Our allotment looks as though we have been away on holiday for a fortnight which as far as the allotment is concerned isn't far from the truth. We have had a second week where things have conspired against us and kept us needing to stay at home. A job that was supposed to take a couple of days has drawn out to a couple of weeks and things are not finished yet. This week the problem has been managing to get the appropriate tradesmen and the materials that they needed in the same place at the same time. Fortunately the logistics are not being managed by us or maybe that would have improved things.
At home we harvested a couple of firsts of the season. We picked a couple of peaches from the tree in the garden greenhouse, (video here), and also a few ripe Sungold tomatoes.
In one sense it is also fortunate that there has been plenty of rain, as at least everything has been well watered. Martyn, had to make a solo visit one day just to keep things ticking over and to water the plot greenhouse. We also managed to make a quick visit one evening to harvest a few things. As at the weekend we had the house to ourselves, we also managed to do a bit of catching up then.
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| 29 July |
We can now safely say that we have entered the courgette glut period and will be shortly on the look out for willing recipients for our excess. On my sidebar, I've relinked my page with ideas for using courgettes, as I'm sure we're not the only ones to have them suddenly coming thick and fast.
The warmth also meant that our calabrese was in danger of bursting into flower and so we had to cut the heads and freeze those that we didn't want to use quickly.
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| 3 August |
The mangetout haven't really enjoyed the sunshine and could no longer really be referred to as mangetout. I tried one or two peas that had developed in the pods but they weren't good enough to be used as normal peas.
On the other hand the blueberry harvest has been the best yet. I read that blueberries don't need feeding or extra watering but this year I broke those rules. I fed them and they have had plenty of rainfall.
As you can see below, our harvesting was interrupted by a downpour again on Saturday.
All the Casablanca and Athlete potatoes have been lifted along with half of the Rockets. Many of the Rocket potatoes had been attacked by nibblers, but as these were planted as a sacrificial crop in newly cleared ground, this didn't come as a great surprise. I think it was proving to be a good hunting ground for this little guy or gal too.
The bed vacated by Casablanca and Athlete was hurried planted up one evening with dwarf French beans.
As you can see below, our harvesting was interrupted by a downpour again on Saturday.
All the Casablanca and Athlete potatoes have been lifted along with half of the Rockets. Many of the Rocket potatoes had been attacked by nibblers, but as these were planted as a sacrificial crop in newly cleared ground, this didn't come as a great surprise. I think it was proving to be a good hunting ground for this little guy or gal too.
We have now lifted all the trial potatoes - Elfe, Jazzy, Apache, British Queen, Premiere, and Rudolf. All except Bristish Queen had produced a good yield but we still haven't tasted all the varieties.
The second batch of broad beans - Masterpiece Green Longpod - have been picked and we also had a first picking of climbing French beans - Goldfield.
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| 4 August |
When pulling out a weed, I accidentally lifted a cluster of shallots - Golden Gourmet - the tops had died down and so they were ready to lift anyway so no harm done.
I picked a bag of spinach which has grown really well in the grow bag. The radishes had grown well too but our enforced absence meant many had grown too big and become woody.
The sweet peas and dahlias are now in full flow and producing a mass of flowers.
Our buddleia bushes are also in full flower and at the weekend I was happy to see that, after a couple of nearly butterfly free years, the flowers were being browsed by masses of butterflies. They were mainly peacock but there were also a few painted ladies. I just had to spend some time hunting them with my camera.
This week I am linking to harvest Monday hosted on
Dave's blog Our Happy Acres
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You don't have to have your own blog in order to join in conversations. It may seem that everyone who comments knows one another but bloggers always welcome new commenters, after all that is how we all started.
Posts
I think coordinating workmen and supplies with the weather is a global problem unless Nick Knowles is on the job. Lovely looking produce again, regardless of temporary abandonment of allotment.
ReplyDeleteDo you think Nick Knowles is free, Deborah?
DeleteIt's a well-known fact that tradesmen are never any good at co-ordinating the various aspects of a job. If they were, they would look for work as Project Managers! In the circumstances, I think you have done pretty well with your crops. I have lots of butterfly-friendly plants in my garden (e.g. Buddleia and Verbena bonariensis) but I still don't have "clouds" of butterflies like we used to see 20 or 25 years ago.
ReplyDeleteThe guy organising the work owns the business and is project managing, Mark. They cancelled again today but say work will definitely be completed tomorrow! It's reminiscent of A Year in Provence. We're not holding our breath but I made it clear that our patience has worn thin.
DeleteThis year we have seen more butterflies than for a long time.
Love your sweet peas bouquet, Sue. Your first tomatoes are amazing, lovely color and sure are tasty. Of course I don't grow peaches in my greenhouse, you're lucky to have them own.
ReplyDeleteHoping for lots more tomatoes soon, Nadezda.
DeleteOur summer squash glut has passed by, and I hope your supply is as good as ours. I also hope you can get back to what passes for normal with the allotment! Beautiful butterfly pics too.
ReplyDeleteNormal would be good, Dave. I was happy to see the butterflies this year.
ReplyDeleteWe're having a bumper year for painted ladies and peacocks. Not many red admirals though. I hope all is now sorted with the workmen, it's always a pain getting jobs done. A wonderful harvest, just look at those peaches and blueberries. I'll be interested to hear how the different varieties of potatoes taste.xxx
ReplyDeleteI haven’ seen any red admirals either and only the odd tortoiseshell which is usually the most common. I’ve seen gatekeepers but they don’t favour the buddleias. There don’t seen to be as many whites either. Workmen should finish today but the should have come yesterday so we’re not holding our breath.
DeleteSo glad to hear the butterfly numbers are up again. We saw plenty on our travels down south but even the Edinburgh numbers are up, I would say. Project management? You have my complete sympathy.
ReplyDeleteI was glad to see them too, Mal.
DeleteForgot to mention blueberries - yes, a bumper crop this year. Courgette trickle no doubt heading for a flood . Thanks for the early warning!
ReplyDeleteI’m thinking of getting a spiraliser, Mal
DeleteSuch abundant harvests. I'm always taken by the flowers and fruit. Well, butterflies and birds also get my attention too. Hope you're back to the allotment soon.
ReplyDeleteStill house sitting today, Sue. They promise that they’ll finish today but I’ve heard that before, then something unexpected crops up and it’s a no show.
DeleteIsn't that the way it is when work is done at the house - things going according to plan seems to be the exception rather than the rule. Your potatoes look wonderful! I'll be leaving ours to mature a bit more for storage, but those that volunteered in the compost are another story. I'll be digging in soon and hopefully fine some nice tubers.
ReplyDeleteAnd things continue to go wrong, Margaret! We have the job now of tasting all the different varieties of potato and choosing our favourites.
DeleteNice to see your blog is still going strong and as interesting as it always was.
ReplyDeleteThanks Rooko - good to hear from you
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