July 2, 2010

Raspberries are here at last

Posted by Steph under Allotment | Tags: , , |
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Bumper harvest today:

  • Carrot thinnings (baby carrots)
  • Peas
  • Broad Beans
  • Radish
  • Lettuce
  • Red Gooseberries
  • Green Gooseberries
  • Raspberries

We have had the first decent rain for about 3 weeks. The water butts are full again, thank goodness. Pictures show the updates on the vegetables and fruit.

Redcurrents are almost there...

Red Gooseberries.. prickly to harvest and destined for jelly

Raspberries.. picked about a pound.. delish.

The Dahlias survived the slug attack and are looking purdy.

The Shallots are finally dividing..

Peas plump and sweet

Calvero Nero.. not sure when I need to start picking this...

Yellow courgettes.. the male flowers have only just come out ...

The sweetcorn has trebled in size... its in a hurry to grow up.

A basket full of fresh, organic, homegrown fruit and veg....lovely.

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June 12, 2010

Mid Summer Grow Fest

Posted by Steph under Allotment | Tags: , , , |
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Every visit to the allotment is exciting at the moment. New pods appearing or something to be harvested. We have had plenty of sunny days and a bit of rain, and the green stuff is really getting going. This week I have had three different types of lettuce.. cos, which I find a bit chewy so won’t plant again, Butter-crisp.. yum and a green oak leaf variety. I also harvested some Swiss chard and more gooseberries.

The Allotment in June

I had a few different types of squash and courgettes to plant. Last year I dug over the end of the plot and covered the area with black weed suppressant material and planted courgettes through the fabric. It was an unmitigated failure. Every plant was nipped off at the stem base by something (Slugs?) and killed within 24 hours. Being an eternal optimist, I thought I would try again this year.

The Doom Squash planted through Bio Roll

I don’t want to create raised beds in this area of the allotment, as I have a number of fruit bushes destined to be planted there in the Autumn. I have rotovated the area but I still wanted to put weed suppressant down. I found some paper mulch called Bio Roll which I am trying this year. Four squash planted yesterday… only 3 survived the night!…. This is despite ample application of slug pellets. I don’t hold out much hope for the rest of them.

Anyway a few more pictures of how things are growing.

More Gooseberries Harvested...

A Bee enjoying the chives... We love bees!

The Fennel all frondy

Can't wait to taste these peas...

Enviromesh and Clothes Peg.. my homemade fruit cage

Borlotti, Runner and Climbing French Beans..

The Raspberries are on the way...

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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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