Still enjoying the holidays

The holidays continue, and finally, we have had a day of glorious sunshine. I took myself off the allotment for a spot of quiet contemplation and some gardening - both of which I did.

The above is a view of the sweetcorn cage we built a couple of weeks ago in order to protect our crop. The news is that the animals attacking the sweetcorn are badgers. They come down from the common specifically to eat the sweetcorn in the allotments, it being their favourite food. This is not brilliant news as they are so strong I suspect no amount of protection will save the crop. Some suggestions have been to hang something that makes a noise or leave a radio on all night or to put some creosote coated cloths around the area as they don't like the smell. Accordingly, today I hung an old wind chime in the sweetcorn enclosure and made a noise device using two terracotta flower pots. I will post a picture soon showing this (assuming the badgers don't break in tonight and demolish the lot).

I planted out some sprouting broccoli (I dont know if its green or purple - its called rudolf which sort of indicates red to me - but we'll see) and did some weeding. I picked raspberries, runner beans, corn salad, french beans and courgettes today. The raspberries are doing really well - inspite of constant attack by bindweed. I have made 4 jars of jam with them, as well as eating them most days.






















We have some albino raspberries in amongst the normal red ones. I don't know if this is a genuine white raspberry cane, or a throw back. I doesn't really matter as they are quite delicious.

The brussels sprouts and cabbages are looking good and we have been enjoying our maincrop potatoes. And , at last, there are two baby butternut squashes!

On a related note, the weather, though not a perfect summer, has lent itself brilliantly to soft fruit and all the local bramble bushes are heavy with fruit. I, and the rest of the family, have picked and picked and I have made blackberry jam, blackberry jelly and blackberry and apple jam, as well as endless blackberry influenced puddings and frozen some for the winter. WOW!It was about this time last year that we went looking for allotments, and as I look back, I can't help but be pleased we got ourselves into gear and started vegetable gardening.
Finally, just look at our beautiful sunflowers - Moulin Rouge from Unwins Seeds, if you are interested.

We are well into the summer holidays now, but the weather has forgotten that. After a very brief warm spell, we are now back to semi-winter and lots of rain.

I haven't done much at the allotment over the last couple of weeks, except harvest as required. We have had a steam of visitors, which doesn't leave much time for gardening. However, they all enjoy helping to pick beans and the like, and certainly seem to enjoy eating the result. We have harvested plenty of maris peer potatoes (second earlies), french beans, runner beans, spinach, and raspberries, as well as some more lettuce, radishes, corn salad, rocket and turnips. By some miracle, the courgette plant has come back to life and is now producing courgettes again. I don't really understand it, but it might have something to do with the fact that I weeded out all the comfrey that was growing around it.

The brussels sprouts, cabbages and sprouting broccoli are all doing well, and as of today, the sweet corn looks fantastic. We had been told that in the past couple of years, the sweet corn crop gets attacked by some largish animal (foxes and badgers seem to be the most likely) and so we have constructed a chicken wire cage around our crop in order to protect it. Hopefully it will work. Our poor neighbour's crop has been attacked, in spite of quite significant protection so I do go along most days with some trepidation, but so far, so good. There are plenty of cobs developing fast and we will be disappointed if the fox gets it first.

I lifted the last of the onion crop today (about 50 onions) and they are now drying in the kitchen. It's far too wet to leave them outside at the moment. They look splendid and should last some months. I then spent quite a while weeding as the soil is lovely and soft at the moment. There is, as usual, masses of bindweed to deal with. I simply don't know where it all comes from. Last autumn there didn't seem to be any, and now it crops up everywhere.

The butternut squash is growing fast, and producing lots of flowers, but as yet I haven't spotted and fruit. It might be a bit cold and damp for them. The raspberries are producing enough for a helping for four people most nights at the moment, which is a real treat. They are big and juicy - probably the result of all the rain we have had.

Spot the difference

I thought I would post the pictures the tame photographer took yesterday during our flying visit to the allotment as the growth that has happened is spectacular. If you look back at the pics on the previous post you can compare them with the current ones.




















You can see the sweetcorn here. Most other allotments are a bit further ahead and have small cobs appearing. There are rumours afloat that the cobs are the favourite food of foxes and that we needs to completely enclose the crop to prevent it. The tame photographer is planning this as I write. I also wonder whether the problem is squirrels, in which case no amount of protection will make any difference. We'll see.
The leeks are growing well:




















As are the runner beans





















And just behind the beans, if you look carefully you can see the sunflowers which I am growing as part of a trial for Gardeners World. They are called Moulin Rouge and are a dark burgundy colour - quite stunning! They also produce lots of flowers off side shoots which would make them ideal for cutting. The cabbages are beginning to heart up nicely, the brussels sprouts are looking good, and I'm really pleased with the parsnips - not many meals' worth - but they look very healthy. The french beans are cropping well, and the salad bowl lettuce never seems to stop! The butternut squash is beginning to put on some growth as well.




















The cabbage and sprouts look like a lady wearing a veil, but it is only the anti-pigeon control. Everything has to be netted to protect it. The tame photographer is thinking of making the whole plot into a giant fruit cage!




















And finally and nice snap of our friendly robin, the wheelbarrow and a flowering artichoke:And finally, a general view of the site.