All Things Bright and Beautiful

Bees and Borage

Unidentified Caterpiller on Nettles

Poached Eggs

Garlic needs harvesting and broad beans are ready to move on now - what shall I do next? My potatoes are not flowering - why? These are the questions I am pondering any thoughts greatly appreciated.

Early Summer

Dainty Alliums

Brazen Borage

I have been nipping down to the plot to water and weed a little. I'm always impressed by the speed everything is growing, weeds included. The borage is massive now and the flowers will be open in a few days I'm sure. The alliums, if they don't get decapitated by my son, will soon been in flower too. I have planted the little one's sunflowers and some sweet peas in the flower bed. I've been harvesting delicious broad beans and superb radishes which wonderfully completes the cycle from fork to fork. My lovely boy has been pulling a few carrots which are almost ready and I've delighted in watching him washing and munching them.

Unfortunately two of the summer fruiting raspberries have died. I'm not sure why they haven't taken, perhaps not soaking them before they were planted or perhaps I didn't water them enough early on? I do feel remarkably sad about them but will try again in autumn.

I lovage borage xx

I spent nearly seven hours at the allotment today. When I got there it was lovely and quiet, as I got on with jobs I listened to the lovely bird sounds. There was one interesting one which I'm afraid I can't describe but it wasn't long until I spotted the green woodpecker that was making it. I had a real moment of feeling so perfectly contented which was made even better by glorious sunshine coming out too. Aaah!

I didn't deal with the raspberries as I said I would. But I did consider my options.

Meanwhile I weeded the beds. I made hoops to hold up the enviromesh above the carrots, brassicas and the broad beans. I'm very pleased with them. I sowed two rows of early Nantes carrots. I also sowed borage and lovage in the brassica bed. The lovage won't stay there as I becomes a large plant, I'm just starting it there - finger crossed it germinates. Lovage is a great habitat for ground beetles and slugs hate ground beetles - yippee!

I'm really into the whole companion planting thing so the lovage and borage are part of my masterplan. Borage is a companion to most plants. Apparently detering cabbage worms and attracting bees. Borage adds trace minerals to the soil, can be used as a mulch; if grown near will enhance the flavour of strawberries and improve tomatoes' resistance to disease. If that wasn't enough the pretty flowers are edible and the leaves contain vitamin C, potassium, calcium and mineral salts!