Green manure

Digging in the green manure

I sowed some green manure five weeks ago in the bed where I am going to plant strawberries in late summer. This was packaged as a spring green manure and to be used as a soil conditioner. With the weather being wet and sunny last week it had really shot up. The packet instructed to dig in when 9'' tall. As I am not sure when I'll have much time at the allotment the next few days I thought I ought to get it dug in now. I have to be sure it does not flower and go to seed as that would be a disaster for the strawberries.

Companion planting

A row of Sweet Alyssum was sowed along the edge of potatoes. It has tiny white flowers which attract insects like hoverflies whose larva devour aphids. In the corners of the strawberry bed, under the gooseberry standards, I sowed some Love-in-a-Mist (nigella damascena) which was given to me by a gardening teacher.

my first early pototoes

Child-proof potato bed - I hope!

Today was such a lovely warm sunny day. I put the sides on another bed, took time to dig in some well-rotted horse manure. My plan was to make this bed half leeks and half potatoes, but I had so many seed potatoes that I stole a bit of the leek end and I also made three potato bags.

I planted swift variety and as the name implies I hope they shall be ready in no time.

I know my little one will be tempted to stamp and jump over the bed especially as he sees nothing growing, so I put some slates I liberated from a skip around the edges to discourage him.

As I had so many potatoes left I  turned three empty compost bags inside out, rolled down the sides and filled it with about 12"/30cm of multipurpose compost. Into each bag I put 3 seed potatoes. This is a technique I heard on Radio 4's gardeners question time last week so I'm very interested to see if it works.

I had some more garlic so I ran a line of them down the raspberry bed. I got the idea to do this from my file I have compiled of companion planting. 

Little one and I sowed some marigolds on Thursday and put them in the heated propagator and already many little seedlings are appearing! - photos to come.

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!