So you may notice my last post was my plan for 2020.... Grand plans ended up not coming to fruition last year due for the most part to a run in with long covid that left me worn out by doing the smallest thing and coming up against coughing fits and aggrevated asthma whenever I …
So chit begins!
Another year of potato growing up and running. I got carried away again, partly fueled by a very exciting morning out to the West Yorkshire organic growers potato day in Shipley last week. We've never been before but after seeing a poster in the local library we thought we'd give it a try and it …
Review of 2019
So 2019 has been a bit of a weird one! As many of you know its been a crazy year for me. I've been hoping to make a career change for about three years now but at the start of the year I was still working as a scientific consultant. Then, before the end of …
Our first proper brassica forming
Now, this may be a few years in but embarrassingly this is the first time we've had a proper brassica head form at the allotment! It's a romanesco cauliflower and I really hope it makes it all the way to maturity now it's come so far!
Starting to work on 2020
It's really nice when things have quietened down so much at the allotment, to have some jobs to do that feel like you're gearing up for the year to come. Having had a go at the blackcurrant bushes with my favourite friend - the pruning saw - I have some blackcurrant cuttings set up in …
Late sprouting broccoli
We've finally got some purple summer sprouting broccoli.... in October! Though Reading this does seem to be just within it's usual range.Confusingly though it's not really purple but bright pink. Having had a scout around online I've found a few other photos of pink purple spouting but no reasons for why it might happen. Maybe …
A better year for potatoes
We had a ceremonial digging of the first potatoes last night (because we were both nervous that we get hardly any like last year) and so far we seem to be doing well! All in all from about a third of a bed we actually planted and a few rogue plants that popped up in …
Gooseberry update
Another year another round of mildew. I cut all the bushes quite hard back in late April after the fruit had set as they weren't looking happy. There's not as much mildew as last year but they're still not looking happy. The fruit on the younger branches seems to be doing much better than the …
Potatoes everywhere
So, we've got the two beds full of potatoes this year.... But then this is the two beds that should be full of beans and peas.... I know I should pull up the rogue potatoes but somehow I can't bring myself to! Also, I've tried especially hard this year to get the cucumbers off to …
It’s that time of year again
The greenhouse is back up! From a pile of (slightly rusty) poles and a plastic sheet to my wonderful (slightly holey) greenhouse again! And just in time to hide in it from a heavy rainstorm! This year it definitely definitely will be the last year for this as our proper greenhouse. Tom wants to do …
Bean Allotmenting 