Rewards

As the first earlies have failed to flower, I decided to lift one plant this morning to see what’s going on underneath.

There was 810 grams of little spuddies. Ok, a few of these were pellet size and three were eaten by slugs. But, not too bad a haul.

I will try to lift the rest next weekend. If I don’t, I fear that a higher percentage will be slug riddled.

In spite of (another!) June gale (!), another batch of runner beans went in this morning after potato digging.

Also, pea planting can be reported! I won’t go in to the frustration of trying to erect the pea netting in the wind. Nor, will I not recount the pathetic little plants withered by the so’wester.

On the other hand, I can say that the beer reward (pint of Abbotsham Ale) went down a treat!

Trench warfare

Digging the pea trench…

And, the after shot: cardboard, grass clippings, wet newspaper and horse manure filled the trench. All I need now is pea plants.

Main crop potatoes have flowered.

Diversion

A break from digging and planting: the weather was lousy and it’s Art Trek time, part of the North Devon festival.

We drove out to the middle of nowhere to see three artists. Isabella Whitworth does textile work. She was working with indigo dye on silk when we visited Peters Marland. She shared space with Richard Meyer, who paints richly textured still life portraits.

What I like about Art Trek is that you can talk to artists and ask them about their inspiration and techniques. What I like less is that often you will be the only person in the gallery/studio. It can be difficult if you don’t like the work. Isabella and Richard were equally interesting and happily spent time explaining their work.

For their part, I’m never sure what they expect to get out of it or what, indeed, they do get out of it. Certainly there is a marketting element. Many of the artists earn their living from the art. But, I guess there is a part social aspect too. Being an artist treading a lonely furrow might be – well – lonely.

The Pannier Market at Torrington hosted several artists and my guess is that their displays were as much about marketting as anything else. I took a shine to Sarah Gallifant’s almost abstract photos of plant life.

Our last stop was outside of Merton at an old chapel called, funnily enough, the Old Chapel Cottage. Painter Emily Clark gets inspiration from the Devon landscape though much of her work is landscapes in the mind.

For me, her studio setting was treat in itself. The bleak landscape at the top of the post is what I took away.

Thanks for asking

My potato in a pot has made a stuttering recovery. The offending leaves have been plucked. Bordeaux mixture has been sprayed. New leaves have appeared. But, no flowers.

I’m dying to know what’s going on under the soil.

Up at the allotment:

First earlies still not flowering and have taken a battering in the wind. It might be time for a test lift.

Maincrop potatoes faring well.

They’ve got flowers.

Poor wee runner beans also took a beating in the wind.

My weeding has helped the onions and garlic come along. Like the Forth Bridge, the weeding never stops.

And back to the kitchen with salad leaves from the raised bed.

Onion seeds

Pretty cool new camera, eh? Onion seed heads off a bolted plant in the raised bed. It’s a plant left over from last year and twice it has bolted. I might try to sow some of the seeds. Any tips on sowing onion seeds?

Meanwhile, the wind blew off a few runner bean leaves, but otherwise the plants look in fine fettle. I’ve sprayed my infected potato with Bordeaux mixture. Salad leaves everyday from the raised bed. Tomatoes going great guns. Even the spinach is growing. Everything is good.

Beans means…

The beans are in. Cue: wind.

I have a new toy, with which I have still not come to terms. Instruction booklet?

Blight!

This rather sorry looking specimen is my competition potato. I think it’s got blight. After nearly two months coddled in the greenhouse, the plant made way for repotted tomatoes a week ago. On Saturday, I noticed small black spots on the leaves. Two fellow allotmenteers confirmed the dreaded blight.

Naturally, I’m upset. After all the work to bring the plant along, it’s gone and got the phage.

In a (possibly) vain attempt to save my competition chances, I’ve isolated the plant and plucked off as many of the spotted leaves as I could. The plant is fairly well mounded up, which might save the tubers from infection. Otherwise, I will end up with rotted spuds.

It’s still another 5 or 6 weeks before the fete. I’m distraught! Unless…it’s a misdiagnosis.

Peas and beans update

As you can see, nine out of ten runner beans have germinated and eight out of ten pea plants. In fact, I’ve got a feeling I’ve managed to sow two peas in one pod (so to speak), so nine out of ten.

Less politicking, more digging

No, I’ve not been composting certain plants.

I have, however, been up to everything but digging over the last few weeks. The weeds have taken over. Docs the size of sunflowers and bindweed climbing up my onions and garlic. Somewhere out in the allotment amongst the weeds are my Lady Christls. No sign yet of flowers. It can’t be too long now. I’ve already got the butter ready for the first steam batch of pots.

At the other end of the allotment, I have finally planted all my main crop spuds. Well, not quite. About ten of the seeds are sitting surrounded by warm compost in 10 inch pots in the garden. We are going to be overwhelmed with potatoes come late July.

A big black cloud slowly covered the midday sky over Buckland. It took the best part of two hours to move in from the east. I made a hasty retreat and had to suspend weeding the onion bed in the process.

That big black cloud took forever before it let loose with a rather feeble shower of an hour or so. Slow moving, but thankfully not the deluge forecasted by the Met Office.

The rain delay presented an opportunity to go and buy some more compost (£1.99 per 75 litres at BJ’s) for potting some seedlings. I spent the rest of the afternoon repotting tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs. (And, two more pots of spuds!)

No photos, yet, of the reorganised greenhouse – I’ve set up the tomatoes and canes – or the cold frame – with cucumbers. Here’s a nice rose instead.