Tuesday 28 July 2009

Squash invasion!


I thought I'd try and be a smarti-pants this time, following this mess I got into with my pictures on the last blog! So I uploaded my pictures first and placed my text around them!! Hera are just a few pictures from the allotment as promised. As you can see the squashes are loving this rain!











Winding their way through the sweetcorn. I love this kind of companion planting.














As you can see they are rampant at the moment. This is a veiw of the fruit bed. The shrubs on the right of the picture are Raspberries, Joan Jay I think. The squashes are making use of every bit of available space, winding their way in any gap, then spilling out onto the paths.









These are three of my pumpkins, I hope they get at bit bigger before they ripen. This is the first year that I've grown pumkins, and I've found lots of lovely recipes. I couldn't bring myself to sacrifice any of them in order that I just get one big one! Tho I have limited the plant to just three.










Another view of the sweetcorn and butternut bed.
I've staggered the planting of the sweetcorn this year, but I have followed advice from a fellow plotholder not to mix different varietys. The later sowing seems to be catching up fast! I love to eat it straight from the plant, I dont bother wasting time taking it home to cook first!





Friday 24 July 2009

I'm back!!




My humble apologies for neglecting my blog. No excuses, I'm a lazy un-inspired boring blah blah blah!


I have been really busy, honestly, I may have neglected my blog, but not my growing! The other day I went to the allotment and picked 14lbs of redcurrants from ONE bush, I kid you not! It was an amazing harvest! With this bumper harvest I have made 2 gallons of home made redcurrant wine and I have frozen the rest for later use. I also harvested gooseberries and made gooseberry chutney. We are not lovers of puddings in our house, we dont really eat jam, but I, sorry we, do love our cheese! I actually have to admit to not liking gooseberries that much!! Especially when you buy three red gooseberry plants from your local cheap retailer, and they all turn out to be of the green variety!! But not being one to waste anything, I trawled through my cookery books and the internet and found a recipe for chutney. And very good it is too!

The allotment is going well... the slugs and caterpillars are having a whale of a time, despite netting, liberal use of slug pellets etc etc. I try to be organic, but boy it gets on my nerves! It wouldn't be so bad if they targeted just one plant, but NO they have to have a nibble and deposit droppings on everything! Good job I plant loads. I promise to post some photos soon. Meanwhile.......

The greenhouse is producing very well.......
Lovely juicy red peppers
I have to apologise (again) for the bizarre layout. When I uploaded my pictures, I couldnt move them to where I wanted them! So they are rather haphazardly placed! You get the general picture....... I hope....... take care Tatty