squash | Nutty as a Fruitcake

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.