I nipped to the Hill tonight & picked some sweetpeas, & some BROAD BEANS (barry plot 19) & PEAS (hsl newick) for tea.
David-other-half was there, confined entirely to his shed, hammering. Given that all I could hear was an intermittent & loud banging sound, & that I didn’t actually see him at all, it did cross my mind that he might be trapped in the shed trying to attract my attention, but thought it unlikely, so I didn’t go & investigate further. If he is still there tomorrow, I’ll go & let him out.
Reg-next-plot was in full-on spray mode – a vat of liquid, pump action spray wand to hand, goggles, the lot – all of which was to combat pea & bean moth, he said.
Once he emerged, we got chatting about when to harvest shallots – he’s lifted his already & left them to dry on the surface – & the 3-potatoes-in-a-growbag competition that he’s organised for the both the allotment holders & Social Club members.
He scoffed at those people who think they are doing really well as they have enormous green growth, overwhelming the growbag saying, “it’s what’s underneath the soil that counts!”, to which I heartily agreed & showed him my modest potato growbag.
He stared seriously for a long moment at my growbag, & eventually filled the ensuing silence with “ah, well, it’s only a bit of fun, isn’t it?”
Hardly a vote of confidence, but at least the beans & peas tasted good!
A bit of encouragement wouldn't hurt would it? Isn't this time of year lovely when full-on harvest mode clicks in?
ReplyDelete“ah, well, it’s only a bit of fun, isn’t it?”
ReplyDeleteI think that is referred to as "damning with faint praise" and drives me nuts. Himself is likely to get clobbered with the nearest gardening implement when he says things like that to me. Will you get chucked off your plot if you go assaulting other plot-holders!
Oh dear - whats happened to the Spuds !! :O)
ReplyDeleteHoping to grow some spuds again in bags or bins ... But they didn't do at all well last season ....
(Hope you beat him anyway :O) that would be amusing:O)
Just Reg being Reg, I think! I've though about clobbering one or two at the Hill - at least Reg is extremely knowledgeable and generous with his surplus veg!
ReplyDeleteIt would be a complete giggle if my spuds beat his though, wouldn't it?!
Did you see a post at The Grapevine yesterday about someone's potatoes with LOADS of top growth and very few tubers, let me know if you did not read it and I'll try to find it.
ReplyDeleteYes, Bilbo, it was Snadger with his Duke of York potatoes. Some spuds do have a lot more 'on top' than others - I remember the first year one of the varieties had 4-5' foliage!
ReplyDeleteWe've all grown the same potatoes (rocket) for the competition - other people do have more in the way of leaves than I do - it'll be interesting to see if it makes any difference to the crop!