Allotment Updates

Just a quick update, so you guys don't think I have abandoned gardening all together.
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Last week Sunday I made it to the allotment, and worked on preparing the are air marked for my bush winter squashes I plan on growing there.

I was greeted literally as I walked into the gate by this beauty, I think it is an 'Adonis Blue'

And this calendula is beginning to bloom, Maureen do you recognize it?

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First the few weeds and signs of nettle and bindweed growth from missed roots needed to be got rid off.
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Once that was done, I manured the area.

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I then proceeded to cover the are with some cardboard I brought with me, this should do a couple of things. 1. keep the weeds down and 2. help to keep the area from drying out. The chicken wire is only temporary to deter the foxes in the are from digging the cardboard up.
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I also saw this little critter, always a good sign in the fight against slugs.

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On Monday evening I returned to the plot to plant out the young winter squash plants, there should have also been sixteen popcorn plants in the center but like so many of my seeds this year the germination rate was so low it would have been useless to plant them out, so the center will be empty leaving the squash plants more space to spread.
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In this area I have planted

• 2 butternut squash plants, variety 'Hunter' which is a bush variety.
• 1 winter squash, variety: 'Celebration' I grew this one last year and found that it was a bush variety. the fruit was quite nice to eat as well. So I am giving it another go this year.
• 1 winter squash, variety: Cornellia Delicata (spelling might be off, need to check my seed packet). I grew this one last year but it was the only one to not fruit as the plants became stunted with mildew (it was in a very crowed spot and so air circulation was really bad) I am hoping this year as it is a more favourable place that it will do better and produce.

I have also started foraging for wild free foods but I'll leave that for another post.

Hope you all are doing fine, I'm sure all your food growing is going great guns, catch you all laters,

PS I recently updated Me But A Little Bit More In Depth and you are more than invited to pop along for a visit.