Thursday 8 June 2017

Getting summery on the plot

Welcome to June dear friends! It's a fabulous month for us Gaults ~ it contains our Wedding Anniversary and Andrew's Birthday, so there is much celebrating to be done and a few glasses of bubbles to be toasted 😄.  Hopefully we'll get some nice weather too unlike today which has been dull and heavy with rain.

So let's look back to last Saturday when the heavens smiled upon us and we spent a nice time at the allotment, enjoying the sun, the new seedlings and planting things out. What was especially nice was this beautiful rose opened up by the shed.

pink rose - www.growourown.blogspot.com

Puts a smile of your face seeing that first thing and then turning the corner and seeing our beautiful, healthy potatoes look smashing - darn it, it made us glad to be there.

These are Sharp's Express in four big black pots that a kindly plot neighbour gave to us. We love growing them in pots; it saves room, we can afford them more protection and the best growing medium, it's easy to earth them up with more compost and boy are they ridiculously easy to harvest. We're all about efficiency and ease!
Potato joy - www.growourown.blogspot.com
When I was sitting on the bench by them I noticed flowers and the intricate beauty of the humble spud leaf.
So here are the new plants we brought with us to get settled into the ground:

  • garlic chives and uchiki kuri winter squashes
  • dwarf bean borlotto and climbing french bean cobra

A couple of the squashes went to our black pot friend and then he gave us a Japanese squash in return! Andrew was surprised and pleased - look at his wee face, haha.

new plants and happy hubby - www.growourown.blogspot.com

I walked about with my camera and here's some pics on 14b, yep, I was still emotionally involved.

Goodbye plot - www.growourown.blogspot.com

We've pretty much taken all we can, even the black weed suppressing membrane and the gravel and wooden edging. Oh it's such a sad sight - look at those little box hedging plants and the rhubarbs etc..

Beauty on 14b - www.growourown.blogspot.com
There were a great many plum poppies on display and the orientals have bloomed now too, in the middle of this collage are the first damson fruits. Out of everything the most I want to try and save a bit of, at least, is that purple poppy. But that's it, now I shall focus on 24a.

So back over to our real plot and I have to show you the garlic and broad bean signs Andrew etched onto slate we had lying around the place. I love them and he's promised more 😀...

Awesome allotment plant signage - www.growourown.blogspot.com

And thinking of the broad beans - we had a green fly infestation starting which lucky I spotted whilst taking these photos. They were swiftly and brutally attacked with our soapy water in a spray bottle. Ha! Victory shall be ours. Funnily the broad beans planted in situ are much darker, stockier and healthier looking than these ones and aren't that far behind.
greenfly on the broad beans -  www.growourown.blogspot.com
die greenfly, die!
Dwarf borlotto beans where planted under the supervision of Toby. Goodness the soil is great this year, so rich, friable and even with a few worms; the whole no dig principle is excellent and we highly recommend it! Check out Charles Dowding if you don't practise it yourself. These beans are off to a good beginning and I learnt that they are planted a trowels width away from each other.
planting out the dwarf borlotto beans -  www.growourown.blogspot.com

There was more going on but I fear this post is getting too long so I shall leave my story here for now (the sweetcorn, squash and seedlings will wait) . Here's a beautiful honeysuckle for you, from beside the wooden bench, beside the potatoes where Toby also happened to be having a good time.

honeysuckle and Toby - www.growourown.blogspot.com

Hugs,
Carrie

18 comments:

  1. Some great photos!!! So glad you're back to the allotment and training in the new 'supervisor' i.e. Toby lol xxx

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    1. Only 'some' haha! Thanks mamma, loving your comments and will continue to keep you up to date on Toby's progress xxx

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  2. Dogs and allotments, sunshine and fresh air - all we need sometimes. That poppy is gorgeous Carrie, as is the rose! I've tried growing our potatoes in a 12 foot by 4 foot raised bed under black weed suppressant fabric this year. Hopefully no earthing up needed. So far so good, maybe we'll compare methods. No digging for sure. Virtual hugs and Happy birthday to Andrew.

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    1. How right you are - dogs, allotments, sunshine and fresh air can be a total cure all. I'm interested in your potato growing technique, I've always thought the potatoes needed the extra soil to provide nutrients as well as protection from the sun. I await your results :) Big hugs to you xx

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    2. We have grown our potatoes under weed control fabric for. Couple of years or so. The first year we tested some with and without using same varieties and there was no real difference in yield

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    3. That is so interesting Sue, I have just never thought of it! I guess living where I do in Northern Ireland and constantly seeing fields of potatoes I thought they needed the earthing up. That's really cool :)

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    4. It makes planting potatoes easier and quicker. No digging trenches either.

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  3. A most enjoyable post and lovely pictures. I like that rose, and Andrew's slate name markers. It looks, and sounds, like you'll be soon be eating lots of delicious home grown vegetables.
    Happy plotting. xx

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    1. Thank you Flighty xx The rose has had a hard life with disease and years ago I tried to dig it out! Instead I cut it back super hard almost to the ground and since then it has grown stronger every year - hurrah! I imagine we are all looking forward to our first tasty harvest when all the hard work pays off x

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  4. You said you have your own variety of garlic - needs to be on that elegant slate label ;~)

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  5. I can understand why you want to save those poppies. The potatoes look great.

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    1. Oh me, oh my, the plum one in particular - it's hurting my heart to think of it being taken by new tenants and thrown away! I must have it, or at least part of it. Hugs

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  6. Oooh, that honeysuckle looks delicious! And those slate markers with the adorable drawings? You could make a living selling those. How fun is gardening with other gardeners?

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    1. I was so surprised to see the honeysuckle looking so beautiful, the flowers are a little above my head height but I adore them. Andrew is good at everything (he would make you sick!, haha) I think he has a future in sign making too. And yes, swapping and comparing crops with neighbours is lovely; not much of it happens anymore but I do so welcome it. xx

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  7. Ack hello Toby haven't seen a picture of him for a while, looks almost like he is smiling, one happy wee dog. Looks like it is all going well at number 24 especially having the friendly neighbours swapping crop, isn't that just lovely. Your pictures are fabulous catching everything even the green fly infestation (lucky enough). I would say it would give you a lot of satisfaction watching all round you bloom. I love the slab idea, well done Andrew for being so creative 😀. Hopefully 14b will have people working at it soon and get it as good as you both had it before you left, end of an era at 14b. Can't wait to read the next blog.....don't leave me in suspense too long 😊 lots of love Jo x

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  8. Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary!
    June is great so far although green flies not so much. I am waiting for a day off so I also can tackle this problem.
    The rose look stunning!

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  9. Carrie girl ! hello there and wishing you such a happy anniversary plus to Andrew HUGE birthday best wishes : )
    All of these gorgeous veggie and flower shots are perfect. That rose really caught my eye .. so beautiful ... here is wishing you some VERY sunny weather so you can enjoy the plot more !
    Take care
    Joy : )
    PS .. Toby is too cute !

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