Slacking Summer

Its been an interesting summer which has seen a hosepipe ban enforced for the Northwest (one of the wetest places in the UK) followed by loads and loads of rain.
The strawberries cropped fairly well until August and then the Raspberries came into their own, so we have had soft fruit for a few months now. Apples are being harvested and potatoes are all dug - quite a few were 'spoiled' with what looks like wireworm but I need to ask some of the old timers.

I'll try to do more on the blog next year!

May

Well its been a busy May at the allotment, mainly because we have had the driest May on record! Watering by hand is very time consuming but at least I can fill a large water barrel with the hose!



There have been a few disappointments such as the climbing French bean and sweetcorn which were planted out just before the last frost! The potatoes are coming on nicely and the soft fruits have romped ahead with all the good weather.
The 'salad bar' is now providing us with plenty of mixed leaves and the herbs make a nice addition to any dish.

Planting out

It's nearly May and really feels like summer is round the corner. Daytime temperature is getting up to 18 degrees C & no sign of night frosts.......yet!
Been a busy few weekends down at the lotty which has seen me sowing herbs; corriander, parsley and thyme. Also planted out sweetcorn, squash and pumpkin but it may be too early for these tender crops...time will tell.
French beans are being grown in modules and will be planted out in the next week, I'm having two rows of dwarf french beans and two wigwams of climbing beans.
I've also sown some more mixed lettuce in our 'salad bar' area....can't wait!

Green shoots

Its been a busy week down on the plot and the weather has been glorious these past few days. I tested the soil temperature on Sunday and was surprised to see at 10 degree's (about 5" deep)& 12 degrees near the surface. Good to see that the Red Barron onion sets are making an appearance.

The fruitcage is waking up and the goosberries have popped their leaves, I need to get some manure around the raspberry canes & strawberries soon. You can just make out the strawberry runners that I was kindly given by a neighbour.

Finally, here's a full shot of the plot

Indoor planting

Now is the time of year to start planting those seeds that cannot be sown directly into the cold soil at the allotment! I don't have any fancy greenhouses, potting sheds, conservatory or even a heated propagator but I do have seed trays with lids and a nice warm floor! This year I've decided to go for some easy veg including dwarf sweetcorn, courgette, squash & pumpkin plus I've also done a tray of sweet Basil.

Sweetcorn and basil can be sown directly into a seed tray with about 1.5" of potting compost & then covered with 1/2" of compost or vermiculite. With the squash and pumpkin seeds, I've gone for a biodegradable home made pot that I can simply drop into a hole when the time comes. Making these posts is easy, fold a piece of A4 paper and tear in half. Wrap around a broom handle or larger cylinder (depending how big you want the pot) & leave about 1" of paper at the end. moisten the paper to stick it together (spit or water works well) and fold the excess paper back inside to form the pot.

You little sow and sow!

The soil is warming up and its time to start sowing some of the vegetables we will be eating in the summer/autumn. I've already sown some parsnip seeds in the bed with the Pear tree and covered the row with some quick crop salad seeds. The plan for the other beds includes; Dwarf French beans, baby carrots,baby sweetcorn, herbs, maincrop potatoes, corgetts & loads of salad varieties.

Happy Easter!

First Earlies

With the cold weather more or less behind us, I decided to get the spuds in the ground. The beds had been dug over last year, so the soil looked in good condition but I've added some manure anyway. I've gone overboard I think, with two beds for the earlies. Aaron Pilot in one & Maris Bard in the other. Looking forward to some summer salads already.....yum yum!

A load of old manure......

Our local farmer delivered the manure to a few plotholders today. I'm new to this and ordered a full trailer load for £25. When I saw how much had been delivered, I really wished I'd gone for a half load!



Only 50 wheel barrow loads to shift..........