Still no real summer

It’s round to that stage in the allotmenting year when the focus is more on preparing for next year. It seems to have come along earlier than in previous years maybe due to a lack of any real summer.

I did plant some cabbage plants that we had left over which may or may not produce anything harvestable but they certainly won’t produce anything languishing in the module cells.

We have decided not to plant winter brassicas as they really don’t do well for us. It’s a lot of effort for what amounts to almost nil return.

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Copyright: Original post from Our Plot at Green Lane Allotments http://glallotments.blogspot.co.uk/ author S Garrett

Time is running out

In my last post, I wrote that I had lifted the onions as the forecast was for a warm dry period. Of course, the forecast was wrong and we had rain. The onions were not going to dry out sitting on wet soil so, last week, I moved them. We put together a makeshift drying rack using sides from an old bird cage, some chicken wire, empty water butts and bits of wood. At least now the onions and shallots are raised off the ground and when the inevitable rain falls it should drain away. Ironically, after I had moved the onions, we had a couple of warm dry afternoons.  The weather is playing games with me!

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Copyright: Original post from Our Plot at Green Lane Allotments http://glallotments.blogspot.co.uk/ author S Garrett

A glimpse of summer

I think that the weather gods must have read my previous post and taken pity on us. Last week we actually had some glimpses of summer.

The weather forecast sounded promising, so I decided to lift the onions and shallots hoping that they could have a few days in the sunshine drying off.

I was pleased to find that only about four onions were spoiled but that may change when I start to use them. I'll be on the lookout for any allium leaf miner pupae.

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Copyright: Original post from Our Plot at Green Lane Allotments http://glallotments.blogspot.co.uk/ author S Garrett

That's enough now

We really have had more than enough rain now! Back when we were spending our days lugging watering cans, we should have been more careful with what we were wishing for.

The rain alternates from just being wet and drizzly to a torrential downpour. We were caught in a storm whilst travelling along the motorway. The rain was so heavy that we couldn't see for more than a few yards. We had to drive at about 35mph. It was scary and I was glad that I wasn't driving. We were going to my sister's and coming back later in the evening we had thunder and lightning and more rain. Fortunately, the rain was less heavy but there was lots of standing water to be negotiated. This wasn't helped by heavy lorries taking no account of the conditions and thundering past leaving thick spray in their wake which cut visibility.

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Copyright: Original post from Our Plot at Green Lane Allotments http://glallotments.blogspot.co.uk/ author S Garrett

July in pictures

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Copyright: Original post from Our Plot at Green Lane Allotments http://glallotments.blogspot.co.uk/ author S Garrett