Fruit plot

David got there before me and strimmed the grass,  filled in a few dips with soil then I met him up there and together we cut down the old fruit bushes which were full of bind weed.  The netting has also been a great support for bindweed too!  Anyway,  cleared a lot and it's now looking much tidier. Still lots to do with leveling off the ground so it's easy to run the mower over. Will be googling fruit trees to buy soon ready to plant in the spring.

Butternut squash

Didn't think I'd get a bigger squash than the 5kg one but near to it!

2.13kg the smallest one and the other two have bust the scales!

Popped to the plot this morning to pick more raspberries and fell into the bush just as I'd spotted a berry I'd missed. Lacerated arms all worth it!

Picked my first of the turnips too, plus the perpetual spinach. I know what we are having for dinner tonight! Spinach omelettes all round!

Just look at the size of this squash too! Massive!

Celeriac & Clamping

Someone advised that the best way to keep potatoes over the next few months was to make a "clamp". Dig a hole, layer of straw, lay on the spuds, top with straw and cover with soil. I'm a bit anxious as to whether this will keep them or not so wait and see.

While I was doing that hubs strimmed the grass and the new plot. Hard work!

I picked a celeriac! Im so pleased. Not as big a root as those in the shops but I'm thrilled as theyre not easy to grow apparently!

Back from Holiday....

After three weeks holiday the plots gone beserk! The Butternut squash are trailing into surrounding beds and loads of squash coming. Courgettes are now being left to get ginormous! The turnips, kohl rhabi and spinach have really grown making it difficult to thin out. Lots of raspberries too. Picked a couple of bowlfuls today plus dug up a few spuds, rhubarb and spring onions. Plenty of nettles and weeds too so dug those up for the bonfire heap!

More courgettes

I'm giving them away now.....so many!  I swear they double in size overnight!  Going to freeze some today... Chop up, blanch then shove into freezer to add to soups etc in the winter. 

Potted on some more strawberry runners.  Cleared the pea bed and put cardboard down to stop weeds. Earthed up the celeriac. Picked courgettes, rhubarb, spring onion,  beetroot, some potatoes and a few raspberries. Loving the plot... Haven't bought veg for weeks.

Germinated already!

The turnips I sowed last week only took three days to germinate.  Went up the plot yesterday evening to water and the kohl rabi and spinach has also popped up.  At this rate when we're back from holiday we'll be eating it!

Yummy starter

I made the starter for a dinner party at the weekend for eleven..... Of course I had to impress with using something from the plot!  Here it is!  Candy stripe beetroot cut very thin into matchsticks, apple, watercress,  mint,  a lemony dressing and crumbled feta cheese.  Delicious!

Seeds to sow...

Started on the new plot today. Want to get it covered asap. Went to Halfords and picked up a few very large boxes! I love free stuff and recycling!

Where the annual spinach has finished on the veggie plot I sowed some seeds today. Kohl Rabi, Perpetual Spinach and Turnips. Something to eat later on in the season all being well. I hope Im not too late

Another plot!

Proud owner of a second plot directly opposite. Going to make in into a mini orchard...fruit trees & bushes. Very excited!

Here it is. Can you see the fruit cage at the back...not sure what the fruit is but I suspect some sort of red or black currant.

The plots gone mad....

After a lot of rain and warm weather the plots growing well.  Picked the last of the spinach.  Have frozen loads of it.  Also picked the peas. Jack shelled the lot.  Some on our dinner plates tonight then the rest frozen.  Dug up a few more potatoes and the rhubarb keeps on coming!  Cabbages ready and loads of courgettes!  Tonight I made courgette & bacon pasta.... Delicious.  The butternut squash plants are growing crazy. Broccoli not so good.  Picked a few pathetic looking heads.  Apparently they like really firm soil and not too much watering.

Roasted some candy stripe beetroot this weekend.  Lovely. 

Courgettes!

I did pick a baby one earlier this week... A little early but today I picked three beauties!  Plus more lettuce and spring onions

Peas!

Watering tonight and picked a lovely plump raspberry... Delicious. Lots more to come but must net asap!

Picked my first few peas too...eat straight from the pod.  Can't get fresher than that!

Plus pulled a few candy stripe beetroot.
(oh.... And more spinach! )

Inundated with Spinach

Its been pretty busy at the plot these last couple of weeks. Lots of sunshine meant lots of watering to be done.  Evie has helped with that a lot... A great help.  A few days of heavy rain and the plots gone mad! Spinach is growing so quick I can't keep up!  I've frozen heaps of it,  given some away and cooked a few different recipes.  Spinach and feta filo pie was delish. Soup  and tomorrow night I'm making pots (home grown by the way! ) with chorizo and spinach! Can't wait....

I picked the first cabbage tonight plus dug up a few potatoes.  Oh....and just the one courgette too! I must remember to remove the male flowers.

Plots looking good....

Plenty of radish,  rocket  and picked a huge bag of spinach!  peas doing well,  lots of flowers,  spuds, cabbages.  So exciting!  Watered it all then the heavens opened!  Typical....

Grrrrr.....

Quick visit to the plot to check on things after a few days of continual rain.  My first strawberry had ripened by a slug eaten its way through it! 

Also,  I could kick myself as the caulies I planted last weekend have been eaten by pigeons! Lady on facebook suggests video tape to deter birds so i will buy some plug plants if I can and start again.

Three R's

More radishes, rhubarb,  rocket and some asparagus from Derek.  Yummy.

Jan gave me some cauliflowers and butternut squash too so will plant those.

The enviromesh arrived so i quickly put that on the cabbages with collars too although its not wide enough for when they grow taller. Will either make a frame or chop it in half to lay the other way.

Radish

Picked a few today.  Nice and round,lovely colour,  crisp and peppery. So pleased!

Courgettes

Nearly everything at home is planted.... In with the courgettes today!

Brassicas

Planted my cabbages and broccoli today.  Temporarily rigged up some netting to protect from birds whilst waiting for some enviromesh to arrive from ebay. Its bird protection and also from cabbage whites.

Wet and Windy Week

Not managed to get to the plot due to weather.  Lots of rain and very windy.  Today was dry so rushed up there in case the heavens opened! 

Spread straw around the strawberry patch and netted. Hoed and pulled up emerging bind weed ...a full time job!

Everything's doing well.

Met Annie who showed me the polytunnel and kindly gave me a couple of cauliflower plants and a butternut squash left over from yesterday's plant and seed swap,  which i couldn't make.

More seeds in...

After dashing up to the plot last night in fear of overnight frost, I sowed another row each of Rocket, Radish, Spring Onions and Beetroot. Thinned out, weeded, watered and also took my beloved Canon with 50mm lens for a walk about the allotments. Have a look here for the shots. It was so peaceful, sunny and warm. Just lovely. Everything is growing nicely. Will soon take the plants up from home which are coming along in my greenhouse.

The lettuce,  spring onion and beetroot has germinated.  Plus a few more potatoes and loads of chickweed instead on my peas!  Where are the peas!
Some fox decided to dig a big hole too.
Pulled some rhubarb and watered. 

Spinach....

Sieved and sowed another box.  Spinach. Lovely in omelettes and soup. 

The radishes and rocket have germinated AND a potato... Just the one!

David did a few repair jobs with Jack helping.

Our neighbors very kindly gave us some parsnips and leeks too. Thank you!

Sowing outdoors

Three and a half hours today... Lovely and sunny.  A few people there today.  I sowed  the following in one box.  One row of each.

Rocket
Lettuce
Spring onion (sentry)
Beetroot (chioggia)
Radish (scarlet globe)

Then I filled another bed with peas (douce Provence ). I covered these with netting

Here's my collection....

Oh the excitement! Just watered my seeds at home and the Mangetout and Courgette have also germinated

A quick hour....

Jack came with me, just for an hour.  Sieved some soil,  bit of weeding and three barrows of leaf mold. The raspberries have also survived their move! 

Good news too... My broccoli and basil seeds have germinated at home. 

Raspberries....

Jack came with us to the Lottie this morning.  He was really helpful!  Many hands make light work.  He did get an ice cream on the way home!

Barry offered us some raspberry canes last week so David dug those up and I planted them. Quite a few so chuffed to bits.

Filled up a couple of more beds with soil and leaf mold.  Watered a bit,  weeded a bit then cycled back home.

Am also pleased as the celeriac seeds have germinated on the kitchen window sill.

Pricked out tomatoes red pear,  the mixed leaves and cabbages.  They are now outside in the pop up greenhouse.  Hope they survive!

Mothers day

Planted the seed potatoes today. Pulled some rhubarb too.  Little bit of weeding.  Had a chat with a few of the guys about raised beds etc.  Differing opinions. I'm tempted to not bother but will wait and see after this year whether to keep them or not. Met Barry who has moved and clearing his plot.  He offered me some raspberry canes so I'm going to dig them up next weekend. What a kind man!

More seeds....

I've just sowed Basil "Genovese" and also red leaved variety. Plus Courgette "Black Beauty", Broccoli and some sugar peas in my pop up greenhouse. The cabbages on my window silly germinated this week and I noticed this morning that a few tomatoes "Red Pear " have also popped up.  Feeling green fingered!