Great new way to get to the allotment
As I said previously Winter was a wash out and I was aware that half the allotment was like a scene from Waterworld and was terrified to go and see for myself. So I stayed away, till March!! That was in hind site a little too long. By the time I got back it was a meadow again. I had a fabulous crop of purple flowered selfheal, unfortunately not what I was hoping to crop. After a couple of days solid weeding I discovered to my joy that 5 out if the 10 asparagus had survived! That may not seem like a great achievement but seeing how they had been decimated by asparagus beetle last summer I was pretty chuffed. All my fruit shrubs were still intact as were the onions and garlic that I had planted in Winter.
Selfheal, very pretty on masse but not when I want to plant beans!
I lifted the weed surpressant that I had put down last year after rotarvating the second third of the plot not expecting much bit it had done its job well and with a little light digging it was ready for planting.
The front of the allotment now looks a little more respectable.
All the seeds that I had been nurturing in the greenhouse were bursting out of their seed trays and I was relieved to finally have space to put them. So in went the sweetcorn (I've also got popping corn but you're not supposed to plant them close to each other as they cross pollinate with disastrous affect. Hard sweetcorn and soggy popping kernels); potatoes, broccoli, mooli, french beans, runner beans, carrots and lettuce, so far.......
So here is the confession. The final third of the plot I have reluctantly sprayed. I so wanted to do it all by hand and without chemicals but it was just too much for me to be planting growing and doing heavy duty clearing and digging. I feel bad about it, but it's done now but it does show how strong and destructive herbicide is!! I'm desperate to strim it and rotarvating it but my strimmer is in the shop being mended so I must wait.
Freshly blonde!
In the mean time I and about to stuff the little space I have left in the other two thirds with yet more. With the success of the squashes last year I have three more varieties to plant. Jack of all trades for Halloween and snake gourds for the kids and Golden Hubbard for me!! I think I've found out why my sweet dumplings didn't look anything like their pictures last year. There are five species of squash (this includes cucumbers and courgettes) the most common are cucurbita pepo and maxima. So when planting make sure you don't plant squash from the same species as they will cross pollinate with interesting results. The two I've planted Jack of all trades and Hubbard are different species so I should get the real deal!!
Golden Hubbard, not mine, but I can dream!
Lottie thinks we are growing real snakes
So finishing my lazy breakfast and with the sun shining I'm off to plant the squashes and some cabbages!!
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