29th July 2011

coooeeeee,

Been to the allotment with callum a few times this week did some weeding which takes ages by the time you realise it an hour has passed.
The runner beans are doing fantastic already picked quite a few and that's only from half of them as the other half were planted later ,you can't be scared of bees when picking them the whole row buzzes like a bee hive it gets covered in bumble and honey bees all good as they will be busy pollinating them which means i get more beans :)
I have a few french beans almost ready i have never eaten them before so only grew a few of them.
Had my onions checked by another plot holder as i wasn't sure if they were ready to pick and store they were starting to bend but hadn't changed yellow,i was told to leave them a couple of weeks but if we get wet weather to pull them up. If you pull them out before the leaves have flopped they don't store well so I'm waiting :)
Finally finished all first early new potatoes dug up the last few yesterday :( the second earlies next
enough rambling for now :)

21st july

First day of the school holidays and the weather is rubbish ,dull and cold :( think we had some heavy rain in the night which will have done everything some good ,it has the weeds they are growing well!!!
I took callum with me to the allotment today ..something i'll be doing for the next 6 weeks ,with the weather being rubbish didn't want to stay long just went down for some new potatoes for tea and some runner beans
i think i have about 6 plants of  first earlies left now i can't remember when i last bought new potatoes must have saved a few pennies :)
Runner beans are doing very well picked lots again today so many flowers on them hopefully many more to come

a quick mention about the pumpkin it's getting really big now there are a few baby ones coming too

16th July

I have been down to the allotment a few times this week but worn myself out doing so before i go i have to get everything else done around the house first as well as running errands for pete
It helped the weather has been good this week not too hot and not raining did more weeding which i don't mind doing if i have the time to spare , and more harvesting
first earlies are about finished now thing about 6 plants are left i dug a plant up yesterday and it produced a new potato the size of a baking potato the others were ok though be on the second earlies soon

Picked more peas this week it takes ages to pick them then pod them had to be extra careful as they have has nasties inside from the damn pea moth ..i know what to do next year to avoid them getting my peas id like to grow them again :) for now though it's goodbye peas as they have finished :(

Now I'm on to harvesting  the runner beans we had some the other night for tea they were really nice . They seem to be doing well so far lots and lots of red flowers hope they produce lots of beans i always freeze them to last through winter i would be more devastated if they went wrong than anything else as i have always grown them in pots at home and done well

courgettes are still being picked griddled some the other day in butter they were so nice

Took home a big salad bowl lettuce have lots more different varieties that should be ready soon too

All my hard work weeding this week will have been wasted as today's rain will send them shooting up again not complaining though need some good rain and it saves me from spending ages watering everything

ill add more pics next weekend it's changing so much and i want to keep a monthly diary to compare against next year :)

11th July

Bet you can't guess what i spent two and a half  hours doing this morning ..... well weeding is the answer ..it rains and my plot grows weeds overnight ..nightmare
To be truthful i didn't actually spend the whole 2 1/2 hours weeding ..but listening to allotment gossip old men are worse than women!! lol ..it's good there though everyone gets on with each other they all seem a good bunch i haven't upset anyone yet ..infact the man i spoke to today was the third in as many weeks to say i must have green fingers?? apparently Swedes don't grow at all well down there or broccoli  many have trouble with parsnips and beetroot ..but mine is all fine and growing well they have had the grand tour hahaha
 i can only put it down to reading up on what each plant needs soil ect and adapting things for them ,I'm surprised anything is growing though I'm neglecting them a bit especially the cauliflowers I'm not hopeful these will turn out

Yesterday i took callum down we had a harvest of some things pulled my first carrots including a forked one they were a bit small as i tried to tell callum but he said we should test a few ill be leaving them a little longer yet
i cut the head off a broccoli grabbed some runner beans, courgette radishes (that had grown to big)  and my last beetroot and of course more first earlies

I had a scary moment at the allotment when i saw a rat bait box i hate rats!!! but no one has seen any yet been told if they are seen they get dealt with ..the mayor has a plot which helps :) i think the box must have been moved from behind the big compost bin as that one has gone i assume its in it's current place to be picked up ..... I'm still uneasy there though

7th July

Things are getting busy at the allotment constant watering,weeding and more importantly harvesting :)
This week I've been digging up more new potatoes as i need them I'm still only on the second row they have done really well getting loads from the plants , i did an experiment with a small bag of "rocket" first earlies they did as well in quantity but we all decided we preferred the taste of the other which is foremost ... i still want to experiment more next year with another variety too but so far very pleased
Went down today as i needed some courgettes that plant really is a monster I'm so glad i didn't plant more than one I'm getting lots from it and will definatley grow the same one next year

Right next to the courgette is the pumpkin which is amazing i try and visit every other day weather allowing and it amazes me as when i go down every time its grown

Peas well i spent ages picking them today almost an hour in fact it was the one time i wish i had my son callum with me to help ..still a few left been very pleased with the amount of pods produced on this variety which is early onward but inside the pods they can be hit and miss ,so will be trying a different one next year which has been recommended to me

that basket is crammed with peas shame about a quarter of them had been visited by the pea moth and left horrid things inside ..lesson learnt keep netted next year!!
Lastly here is a sneak preview of my runner beans :)

Hopefully I'll find a break between showers to go again this weekend :)
thanks for reading :)

Saturday 2nd July

I have been to the allotment a few times this week watering and weeding it just goes on and on :)

Dug up more new potatoes and picked lots more peas unfortunately mr pea moth visited about 6 of the pods
 :( will net them for longer next year

Took Callum twice this week once on Thursday he helped pick peas it take a long time going through them all ,took him again today it was nice weather ,and as the waddington air show is on my favourite plane the Lancaster flew near near us

Took the netting off the strawberries they have all finished now and sorted out all the runners should have a few new plants rooted soon