Hot summer days means people are on their plots early in the morning, previous times it was just me arriving so early allowing me to be there by myself and just get on.   Today I met our plot neighbour at the gate and we had a small chat, discussed what had done well and what had not.   He had come up early to do some watering and he suggested I was free to use his hose if I ever wanted, which I did.   I was able to give everything a good soaking for the first time since it last rained which must be well over a month now.

The use of hose pipes has been a hot topic with the allotment committee (of two) when the water company changed all the taps to ones you could not connect a hose to.   I never planned to use a hose and so was not worried, although this last month it has been an endless drip to the tap and back with different watering cans.    Recently they got the taps put back and everyone is cheering.   It still didn’t make much difference to me, and I tend to think hose pipes, while easy, water everything including the weeds and the bare ground, plus get all the leafs wet.   However, I was more than happy just to stand and point the water today instead of the 10+ trips to fill up cans.

My plan was to plant the last lot of leeks that had been growing in a flower pot for many months and really needed to be transplanted into their final positions.  We have more than enough leeks, I didn’t think seeds were going to come to anything and sowed more, and so now we have more.  Seeing as there is room I thought I might as well plant them.   I lifted the remaining turnips plants, none of which had anything worth eating, and replaced them with holes for leeks.     Halfway through, a plot holder from the other side walked over and we started chatting.  A new person to the site who had been clearing their plot over the previous weeks and seemed quite chatty.

While always nice to talk, I decided it would be time to be going home and so planted the last lot of leeks, harvested anything ready, moved some of the netting about, and went home for the day.   It’s a hot day, so I might go back either this evening or early tomorrow to give the new leeks another watering.

Picked today:

• potatoes.   After the other day’s disappointing harvest this was much better, Kestrel potatoes which seemed to come out bigger and less scabby.
• beetleaf.  Not planted in the best place and so have not thrived too well, but still ok to pick some of the leafs
• french beans.  Lots again, will be planting more of these next year
• raspberries.  Some small ripe ones, which I eat
• strawberries.  Just one small one, which I eat.   All plants now have runners which I will sort out on a future visit
• broadbeans.  Still coming
• rocket.  Lots bolted and so pulled up, but lots more left (and now more room for them)

 

The onions are more than ready to be pulled up, and so will do that on the next visit.  Runner beans still struggling with black fly and the dryness of the raised bed, but I did spot a couple of beans.   Courgette plants after a bit of a break have some new courgettes growing.

The kale is surviving, I picked off 3 caterpillars off just one plant, the others seemed fine and had grown since I planted them a couple of days ago and so they might get away with it.