30th - 31st May

The pile of manure at the front of my allotment plot belongs to the family who work the plot behind me. At least some has been taken but I can’t see where the rest of it will fit in as they are growing crops already. I can’t believe their plot. They only took it over a few months ago and rather than wait and tend the ground, they just starting sowing, and yet they don’t seem to have any failures, everything is growing alright – how do they do it?

I set to work weeding section 4. I was on my knees on the verge as it pains my back to bend over, and yet this way I was comfortable. The soil was thick and clingy and a number of times I had to scrape clean the fork with the trowel and vice versa. The grass along the edge was trimmed a bit as well but that was really hard going but at least it looks an oasis of tidiness in the midst of the overgrown plot. I would have completed section 3 as well, and forked in the manure that has been sitting on top for a few months. However, due to my own lapse, I was delayed an extra half an hour at work, and whilst I was weeding I was accosted by another plot holder who wanted to view what I was growing and then took me over to his plot with the warning ‘remember I had a stroke last year so I was unable to tend it for 6 months before Christmas’. His plot was rather neat and well kept – unlike the plot in front of his that was a total shambles. There were piles of dead roots, bags and containers, hip – high weeds, seedlings in pots that were dying for lack of transplantation and a general baseline mess beneath all that. The plot owner is the man who judges the ‘best plot’ award each year. You cannot make up this sort of thing.

In the evening I was preparing for finally getting the petunias and Nicotianas out into the borders. My replacement turbo tomatoes have been delivered. They were sent to my in-laws despite me making sure the seed company knew to send them to me this time. Anyway, the good thing was, they are here, and they are all healthy. I potted them up and gave them a good watering. There were 3 plum varieties for the lady at work, and 3 normal sized ones, one for my Dad and 2 for me, plus, one I saved from the last batch, the only one that looked if it might possibly survive so I tried my luck, and now is looking quite healthy.

 

 

 

 

31^st May
A morning in the garden with my boys and the 2 year old from next door ‘helping’ me by watering anything that didn’t move. I planted out a small group of 5 Nicotianas at the near corner of the border, and will put in other little clumps along the edge. A whole load of petunias went in, watered by my little helpers. I tied some of the sweet peppers to stakes to help their posture. I re-sowed some sunflowers as only 2 out of 10 had germinated, as well as a pumpkin and some butternut squash.

 

My container of carrots has a few faint signs of seedlings, and my salad leaf box is looking very promising.