Welcome to our plot!

I'm Hazel, and in Nov 2006 my friend Jane and I took on a half plot at Hill Allotments, Sutton Coldfield - we want the satisfaction of growing and eating our own fruit and veg, and to improve our diet (and fitness!).

This is the story of what happened next...........

Tuesday, June 05, 2012

Changeable Weather

We have had an extraordinary contrast in the weather over the last couple of weeks - we had a week towards the end of May when it was so hot you couldn't move, and this week the temperatures have dipped and - boy - has it rained.

The first chance I had this long bank holiday weekend to get out and not get thoroughly soaked was yesterday, when I packed the car high with bean seedlings and headed to the Hill.  Because the bean frame was prepped already, I just needed to tickle the soil with a fork and get planting.  Instant allotment - I love it!

One of the climbing bean varieties has not done well - I've sown further seed - so I have a gap there, and I still need to put two lots of dwarf beans out, but otherwise, that bed can look after itself.

I was distracted by some weeding - a never ending job - then sowed a couple of rows of parsnip and carrot.  I  sowed the carrot thickly as I have become suspicious of this seed packet's viability.  Despite squinting closely at the two previous rows I have put in, I cannot see any seedlings at all.  The parsnips are all coming up which were sown at the same time, but not a sniff of carrot.  It's either the slugs hoovering up the seedlings as they come up, or seed which is past its best - something I am quite prepared to believe.

The weather seems to have suited the peas and broad beans - flowers now on the first broadies I planted out, and the peas all clinging to their wigwams.  The potatoes are all looking quite chipper, too, so I earthed them up, and now they can get on with it as well.

I nodded in satisfaction of a job well done then walked up the plot to put the spade and fork away.  I passed the asparagus bed and admired the plants - all twelve crowns looking good - when I spotted an IMPOSTER in the midst. Yes, the first of the asparagus beetles - AAAGH! I had a quick beetle-squashing session - if I can't eat the asparagus till next year, I'm damned if I'm going to let them scoff it!

Then home to plant out the peppers into their final pots in the mini green house (late, I know) and to plant out the tomatoes into their buckets.

And now it is raining again.

6 comments:

  1. Your tomatoes don't look late to me - mine are still only a few inches high in the greenhouse muttering darkly to each other about the bloody weather!

    So cold here today I fully expect to light the woodburner later this evening. Thankfully it has finally started raining, hope it keeps it up for 24 hours or more.

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    1. Not sure if it is phenomenal rainfall or it being so cool that is holding the toms back - or low light levels with all those dark rainclouds?

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  2. Finally got some time down on the plot today, beans planted, along with squash and courgettes :) tomatoes another day :) It's all looking so well under control there Hazel - I must get some parsnips in but I thought it was too late!

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    Replies
    1. I managed to get the concurbits out today, Trudi - just hope that they are not munched by the damn slugs like everything else!

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  3. Replies
    1. If we could just have a few days of sunshine, everything would get going like a rocket, Mrs P. Maybe this week - although the forecast is not good (again!).

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