As usual we also decided to pick what was available.
As mentioned in the previous post we've been tidying the front garden and, having cleared the front bed of petunias it was time to replace them with the wallflowers we've been nurturing down the allotment. As usual we also decided to pick what was available.
0 Comments
And that was it basically. Picked some produce as shown below and gave the squashes a whole water-butt of water as the ground looked very dry.
We're back to the heatwave again: 24 hours brief respite (of sorts) last week and now it's forecast hot, hot, hot again. Went down for two and a half hours Saturday evening and picked a load of tomatoes and other stuff, and watered everything. Picked some red potatoes and they look pretty good. The weather forecast for the week ahead still does not contain any rain and over the next few days the temperature is set to rise to the low thirties degrees Celsius. Having said that we went down late evening today but just picked a load of fruit and veg and gave the watering a rest. What's the betting we're back down there watering within the next two or three days.
Picked the first onions and potatoes this evening. We seem to be going down every other day now. Exceeded thirty degrees today, not for the first time in this heatwave and for the last five weeks it's regularly been in the mid to high twenties with absolutely no rain in the offing. Down yet again to water. I think we may have rescued about 40% of the leeks but everything else is looking good with all this sunshine. Picked some more produce.
Well, summer's here with a vengeance. The forecast is for a minimum of ten days with no chance of rain and temperatures in the mid to high twenties centigrade.
Came down in the evening to water considerably and pick one or two items that seemed ready. We planted up the final bed with leeks - so every bed is now occupied. We've been getting on top of the allotment since we came back from holiday and now all beds except one have something in them. This is an overview with what's in each bed. The small fruit cage is looking good and the blueberries have settled in well in their new home. The gooseberries are looking good even if there's not a huge amount of them. The asparagus just have to be left now to recuperate for next year. The beetroot is looking promising. The sweet peas, cucumbers and French beans are coming on growing up the canes. The two beds of potatoes are also doing OK. After a disastrous year last year and a slow start this year the carrots are finally looking reasonable. The wallflowers are doing OK but the radishes look to be doing very well indeed. Courgettes are also OK. Sweetcorn too, is OK. Tomatoes seem to be fine. Onions, as always, are coming on OK. Mange-tout and celeriac. The large fruit-cage, as every year, promises much. Parsnips look to be OK. Tomatoes, parsnips and rhubarb. As you can see the leeks have only just been planted. Cabbages too are looking good (through the netting!) The squashes are looking alright but will need to be kept well watered as they're in the very dry/sheltered bottom bed. The main blueberry bath looks to be OK. Finally, there is just one spare, empty bed, and that will be planted up with leeks on our next visit. We clipped some wire netting over the picnic area for the vine and clematis to clamber over but the clematis looks a bit poorly at the moment with parts of it seemingly dying away. Finally, the two trees grown from acorns are growing really well up against the cemetery wall; but the buddleia has pretty much had it. Another full day today, for the second time in three days. We've had plenty of rain during the last week and we're on holiday next week so need to get as much planted as possible. We planted some wallflowers ready for next year. Screwed in some net-support stumps for netting for the cabbages. Planted a couple more courgettes in the top bed. Planted four cucumber plants in with the beans. Also planted some beetroot along the edge of the asparagus bed. The carrots are doing a lot better this year than they did last year. Trimmed and tidied up some of the soft fruit in the fruit cage that had started to go a bit rampant. Planted some squashes in the sheltered, dry bottom bed. The tomatoes appear to have taken well. The fern, too, is looking very good this year. The fennel has really taken to its new home behind the artichokes. And the artichokes themselves are doing quite well. Poppies as well are looking good. Had a good five hours down the allotment today. The weather started off this morning with a cool breeze and completely overcast sky with the occasional brief shower but by this afternoon it was back to bright and reasonably warm sunshine. The comfrey has come into flower and is attracting the bees. The recent rain and sun has encouraged the weeds to go berserk so we weeded the bottom two beds by the cemetery wall. We planted a number of tomato plants in a couple of beds. Cleared half of the top bed of mares tail and planted five courgettes. Planted a load of carrot seeds alongside the ones already growing. The onions are looking quite good......... The vine is also looking good after the recent warm weather and rain. The blackberry in the small fruit cage is covered in white flowers. Then right at the end we picked some more asparagus and a few stalks of rhubarb for Sunday lunch tomorrow. |
Archives
July 2023
Categories
All
|