Winter planting & even a harvest or two

Where the Picasso potatoes were dug from, we planted 3 Elephant Garlics & 2 Shallots, we netted them to protect from birds & squirrels!

Despite it being colder & wetter, we still managed to harvest this lot: Lettuce, Courgettes, Beans, Raspberries, Tomatoes and 3 Apples, a heritage variety 'Woodbrook Pippin' and they are massive!

So despite a wet start, it brightened up and we got busy clearing a few wig-wams away and storing the canes, wet end (the end in the soil) uppermost, so they dry out.

Thanks for reading/returning, Ian & Jo

Harvests & weeding time!

Such a lovely morning, so Jo & I decided to visit our plot today as Sunday was so wet! 

We harvested this lot while there.

I dug a few Picasso potatoes up, these will do a few meals over the next week or so.

I cleared around the Cara potatoes, there were plenty of weeds, but now looks a lot better & the Parsnips (on the left) now have more room to grow.

So while I was doing the Cara patch, Jo weeded around this patch where the Spinach, Kale and Cabbages are. Keeping the netting on has helped them to grow strong, no interference from birds!

Jo then weeded around the Leeks and they are looking really good & healthy.

Jo then weeded this patch where there is Pac-Choy, Lettuce & Kale, also still under netting, to keep the birds off. 
She picked the biggest Lettuce too!

So it was a good few hours and we got a lot done including the bumper harvest, as in 1st photo.

Thanks for reading/returning. Ian & Jo

September harvest time

So a week ago I dug up more potatoes, these are Picasso main crop & very nice they are and make great chips & roasties too.

A lovely Trug of produce. 

Using my trusty petrol strimmer I cut the grass path again, might be the last time this year, unless we get a late summer.

Got loads of weeds to burn, so had to buy a new incinerator bin! 
At least we had plenty of dry weeds to burn, despite the rain we have had.

The Borlotto Beans are almost ready to pick, see below:

I'm glad we put a bigger netting frame over the Kale, it's put on a growth spurt now with more headroom. 

Today's harvest: Raspberries, Beetroot, Tomatoes & Pears from our neighbour.

And a bag full of Beans. 

Borlotto & Runner Beans.

We've harvested so much fruit this year, so I'm trying Goosberry & Raspberry mix wine.

I'm also starting a batch of just Raspberry wine. 

Will be doing a double batch of Rhubarb soon too.

Things are still growing though, I weeded around the Parsnips today & other crops are doing well, we expect to still be harvesting through the winter.

Thanks for reading/returning. Ian & Jo

Another 5 hours digging and clearing our allotment

Another good harvest: 
Picasso Potatoes, 
Tomatoes, 
Beetroot, 
Raspberries 
& Flowers.

I showed a close-up of the Barlotta Beans last time, so here is the whole plant, now about 7ft tall and laden with beans, not ready to pick yet as the pods are not swelling with beans.

I knew it was hot, but didn't realise it was a record breaking Bank Holiday weekend heat!

So I decided to work at the shaded end of the plot, digging over more of this patch ready for our next big project, I showed the photo of a huge root last week, I traced it and now its getting thinner so hopefully nearing the end. 
So watch this space for more news soon.

This area we planted up and netted last time, they are looking healthy so have survived the move from seed tray to ground.

This area has also survived, since planting and netting last week. 

We are expecting rain next week, so that will be  good for our new plants.

The Brasicca's are doing well too, I noticed a Cabbage White Butterfly in there so must be vigilant for caterpillars soon!

All the clearing has produced a pile of weeds & roots, so as they were dry had a bonfire to burn as much as we could, the ash will be dug back into the soil.

Thanks for reading/returning. Ian & Jo.

10 hours over 2 days working on the plot!

Saturday: 
I dug over a patch we need and got all these assorted early potatoes that we missed when digging up a few months ago: Pentland Javelin, Foremost & Charlotte.

Jo weeded around the Kale and Borocale and planted some more Cabbages in a space left by Pak-Choi that had gone to seed earlier in the season.

So to protect these brassicas I used some water pipe hoops with metal tube legs to give extra height and covered with netting, protecting the growing Kale etc.

This is the patch I dug over and got that mix of Potatoes, we plan to plant some over winter crops on Sunday.

This patch was left fallow, so a few weeks ago I dug it over and today Jo planted: 
Leeks, 
Spinach, 
Cabbages, 
Swede 
& Kohl Rabi. (see next photo)

And to make sure the young seedlings, we had started off at home, dont get pulled out & eaten by the birds we netted the whole patch!

So Saturday ended with a good harvest:
Runner Beans, 2x Courgettes, Tomatoes & Potatoes. 


We spent a very satisfying 5 hours today!

Sunday: 
The patch cleared on Saturday is now full again with:
Kale, Pak Choi, Cabbage, Spinach & Lettuce. Netted of course too.

Inside the fruit cage: Jo weeded around the Raspberries & cut out all the old fruited wood, then I tied up all the remaining canes to the horizontal wires, the autumn ones have fruit on already.

I have been clearing the lane end of our plot ready for the next big change to its entrance, but dug up this massive root! I expect its from the tree on the other side of the lane, will have to remove it as it might interfere with my plans!

Odd that we have a Yellow and an Orange Courgette on the same plant ?

The Patti-Pan Squash is looking good, we hope it gets a bit bigger, needs more water!

Dug up some more Picasso spuds for our meals, we will also have some of the earlies I dug up on Saturday, they store well in light proof bags.

A good weekend of digging, weeding, planting & harvesting, another 5 satisfying hours done today.

 A total of 10 hours this weekend and the weather was good too.

Thanks for reading/returning. Ian & Jo.

Another good harvest

I'll start with today's harvest:
Foremost potatoes
2x Courgettes
and a Cucumber.

I dug up the potatoes around 5pm and by 6:30 a few were in my tummy, you cant get fresher than that!

In the Greenhouse:

Here is the Cucumber I picked.

Still in the Greenhouse: 
The Plum Tomatoes are nearly ready, we will be making plenty of tomato sauces with these.

The climbing Borlotti Beans are doing well, they have reached the top of my 6ft wigwam and the pods are forming well, you can just see the mottled red/green colour starting.

The Coxs Orange Pippins are looking good too, the tree is laden with sweet apples.

This heritage variety 'Woodbrook Pippin' has 3 apples, last year we got just one! So hopefully its now happy in its new location.

I just love these Echinops, the bees love them too when in flower, like this one. 
The blue colour is stunning.

So I managed 3 hours today, between the showers, the sun came out and it was lovely, but the sky went very grey and it rained soon after I arrived home to make my dinner.

Thanks for reading/returning. Ian (& Jo on holiday)