Hurray! A new sign

A visit from the folks today (from both sides) and we popped up to put up a new sign hand made by my clever Aus sis Lucy. Dad made a pole for it to go in the ground and we put it up for all to see.

Mary helped with some tidying and Leek snipping whilst Neil dug over some of the patches. It's not looking too bad for this time of year and the soil looks great for being turned. The onions are still going along with the Leeks but the Brussels have been attacked big time along with the Cabbages.

After a December lull as far as the allotment goes it felt great to be up at the plot having a go. I love it!

Australian rellies pay us a visit

We popped by to show Aus Aunty Luce and niece Mealy the allotment. They have been reading about it for a year and today they finally visited! I did point out that possibly they weren't seeing it at it's best (!) but they enjoyed getting a feel for where we are when we are growing veg all year round.

Lovely to see Mealy there and we checked out the onions and leeks which are still trying hard. Bit wet and soggy so we went on our way. If only they could come in Summer and throw another snag on the barbie. One day.........

Quick whizz

A quick whizz up the allotment today and the Brussels have been stripped bare and the Cabbages infested with snails and slugs but I reckon we can salvage them. Not much to do this time of year so Grandma and I weeded a bit and made a bug house from old logs which the boys will love. We tidied a bit and started a pile for a bonfire.

The most eventful part of our trip up was Sammy taking on the gravel hill to our plot on his bike and falling off underneath the bike after making a noise a bit like "OOOHHH!". The path has big dips in it which just wobbled him the wrong way, poor Bam but he was very brave.

Happy 1st Birthday to Plot 18B!

We went up today with the sun shining and the leaves all sorts of colours. It has been a year since we got the keys and we have really enjoyed it. Lots has happened and it is good to see how far we have managed to come in just a year.

Today the cabbages looked like actual bona fide cabbages and the onions and leeks are getting taller. The boys enjoyed snipping the tops off them to encourage them to get even taller. Neil let them loose on the Nasturtiums so as we could have some leaves for a salad and they went a bit mad. Sammy ended up in tears quickly followed by hysterics as he and Lou mucked about destroying things. Lou loved smashing up a rotten gourd which we had stuck sticks into.

Many bonfires were going and there was a chill in the air. It definitely feels like Winter is upon us today.

Managed a super charged weeding session before the boys went crazy and Lou's second big wobbly tooth got knocked AGAIN, much screeching and blood but the bloody thing is still in there! At a very odd angle and at the centre of many dramas throughout the day.

Wet half term

We popped up today because I have been missing going up soooo much! As soon as we got there we took a few pix and the rain came again. It is real sharp showery weather at the moment followed by brilliant sunshine and the odd rainbow. Beautiful colours are everywhere with trees ranging from still green to orange and red and yellow. Fabulous as you drive through the countryside.

Half term and it means two monkeys to drag up but bless them they complied today and did come with me to check out our veg.

The raspberrie canes have started to show leaf growth - amazing since they looked like dead twigs when we put them in. The onions and leeks are having a good go now and standing up proud. I think the cabbages may have survived being eaten and are getting bigger. The brussels look badly munched on by slugs and snails so not so confident about those.

All in all it is looking in good shape entering into Winter and having been largely ignored for a couple of weeks.

Afterwards we popped to see Ivy and the boys were fighting like Dinosaurs, when Sammy head butted Lou and knocked his VERY wobbly front teeth -after blood and much todo, Lou twisted it out himself. One front tooth down, one to go. Well done Lou!

Pumpkin Harvest

We went up today to cut and harvest the Pumpkins. They looked so fabulous, a bright orange and the boys were very excited. We also received some Raspberry canes and Jerusalem Artichokes from our friend Clare and so we are giving her one of our Pumpkins in return. Her boys Milo, Frank and Dougal will love that.

We dug over the Pumpkin plot and planted the Artichokes (fartichokes) and the boys think it is funny they make you fart when you eat them! We also discarded the Gourd which has finally stopped and been very kind to us and the Tomato plant. Squarecrow Jack passed away today and Louis enjoyed using his insides to make a straw path between two beds. He also enjoyed using his head as a punch bag!

Sammy and Louis went on adventures today whilst we trimmed the path and dug/composted an area for Raspberry canes. They went all around the allotment site discovering secret passageways. Lou was very good with Sammy every time a car came, I could see two blonde heads holding hands through the undergrowth.

Quite a lot achieved today and we just about kept an even calm with the promise of Ice Age 3 on DVD when we got home! Lovely to be up on an Autumn day clearing and making way for new crops.

Granddad's Birthday and Sausage Sizzle

Granddad came to visit and we planned a sausage sizzle up the allotment with present giving and a bit of light weeding and pruning thrown in! The boys love cooking hot dogs outside and sat on a bench with Granddad enjoying them. Today was hot so we were playing in the water troughs and getting very wet to cool down. We needed to water the young cabbages and leeks and Granddad helped with some pruning to get some light to one of the plots.

Louis got hold of the camera today and took some great photos. One of my favourites being a framed image of the unreal blue sky we had today. He experimented with motion and different angles, I thought they were great!

After it all got too hot for us we took two naked boys (they had got soaked through) to the Old Sarum airfield and sat and watched the crazy people taking off in Microlights, or scooters with wings as we think they should be known. Lots of action today and small planes of all types going up and coming down.

Granddad went home with a gourd from the allotment with the promise of other veg when it comes! We have also decided to pick one of our precious pumpkins on the way to school tomorrow for Harvest Festival which is a really nice thing to be able to do.

Indian Summer

It is super hot at the moment and messing with my senses a bit. As we kick through leaves on the way to school we are wearing shorts and barely needing t-shirts up top. The conkers are everywhere and we have an impressive collection but at the same time it is hot and sunny and the sky is blue from 7.30 am. We wake up in the dark and go out to school in shorts. It is wonderful!

Sammy and I popped up the allotment yesterday to water the very dry soil and saw onions poking through and the leeks looking stronger. The pumpkins add real colour to the plot and are hanging on to their 'umbilical cord' at the root but we will cut them soon I think.

I thought the Gourds were done but I keep finding more! Sammy enjoyed playing in the water trough to cool down which I didn't expect in Autumn. As I watered the Cabbages, little white flies flew around so I will have to do something about that. Our Allotment Association suggests putting a bulb of Garlic in the water in your can so it's worth a try.

Green Tomato Chutney

I have been trying to make a chutney or jam this year from the veg/fruit at our allotment. This week I tried my very first batch of Delia's Green Tomato Chutney and boy do we have a lot of green tomatoes. With the help of advice and pickling spice from Freya's Ma Kate (thanks Kate!) I set about spending three hours or so chopping up onions, apples and tomatoes and stewing them in vinegar and other things til you get the most amazing brown goo in jars to store til Christmas and then eat.

I enjoyed it so much I have bought more jars to make some more -well we have so many tomatoes.....

The leeks are trying hard and the pumpkins are the most gorgeous deep orange. We are in the middle of an Indian Summer right now, perfect for ripening veg and fruit to eat before the clocks change and dark nights creep in for what seems like eternity.

Sausages and rain

We decided to have hot dogs up the allotment thinking we could sneak in a bit of gardening whilst the boys were busy. Unfortunately as soon as the sausages were ready down came the rain and that was the end of our trip! We had lots of fun cooking the sausages and the boys ate them in the shed whilst the rain came.

We had a chance to check the pumpkins which are turning orange beautifully and still there crucially.....Louis is very excited about this. It looks like the Gourds are finished but they have given us lots to eat over the Summer and the corn is almost ready to eat now. Our leeks are getting bigger and the cabbages are hanging in there, despite when you water them little cabbage flies are around all over the place.

Things are moving into a new phase getting ready for Winter and planting new veg to see us through. I can't believe our first cycle is almost complete, it's been fun and tiring and relaxing all at once. It is such a great secluded spot especially now we have our table up there, I find it very theraputic and I love it!

Grandma and more planting

Grandma came with us on Sunday as we planted out some new Winter Veg , carrots and red onions. Whilst Louis helped Grandma do that and Sammy pottered about talking about worms and weeds, Neil and I weeded and covered a big plot with black material to keep the bed warm and weed free this Winter. Let's hope that does the trick and we can plant potatoes there instead of have oodles of weeds taking over the place.

We tidied up a bit trying to keep the Sweetcorn up which keeps falling over and making sure the pumpkins were alright. What will I do if those Pumpkins don't make it?! The boys had a game of footer before we left ready to go home and have some lunch.
Super Gran raced us home (car versus the power of her legs). Louis and Sam envisage Super Gran flying through the sky and landing on her head in our garden before we can drive round to the house. More often than not she does beat us. Super Gran has now gone home and we miss her!

Neil went off to play cricket and later on I made a lasagne with our fresh Gourds and some Chard from Mark next plot up. Yum!

(We also took Super Gran to Blashford lakes and did a spot of bird watching - see pic above!)

School

Both boys went off to school this morning so what's a girl to do? Well, go up the allotment that's what. Poor little Sammy cried before bed and during the night and this morning all because of Pre School but the little monkey is fine once I have walked out the door (so the teachers assure me). So to keep busy is the best way forward and it is so lovely being up the allotment without negotiating two boys.

I put straw around the pumpkins in the hope they will survive being eaten. I put bigger cloches on the already nibbled Brussels, SAVE THE BRUSSELS! I found more Gourds, Yes more Gourds as I trimmed away at the dead leaves.

Mark at the neighbouring plot gave me some fantastic coloured Swiss Chard and three wonderful apples that had just been picked. Of course I could only barter with a Gourd but he accepted! I am making a veg lasagne so will add in some chard for good measure.

I trimmed around the table and benches so we could find our feet again and that was time up, gone in the blink of an eye. I did spy a toad but there were no little people to show. It's funny how you miss them when they're gone isn't it?

Super Gran and rain

Grandma has been here, tending to weeds and small children so the allotment is looking good. I took the boys up today and we had Gourds, more Gourds. Had to give some away to a passerby. They seemed very pleased! One of our five pumpkins has been eaten and is now a ball of mush on the ground. We now have 4 trying to make it through to Halloween. Project Pumpkin will begin on Saturday, laying down straw and cutting back leaves to ripen the fruit to an orange colour. If I don't save one of those pumpkins from near death then I will have two very sad little boys!

We have had rain and so the ground is muddy and the slugs are out. Our tender Brussels need a bit of help and so I will take some cloches up to stop them from the slug death too. Blinking Slugs!!!

The Sweetcorn took a bashing in the wind and it was all down but we propped it up as best we could.

All in all it is doing very well for the abrupt end to summer. Today was windy with rain so I am very impressed that any veg remains.

Onwards and upwards.

Winter veg and Granddad

The day of Sammy's 3rd birthday party and whilst Louis and I baked and iced cakes back at the ranch, Neil and Granddad took Sammy up the allotment to plant out some winter veg in place of our now finished courgettes and carrots.

They planted out Leeks, Brussel Sprouts and Cabbages. They put the Cabbages under our cage to protect them but the poor Brussels! On our visit today (only planted them yesterday) some of them had been nibbled to death by slugs, I guess and snails already!

On his return Sammy said he was a bit bored but sucked his thumb and stroked Ratty (for those of you who don't live with Sammy day in day out Ratty is his friend du jour and has a particularly long label for him to stroke whilst sucking his thumb). I will get them interested in growing, I will, I will!

In other allotment related news, we received a letter from Salisbury City Council today stating that due to the high number of entries this year for the Scarecrow competition, even though they thought "our little white man was very cute" we had sadly failed to win anything this time around. You can judge for yourselves from the photograph -please be kind we have had a lot of rain and he is made out of straw!!

Gourd Blimey and Good Gourd!

Up the allotment today after heavy rain and sunshine, we found the most enormous Gourd and pumpkin to boot. The boys even asked the girls (Ruby and Grace) from over the way to come and see it, we were just so amazed! We now have four or five pumpkins on the go but surely the big fella has to be on our doorstep cut out for Halloween. It is fab!

We were also pleased with the size of the sweetcorn, towering over the boys heads now and we picked the last remaining carrots and spring onions too. The beans had to go, failing to produce anything we wanted to eat really. The tomatoes are trying but still very much green. We spoke to a neighbour who suggested planting leeks and winter cabbages now as some of our beds are looking a bit bare for this time of year.

The boys weren't too fussed today so Neil took them home in the car to play cricket. I stayed for another hour weeding the beds and cutting the grass. A walk home eating some Blackberries on the way, dirty and tired as the evening was full of glorious sunshine. Absolutely wonderful.