Weekly update

One day I will get the hang of posting pictures in historical order.

My neighbour kindly strimmed some of the long grass on my paths and i have done a little bit more so the paths are slightly more defined around my plot.I have one section still to do which contains nettles and various other weeds.I will probably leave it for a while since i am in planting mode.

I have weeded and watered my Onion/Shallot beds which are looking OK.

This is a picture of my Broad beans after a staking and weeding session this morning.

The blue sacks are full of weeds and make a clear gap between me and the neighbouring plot so there won't be any boundary disputes.

Yesterday's task with Mrs P was too cut away plastic pop bottle cloches and net with pea and bean netting.my Early Onward peas have some flowers on.I gave them a good watering since I had my helper to fetch and carry 2 litre plastic bottles.

This is the legume bed before weeding a mix of weeds and blue rubbish sacks and the peas covered with plastic bottle cloches.

This is my first fruit on my Marshmellow Strawberries next to a rogue Borage plant.The Strawberries are covered by my Brassica cage since I don't trust the birds.
I have planted a row of Early Nantes 2 Carrots,French Breakfast and Sparkler 3 Radishes in the gaps left by my failed Electric overwintering onions.
I have potted on batches of Purple Sprouting Broccoli,Sweet Genovese Basil,Romanesco Cauliflower,Russian Giant Sunflowers,Marketmore 76 Cucumbers,Black Beauty Courgettes,Picolino F1 Cucumbers and Gem Squashes.
In the Conservatory I have started batches of Bonne Boucene Runner Beans'Axima Leeks,Thai Basil,Purple and Green Delicacy Kohlrabi,White Lady Runner Beans,Headstart F1 Sweetcorn and Black Tuscany Kale.
I'm sure that I have missed something out but it will be added later.
In the garden I have potted up a pot of Sutton's Purple Potted Peas and masses of Tomato plants.
I think this brings me up to date and on a Sunday evening I am feeling quite knackered,

Lovely weather

It seems that a bit of nice weather is upon us so I have had a couple of days at the allotment.My problem is that 3 paths are all overgrown and my lottie neighbours are making no effort to tidy any portion of them.What really bugs me is that they have strimmed up to their boundary and left the paths that are about 4 foot high.Above is an area that I cleared with a handsaw leaving me with 3 blue sacks full of crap.I also got my first use of a Fiskars scythe on another section which was a joy to work with.My problem is that last year I strimmed in shorts and a T shirt and got very itchy,so this year in 25 degree heat I am totally covered up and sweating like a pig,Still little and often and it will soon be cleared.
Weeds are rampant in the Onion patch so I have been hand-weeding and hoeing for England.
I have planted a couple of half rows of Flyaway F1 carrots and a row of Gladiator F1 parsnips.

Dryish Weekend.

Finally a weekend with some decent weather saw me venture down the allotment.There were weeds everywhere.I weeded the garlic and strawberry beds.

 The Pentland Javelin seem to be coming on so they have been earthed up a bit.In the forefront are my Autumn Bliss raspberry plants which are putting on leaves.Sunday had me working in the allotment shop and I got some Picasso maincrops as freebies,they look a bit past their sell by date but I have planted up 2 half rows.We got a decent crop off of them last year.

I have also made a start on the top half of the other side which has been covered up over the winter,as yet I don't know what i am going to plant there.
This week to make space in the conservatory I have potted up some Monkey's Ass,Latah,Early Tanana,Reisentraube,Koralik,Slovenian Black and Alpatieva which have gone outside into the tomato house to harden off.
I have also started some Moonlight and White Lady runner beans and some Black Beauty courgettes.

Seed Circle tomatoes Part 1

One of the joys of receiving tomatoes is trying to find out any relevant information about them.Both of these one's come from the Dwarf Tomato Project.

Dwarf Mr Snow- Indeterminate grows to 4 foot.I started these on 09/04 and got 100% germination and were left on an unheated windowsill being turned once a day.They were potted them on to 8cm pots on 09/05 and will be left in the conservatory for a couple of weeks.

Tasmanian Chocolate Dwarf- Indeterminate grows to 3ft 9 inches started and potted on as above with 100% germination.

Tomato Greenhouse

More crap weather so no time at the allotment.
A nice christmas present that I constructed yesterday within 15 minutes.

It was filled with rogue Beefsteak tomatoes releasing a bit of space in the Conservatory;
I have potted on Beijing Yellow,Maskotka,Mortgage Lifter and Losetto tomatoes.
I have planted Rolet Little Gem Squash,Black Beauty Courgette,Paton Twins Giant Pumpkin,self saved Sungold,Catmint and Sunflower Russian Giant,then reorganised the Conservatory to make some more space.