Saturday 23 July 2011

Another week

It's nice to see the bees playing in my poppy just a shame that the flower seems to last only 1 day.
In the garden I cleared out a compost heap and sieved it and then refilled it,a foul job but it has to be done.I rearranged my greenhouse and found a tiny cucumber fruit on the Marketmore,I also have an anaheim chilli that has developed in the last day or so.The Sungold and Koralic seem to be flourishing and even the San Marzano is putting on a growth spurt.
Down at the allotment I have been busily staking my Golden Sunrise tomatoes.I have also harvested the final Rocket potatoes,Early Onward peas, some carrots and a Garlic.I emptied the Pea bed because it has finished and did another sack of weeding.

Monday 18 July 2011


The weather at the weekend precluded any work but I spent two hours at the allotment shop on Sunday lifting a grand total of 5 bags of compost and lawnsand but I did get some 5 foot canes for my tomato plants.
Yesterday I finally got round to harvesting and returned home with Rocket potatoes,Emerald Vale potatoes,Early Onward peas,tasteless Spinach,Blue Radish,White Radish,Sparkler Radish,Spring Onions,Carrots,Red Sun shallots,Garlic and a couple of overwintering onions.
I planted some Early nantes carrots and White Bunching Spring Onions.I spent a couple of hours weeding and filled another couple of sacks.
In the conservatory I planted up some Sweet Genovese Basil,Oregano,Chives from the purloined skip down the road and some Catmint.
The greenhouse had a bit of a tidy up and the slugs and snails therein were relocated over the fence.

Thursday 14 July 2011

Swapsies at the allotment.

Having an allotment neighbour who grows things has its benefits.Today I received a bag of peas and a lettuce and some brussel sprout plants in return for some shallots and an overwintering onion.
On the allotment I had a busy day planting Falstaff sprouts,Golden Sunrise tomatoes,an indeterminate tomato from my garden,2 different types of beans received from Holland and some leeks.I also planted some Rudbeckia which was hanging around in a pot in the garden. This was in addition to weeding and digging more crap out of the 2 year old compost pile.
I harvested some Rocket potatoes and Red sun shallots which I am pickling at the moment.
In the garden I planted out some Falstaff brussel sprouts and Broccoli.Its probably too late for Xmas but its just nice to get things planted.
I also planted up some Early Onward peas because I read somewhere that they might provide a late crop.

Wednesday 13 July 2011

Digging

The two year old heap of weeds,bits of wood and an ants nest have been levelled out and will soon be ready for planting.It will need another tip run since I have another 15 rubbish sacks.
Another section where I piled up turves of weeds etc has also been dug over and soon will be planted.I am thinking of doing a nursery bed for wallflowers etc.
Yesterday I harvested Carrots,Beetroots,Rocket potatoes and some more Overwintering onions which found their way into a Tomato and Onion salad and a Potato Salad.

Sunday 10 July 2011

Weekend

The plastic greenhouse is full to bursting point with tomatoes,peppers,cucumbers and other various pots so luckily I got another one for my birthday.
I am using it at the moment without the staging for tomatoes for my Sungold and Koraliks.At the bottom I have San Marzano tomatoes which haven't done much yet and some Anaheim chillis which I potted on yesterday.
I have planted a couple of Koraliks in the garden and found an emerging Moonlight runner bean plant,1 out of 12 so far.
I spent a couple of hours at the allotment yesterday with Mrs P bagging up rubbish and me finally planting out some Golden Sunrise tomatoes.I harvested some more Rocket potatoes,Japanese overwintering onions and a garlic.

Thursday 7 July 2011

Weather stopped play

A bit of time off from the allotment due to the inclement weather.In the garden I have planted out some Moonlight runner beans and 2 Sungold tomatoes.I also planted some Austrian White Radish,Boltardy Beetroot,Red Salad Bowl Lettuce and some All The Year Round Lettuce.
In the Conservatory I have potted on some Marketmore Cucumbers.The next job will be potting on Anaheim Chillis and Gardeners Delight.

Tuesday 5 July 2011

Hilds Blauer Herbst und Winter radish

I picked this beauty yesterday and it certainly has some oomph.I shall definitely be planting some more.
I went to the allotment this morning and found that my neighbour had finally got round to tidying up our joint border,this was a pleasant surprise and so I spent a good hour tidying up my side.It will certainly allow more light in and makes the plot look much better.I planted Spring Onions,Early Nantes carrots,Gladiator parsnips and some Boltardy beetroot.It makes a change from weeding.On the produce front I harvested Rocket potatoes,A Japanese overwintering onion and some Carrots and got another lettuce from my neighbours.I also earthed up the Picasso potatoes and weeded a couple of rows.
In the Garden I harvested my containers containing Emerald Vale and Rocket potatoes,the former was very disapointing and the later adequate.I think they are much more productive when grown in the soil.I have pulled out the Broad beans to give me some more space and found an ants nest in my leaf mulch which has been nuked,

Sunday 3 July 2011

This week

This is what makes all the digging and weeding worthwhile.From 6 foot weeds to some produce.
This week I have been digging over the other half of the plot where I piled all my weeds etc last year.Yesterday we took 17 bags of rubbish to the tip.The soil was really infested and I could easily fill another 17 bags but it looks brown rather than weed infested.I have had Rocket potatoes,Blue radishes,Spinach,Peas,Carrots,Onions and Garlic this week.My beighbour kindly gave me some Lettuce and Radishes.
The weekend was spent in the garden tidying up and planting out any flowers that I had left over.I have potted on some Sungold and San Marzano tomatoes.I have planted out some Moonlight runnerbeans,2 have come up from about 8.