More Allotment Patio

You join me outside with Andrew who is planting up another vegetable crate to add to the lovely jumble of allotment pots we have on the patio. Everything is going terribly well and there aren't even any pests on the plants (bar one slug), unlike at the main allotment plot where everything is being tackled by everything! It can't just be me - there are a lot more insects (hover flies in particular) and sweetly singing birds around this year - no??

So we are making an allotment box out of an orange plastic crate; we got this one discarded outside a farmers' market. Andrew carefully opened up a grow bag with scissors running along one end and poured all the contains out into a trug. Then he trimmed the other end and cut up the seam along the back length of the plastic. Laying this rectangle out, he lined the crate before emptying all the compost back in, spreading it evenly. This one is being planted up with coriander plugs, spring onion plugs (multi sown) and carrot seeds (rotundo - little round ones), see above.

Toby is over by the tulips and the water feature (which he frequently drinks from) laying in the sun and every now and then stretching and getting more comfortable; he's being a good boy.

Elsewhere in the patio allotment the mangetout peas are starting to romp away up the trellis support, the turnips have gone a bit bonkers with a growth spurt and the radishes are so juicy and plump we are eating them everyday with baby perpetual spinach too.

The potatoes are just starting to show their tips which I find very exciting and the broad beans are slowly (strongly) climbing up by their bamboo sticks and the flowers teasingly get bigger every day.

In the greenhouse my flower seeds are looking lovely but still a little too wee to plant up yet in the empty pots I have beside me. We also have baby celery, purple sprouting broccoli, Brussel sprouts, kale and lettuce seedlings in there, all looking well.

In the cold frame here, we have leeks (multi sown) and a wide variety of chard and beetroot varieties.

I hope you are having a good weekend my lovelies. Stay well and happy growing!
Hugs
Carrie xx 

The allotment patio

Hello, gorgeous people! *waves* and welcome to this special outdoors blog post live from my patio :) I sit here with a coffee in the sunshine with Toby and Andrew (who is working from home).

I hope you are well and keeping safe and sane in this weird quarantine period. It's actually not that bad really, is it? We have to stay at home with our TVs and books and blankets to do battle with this horrid virus. It could be a lot worse I guess. (OK I know it's Hell for some and I'm sorry xx)

So the mini allotment here is growing really well and I so happy to see the seedlings everyday slowly getting bigger and stronger in the mini greenhouse. The ones that are planted out are looking great and personally I would like to have these vegetable pots and flower pots every year - it looks so lush and green out here!

Beside me we have growing cabbages, coriander, radishes, turnips, spinach, beetroots, potatoes, leeks, spring onions, carrots, broad beans and peas! We came up with a fab idea for the potatoes in fact (I'm sure others have thought of this before but it excites us) - putting them in pots as usual and growing multi plugs of spring onions on top = a champ pot ;)

The first crop of radishes will be ready in a about a week - they are so rewarding to grow, I'd forgotten all about them over the past years but you get a crop in no time at all and they are so pretty. We have a heck of a lot so it's just as well we like their feisty peppery taste.

I have also just noticed that the broad beans have tiny flowers appearing and the mangetout peas are starting to cling unto the trellis behind them - you notice every little detail everyday instead of every week and it's utterly charming. I recommend this to everyone if you have even the smallest outdoor space - pots, grow your veg in pots and you can even add colour with marigolds!

I'm also noticing more of the joyous springtime changes that happen in the garden too. Since the start of the week the beech hedge has become greener every day, dropping its brown leaves and letting the new green leaves unfurl - its beautiful. The acers and the maple leaves are opening like paper fans and god grief there are so many hover flies and bees - I never noticed before - oh and the bird song!

Tulip pots -

 We've already had a beautiful flush of daffodils and after these blooms there are alliums to come.

Things continue at the allotment plot too but I'll save that for another post.

What's happening with you these days?

Virtual hugs 

Carrie

Seedling success (so far)

The world appears to be crumbling around us all with Corvid-19 and to be honest it's all a little bit scary, so let's just remind each other to be safe, to wash those hands and look out for each other albeit from a distance. No more on that topic from me - I think we are a bit saturated with information and what if scenarios...

Instead, as this is an allotment based blog, we should all focus for now on seeds and seedlings and how utterly joyful it is that things are going so very well on that front. At least they are here; I certainly hope they are with you, if indeed you have started.

Happy happy us we have the following seedlings:

• Broad Beans 'the sutton'
• Cabbage 'greyhound'
• Spinach 'amazon F1'
• Beetroot 'boltardy'
• Spring Onion 'white lisbon'
• Turnip 'purple topped milan'
• Radish 'scarlet globe'

It's such a joy to see them all and I especially like this bit of germination when they are just pushing the soil aside and making the final preparations to show themselves :) Even on my darkest mental ill health days - these babies bring a wee smile to my face.

Mangetout

But all the seedlings are at home, "what news from the plot?", I hear you ask. Oh well I am pleased to inform you that there are buds on the blueberries, purple sprouting broccoli for the harvesting and wonderful forced rhubarb, umm, forcing away!

The garlic and neighbouring tulips are looking super healthy too so we are pleased and aching to get down there and do some of the other many jobs we have in mind.

Happy weekend
Carrie

P.S. Just one thing, say you were to be self isolating for a few weeks - what are your favourite novel recommendations - for a good time? Maybe your all time favourite book? maybe one you just finished? I'm really interested to know. 

Now....

HUGS 

With thanks to the Bee Gees

I haven't been online much and only wrote 2 blog posts last month but my mental health has been seriously poor and I haven't done much of anything to be honest. However this isn't what I want to talk about - I have the Bee Gees' Greatest Hits playing and let's get groovy :)
"Night Fever - we know how to do it!"

The weather.... I don't want to talk too much about the weather as it will only get us all down, BUT lordy, it has not be favourable to the allotmenteer, has it!? Here, by the sea, we have just had pesky rain, hail and very cold winds, enough to stop us from going to the plot. Why, could someone tell me, is the weekend weather always worse than the weekday (when we can't get stuff done!)?

Seed planting at home has begun, just a few trays so far but enough to be us excited. We (rather Andrew to be honest) has been planting them in the dining room so I can take photos and be involved.

Next seeds I'll be planting as Flighty, wonderful Flighty send me some of my favourite flower seeds and I always have room for pretty, bee friendly flowers ;)

Here's the seedlings we have at the minute.... Spinach, Cabbage and Broad Beans :)

We have lots of seeds to be sowing but we aren't worried as we don't want leggy seedlings when it gets time to plant them out; it looks like it's going to continue to be poor for a wee while yet.

Oh and the potatoes are just beginning to chit and are firm and healthy.
"You should be dancing!"

This weekend has better weather in store, according to the weatherman, so fingers crossed my friends, we can but hope. Love and hugs ("love it such a beautiful thing!")
Carrie