Tomatoes everywhere

Tomato plants - the ones at the front I bought from Thetford market (Alicante) and the ones at the rear (no idea) were given to me - as you can see I have staked the front ones but I was told to just let the others do as they wanted - I will wait with baited breat to see what they will do!

The good the bad & the ugly

Got some wood yesterday from the local Timber merchants so that I could put it around another bed that I had 'dug' - I have to say that all that lovely rain makes digging much easier. I have done beds nearly half way along the allotment now and although I have not dug every bed properly it is starting to look much less daunting. The courgette plants have got teeny courgettes on them, the mange tout have got baby mange touts on them and I even spotted two tiny tomatoes on the tomato plants that I bought from the market. that is the good news - all my brassica seedlings that I planted out are covered with aphids in a variety of colours and now they look not very well -- sprayed with some soft soap to see if that will help but I might need to re plant & cover with fleece. I did spot some ladybirds but I think they were full up! - On a brighter note I picked some gooseberries and we had gooseberry crumble this evening and it was scrumptious!

First Harvest

Had our first harvest last weekend - found some lovely raspberries in amongst the brambles on our second plot (actually we were told they were there by the people who had the plot years ago) so after some serious jungle exploration - difficult when you are not equipped with the correct implements, we had the most lovely raspberries for pudding - I am sure the assistant gardener put more in his mouth than in the pot - much to Chloe's admonishment.

Dig, Dig, Dig

What wonderful rain, Before the downpours I managed to do quite alot more to the lotty and have dug another 2 beds, moved the Rhubarb (probably the wrong time but preferable to being under the 'shed' - shed being the loosest term of the word - will take a photo so you can see it - when the rain stops!) I have planted some tomatoes a whole bed of them, some more runner beans, purple sprouting broccoli, cabbage - 3 sorts, brussels sprouts, peas, calabrese & have ready to go in some round courgettes, leeks, butternut squash and lettuces.

Runner beans 

Green manure - clover 

Sweetcorn & Courgettes 

Broad beans, Mange tout, Courgettes

Got stuff planted

I have now got 5 beds edged with slates and have got stuff growing in the - at last it feels like a proper allotment.

Earth at last

Look the rotovating has been done! and so far I have done the marking out with a little help from Chloe - she was wielding the hammer I still have my thumbs - just!

Rotovating time

Tuesday 7th June 2005
Hooray - Tomorrow the undergardener and the people he works with are coming to Cambridge armed with a mini tractor, a plough and a cultivator to sort out the allotment, they are also going to break up the path between ours and nextdoors allotment so that we can reset it - we might be able to get a barrow along it then! All this means that I can get on with setting out the beds and getting things planted.
This evening I planted some seeds:
Asparagus - Martha Washington (I dont know if this will work - if not I will buy some crowns ready for next year).
Runner beans (I am trying the loo roll inner method)

Plot envy

Monday 6th June 2005
I took another pic of next doors plot - I can't help but compare our weedy patch to theirs - they are growing things & I want to also!

Bad idea

Monday 6th June 2005
Yesterday the undergardener (My husband Chris) had a brainwave - after having had a drink or two - that we should rent the plot next to ours and grow fruit trees on it - Here is Chloe in front of it - it is far worse than ours was!

Getting there!

Sunday 5th June 2005
I'm sure that this grass looks decidedly yellower than it did a week ago! - anyway that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Over the last few days as it has been half term I got my children to help me sow some seeds & so far we have done:
Cauliflower - Galleon
Capsicum - Californian wonder
Corn salad - Cavallo
Lettuce - Webbs wonderful
Coriander - Cilantro
Lettuce - Little Gem
Cabbage - minicole
Spring Cabbage - Advantage
Winter cabbage - January King
Beetroot - Boltardy
Sweetcorn - Jubilee
Broccoli - Purple sprouting

I don't know whether it is too late for all these but never mind we have had fun planting them in pots and seed trays, and now my garden looks even more like a plant nursery! - It seems that the more people you speak to the more ther are who either have allotments or grow vegetables at home most of which are very willing to offer advice, seeds, surplus plants etc - what is it about dirt that does this to people?

Fledgling compost bin

Thursday 3rd June 2005
I've been making a compost bin!
So far I only have two layers which I made out of bits of left over decking which were too small to have any use. I keep having to find things to do at home as there is still not alot I can do at the allotment as it has not been rotovated yet.

Hello petal!

This is a picture of a geranium in my garden

Produce!

Monday 30th May 2005
Look I found some asparagus on the lottie - sadly only one spear, which I saved before I sprayed everywhere, It is nice to think that something other than couch grass might be able to grow here - this one was not much of a meal though!

Having a spraying time!

Monday 30th May 2005
Can you tell the difference? this is after I have sprayed it - just you wait couch grass - you WILL die!, my son came with me and spent a happy time saving frogs and putting them into the very overgrown plot next door.
If you are worried about me spraying - the idea is to be organic from here on in but the ground is clay & already has massive cracks in it where it's dried out - I would still be digging this time next year if I tried to do it by hand!

Snap!

Our plot from the same place - well it's looking very green!

Neigbourly jealousy

Sunday 29th May 2005
Our next door neigbours plot (already growing things - even if the Rhubarb looks a little sad)