Truly Allotment Heaven today

I feel very fortunate to have my allotment plot ! I read about long waiting lists and that in some areas especially in London that it can take between ten to fifteen years to get a plot, so yes looking around my plot today seeing all the lovely veggies and flowers growing I really appreciated my 'Allotment Heaven'.

I worked from 1.30 pm until 4.50pm weeding mainly, as the rain seems to make the weeds prolific and the onion bed took some backbreaking work to weed.  I dug up 3 plants of my early potatoes ' Ulster Prince' and took them straight home, shared some with my lovely neighbours and cooked a few for our supper and they were delicious. We don't eat many potatoes so I have only planted first and second Earlie's this year.

I have dug up my first bed of Garlic 'Cristo' which this year thank goodness didn't get rust. It is a great crop and I think once again I have gone a bit overboard as I have a slightly larger crop to come up yet of a French variety.

The Globe artichoke bed looks brilliant and has a little squash in between Globes and lots of Asters  I can't wait for them to flower as it's the first time I have grown these flowers

The Spinach (three different varieties) is amazing and I am picking a large bag every other day and also giving the neighbours some. I intend to keep sowing so that I have enough until the winter months as we love it.

The Tayberry has fruit and I can't wait for it to fully ripen and pick my first berry, Yum !

The cucumbers in the greenhouse have tiny fruits YEAH ! we love home grown cucumbers and the tomatoes are full of flowers, and I have loads of lettuces and peppers coming on in the greenhouse. So all our own salad stuff sorted !

And here are a few photo's taken around the plot today. Lot's of flowers and bees buzzing, truly Allotment Heaven.

What more can one ask of life ?

Almost forgot to mention that I have been sent a lovely book to review which I will post about over the next few days. I think most of you with fruit growing on your plots will like this book,  it's all about making cordials, wines, beers, soft summer drinks and more from fruit we grow, buy or forage.

Have a lovely week.

M x


An allotment visit update

I made a brief visit to the lottie yesterday, mainly to take more kitchen scraps and bits to add to my compost bin up there. It was lovely to see millions (OK a little white lie, but honest a lot) of big fat worms doing their thing and making me some lovely compost.

There was nothing much going on up there, but I noticed the rhubarb peeping out of the ground, very exciting ! I love rhubarb and we have about 4 different varieties, but I can't remember which ones as I didn't write them down and the tags are long gone.

Then there was this gorgeous Hellebore that a neighbouring plot holder (who was giving up their plot to move away) gave me last year. She also gave me a white one which is just in bud. I am so lucky as these are very large plants, so lots of flowers.

The garlic is doing very well, we are still using last years which is plaited and hanging in the garage.

I have potatoes chitting on the windowsills. I'm not growing as many as last year as I am making room for the asparagus which is more expensive than potatoes in the shops, so I would rather grow things that will save on my shopping bill.

Also on the windowsill I have my broad beans and some sweet peas that I sowed yesterday, so nothing to show of those yet. But the seeds I saved from the beautiful Cerinthe plants that I grew last year, were planted about a week ago and they are doing well and are up, each day another one peeps out I have ten so far and another just coming through. I can't wait for them to look as lovely as last year, they are so beautiful.

'Cerinthe' seeds above and the plants from last year below.

The onions that I grew from seeds indoors are now growing well and in the mini-greenhouse outside. I cover them in fleece every night as I don't want to lose them after all the attention they got as they were growing. I also put the poppy plants out there as well, they are sturdy little plants now. I just hope I am lucky enough to get the elusive plum colour one.

That's about it really! I'm being nursemaid for the next 6 weeks to the hubby who has had an operation on his foot and wont be fully mobile for at least 6 weeks. For the first 2 weeks he has to keep the foot elevated as much as possible, so I'm at his beck and call (that saying looks odd written down !!)

Have a good week-end everyone and It's almost MARCH Yipeeeeeee !!!

A productive week on the allotment

I haven't blogged for a few days as I have been so busy on the lottie. The runner beans and French beans are in. We have managed to pave the area in front of the greenhouse, so I no longer nearly break my neck going in and out. We have also dug and raked the area the little shed was on. It now looks nice and even, as we were given some large breeze blocks that we put at the edge of the area. We were then able to rake the soil down to the blocks and even out the slope. I now have to decide what to plant in this area. I still have so much to do.

I have planted my row of Sunflowers and in front of them some Calendulas "Art shades" so it should look very colourful when all is in bloom. I have started planting out my cutting flower bed, and the dahlias are due to go in this week. I have a few photo's below of some of our weeks work. Austin has been a very good assistant this week.

The three rows of potatoes are up, AGAIN ! I have earthed them up three times now

The successful parsnips. These were grown in pots and then transplanted

Broad beans in flower. I can't wait for the first pod to appear.

The runner beans and the french beans, planted today.

The sunflower hedge, with calendula "art shades" in front of them.

Rosie with her summer hat on. She has a wheelbarrow now that someone gave me already painted a perfect blue. I have to plant it up this week.

Potatoes and Tomatoes

The weather here today has been very wet and dull, what a contrast from yesterday ! I really was looking forward to getting up to the lottie and harvesting all the remaining brussel sprouts. There are quite a lot, so I intend freezing them. This will then free up that bed so I can dig it over and put some compost on it ready for the next crop (haven't decided what yet !) oh well hopefully it will be a better day tomorrow. My potatoes are chitting well, and I intend to get them in during the next week or so. I have a small amount of "Nicola" some "Swift" and some "Desiree". I grew "Pink Fir Apple" last year, I loved them, but no one else did, so I haven't bothered this year.

The "Saint Pierre" tomatoes are doing well, I have grown far too many, but these 6 are going in the greenhouse on the plot as soon as they are a little sturdier, the others I will give away or sell at my boot sale. The small "Red cherry" are also growing well and I have some "Alicante" which were sown later but are catching up fast.

Rain and Grey Skies

The sky is grey today and what's worse is that it's raining as well. I briefly went to the lottie yesterday, just to see if the snow had weighed down my netting on the purple sprouting broccoli, I thought it might have been crushed. But, it was fine, yeah!! still not ready yet though.

I have however lost most of the Broad bean plants that I put in the ground, I may have a couple that might survive. SO lucky I planted 20 more and here is a photo of them below, they are looking good.

I have potted on some of my tomato plants, I have as I suspected, grown far too many, but that happened last year and it felt nice sharing them around the allotment.

I went to a potato weekend at my local Wyevale garden centre and bought just 5 of "Nicola" just being sentimental really as that's my daughters name, Ive no idea what the potatoes are like (anyone else grown them ????) and I bought "Swift" and "Desiree" both recommended by a

plot-holder called Bill who has a fantastic yield with his, so I know I can't go wrong if Bill grows them. All the potatoes are now Chitting (see photo)

Whilst at the Garden centre, I couldn't resist buying a nice sort of "Folk Art" garden sign for hanging in my Lilac tree near my Summerhouse.

So another day with nothing to do at the lottie, so Austin & I are off to the cinema to see "Slumdog Millionaire" it did very well at the Bafta awards yesterday.