Tick off that weekend

It was one of those days when the weather radar map looked like a dalmatian. Following yesterday’s scattered showers, today saw heavy five minute downpours every half an hour from 9.00 am onwards.

I managed to fit in a few jobs around the showers though my excursion up to the allotment coincided with the heaviest shower of the day.

Checking off the list for the weekend:

• cabbages and broccoli sown; sowed a few chilis and parsley too though I doubt these will germinate
• tomatoes fed and tops pricked out; fruit now beginning to pop out; it might just be the best tomato year yet
• what with the wet weather, I lifted just ten out of 40 odd onions; they were planted in pouring rain, but would probably prefer to be lifted in dry conditions
• digging and weeding? well, really dig sleeping on the sofa on wet Saturday afternoons or weeding the Saturday paper on Saturday for a change ;-)

Bean picking

Picked a big bunch of broad beans this evening. Managed to get 1lb 4oz.

The pods are just about at their peak. So, even though this lot were for the freezer, there will be plenty more to eat fresh this weekend.

Jobs for the weekend:

• lift yellow onions (their leaves have turned over and some are threatening to bolt
• more digging
• even more weeding
• sowing cabbage and broccoli

Nomnomnom

Thanks to Jim and Ann for the delicious strawberries! A delightful treat after a day of intermittent weeding.

June harvest

In between today’s showers…

One cabbage (with slug inhabitant) picked and half eaten.

Told that my garlic had rust. Dug the lot this afternoon and now drying on my staging. Nice aroma around the house!

Plus…

Planted out more peas and did a bit of weeding. Stung by stinging nettles, as per usual.

Spits and spots

I would have taken my camera for a walk to share the latest growth spurts. But, we got the extreme edge of a big storm that – if the MetOffice radar is to be believed – thumped Exmoor.

It was – literally – a couple of spots.

So, the limit of tonight’s work was another 80 pints of water wheelied up to the allotment butt; a few minutes of weeding to get the worst of the rest in the Desiree bed; and, watering tomatoes, fledging peas and whatever else that is growing in the crowded greenhouse…

Oh yes, cucumbers…

Water carrier

It was an evening of more weeding. My potatoes just about have enough room to breathe. Should be lifting the first crop – Dunluce – in a couple of weeks time. Already some of the foilage is looking yellow. My Desiree are sporting flowers, so they too are on the road to harvest.

Another taks tonight was replenishing my allotment water supply. No jerry cans for me, or guttering on sheds or lean-tos.

In the true spirit of doing things the hard way, my water is pushed up the hill in a wheelbarrow. Water collects in a 32 gallon butt off of next door’s roof. I transfer the water into plastic 4 pint milk bottles. That’s hard work when the butt tap is clogged up and let’s out but a dribble. So, I hand dunk every bottle. I push up 20 bottles or more at a go.

The routine keeps me fit and I figure it has a small carbon footprint. (And, I’m a glutton for punishment.)

Veg envy

We’re all looking covetously at other people’s allotments and the best of the summer crops.

Jim and Ann have a splendid crop of strawberries which make my planter at home look miserable in comparison.

Apart from Steve’s sturdy constructions – bean poles* etc – his lettuces look lovely.

Patrick’s peas are a treat.

There’s some very well tended potatoes in allotment 1.

But, the most intriguing of all (I don’t know about tasty) is Gordon’s most impressive cardoon. It looks a cross between of a globe artichoke, thistle, triffid and giant hogwood. All seven foot high of it!

* – Steve added another over engineered row of poles the other day. Not, it seems for more runner beans. He told me he’d been given a variety of giant peas that grow to 8 foot high. It seems the peas have been passed from generation to generation in Shebbear. No one quite knows the precise strain. But, they appear to be an ancient English type that’s unique in this area.

Broad minded

First pickings of my first broad beans: a tasty treat for Saturday.

There were a few waxy looking pods of beans that had also fallen over in the wind; a bit chewed too. The pods felt as though they had decent sized beans in them. So, I tried them out on Saturday.

Tasty, that’s what I’d say. A little young so I’ll wait a week or so for the next picking.

Freedom for cabbages!

Whilst I intended to grow cabbages this year, these lovelies are a bit of a bonus. Gordon kindly gave me a dozen plants a couple of months ago. Greyhound variety, they are.

I accepted them without any thought of where to put them. Hastily, I prepared a small patch of ground which I’d dug over in the winter and was earmarked for spring cabbage – to be planted round about now.

There was only room for six, so the others were a further pass along.

Disaster struck a week later when my cloche blew off in an easterly gale – it was weighed down to protect from westerlies. Two plants looked hopelessly wrecked, but I persevered.

Lo and behold, all six are flourishing. Four have well formed hearts. The windblown two have recovered though are a month or so behind in growth. Two are nearly ready to eat.

Best of all, my Heath Robinson cabbage protection device has kept off hungry birds and beasts.

Yum.

Open gardens in Buckland Brewer

Our gardeners’ club held its first open gardens event yesterday. Reaction to the day has been great.

The club sold about 60 maps showing about a dozen gardens around the village. We had visitors from Torrington and other parts of the area. Lots of people congratulated the club on organising the event.

Half of the proceeds will go to help repair the church bellframe. The club’s not done too badly either.

Best news: there were but a few drops of rain after a reasonably sunny morning and early afternoon.

After a hectic morning of cleaning and work in the garden, we could only visit about half of the gardens. But, it was great to meet old friends and new and see what others do in their private space.

I’m pleased to share a few photos of the day.