Where did the week go ?

I can't believe that it's a week since I last posted. I have been very busy tending the garden this week, which got neglected a bit last year. Luckily I have mostly perennials which appear each year as if by magic after a dormant bare winter, and suddenly the garden looks lush and full with hardly any effort. However this year I have made a few changes to some of the beds, , so I needed to spend more time this week doing just that and fitting the lottie in whenever I could.

I went to the lottie after 4pm today and didn't get back until 7.45. I dug the bed for the sweetcorn, and it was so hot! I managed to get them all planted, but I still have to plant the broccoli ( green & purple sprouting), brussel sprouts, pumpkins and squashes, so lots to do yet.

The runner beans and french beans are growing well and have started climbing up the poles. The cucumber is growing like crazy in the greenhouse and the Aubergines are now ready to be put into very large pots for the greenhouse ones and to be planted out for the ones going in the bed where the wallflowers were outside the greenhouse. It was sad to pull up the wallflowers today, but they had all really gone past their best and had to go to make way for the aubergines and outside tomatoes. Below are some views of the plot taken yesterday and today.

The Herb and flower bed. More sweet-peas behind.

The Sunflower hedge, with the 3 varieties of Courgettes in front.

The first sweet-peas, 'Cupani ' lots of others are just coming out too.

The Sweetcorn went in today, at last.

Looking up the plot towards the shed

Looking down the plot from the shed area.

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.

A post at last !

I know I haven't posted for almost a week, but I have been very active on the plot since getting back from the babysitting. I once again took some seedlings with me to my son's. I think he is getting used to my eccentric ways now and just humours me. The basil, Lemongrass and Emilia (Irish Poet) common name("Tassel flower") had all just began to shoot up through the compost, so I couldn't leave them to dry out and die, so they came with me to Surrey.

Little Bertie ( 18 months) was keen to have a look at them with me each morning so fingers crossed we have a little gardener in the making. I already have a little gardening tool kit for him, all in it's own wee bag which I got in the sale last year at Asda.

Today I potted on my sunflowers, coriander, and kale. I have another plastic mini greenhouse now in the garden, which is full up, but at least we have our windowsills back. The greenhouse on the allotment is full of my dahlias, I must take a photo tomorrow as they have really come on. I lost about 5 when we had a severe frost, but I now cover them with layers of fleece.

I planted out the sweet peas today that I had grown last autumn, they have been in an unheated greenhouse all through the severe winter, so hopefully they will be ok. Just to be sure I wrapped some fleece around them as well. They are planted at the bottom of my "goal post". Last year they climbed the 6ft and more, and I was picking them every day all summer. I still have sweet williams growing at the foot of the post, it's amazing that they came through the winter and are now growing like crazy.

I have also put in the remaining parsnip seeds that were chitting. I planted them in-between two rows of garlic, I hope that wasn't a mistake and that they have enough room. If they outgrow the space I will just have to pick them as baby parsnips. I almost forgot ! I also planted some Mizuna and some spinach beet. Tomorrow I will take some photo's as the plot is looking good.

I am off to London on Thursday to meet up with a friend who is over from Spain. I haven't seen her for about 30 years, so I expect we will be talking nonstop ! I can't wait to see her, we lost contact years ago when I moved to Hampshire from London and she and her family moved away.