I got to the allotment again this week, twice!
.Thursday
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Greeted by lots of peacock butterflies and quite a few sightings of ladybugs (sorry no photos)..
Task of the day was to get the spuds into the ground. Three and a half hours later I had dug seven 8ft trenches and planted 47 seed potatoes.
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I forgot to take photos of the seed potato packets but will edit this post tomorrow with a photo and the names of the varieties I planted (I'm not going in the greenhouse in the dark to retrieve the empty packets). I can tell you though that I planted (8) 1st earlies, (12) 2nd earlies and 27 main crop potatoes..
Friday
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The peacock butterflies were still about but we also saw this comma butterfly.The task was to direct sow some vege seeds and flower seeds.
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The girls helped with the flower seed sowing around the edges of the marked out vege beds. I did the sowing of the carrots by two varieties; 'Nantes' and 'Rainbow' and the sowing of beetroots were also done, the variety was 'Boltardy'.
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- So around the carrot bed the girls sowed french marigold to help create a smelly barrier against the carrot root fly.
- Around the beetroot bed they sowed pot marigold.
- and around the garlic bed they sowed annual salvia.
- At the end of the last potato trench which was done the day before the girls sowed around two bamboo canes some giant sunflower seeds and sweetpea seeds (the plan is that the sweetpeas will scramble up the sunflowers, the bamboo canes are just there for extra support against any windy weather in the future.
- At the two front corners of my plot I got them to sow some dahlias, as I was duly informed by Maureen who sent the seeds, an allotment must have dahlias :) so who am I to disobey ;)
- At the back of my plot there is a raised boxed in area which I throw large stones and rocks into. We sprinkled poppies (mixed colours) and nigella seeds in there, its a wait and see if they germinate and give us a riot of colour at the back.
In this picture you can see the two freshly sown beds all watered (I also covered them with some clear corrugated plastic to keep the local foxes of the freshly sown areas.
To the back of the photo at the right hand corner you can see the bottom of the bamboo canes where the girls put their sunflowers and sweetpea seeds.
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So that is where the allotment is at, I had also hoped to sow my parsnips but that bed is yet to be weeded and dug properly, which I hope to remedy this week coming.
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PS I have posted not once but three times so there are two more new posts to read after this one, hmm I sould have told you at the begining to grab you favourite brew before you started, oops :)
busy,busy,busty...hope the weather holds out so you can get caught up with yourself. I have never grown flowers on my allotment.....why do you do this??? I have put some sunflowers and wild flower seed on the back border but that's all
ReplyDeleteYou have been busy, I think you've got your gardening mojo back. You're still ahead of me, my spuds still aren't in. I love to see flowers on allotments, and have quite a few ready to go in on my plot.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree, all plots should have dahlias. Think of all the wonderful flowers you'll have for your house!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you've been very productive, gotta love all that sunshine we've been enjoying! Loving the idea too of the sweet peas scrambling up the sunflower - might have to try that one!
Tanya, from what the MET has predicted, it looks like the weather will remain favourable. Hmmm, why flowers? well this is the first year on the plot and I'll tell you why I grow them in my garden first.
ReplyDeleteIn the garden they keep the garden pretty and homely both in the flower beds and in the vege patch (I sort of aim for a potager style vege patch). They also encourage lots and lots of beneficial insects such as pollinators and predators. I also lean towards the companion style of gardening as some plants are beneficial to others.
On the plot I'll mainly be growing them to help the plot look pretty and as a form of companion planting (as with the carrots). I won't be growing much crops that need pollinating down on the plot except for winter squashes but I'm sure they be a benifit to other plot holders crops. Oh and I always feel guilty when I pick my garden flowers, so I hope to use the plot ones as cut flowers as well.
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Jo, the mojo is certainly stomping down on the plot. I look forward to arriving to a plot bursting with colour later this year.
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Deb, cut flowers are certainly the plan with the dahlias and the sweetpeas. I also have some multi stem sunflower seeds I plan to sow the next time I'm down there.
My runner beans had a sunflower growing next to them last year and were constantly trying to climb it, so I thought why not purposely aim for that.
I grow lots of flowers on my plots too.
ReplyDeleteI spend a lot of time there and like being around flowers.
The insects love them and so it helps bring in pollinators and ones that eat the baddies. The birds love the sunflowers seeds too
I cut a lot for cut flowers in the house.
Hi Green Lane Allotments, thanks for popping by and for commenting, a pretty plot is certainly more inviting and more encouraging to visit.
ReplyDeleteTiny as it is, but Once I got my allotment plot, I too started neglecting the garden plot. Woudl you believe it I just dug out soe garlic that would have been good garlic to eat. What a waste!
ReplyDeleteYou have certainly been busy and all that colour around you, how can you not smile at your wonderful efforts.
Mangocheeks, it is so much more difficult than I ever imagined, after all the garden is just outside the back door!!!!!
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