Planting out 'the survivors'

The survivors from my grown-from-seed selection got planted out last week. Disappointingly there weren't as many as I'd like, but then that's the way it goes. I guess it is all part of learning. Most things got planted in the big bed at the 'road end', the one I'd divided into 9 sections. I put the squashes/courgettes etc here as it is closest to the water source. Should be easier on my poor back!

This is how it looked post-planting. Flowers nearest to us: nicotiana, cosmos, dwarf rudbeckia; above them to the left of the photo is the 'med bed': aubergine, tomatoes, yellow pepper (more to add here). The rest of the squares contain various courgettes and squashes. Some squares are still empty but they'll soon fill up :) As you can see, the squashes etc are pretty weeny. Hopefully they'll sort themselves out asap.

If you're wondering what those are by each plant, they're cut-off bottles, to focus the watering. Last year I didn't do this and I expect water was wasted. I know some of the leaves got scorched, so hopefully this way will be better. While the roots get established I am watering normally, then I'll move onto just watering in the bottles.

I also planted out into the mini-beds. My chitted rooster spuds went in one, and the surviving early extra sweetcorns went next to them.

The flowers planted a while back in the first row of mini-beds are taking their time. The only one looking promising is this bed of gladiolus, poppies and mixed annuals, even if it does look messy. I am sure half are weeds!

I also netted the blueberry with the clothes-peg & cane system.

Mother's Day & a little MORE shopping!

Well, I just thought I'd get my mum an additional present for Mother's Day (I've already sorted 'something' out) and whilst I was there I spotted something I wanted to get. Seemed a good deal too - something called a 'honeyberry' (2x plants) and with that, I got a free blueberry (wanted to get a partner for my existing plant), as well as a goji berry. I look forward to it arriving and I do hope mum likes her 'extra' gift :)

Here's the blurb on the stuff I got for myself:

If you like blueberries then you will love honeyberries. They have a similar flavour but they are just a bit sweeter. And they have the same levels of vitamins and antioxidants. You'll get two Honeyberry plants in one pot - one male and one female to ensure pollination. They are just so easy to grow; just plant them in a large pot of multi-purpose compost and they will grow to form a 5ft bush which start fruiting in May. Honeyberries, although new, are extremely popular items and stocks are limited. So order now to ensure delivery. Free with your Honeyberry:• Blueberry Bluecrop - Bestseller. Superb mid-season variety, producing large tasty berries from end of July. Grows to a 4' bush. Frost tolerant.• Goji Berry - The new tasty superfood. Pretty 2cm berries with mild, sweet flavour. Incredibly high in antioxidants. Very hardy. Likes a sunny spot. Grows to 6' tall.

I look forward to getting this in April :)

Some clearing, rearranging and harvesting

Managed a few hours down the lottie and mainly did weeding. I also moved some stuff around too that was getting swamped by my enormous cosmos and rudbeckia plants. Remembered the camera so a photo-tastic post for you!

spinach is doing well but it has been seriously nibbled! picked loads for my spinach and ricotta lasagne. there is lots left. yummy :)

weeded beds - flowers, herbs and butternut squash. i moved the lady's mantle out from under the cosmos to give it a better chance. i also moved the tree onions and dug out the golden courgettes as they were pretty much done for. i'm pleased the butternut squash pulled through though :)

hooray! the verbena my friend gave me is starting to flower. love these :)

cosmos. just look at it!!

butternut squash starting to perk up and form some fruits :)

the white dry stalks are from the tree onions i have already harvested. it is good to see they are still growing. not tried the onions yet. i was told they are HOT! i moved them out from under the shadow of the cosmos/rudbeckia giants so hopefully they do ok.

pretty rudbeckia. i picked some more for the flat :)

spotted this busy bee on the globe artichoke flower. i love bumblebees, me!

the blueberry still has a few berries on it but the leaves are turning lovely colours so i took this snap.

the sweetcorn is tempting me every time i go to the lottie! not quite ready yet. the taller ones are the babycorn!! the aubergines are still flowering and fruiting.

i dug some leftover spuds out of this patch last weekend. the courgettes are still going strong and the pumpkins are ok. they were looking a bit yellow and sad so i gave them a good water in the hope they perk up. there are still some pumpkins forming.

runner/french/dwarf beans harvested. these are so delish eaten as is :) so sweet!

there are so many runner beans on this frame that they are pulling it over! this is only a few plants too. i will not need more than this next year!!

I also picked some aubergines, some courgettes and the remaining green tomatoes from the shed toms which FINALLY got chucked out! Hooray - I feel liberated.

Comedy courgette and big ol' blueberries

I've still not had much time to do any proper work down the allotment. I did manage to weed around 2 beds though so at least part of the plot is looking tidy. At this time of the year with the sun and rain the weeds are a proper battle. You dig them up, turn around and they are back again! I also got started on tidying up my 'burning bed'. My plan is to bag up all the crap there and get it down the tip. Once that is done I can plant out another 5x5m bed. Not sure what with yet!

I am pleased to be harvesting my first courgettes. It doesn't seem like that long ago when I planted 4 little weedy plants. They are now monsters and are producing the first veg. I have been down checking the progress of the plot every other day. I saw that they were nearly ready to pick so I have been waiting for them to get a little bigger. How the hell this one missed the checks I don't know! It is a whopper! It made me laugh when I spotted it. Almost looks like a marrow! It was very tasty :)

These two little beauties are much more reasonable size-wise. Look at the difference in size! These are waiting to be eaten. I expect they will taste better than the giant.

The checking also revealed some ripe blueberries off the plant I put it a little while ago. The fruits were really quite big compared with those you get in shops and they didn't have that soapy taste. I had them with some vanilla icecream and a smashed up crunchie. Yum!

More beans picked too. Looks like I will be eating a lot of beans as there are loads of flowers and forming beans on the plants. Luckily I love beans! I'm really pleased the blackfly seems to have been dealt with by nature too. Hooray!

'Surgery', strawberries and sale plants

...hmm, how do i do this??!

Saturday afternoon/eve was spent down't allotment with my friend, Eva. I needed a helper so I could get my raspberries netted - not a solo task! - so I was terribly greatful she volunteered her help. There are many jobs an allotmenteer can do solo but sometimes one needs help! It took a while to decide how best to tackle the netting as the raspberries are mixed in with the other soft fruit in a 7 x 5m bed. It would cost a fortune to do the whole thing so I am prioritising raspberries this year as my fruit to protect :) I plumped for a longer-lasting net and went with 2 packs of 8 x 2m 12mm pond netting. Luckily most of the raspberries are at one end of the bed so I could net most of them. Here's some pics - I was quite pleased with the results and, like ever, I did a neat (read "perfectionist's"!) job and more or less sewed the two nets together - I felt a bit like a surgeon!

i'm going in!

...and for my next trick, i will make a raspberry net out of bamboo canes, plant ties and pond covering!

ta da!! surgical stitching!

here's the finished result. no bird is getting at them there raspberries!! muhaha!

So, job done :) That was all I'd planned to do. That, and water the plants. However, we all know it is far too easy to get distracted, especially by reduced sale-price plants. Yes, I succumbed to 2x sweet peppers, 1x tomato (will look up the type), 1x pack of 6 cherry tomatoes, 4x pumpkins, 2x leek packs. I also got drawn in by a handsome-looking blueberry bush. Not that I needed more soft fruit but I don't have a blueberry... oh it is all too easy to get sidetracked!

2nd big bed, newly planted out with pumpkins, peppers, tommies to go with already planted sweetcorn, aubergines, baby sweetcorn and potatoes - busy bed!

Next, plant out that impulse-buy blueberry...!

Look at me go! ha! However, this next photo will show you why I bought it - it's so handsome!

*sigh*

I am also having a fantastic run on juicy, scrumptious strawberries. I picked about 750g of ripe red beauties. The net I put over them really has protected the crop and more or less all were pristine. There are some real whoppers and the taste and smell is heaven!


The rest of the allotment is coming on in leaps and bounds. Here are a few snaps of what's growing...

sweet peas

developing flower and herb bed

vialii primula

ripening blackcurrants

globe artichokes starting to flower

charlotte potatoes - bottom right's looking a little sad :(

broccoli, red onions and charlotte potatoes

charlotte potatoes, red onions, broccoli and cauliflower

So, all going well. I hope your growing's going good :)