A whole selfish day spent on the allotment, my own little vegetable paradise. I have had several long visits of late and have managed to almost keep on top of the weeding, although the frequent rain followed by hot, balmy days has encouraged them to grow at great speed. This damp, warm weather has also encouraged to crops to grow quickly, so it isn't all bad news. ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) I am digging up potatoes as I need them. We don't eat a lot of spuds, so my 4 rows should give us enough spuds to last into the winter. At the moment we are harvesting Kestrel, a delicious round spud with purple eyes. It is very creamy, a great boiler, fab hot or cold. As I clear my spuds, I am firming the area lightly and raking it, and then planting my leek plantlets. I am very organised this year - I normally miss the leek boat. These should provide chunky aliums to enjoy during the late winter and early spring. ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) The beetroot haven't minded the long dry spring at all. These were sown in modules back at home in very early spring and planted out once they had their first set of true leaves. I sowed 3 seeds to a module and have enjoyed the first set of thinnings when the beets were the size of golf balls. We are now on the second thinnings when they are just slightly smaller than a tennis ball. The rest will be harvested as and when we want them and some might get huge, but I have found roasting them is just the best way of cooking them, even when they are monsters. ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) My courgette plants are now providing us with masses of fruits. I have a yellow variety called Soleil, which is supposed to be more flavoursome than the green. The green one, I can't remember his name! I have about 8 plants all sown at different times to stagger the harvesting....at least that is the plan. ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) The fruits are enjoying the wet and the soft fruits have been marvellous this year. I am continuously waxing lyrical about my raspberries, and I will again. The variety I grow is called Glen Ample, and the fruits are ample, and the amount of fruit the canes produce is ample. I have made jam, pavlovas, given some away and frozen some, and still there are bucket fulls to ripen. The apples are also plentiful this year. There doesn't seem to have been much of a June drop so the boughs are heavy with young fruits. I have cut some branches back as they were creating a bit of a black eye hazard. ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) I had some clear beds where the onions and garlic had been harvested and they have been lightly forked, raked, firmed and are now being planted up with young plants to overwinter and prevent the dreaded 'hungry gap'. I have beetroot, turnips, lettuce, fennel, chard, spinach and brocolli at home in modules and I already have young plants of chard, dwarf French beans, lettuce and asparagus peas in the ground. ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) I have harvested half of my broad beans now but have left a few plants in the ground to allow the beans to get really fat. I will freeze these ones along with some marrowfat style peas to use in stews over the winter. ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) The tomatoes are setting fruit quite happily now, so fingers crossed they ripen before they get the dreaded blight. I do grown them under a roof so they don't suffer from rain splash, one of the quickest spreaders of the blight spores. ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) July is a busy time for the vegetable grower as now, not only are we harvesting and weeding like crazy, we also have to plan ahead and keep sowing so that come winter we have hardy crops to feed us. I have brassicas, swedes, turnips, leeks, carrots and parsnips, but have also started sowing some oriental greens which are very hardy and will happily stand all winter and will give us delicate salads. As you know, I am a working mum with 2.5 children, house, mum, chores, and life to keep me busy, so for me to have the luxury of 2 allotments, I have to be able to visit every single day of the year and harvest something to feed us, even if it is only some chard or kale in the depths of winter, and I succeed every single year. I also bottle fruits, make jams and chutneys and freeze all of my surplus so we are almost self sufficient in fruit and veg the whole year round. Now if only I could get my bananas and citrus plants more productive in the conservatory at home, I might never need buy anything from the greengrocery department again. ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden ) I love my allotment. ( photo / image / picture from EJ's Garden )
Everything looks delicious. Lots of hard work keeping up with 2 allotments, you do such a good job of it and provide so many healthful and scrumptious meals for your family. Love the potato!!
That's what I'm talkin' about! What a thrill to see your lottie pics, EJ. I have really been curious to see what is rolling in for you now. It seems like you are having a well-balanced harvest of fruit and veg. Your soft fruit is looking quite nice, I must say. Its good to hear that you eat ALL sizes of your broadies. Many folks here do not, but I like them too...mealy or young. There is always a use for whatever quality that you have. That litttle heart-shaped spud isn't a 'Kestrel', is it? I see that your toms are coming along as well. Mine are beginning to get a little yellowish tint to them and a couple are pinkish. I have no idea when I will be able to eat the first one, though. I can see why you are so proud of your raspberries. That one that you showed is as pretty as a picture, so to speak. I can almost taste it. It really was showing -off when you showed that punnet-full of them. WOW! Mahvelous posting, EJ!
Thanks Toni, they certainly keep me busy but are very rewarding. Sjoerd, no, it was an International Kidney volunteer which I had to clear to plant some lettuces. How cute though. Thanks Miss Liberty (now Mrs. ) All that digging is worthwhile when the crops start coming home.
It all looks great. You did a great job. Keeping up with the weeds is a lot of work until you start getting the reward of your labors. Then it's so worth all the weeds and dirt ingrained in your skin and under your nails. :-D I hope your family tells you how much they appreciate all you hard work and fall down at your feet and call you blessed and want to bring you drinks and fan you with a palm branch...... etc...uh huh! right. well we will all tell you instead. ok?
Its beautiful EJ! You sound like me,, all we need are chickens and a cow and we would never have to go to the market.
You must feel so proud of yourself when you can lay the food on the table for your family EJ. All those luscious fruit and veggies and you know exactly where they come from and that they're disease free and have no preseratives added to them. It certainly makes it worth all the effort you put into your allotments. :-D
Hi EJ, lovely pictures to make the mouth water and a longing to taste some of your fruits,..great harvest,..great reward for all work put in.
