Simon's Allotment

So the rain's finally arrived, it's been persisting it down here on and off for much of the week, which can only be a good thing. I...

My mate Arthur needs some space for his courgettes and is threatening to dig in my clover if I mow it, so that's what I've done. How...

I thinned the strawbs out back in April, getting rid of the oldest plants. They're filling out nicely now so I've put some straw rou...

These are growing away nicely now:

The bloody bastard pigeons have been having a go at my brassicas so I've had to resort to netting, which I hate faffing about with but n...

I've sown some sweet rocket (Hesperis "Matronalis") today. It's a biennial so won't flower till next year but should b...

Wind is the grower's worst enemy I reckon, worse still than too much heat or cold. It drives the moisture out of the air and leaves all ...

I sowed some clover last year which is doing well, although I had to resow some gaps, then at the end of April this year I sowed some phacae...

The row of spinach I sowed at the beginning of May is up.

I've planted out a few lettuce (Red Salad Bowl) near my back door at home and put the pot of salad leaves with some friends:

I've planted these out today. They'll add a bit of colour to the place come late summer and hopefully provide lots of blooms for cut...

I sowed these mid-April and potted them on and moved them to the cold frame mid-May when they were this big: Now that they are this big... ....

No rain for about three weeks now, save for a bit of drizzle yesterday, hardly enough to settle the dust. Those pesky southerners have been ...

The potatoes are all showing nicely now so I've earthed them up:

The early peas I sowed in the middle of April need some support now so I've put up some canes and the first string for them to reach for...

Mostly in the potting shed today, pricking out and potting on, as you do. Tomatoes, sprouts, broccoli, flowers. Because of the absurdly hot ...

Now that the tomatoes are this big... ...they're ready to go into 15cm bottomless pots: When they've filled these I'll plant th...

I sow my sweet peas quite late, in the middle of March, so that I can get them in the ground once the soil has started warming up and the ro...

Whatever. I've been out in the countryside this afternoon just enjoying the springy springyness of it all. So I just thought I'd sha...

Another nice day out on the plot. Plenty to do - I've sowed a row of spinach, planted out some cabbages and prepared a bit more ground f...