15th July
With due sense of expectation and purpose I stepped
out of the car. I looked down at the metal object in my hand – a cheap multi
use penknife bought from a petrol station. I carefully unfolded the large blade
of the main knife and walked over to my intended recipient of a quick but
effective slice of the steel. Two short slices later the job was done. I had
harvested the first 2 courgettes of the year – a great moment and one that was
overdue. A relief and a joy. Then later – looking back at last years’ records,
I realised that the first courgette picking last year was the 7th
July so I am only 8 days later this time. Mind you, last year they all came
together in great abundance whereas this year it is only about 4 plants that
seem ready with others still in their infancy. That might mean that the later
plants will be cropping later when the earlier ones have stopped so it could
work out rather well. Then again . . .
It was also the day to plant out the leeks. I made an
evening trip to the plot as this was the only feasible time that I had to get
this job done (I’ll probably have to do the same with the sprouts and broccoli
too). I filled up section 2 with 66 more leeks so that now that section is full
and yet there were still more to go in so I dotted some at the end of section 1
as well, another 13 and still I have more to go in. Perhaps when the onions
come out they can go in there. It was definitely dusk if not nightfall when I
left but it was great to be out. It reminded me of when I was young and I would
be out as late as possible on a summers’ evening playing football or cricket
and invariably moaning at my fellow players’ lack of staying power as they
sloped off earlier.
17th July
I gained another 2 courgettes from the allotment and a
really good sized bunch of sweet peas from the garden. It won’t be until Monday
or Tuesday that we can start to clean and move back into our kitchen. I am
really grateful that we have been able to get a new one – we certainly needed
it given the state of the old one, but it has dragged on a little too long and
we haven’t really been able to settle and the house is in a somewhat
disorganised state although I’m pleased with how we have been able to manage.
This has led to less time being available for gardening. We have had a few
dinners out at both sets of parents and that takes up gardening time too, although
I am definitely not complaining at other people cooking dinner for us!
Today was the day to push over the onions. The leaves
have been going brown and yellow for a while and I am told that bending over
the leaves stops any fungal infection getting into the bulb, though I can’t see
how a bent leaf would stop that – it’s still attached after all. There is an
art to harvesting onions, and that is in stages. First you bend them over, then
lift them from the ground but lay them on the soil, and then lay them out to
dry which surely has to be done under cover because it takes from 1 – 3 weeks
and when do we ever have that length of time guaranteed as having no rain? By
drying them properly, they store longer, about 6 months, and any that are
affected by rust spots and the like, you eat up rather than store, or they can
be frozen. If I can dry them properly, then the 3 biggest will be entered into
the allotment show in September. My Dad said that the other day he was chatting
to a chap at the allotment and he pointed out the good size of my onions and
Dad was proud to be able to say they belonged to his little lad.
20th July
At the allotment I noticed that something unusual is
happening to the butternut squashes. Back on Friday I had seen that one on the
far left seemed to have simply wilted a little. I thought little of it as we
were expecting rain and none of the others were like it. On Saturday we popped
in as a family and I noticed that the next squash in line was the same. Then
today, the third one had suffered too. I gave them a good drink of water and I
will have to return to make some sort of deep cut into the soil to make a gap
barrier before the fourth one goes – perhaps there is some organism in the
soil.
22nd July
I picked 5 courgettes today – the first decent amount
of decent sized vegetables, and in the evening I cooked a recipe I learnt from
Jamie Oliver – zucchini alla carbonara – ‘delish’ as Jamie would say!
24th July
After a frustrating afternoon at work stuck in
traffic, I managed to get to the allotment armed with a series of baskets to
harvest the onions. 54 sturons, 53 settons and 36 centurions, a grand total of
143 mostly decent sized onions with many large ones as well. Some were so large
that I just about got them through the hole cut in the membrane. With my wife
spending £1 on a kilogram of red onions yesterday I think we are on to a
winner. I also picked 2 more courgettes and it was time to dig up the garlic.
Despite the fact that from above the ground they did not look like they were up
to much in terms of growth, the bulbs were of a similar size to last year and I
ended up with 10 of them.
Especially after last years’ total disappointment with
onions, it was with a huge sense of joy, that I drove off with the car stinking
of onion and garlic. It really is a great satisfaction which has an added sense
of achievement considering previous failure. This is what is so good about
gardening: you learn from your mistakes and repeat what you did well and work
on what went wrong, you research the possibilities and try different ways. Mind
you, isn’t that true for pretty much all aspects of life? It’s a good metaphor
for life and the type of thing that can be taught practically to children. Perhaps
it would even work on managers. I only mention that because I heard this week
of a car sales manager giving a start of the day pep talk to his sales team and
ending with a motivational one liner: ‘a sale is a transfer of energy’.
Apparently when he said this his hearers did their best to not splutter into
their coffee. If I had been there I would have had to have asked the question:
‘oh really, how come?’ I mean, it isn’t true in a literal or a metaphorical
sense – what does it mean? This is the same manager who gathered the workers
together at a new car dealership he was put in charge of and said ‘I hate
negative people’. When I heard that I made the obvious remark of ‘that’s pretty
negative isn’t it?’ This manager does not strike me as a gardener!
25th July
After 3 Saturdays of fiddling around with the kitchen
we at last had a family day out which was really good. After coming home and
before dinner I pottered around in the garden tidying up after the mess that
was left by certain people who helped with the kitchen project. The grass of
course still needs a good cut as it is looking like a wild area now, but it
must be rather wet as we have had damp conditions for at least 3 weeks. This
does not help the courgettes to grow either as although they need plenty of
food and water, they really benefit from decent sunshine. How ironic that just
after a bumper onion crop I am faced with lean picking on a crop that has been
super bumper for the previous 2 years!
29th July
I had planned on going to the allotment after work and
planting the sprouts but time ran out for me and I only had opportunity to
merely drop off the plants at the plot. Dad was there picking blackberries and
so I cut a batch of sweet peas for him to take back to Mum who was rather
pleased!
30th July
At lunchtime I went to plant the sprouts. At first the
weather was a little drizzly and so I put on my coat and stood picking off all
caterpillars and eggs (again) from the plants. When I was ready to actually
plant them I took off my coat as it was warming up, dry and I didn’t fancy
crawling around under the netting in my coat. Once inside the netting the sun
was shining down on me and I was rather hot. After planting, and as I was just
watering in the plants, the heavens opened and I raced to put on my coat again.
I got soaked from the thigh down. Nevertheless I managed to plant out 16
sprouts as refills for the ones that have been eaten. Two of the existing and
surviving ones are no larger than the ones I planted, but the other 2 are
growing really well. I also picked 3 more courgettes and when I got home I
washed and sliced them and cooked them in olive oil and butter with black
pepper and crushed garlic and had them as a warm side dish to my sandwiches.
They went from the plant to my plate in 45 minutes and they tasted great.
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