What a busy weekend it has been but with not all of the activity taking place at the allotment.
Yesterday Manda and I went to our local annual plant fair held by the National Trust:
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wra-1356319341620/article-1356396420439/
It was Dave and Manda that first found out about this event a few years ago and we now make a point of going every year as it is a great opportunity to pick up good quality, reasonably priced plants that we haven’t got around to growing on for ourselves! So this year we came back having bought three different varieties of tomato plants, pumpkins, outside cucumbers, French beans, strawberries and sweet peas. In fact I think I have forgotten a couple of other things that we picked up too. Anyway, we were so laden down that we were helped to the car by a couple of very helpful girl scouts!
All of these purchases were made in a marquee that sounded like it was about to take off; the weather was truly horrendous so it was decided to leave going up to the plot yesterday and to try to get everything in today when the forecast looked a little more promising.
Today dawned, well if not exactly bright and sunny, at least dry and not too cold but before making it up to the plot I was outside in my own garden planting sunflower and sweetcorn seeds which will eventually be planted out at the allotment. The sweetcorn is ‘Popcorn Fiesta’ so a variety where the kernels are all different colours. I’m hoping to dry them and use them as Halloween decorations.
I’m trying out these paper pots because apparently sweetcorn really objects to having its roots disturbed.
Then having realised how late I was running it was off up to the allotment ( with a very disgruntled 8 year old in tow). I was late because by the time I got up there Manda and Dave had already made a great start on getting everything planted out and had managed to get all of our new strawberry plants out in the new strawberry patch.
A new strawberry patch because the old patch had become completely overgrown and the plants almost impossible to recognise in amongst the couch grass, buttercups and brambles. And this became the big job of the week, clearing the old strawberry patch out. It was horrid back breaking job despite having four of us ( x3 adults and Manda’s daughter, my disgruntled 8 year old was not to be tempted with digging and weeding today!) but it was eventually done and instead of strawberries there we now have a pumpkin patch!
We have planted 5 plants, one for each child young enough to still care about pumpkins, though Dave reckons that he should have been bought one too! Between the sweetcorn and the pumpkins we are well on our way to being ready for Halloween.
We also managed to get the sweetpeas and the tomatoes planted but I forgot to get pictures of those, whoops. The french beans and cucumbers are going to require another trip up there to get those planted which means that next week is also shaping up to being a busy one too!
Levelling the Plot 