Catching Up on the Plot

Most of Friday was spent going through the emails, amazing number of beautiful Russian women want to meet me and the amount of money that people need help getting out of Nigeria is incredible!

So down to the plot late afternoon where weeds seem to have been on steroids whilst we were away. Anyway, first things first, so watered the greenhouses and picked up the brassicas that had been delivered whilst we were away to Larry’s for us.

Back home and I potted up the plug plants into 3″ pots. Some of the leaves were a little yellowed, but they seem OK and I’ll say this for Suttons, although they promise 15 of each, they actually sent 17 of each!

My own sown Brussels sprouts, in the meantime, have really come on and are well ready for planting out. The cucumbers in the home greenhouse had gone wild as well – they’re doing better than the ones planted in the allotment greenhouse’s border!

Gave a couple to my daughter and some large pots to plant them in. Actually the large pots are cut flower buckets with holes drilled in them. £1.00 for 8 from Morrisons, which is much cheaper than buying plant pots of a similar size.

I’d also sown some dwarf French beans in modules just before we left and these were about 8″ tall. Excellent germination rate as well, 20 out of 21.

Saturday came with glorious weather again so Val and I headed for the plot in the afternoon. One good thing about a holiday in 35 degrees is that you can cope (just) with the British heat wave!

As we walked around we realised our ginger cat, Rowan, was following so I stopped to take her back home. After losing Tommy, we’d be happier if she didn’t wander too far.

Started back to the plot only to realise she was back, but peeping around walls at us! Sneaky little thing got carried back again and we finally got around the corner without our shadow.

Strawberry Harvest

Val set about harvesting the strawberries and we got 6 lbs – not bad at all. Therese, who was watering for me whilst we were away, said she’d picked a load and turned them into jam. She’s going to give us a couple of jars. Yum, my favourite!

I concentrated on hoeing off the weeds on the main beds and Val moved onto the onions on plot 29. These came up, the bed was hoed off and my onion drying frame put on the bed with the onions.

I just carried on hoeing after Val left but suddenly realised I was alone on the site and the sky had gone black. A few drops of water came and I thought it was time to make a move. Well, just as I reached the gate, there was a clap of thunder and the skies opened. Despite running back I was drenched. Not so bad though as it was quite refreshing after a hot day.

Free Seeds Offer

After getting dried off, I found out we’d been mentioned on the gardening page of the Daily Mail. They’d written a nice review of the book and given the web site link but they said about the free seeds offer that has stopped. Luckily we’ve still got some left so, although it’s officially finished, I’ll be sending out free seeds with all orders for Vegetable Growing Month by Month and for The Essential Allotment Guide for the next week.

Planting Beans

Sunday was back to weeding but first I planted out the dwarf French beans next to the onion frame. Cut the comfrey down on plot 29 as well and it’s now ready to build the compost heaps when they’ve wilted for a day or two.

The main bed will have brassicas but the little bed by the greenhouse is going to get some beans sown as a green manure as much as anything.

Therese was on the site so gave her a cucumber plant, Burpless Tasty Green. Harvested the potatoes from the raised bed on plot 5, good carrier bag full of lovely potatoes. Then added some pelleted chicken manure and planted my Burpless Tasty Green cucumber plant in the bed. Replaced the coldframe surround, without the lids, to offer some extra shelter to the plant although I doubt it really needs it.

Weeded the onion bed on plot 5 and made a start on the potato bed. I’m a bit taken aback at how much the weeds have grown in the potato bed, usually the potatoes shade them out but this year they seem to be winning. Still a few hours work and they’ll be gone.