June 4, 2010

Beautiful Garden, Productive Allotment

Posted by Steph under Allotment, Garden | Tags: , , , , , |
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I know it is a typical British habit to talk about the weather, and looking back through the blog, it has been a recurring theme. However I’m going to do it again. The weather is GLORIOUS! It is sunny, hot and there is a mild breeze so the humidity is low. Every plant, fruit, vegetable and flower has pulled out all the stops in response to the sun so I have decided to let them do the talking in this posting:

Tomatoes are appearing...

Mint next to the back door.. lovely with our potatoes..

Strawberries plumping up nicely...

Shimmering wall of white clematis....

Mad looking flowers that I don't know the name of.....

The blue iris flags are starting to appear....

At the allotment, all those little seedlings are growing up....

The marigolds are cheering up the chard, lettuce and spinach....

The potatoes, peas and beans are all in flower.....

The first gooseberries were picked....

And the chives are in flower, bring in the bees...

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May 2, 2010

A Cold May Afternoon at the Allotment

Posted by Steph under Allotment | Tags: , , |
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There is something compelling about the ritual of tying our holidays with the demands of the agricultural year.

  • My potatoes were planted at the Easter Break and now their little leaves are poking through the ground and needing to be covered up again.
  • The first May bank holiday means planting the climbing peas and beans directly into the ground… so that they will break through after the risk of frost has all but past.
  • The next bank holiday at the end of May will allow me to put the more tender vegetables out.. the courgettes, sweetcorn and squash.

These breaks in the routine of work to concentrate on the routine of nature are very satisfying and every hour invested now in preparing the soil, weeding and planting will reap rewards at harvest time.

Unfortunately I only have one three metre bed left to sow, and have got parsnip, fennel, chard and lettuce ready to go in it, as well as more peas, beetroot and radish seeds to plant. I am going to be waiting for crops to finish before I can find room for the tender plants…. this is a yearly problem.

Summary of the jobs completed today:

  • Planted Brussels Sprouts which we will have with our Christmas Dinner
  • Planted Purples Sprouting which we can have later in Autumn and should see us through the ‘hungry gap’
  • Planted Black Kale.. which I love.. and apparently taking a few leaves at a time from each plant means a long harvest
  • Sowed three 1m rows Nantes carrots in with the Brassicas
  • Assembled the mesh cover for this bed.
  • Sowed climbing peas (Telephono), climbing borlotti beans and climbing purple French beans
  • Weed all the bed.. concentrating on the obliteration of the pesky couch grass- cut and pull, cut and pull.. easy when it has just been raining…
  • Harvest yummy rhubarb.. I have a lot on the plot, so I cut the thin tender stalks which are the nicest. I have no fear of killing the plants as I have been trying to reduce their footprint for two years, and frankly they are winning.

Here are the progress pictures:

Huge Cloche for Brussels, Broccoli, Kale and Carrots

Pak Choi, Kohl Rabi, Fennel, Lettuce and Broad Beans

Currants, Gooseberries and Raspberries covered in flowers

The 'Before' picture of the Monster rhubarb

And here is the results of the first harvest of the year, served with Rachel’s Organic Rice Pudding

First Harvest Rhubarb and Rice Pudding

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April 18, 2010

Volcano Dust and Sunny Skies

Posted by Steph under Allotment | Tags: , , |
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The high pressure continues to dominate our weather which means blue skies, sunshine and lots of work in the garden. The volcano ash continues to fall on the car, and in my eyes. The skies remain free of aeroplanes. The news is full of the election and grumpy travellers who can’t get back to work / school on Monday. Its amazing that so many people can afford to go abroad for Easter, given the recession. Still, I expect if they can afford the holiday, they can afford a few more nights accommodation.

I’ve finally been able to clear those garden jobs this weekend. The planting, weeding and rubbish clearing is going very well. The only thing not started is the grass cutting. The allotment is starting to show a lot of growth and I have got my seeds planted for the post-frost plantings…. beans, sweetcorn, cucumbers, squash and courgettes.

Our soil has quite a high clay content which means watering duty, if the little seedlings are going to get through it before it sets to concrete. But it also means good fertility so everything, including weeds, is finally starting to grow.

Beans, Lettuce, Spinach

Peas

Pak Choi, Broad Beans, Fennel & More Lettuce

Onions & Shallots

Black, Red and White Currants in Flower

Dug and Ready for Action!

I’m still covering the young plants up with environet overnight, as it is still getting very cold at night. Jobs for this week: Plant my young leeks using the home-made (by my beloved) dibber, and sort out the raspberry canes (tidy, tie, feed and mulch) plus plant the autumn canes I bought.

I expect there will be a few watering trips too!!!

 

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