A trip to the Birmingham Gardener's Show in Kings Heath on Sunday instead of going to the Hill is a case in point - although it was a lovely (if very rainy!) morning out with mum.I bought a new pair of ratchet secateurs, & wallflowers for the front of the plot, then we watched a demonstration beehive & marvelled at the vegetable show entries.
Mind you, my competition pumpkin will be giving one or two of these a run for their money...
Back at the plot, the courgettes continue to crop, but at a less stupid rate than previously - I think that some rather cooler nights have checked them. Also the stalwart runner beans - another good handful tonight.I even picked some tomatoes - the plants have been soundly ignored since planting out, and a number have been overwhelmed by the butternut squash & courgette plants.
But before I moan too much about the plot being a bit - er - bohemian because of my lack of attendance, I'm put in my place by Dave C from the top , who came by when I was formulating an overwhelmingly long mental list of Jobs To Do whilst yanking out handfuls of nasturtiums from the front of the plot in the dusk earlier.
He kindly offered me some of his leeks to go with my courgettes & beans for tea, & as we walked up to his plot, I asked him about his recent holiday to Australia & he enthused about the weather, the people & what a wonderful time they'd all had."Mind you," he concluded, as we arrived at his plot, "six weeks in the middle of summer is quite a long time to leave the plot to it's own devices."
Six weeks? So how come his plot didn't look wild, like mine does? He's got well ordered & well grown crops, a huge - but neat - pile of well rotted manure waiting to be dug in, & not a weed in sight. All I can say is that he must have worked bloody hard since he got back - an advert for application, I think.
I wonder if it's the start of autumn hibernation setting in!
ReplyDeleteToday's sunshine helped me to drag my sorry butt to the allotment and get weeding but I've not be very diligent of late either. Keeping on top of the harvest is work enough. And then there's all the preserving in the kitchen....
Seeking inspiration elsewhere is also important so glad you made it to the show :O)
"A trip to the Birmingham Gardener's Show" ... You know, it's so lovely to find other folks going to this kind of thing and into growing veg who are not old men.
ReplyDeleteI went to the Dundee Flower & Fruit Show the other weekend, mainly to see the National Vegetable Society's annual exhibition, cause I've never been to anything like that before and I've just started to grow veg. And OMG did I get utterly tortured at work for it?! I got teased mercilessly, and it's still going on. They all say "growing vegetables is an old man's hobby, you're off your head", but now I can show them your blog - cause the photos of you don't like anything like a pair of old men! :-D
AND your blog's a really interesting read!
Maybe it's because it's all looking a bit 'gone over' on the plot, Nic, and looking a bit sorry for itself? You're right about the preserving plenty to do to in the kitchen!
ReplyDeleteShows are so much fun, Croila - the others don't know what they are missing! You're always going to have the last laugh when you grow your own - your own veg are cheaper & tastier. In fact, I might do a 'why grow your own' post...