We had a cold snap last week, while everything survived, the in ground potatoes got some damage, but they’ll come back. And I know there are potatoes because the fox has dug some of them up!
After the frosty conditions last week the weather started to warm up, and actually got some things done. So I planted out two of the planned tomato beds. One of cherry tomatoes (red pear and yellow delight) and one of mixed large ones (the last amish paste, marmande and cour di bue). So far, I’ve lost one to wildlife (fox, I’m looking at you!) and none to the weather, thanks to my daily watering regime for the newly planted!
I also got the leeks in, I ordered 30, there were supposed to be 10 of each but the delivery was late and they sent me 42, (22 Carlton F1 and 20 Sultan F1), they were planted up across two beds and I promise that next year I’ll get my act together and sow some myself. I have lost a leek to marauding wildlife, I’m not sure if’s worse this year because so many food shops are closed and the foxes can’t access that but they are stealing anything that looks remotely food like, apparently other people are reporting seeing more mice and rats for similar reasons!
There was some space in the over flow leek bed and that space got sown up with some salad, the crispy salad leaves mix from Thompson and Morgan that we used last year and got another packet of from a magazine and a row of lettuce (Marvel of Four Seasons), also a freebie.
I also cleared the bed that I’m going to sow french beans in and put some canes in place. I’ve haven’t sown them yet, it may be a task for the weekend but I’m also waiting for some jute pea and bean netting, for the frame. We do use plastic on the allotment but my stance is that we have to be able to re-use it, which is why we’ve switched this year to sturdier rigid pots for the potatoes instead of the bags and why we’re trying this because I hate dealing with bean netting and it becomes a single use item.
I finally sowed some carrots! I did plan on two beds of carrots and if we find a empty bed later on in the season, we may well do a slightly later sowing. However, right now I have an insufficient bed for everything I want to grow issue! So one bed of carrrots, inside the cloche, are the bigger carrots (Harlequin F1 and Early Nantes 2) and surrounding the cloche are mixed seed from last year with spring onions and litte carrots (Chantenay Red Cored 3 and Royal Chantenay 3). I’m hoping to repeat last year’s success with them, fingers crossed.
I harvested my first radish too, this is Albena and with the exception of the summer squash and some sweet potato slips, all the plants are in the cloche at the plot and not in my living room.
So what’s left to do? Well the additional compost I ordered arrives today, so the squash beds need sorting and the squash planting out and sweetcorn sowing. I think I have room for 30 plants so watering is going to be hell! I need to sow the cucumbers and french beans and in a week or two, the sweet potato slips, courgettes, crookneck and maybe a patty pan need to go out. I also need to spray the broad beans and gooseberries with some SB plant invigorator for the aphid and mildew problems they have right now. I’m also waiting on some kale plugs and a new rhubarb plant, so I need to move the daffodils, tulips, anemones and narcissi to new positions and sort out the pond area a bit more!
Then it’s all about weeding, watering and tidying up until harvesting begins, then it’ll be all about weeding, watering, tidying up, harvesting and processing the harvest! Right now, I feel as in control as I ever do in May!
