Rain stops play

Well it hasn't really been great allotment weather over the last few days and today is no exception, so I'm munching my way through a bag of Montezumas dark chocolate buttons instead. Better save some for JB. I did buy some dill seeds yesterday as am going to have a go at gherkins this year and dill seems to be the standard herb to go with them. Also bought a chilli pepper plant and two sweet pepper plants for 70p each as mine didn't germinate very well, with only one survivor, I think I over watered them. Most other things doing ok- ish though. Am waiting for a bit of improvement in the weather before planting them out, hopefully next weekend.

Rainy Wednesday update

Some much needed rain has given me the chance to write a quick garden update.

I spotted a comedy runner bean plant just now - it's rather tall! There's another one peeking through too so hopefully will be followed by a few more. I sowed some more recently too, in loo rolls. Will prob direct-sow some on the allot later but need to set me wigwams up.

Here's another pic from the lean-to, some toms and lettuce -  

And a view of our little garden - have got a courgette planted out under a plastic bottle plus several lettuces too under plastic. I did buy this courgette from a house in the countryside as it was well ahead of all mine and at only 50p was worth a go for some earlier courgettes. Oh and also plantd out 3 sweet corns, protected too. Am planting more sweetcorn on the allot plus plan to direct sow some as only 12 germinated. You might also be able to spot more squashes being hardened off and some brassica plant I've let go to flower, sweet peas growing up the fence. Got rocket from last year that over-wintered nicely, and a bit of chard. Ok, now going to sow some more peas in modules. Have been watching Charles Dowding videos - he's amazing!

Ppppppeas!

Noticed my first two pea pods in the lean-to earlier :D

Toms

 

I potted on the toms that were large enough last night and moved them into the lean-to. These are a mixture of money maker, Craig, marmande and sweet cherry. I also sowed some a few weeks later so there are several just germinating, plus some peppers and chilis that'll need potting on later.

I had a look through my 'seeds you can plant in April' stash last night too.....panic! There's always so many! But we're only just at the start of April and there is a bank holiday coming up, so panic not....probably.

Breaking radio silence

Wow, I can't believe we haven't posted since October, doesn't time fly! It's been relatively quiet on the plot over winter, though I'm trying to sort out the space for the greenhouse, which I've had in bits on the plot for about 3 or 4 years now, oops. I'm sorting it in between doing other jobs on the plot so it's slow progress.

Sunday was actually sunny! lots of people down on site making the most of a dry day. I've prepared the bed for some broad beans but didn't get chance to sow. If I manage to take a long lunch break from work tomorrow I might just get time, though it's always a bit of a challenge to not get dirty in my work clothes! I do keep an old coat in the shed but it tends to make a nice home for spiders. *shudder*

Have made a start at weeding round the fruit trees and bushes, hoping the birdies will help eat up any unwanted pests in the soil before mulching later in spring.  I do tend to get distracted and go from one job to another but it means you don't get too bored doing one thing for a long period. Though this is the problem with the greenhouse - next job for this is to lay out the bricks, and it's very faffy making sure they are all level. Have to do on another warm day as it gets cold crouching down not being very active.

Might try and sow some tomato seeds this week and put them on the window sill but more likely to do this next week I think. Have got the potatoes chitting in the lean-to.

Well, I was going to add a photo but this blog system has changed and isn't synching photos properly. Technology eh.

Something for nothing

I love it when you get bonus veg or fruit. A few years back I sowed pak choi as a catch crop after something else. It didn't really come to much and some ran to seed. Each year since I've had a few small pak choi plants germinate in that same bed, from the seed, which has been nice.

This year, something has really got them going! The bed had early potatoes in which I dug up quite a few weeks ago. I then weeded the bed and planted out the leeks, under enviromesh. The pak choi has loved the disturbed soil and conditions under the mesh. Excellent! 

Anya potatoes

Decided to dig up the rest of the anyas today, in case we get any rain at some point (though is unlikely at the mo). Quite pleased with the harvest, this was about 8 seed pots I think.

We've been eating lots of lovely fresh veg recently, the patty pan squashes have done really well and there are still lots of beans coming, I have dwarf french beans under the corn(which has also done well, plants are small but cobs are well sized and v yummy), runner beans in the back garden, borlotti beans which am leaving to fatten-up rather than eat the pods, and a couple of blauhilde purple climbers that are just getting going. Some of the beans at the allot are from a second sowing as the first lot got eaten-off by snails. The dry weather seemed to give the second lot a chance to get away without being bothered, though alsoy hunting down of nearby snail hotspots probably helped.

Here is tomorrows lunch with all home-grown veg including broad bean burgers. Am looking forward to it already.

Stringing onions

It's been really windy and a bit rainy this afternoon so I thought I'd have a go at stringing my onions in the shelter of the lean-to. Here's the result!

Today's harvest, very berry

We have a food swap at work tomorrow so I've had a berry- picking session. This is the second annual swap though I didn't know about the one last year. Anyway, you take along excess produce, get tokens for them and then get to choose from what other people have brought. Exciting!

I hope there is some interesting stuff!

Wind woes

It's decided to be windy today, and as a double whammy will dry-up the bit of rain we had last night plus damage leaves etc. This is my runner bean wig wam in the back garden getting buffeted around. In the background are more beans trained up the fence plus sweet peas which I let grow as perennials.

Also a pic of the onions I lifted on fri eve and brought home to dry, rather than leave on the plot to potentially get rained on.

Also the latest cucumber from the lean to. We've had four or five so far. I cheated and bought two small plants a few weeks back when I was in homebase getting some pain. I think it was only £2.50 for the pair. I do have outdoor varieties grown from seed out on the plot but they are only just starting to produce little cukes.