I was wrong all along! Well…kind of. Let me explain. I got the keys to my allotment in September 2014 and one of the reasons I chose it was for the apple tree growing at the back of the plot. The first apple I ate was sour and must have been an underripe one because for the last THREE YEARS I thought my apple tree grew cooking apples.
Tag: garden
DIY: Recycled Planters
I brightened up the new seating area with flower planters made from two recycled plastic barrels. This was my first pair of planters on the allotment, with a variety of plants that I hand-picked, arranged and planted! It was so much fun make.
A Place To Sit At Last…
Finally, after having my allotment for almost three years I have a seating area! It’s taken a hell of a lot of deadication and hard work. I set my deadline to have it completed by the end of August and I’ve done it! We celebrated by having a big BBQ over the bank holiday with some of my closest friends, some of which have helped with my epic task.
Continue reading “A Place To Sit At Last…”
Late Summer Evenings
The evenings are getting noticeably darker earlier and there’s a subtle chill and smell to the air as the change in season is underway. The golden hour tonight had the most beautiful warmth and even though I’m frantically preparing the seating area for the bank holiday, I reminded myself that these last few hours of sunlight should be cherished. Continue reading “Late Summer Evenings”
Growing Squash Vertically
The peas were done for as are my shears by the look of them! Rather than pulling them out, I chopped them at ground level for the roots to slowly nourish the soil with nitrogen.
In its place I tied in the squashes and pumpkins that have been growing beneath the pea supports for a month or two. These are the plants that I didn’t have room for in the main pumpkin patch (which is going crazy by the way). The squashes will grow vertically up the frame, saving space and it should also help prevent mildew and pest damage. It seems to be working well for the cucumbers this year!
I also weeded in between the two supports and threw in some beetroot seeds. It’s probably too late now, but what the hey.
Polytunnel Update! [+VIDEO]
It’s been almost a month since my last polytunnel post, when I planted out the tomatoes with string supports. Everything is growing well, the tomatoes are loving their support system and have lots of flowers and fruits. I keep the polytunnel door open permanently to prevent blight even though it’s quite cool. I also feed the tomatoes every Friday with a liquid feed. Check out the video at the botttom of my post for a tomato tour! 🍅😄 I’ve just harvested the first of honeybee tomatoes and they’re so sweet! I can’t wait to try these in a Mediterranean veg tonight.
Flower Friday – Helianthus annuus, ‘Autumn Beauty’ Sunflower
It’s my first year growing sunflowers and they’ve just begun to bloom! I can’t get over the firey red tones that gradient to beautiful shades of orange and yellow 💛 I’ll most definitely be growing these again. 🌻
Floral Friday – Montbretia
Nasturtiums in Bloom
The sunflowers might not be in bloom just yet, but the nasturtiums below are in putting on a fantastic display and the bees just cant get enough of them! 🌻🌼🐝
Strawberry Success
I’ve put a lot of effort into producing a good strawberry crop this year and my hard work is paying off!
Early in the season I mulched the strawberry patch with manure, removed all the nettles that stung me last year, I kept them well watered throughout the dry spell and even made a strawberry cage to protect them from the bird.
With these improvements along with the warm, dry weather (bye bye slugs! 👋🏻) I’ve been harvesting a good punnet or more every day or so!
How do you like to eat your strawberries? I’m enjoying lots of brandy snap baskets with ice cream topped with berries! I also love to make rhubarb and strawberry crumble which I only discovered last year as I didn’t have enough rhubarb! You should try it, it’s devine!
