds. They were a little floury and broke up when boiled but still very tasty.

Next are some pictures of broad bean 'bunyard exhibition' and 'pea meteor'. The three sisters bed with sweetcorn, bean and pumpkin (and courgette) Chillies , tomatoes and basil in the greenhouse. THe kids raised beds and finally the herb bed

Sweetcorn and Courgettes

The weather has improved but still cool and windy. Did some sowing and pricking out on Monday. On Tuesday i planted the asparagus connovers collosal into the seed bed. Wednesday i planted out the sweetcorn, courgettes, squash and pumpkins. The courgettes are in a bed to themselves. The weather was very windy so i tip i saw was to place tyres around the plants to protect them. Not very pretty but they do the job. In the middle of the sweetcorn i have planted the pumpkins, later i will plant some runner beans to create a 'three sisters' companion planting.

Sweetcorn and pumpkins

Growing radishes in a pot was not a great success

First of May

So far May has begun with a mix of weather. Sunny but cool, persistant rain and high winds! The dryer days meant i could paint the fencing and tidy up the borders ready for planting first sowing of peas and beans. Unfortunatly the bad weather didn't help them get settled in but hopefully they will pick up. More time can be spent in the greenhouse sowing the next succession of crops mostly salads, beans and carrots. So far the salads have done well and i am now able to pick quite a bit for lunches. In the raised bed i planted out the turnips, spring onions and beetroot in modules as well as sowing a row of radishes and carrots.

The asparagus are doing well that were plante dout last month. Of 20 crowns planted so far 13 spears have grown. It is tempting to try one but they need at lease 2/3 years before they can be cropped so that the plants establish themselves. Picked the first stalks of rhubarb today so it should be something nice for pudding tonight.

Hopefully with most of the 'building' work nearly done i can concentrate on the plants etc.

Broad beans and peas
French and runner beans

Courgettes, sweetcorn and asparagus hardening off

April

The end of march brings promise of better weather and the sowing season can begin in earnest. Still working on allotment finishing off beds and fencing. Hopefully when all these jobs are done then a little more time for plants and enjoying a more relaxed pace. Picked first crop of forced rhubarb which was a great success, very tender and almost sweet. All the seedlings at home are coming on well and will soon move to the greenhouse in the allotment.

At the allotments the garden plot (49d) was given a good sort out on wednesday, the lighter nights mean longer time to work. The kids came with me and we didn't get home til after 7:30. Planted the 'jacobs ladder' and dug up and moved self seeded 'poached egg' plants. Most of the work is done now with most plants established and not too much preparation work.

Made another cold frame during the week from old pallets and some window openers. This is bigger than the others and can accomodate larger plants. The asparagus are in now ready to harden off along with the sweet peas. To make room for the coldframes i have put down some flags that were given to me to create a hard surface.

Firstfruits of rhubarb!

Windowcill herbs in cans

Salad seedlings coming along nicely

Courgettes and squash seedlings


A full windowcill of tomatoes