Month: August 2015

Steady mizzle

Steady mizzle today, but, undaunted, I’ve been at the plot for a few hours and have made a small dent in the massive amount of weeding. There are 2 black bin bags full of horsetail and buttercups and the beets/chicoria bed has been thoroughly hand-weeded. The Jarrahdale squash has been […]

Blackcurrant insurance

My Mum doesn’t want all her soft fruit anymore. To be honest, I’ve been doing the majority of the picking & transforming into jelly for the last 10 or so years anyway. But I am very attached to the bushes and I don’t want them just chucked over the fence or […]

Please can proper August weather come back?

Like in the ’70s, if you wouldn’t mind. Not this miserable, damp, cool weather that’s more at home in October than August. It feels wrong to be wearing a jumper and boots this time of year. Though looking at last year’s diary August was pretty wet then too. #100 My […]

It’s raining!

For once the wet forecast wasn’t a big fat fib. Lovely, lovely rain hissing down quietly and steadily. I’m guessing this will end in a Full Smith Period, but I don’t care. My last spuds are nearly ready, I am crossing fingers the greenhouse will be protected and the plots […]

Cake, and lots of it

This weekend was the allotment summer tea party. Rarely has so much cake been gathered in one place…There are some very competitive, talented bakers in our midst and the table was crammed with goodies. Thanks to stirling efforts and elastic waistbands most of it was scoffed. It really was a lovely […]

Fully loaded tomato vines are really heavy

After last night’s plot watering I had a quick peek in the greenhouse to see if any tomatoes were ripe and saw chaos. The strings holding one of the cross-poles had snapped and vines were slumped everywhere. No breakages thankfully and they are back to being vertical, but it was […]

I’ve neglected the plot for a few days and it shows. The potted aubergine, fuschia and tomatoes were gasping for water. Spent 3 hours digging and sifting the future saffron bed. I am two-thirds done, which means I am thoroughly fed up with picking out bindweed and pulling buttercup/bramble/couch roots […]