The many jobs of June!

So many things to do.... so little time to blog.

At home I've been rescuing tomato plants which cooked whilst I was in Morocco and temperatures soared here. I've potted on about eight plants at home, with basil and marigolds and the rest are destined for the allotment. I lost my cucumber but sowed another.

At the allotment it would be easy to be overcome by the weeds and the all the other of jobs to do, especially being pregnant and knowing I really have to watch I don't overdo it. I have worked on one bed at a time and I seem to be making steady progress. I really want to get my paths covered as it is ridiculous to be continually weeding them, but they are always low priority.

So I have planted on the plot this weekend:- Calabrese Broccoli, Celeriac, Runner beans, Borlotti beans, Butternut Squash, Cucumber, Sunflowers and Peppers. Along with weeding, constructed the bean support, netted the fruit, put straw under the strawberries and prepared the tomato bed. Courgettes went in about a month ago now and are doing really good. The broad beans have come up fine not as tall as last year and the blackfly are worse also. I really think it is worth over-wintering them like I did last season. Note to self: -I will try to sow for over-wintering this November but the new arrival may make that a little tricky!! (and carrots for that matter.

Heaven is Homegrown

Broad beans, broccoli (calabrese), carrots and sweet smelling sweet peas...mmm!

- don't they just look perfect? So proud am I.

Tonight we enjoyed a herby spatchcock chicken accompanied by the freshest and most perfect (-well I would say that) carrots, broad beans and broccoli (calabrese)...mmm...divine. I have come the swift conclusion that when you eat 'fresh as it comes' vegetables you are getting the life energy of the vegetable. The ions are still bouncing about and the rigor mortis (-for want of a better term) has not set in. The purest transfer of energy from the ground to ones own being. There definitely is a lightness to the taste.. ooo! and virtually none of the vitamins are lost to the drawer at the bottom of the fridge. I could go on. But I think you get the point. The joys of freshness. The smell of sweet peas..aah! bliss!

I wasn't sure how to harvest the calabrese actually. Obviously I cut off the head to eat but I'm not sure whether I should let it grow on or whether I'm to pull out the rest of the plant and bung it in the compost? Ever the optimist I shall leave it and see if more perfect heads shall form.

I have planted two types of beans on a tepee where the raspberries failed. One variety is French climbing purple and the other is French round safari. I wasn't really thinking when I bought them whether they were dwarf or not. I pretty sure now I've googled that the safari variety are dwarf... I wonder if they are compatible with each other? I planted them alternately around a tepee of bamboo. I have no idea how tall the safari will grow (-more googling necessary!) I decided to split up the poached egg plants and dotted them around the plot too. I also sowed a new shorter (18") row of French Breakfast Radish along side the raspberries and some Flakee carrots in the carrot bed were the carrots had failed to show before.

It really is a joy to be at the plot now.

Calabrese, Hispi Pointy Cabbage and Dahlias

I popped in very quickly to Lottie yesterday with some calabrese and Hispi pointy cabbage seedlings that I picked up at Wisley, where of course I had gone for something completely different. I have been very reluctant to grow brassicas as the are attacked for all directions but as I have a small (limed) bed with only one kale and one cabbage in, I thought I might as well make use of the space. I planted them firmly in with about 12"/30 cm between them. I have put some grit under them which I hope will keep the slugs off.

In the next bed, I was thrilled to notice the first signs of carrots coming up my young under-gardener though it was splendid too, so much so he launched himself across the whole bed, mesh, hoops and all and lay prostrate over the lot. I'm not sure the carrots are going to like that!

I also had a small bag of bright cerise pink dahlia bulbs and I put them in the flower bed.