Selfsufficientish.com

digging new pototoes - valor and annabel, picking mange tout.. nearly got everything planted.. just a few more squashes pumpkin and some outdoor toms to go...

Went up last night and again the plot looks so different, will take some more picture this weekend. Was given 30-40 corn on the cobs from a friend, very pleased as mine were not good. Also in the gift was some more squash and pumpkin. I kept a couple and have passed the rest on to other holders, I think im mr popular this weekend.

Looking forward to picking more caugettes and lifting some onions and garlic. Also load more salad ready.

Christine wrote:I'm quite strong for a woman and have clay soil on the allotment and loads of bramble roots, bindweed, etc., which is why I've put off (till now, I thought permanently) dealing with the worst third of the allotment. There are also lots and lots of large sandstone bits (baby's fist size and up to the size of mine) in the soil.
Now then - which Azada should I buy? a 7" medium, do you think? I keep trying to imagine swinging a bag of flour... Should I go for the heavier one? I'm asking you lot because it's difficult to imagine whether a heavier tool wil be much harder for me to use.

I've got the pick Azada which is not as big and heavy as some of the others but my soil at home is full of big bits of flint, and the allotment is also shot through with smaller stones. I'm finding the pick side invaluable.

In fact, I find the pick more useful than the blade side which I just can't seem to get a good technique with. I can get the right angle for taking grass up, but not for doing trenches or deep digging. What's the secret?

Thanks, Jerry - I don't have the answer you seek, though!

harvested our first courgettes of the season, the first kohlrabi I've been able to grow, a garlic bulb, and some swiss chard for lunch today.

waiting for my first courgettes and hoping runner beans and broad beans will grow well.I cannot persuade the to guard them though, I had hoped he would sleep by the runners and scare the pigeons away but setee is better

picked first peas in the rain. dug new pototoes.. in the rain. picked first calabrese.. in the rain.. picked more mange tout.. in the rain...

Christine wrote:Thanks, Jerry - I don't have the answer you seek, though!

Oops sorry Mal! Should have put on my glasses

First large harvest yesterday, onions, garlic, shallots, caugettes, raddish, lettuce, spinach, rhubarb and beetroot.



Cherries wont be long either!


Spinach was lovely!


First shallots from the plot.


Good weekend!

Front yard job today - have two poorly squashes returned to me by daughter and son-in-law. They had got them started off in conservatory and when tomatoes took over, shoved them in garden and forgot about them. So I've put them into larger tubs at the sunny, sheltered front door and will give them a feed of tomorite once I've been down shed and we will see if they recover. Who knows - not exactly dead and not exactly flourishing.

2 of us put in a long session on Tues: harvested & cleared the last of the broad beans & early peas. Harvested lettuce, garlic & first of the new potatoes. Planted out beetroot, winter cabbage, last of the courgettes & further batch of mixed lettuce leaves. Picked caterpillars off the red cabbage - think we're going to have to bite the bullet & buy some protective netting for the brassicas. Weeded remaining beds. Potted on tomatoes for friends & family, I sowed loads & although I'm happy to have hundreds of tomato plants I thought it would be a good idea to spread the grow-your-own ethos.

Cleared the top end of the allotment, and started laying our area's for raised beds & pathways.
Picked some more broad beans, and planted out some courgette plants.

Waiting for the soil to be dry enough after the weekend monsoons so that I can go and do the weeding

Christine wrote:Now then - which Azada should I buy? a 7" medium, do you think? I keep trying to imagine swinging a bag of flour... Should I go for the heavier one? I'm asking you lot because it's difficult to imagine whether a heavier tool wil be much harder for me to use.

I've got a medium heavy, which doesn't seem too unwieldy, but I expect the medium would do a good job too.

Thanks for the advice!
Ah - it's so easy to think of useful birthday pressies when you grow your own.
Mind you, it's still a risky business - I asked for seeds at Christmas and got enough broad and runner beans to last for years and years...