Fart-ichokes

A beautiful clear sunny day, cold but lovely so I popped up the allotment to check out if things were still hanging in there after the storms of last week. Neil has been working every day at home for a while now and needs to get out now and again to avoid madness creeping in, so we went for a walk. As soon as we sat at the table with some lunch, our friendly Mr Robin came to see us.

All was well, the shed was still intact and we spotted the very last of 2012's produce -the Jerusalem Artichokes. We pulled them up and there were quite a few. Now, I know they do not look particularly pretty and yes they do make you fart- a lot (the boys love that) - but we are looking forward to roasting them!

The ground is now frozen and ready to hibernate for the rest of the year so goodbye to growing in 2012 and here is to 2013 and lots of lovely veg to eat.

Fire in the disco

Today we went up altogether - a rare treat - with the intention of clearing and making a fire. We took hot choc in a flask for the boys and tea for grown ups and cake we had left over from one we made yesterday when visiting baby Amy Jones, Helen and Ken's new addition!

Neil and Lou went off to get some old wood to make paths with. They did really well except most of it was pallets that had been painted. Now I am no purist in the garden but recently I have been reading about paint and other substances leeching into your veg through the soil so we decided not to use most of it. One little natural pallet makes a great pathway and we used another to start our fire as most of the dead material was quite wet to burn.

The boys loved getting the fire going and chucking stuff on but they don't have much of an attention span and to be fair there isn't much they can be getting on with at the moment at the plot. I wanted to dig and clear so Neil took the boys off for lunch and they had a game of footer planned with mates Tom and Bill for afters. I stayed and dug and weeded and burnt old stuff. Beautiful day and I only intended a couple of hours up there but stayed for 4 or so. Absolute bliss just pottering around.

The plot looks a million times better for a good sort out and Mr Robin came to see us to let us know he was quite happy with all the digging too now all the worms are up top. We harvested 4 green pumpkins which are now ripening on the windowsill and some raspberries for a crumble. That's about all that is growing up there at the mo. Apart from a few Jerusalem Artichokes (which Neil and Graeme had last week dug and roasted for our roast dinner - yum!! Neil and Graeme had also cleared and planted Crocus and Fritillary bulbs in tyres for Spring which will look wonderful, thank you!).

It is glorious up there and all good practice for me. I have managed to get a couple of hours a week at a church allotment in town so I now have two plots to think about when coming into Spring..........

Latin and free time

Well Sammy is now full time at Wyndham Park and that means I am now part-time Mum and part-time Student and part-time me again, wow! What a change but Sammy has been extremely good about it all really and only punching and shouting at me a bit. Louis is doing very well too and taking it all very seriously. I am very proud of them.

My second week at Lackham College and we learnt about 'Double Digging' the soil so I popped up to the plot on Wednesday and had a quick go at some light digging in preparation for heavy digging when we have some compost (and Neil may be around). We had Raspberries which are delicious and a few Courgettes still hanging on the ends of very long stems from the root.

Our Pumpkins are still small and green so I don't hold out much hope for them. I have seen others around the plot which are big and orange already.

My friend Debbie popped by to sample some of the Raspberries and we had a chat then it was time to collect the monkeys.

I had a bit of time to look at the different trees all around as I am supposed to be learning the Latin for a variety of Deciduous Trees at the moment. I managed to see a Quercus Robur and an Aesculus Hippo (at least I remember the Conker tree as that anyway!). Much to learn and much to do at the plot but I am happily still enjoying it so long may it continue.

With the back up of my course it is almost like starting all over again with the plot so we'll see how we go next year if I prepare things properly this time.

rush rush not much time

Sammy has been unwell for few days but I sent him back to school this afternoon, a bit teary and snotty. By the time I left him I had about an hour to get to the plot and do some watering/tidying. It was a beautiful sunny and quite hot September day and quite sticky work. I weeded (always!!) and picked some Courgettes which are still just about going at the end of their long stalks.

I watered in between eating the Raspberries which are really coming on and are delicious. They are quite a deep red when they are ready to eat and come off really easily from their stalks. They taste so good compared to the ones in the shops.

I watered the Jerusalem Artichokes which are towering over me now. I also tried to stake them up a bit as their weight is bending them over into the hedgerow behind.

My Robin was there fluttering about me and a Cabbage White butterfly which made me think of Sammy. Last week Sammy and I briefly went to the plot and he made a friend in a moth which he picked up and carried around the plot (it did look a bit worse for wear and therefore allowed Sammy to do this). Each time it flew away Sammy would hunt it down and put it on his hand again. When it finally flew off Sammy was very sad and dejected and waved goodbye when we left!! Bless him.

As I drove away today spots of rain came and then more. Just in time.

Spare moment and bacon!

Sammy started Wyndham Park Infants School today for the afternoon so I went up to a very sunny allotment alone for a bit. I managed to weed quite a lot especially around the Raspberries which are delicious and growing fast. The Pumpkins (maybe just gourds) are going mad and the Jerusalem Artichokes are really tall and quite pretty reaching for the sky. I cut the grass, watered the Courgettes which have given us loads (we had a yummy pasta with them last night with cream and parmesan!) and got very hot. I was just about to have a little rest and watch the sky when Nanny and B-B turned up with a stove, Bacon to cook for sarnies and Tea! Wow! Thank you to them. Dad got it all ready and we had a cuppa and a sandwich. Yum. Then it was time to collect Sammy and then Louis and then go to Sammy's swimming lesson. Until next Monday afternoon when Sammy will be back to Mr Lawrence's class.

What a lovely treat.

Blackberries and a cunning Mummy

I managed to get the boys out to pick Blackberries this week which they were excited about. Then as I pulled up at the allotment gates, Lou hit his head with his hand and said "Oh man" in the full knowledge that I had sneakily not mentioned the Blackberries were at the place he both loves and hates!

I managed to keep them both happy by letting them take turns in driving around the plot on my lap in the driver's seat! They loved picking the fruit, Lou particularly gets so excited. He hates Blackberries but is so excited when he sees a load to pick. Sammy reckons he has gone off them but we picked loads to freeze as we know Daddy likes a crumble.

After this I managed to persuade them that a quick stop at the plot was necessary and I cut the grass with the shears as it has grown so long. The boys were very happy using sticks they found to "destroy" and "kill" weeds. A life with boys, who would have known................. Everything was going along very smoothly until eldest monkey decided he needed an urgent Poo. That's the end of that then! Til school starts and Sammy will do only afternoons. I shall endeavour to go most days and really get on top of things. Well I shall need some practice as yesterday I enrolled on a one day a week Practical Horticulture course so come on Jo you need to get hands on!

Raspberries and Dad

Mum and Dad came for lunch yesterday with a trip to the allotment planned afterwards. Mum stayed at home and Neil took the boys to play football. Dad and I went up to put in the supports for the Raspberries. Dad had prepared some metal stakes and wood to screw into them and eventually place wire along for the Raspberries to cling to.

It was hot work and when we got there you could definately see I haven't been for 10 days or so!!! Holidays are the worst ironically as the boys are not interested/too busy doing something else to want to go up. Anyhoo, Dad did some wonders and got the supports up and then had to dash off to get ready to go away.

I stayed longer and tidied up a bit, cut grass, weeded, picked some green beans (our first) and dug up some lovely red potatoes. There is so much to do and it was warm by 6pm with a breeze, I could happily have stayed til dark but it was time to potter back with my goodies and see the boys before bath time.

I enjoyed it so much I want to go again now but we are off to visit Grandma for a week so it will have to wait!

Neil and Sammy had been up two days before to literally water and come back as it had been super hot and they took some pix of Sammy with the chickens at the next plot up. Bliss!

Grandma we love you......

Grandma we do, Grandma is visiting at the moment and so we popped up with the monkeys as I wanted to cook Courgettes for supper. Miraculously we had quite a few and they were delicious too. The Pumpkin has produced something that looks like a gourd and so I got that one wrong! The Artichokes are really tall and the Cabbages are having a go.

We trimmed and weeded and pottered for a bit. No need to water with these showers which is a relief I have to say.

Lou had a go at being a photographer and took some great pix. He is also taking pix and saying things like "this one is quite abstract Mummy" (!!!!!). Sammy helped Grandma with his Dustbin Lorry and very good he was too.

Potato pulling and mud

We all got up there today after a family conference. We all named one thing we wanted to do today. Mine, of course, was go up the allotment and all boys duly followed before spending the afternoon doing want they wanted to do, football natch.

It is beautiful and lush up there at the mo and claggy mud stuck to our boots as if it were November time. Our favourite Robin came to see us as Neil and Sammy dug over the soil and planted cabbages from Dad (thanks Dad). I cut the grass whilst Lou played his birthday game of Quoits amongst asking when we could go or if he was allowed the chocolate biscuits yet. Once Lou is up there he gets into it and happily pulled up our first early potatoes, of which there were many. Some had white spots on and one of the tyres had an ants nest in so we didn't get as many as we thought.

The boys were happy finding worms and centipedes. I cut some grass and found a sloe worm I called Lou over to see it. "Mummy it's lost a bit off it's tail" said Lou, "Oh" said Mummy holding the shears......Whoops.

We picked a few Broad Beans and one measly Courgette, sure it will be delicious!

Sammy enjoyed raking where I had cut the grass and Neil was happy pottering about.

We planted a poor old Squash which has been hanging on after many nibblings from the slugs. I put straw all around it and Neil put it under a cloche. Hope it survives.

Lovely to be up and for it not to be raining. A welcome break in what has been rain, rain, rain.

finally

Ok so things have been a bit quiet on the allotment front lately and it's fair to say it hasn't been a great year for growers. I finally got up there this morning and it is looking really lush and some things are taller than me. There are some lovely 6 foot weeds in my wild area with beautiful yellow flowers. Sad to think we would normally chop these out as I have done over the rest of the plot but great to see them thriving in my wild bit. I think they are really pretty.

I weeded and chopped back springboard weeds which help the snails to slime from weeds to plants. Only one Pumpkin left standing and 2 Courgettes that are trying hard. The Squashes have been munched to stalks and the Broad beans too. I managed to find some Veg which is a small miracle! The potatoes - first earlies - bit late if you ask me - have given us some actual food so I am pretty pleased about that.

The climbing beans are doing quite well, I think as they managed to twirl themselves up the canes they have avoided being eaten. They have enjoyed the rain.

Time to go as the rain came AGAIN but happy with some yummy pots for tea.

blog update

The blog update is it's bloody raining! and has been for what seems like forever. The wettest June on record and if we're not careful July as well. I did pop up to put straw around the courgettes to stop the slugs but it would appear I just made it easier for them by providing them with a (now wet) straw platform to reach the leaves with!

Swearing will not help me now but I might do it anyway.

Watch this space........

Beaut day as they say in Aus

Beautiful sunny and breezy day so I popped up to see if I could salvage anything that had been slimed and yey! I have! I still have Courgette, Pumpkin and Squash clinging on. They are coming back from the dead. The potatoes are great and the mint has gone mad. I did a bit of tidying, clipping and weeding and it is looking really lovely now, a great place to sit and relax (HA!). Whilst there I planted some lettuce seeds and some flowers and then it was time to pick up youngest monkey......

Evil Slugs in June

First day for boys back at school and N away helping his Dad move so despite the rain, I took a chance to go and see what the plot is up to.

We have had lots of rain and the evil super slugs have pretty much slimed everything. I have managed to salvage one Pumpkin and put a cloche on it and maybe one Squash. Even those most hardiest of veg the Potato have been attacked and I found a few whole leaf tops lying on the soil. Some Artichokes are just stumps of stem and the beans are clinging on. EVIL SUPER SLUGS!

I fully intend to say sod it to Organic and go up tomorrow armed with a super sized container of slug pellets. Take that.

Visitors and colour

Lots of visitors today and the plot really does look lovely this time of year. Everything is lush from the rain a few weeks ago and now the heat.

My friend Debbie popped up with her son Max and even brought her green stove and made us a cuppa - that's the sort of visitor we like thank you so much Debbie! We had a potter and the little girl a couple of plots up -Sophia - sniffed out the biscuits and came along to see what was going on too!

The day was cool at 9am but you could feel the humidity already so we didn't stay too long.

Later on after Sammy's swim lesson Nanny and B-B came to visit and wanted to see what was going on so we popped up again. The heat really was stifling and Dad soldiered on and watered everything despite sweating his cogs off!!! Thank you Pops. Things that struck me where how quick the Sunflower seeds have reared their heads already and the Courgettes are loving it up there too. The Jerusalem Artichokes look like they are reaching for the sky and the potatoes have gone a bit crazy and also started to flower.

The Cow Parsley in the hedges is so beautiful and Sammy bravely cut lots for me with the secateurs so as I could bring it home for a vase. It really is the best time of year with wild flowers all over, lots of colours and different greens. So many types of flowers, delicate Buttercups and Wild Garlic. Mum named some of the flowers for me including Love-In-The-Mist which I LOVE and I even saw a beautiful Peony like the ones we have in the garden. Wonderful......