Half way through June and the season is well and truly underway now isn't it? Everything looks so lush and promising at the moment.
Not long before we will be eating broad beans by the looks of these pods, and courgettes as well.
I have finally got my runner beans going, one or two of the original direct-sown seeds came up, but most of these are pot grown ones that I have transplanted.
I was baffled to keep turning up and finding that someone or something had untied all the string from my carefully constructed bean and tomato frames, and all the canes were flapping about untethered. The only culprit that seemed likely was birds, and sure enough yesterday I arrived to catch one red-handed (or maybe red-beaked?) I didn't think birds were that daft, you would think that one peck would be enough to make it realise that string is not very palatable, but no, they keep on pecking until it's all gone. I have had to re-tie them all using wire this time.
I am so pleased with this spinach, although it has well and truly bolted, we are still finding the leaves delicious in salads, neither tough nor bitter. I have sown some more though, just in case it does start to deteriorate.
The spring planted onions are beginning to bulk up, and they are doing so much better than the autumn planted ones. Below are the leeks I put in on Saturday. These are the early ones, and I have another box of late ones to go in in a few weeks.
It's now less than three weeks until we move, and I have started clearing out my workshop, where I have been making curtains and blinds for several years now - so there is plenty of clutter. I will be keeping E-bay and Freecycle busy over the next few days. I will not be continuing with this business once we have moved; there's not much point replacing the workshop because once my youngest son is at secondary school in just over a year's time I will be thinking about going back into full time work. Will I still have time for an allotment then I wonder? .... anyway that's still some way off yet. Our boxes are being delivered this evening and then we will have no excuse not to start packing .. or at least to start clearing out cupboards etc.
Half way through June and the season is well and truly underway now isn't it? Everything looks so lush and promising at the moment.
Not long before we will be eating broad beans by the looks of these pods, and courgettes as well.
I have finally got my runner beans going, one or two of the original direct-sown seeds came up, but most of these are pot grown ones that I have transplanted.
I was baffled to keep turning up and finding that someone or something had untied all the string from my carefully constructed bean and tomato frames, and all the canes were flapping about untethered. The only culprit that seemed likely was birds, and sure enough yesterday I arrived to catch one red-handed (or maybe red-beaked?) I didn't think birds were that daft, you would think that one peck would be enough to make it realise that string is not very palatable, but no, they keep on pecking until it's all gone. I have had to re-tie them all using wire this time.
I am so pleased with this spinach, although it has well and truly bolted, we are still finding the leaves delicious in salads, neither tough nor bitter. I have sown some more though, just in case it does start to deteriorate.
The spring planted onions are beginning to bulk up, and they are doing so much better than the autumn planted ones. Below are the leeks I put in on Saturday. These are the early ones, and I have another box of late ones to go in in a few weeks.
It's now less than three weeks until we move, and I have started clearing out my workshop, where I have been making curtains and blinds for several years now - so there is plenty of clutter. I will be keeping E-bay and Freecycle busy over the next few days. I will not be continuing with this business once we have moved; there's not much point replacing the workshop because once my youngest son is at secondary school in just over a year's time I will be thinking about going back into full time work. Will I still have time for an allotment then I wonder? .... anyway that's still some way off yet. Our boxes are being delivered this evening and then we will have no excuse not to start packing .. or at least to start clearing out cupboards etc.