This is the view from the other end of the bed, with the compost heap behind me. I reckon I've got a full weekend of digging left to do.
Yesterday I finished digging over the top bed - I still need to put paths in, but at least the hard work is done:
I've also weeded the brick bed and under the jungle of weeks I discovered some of last years onions !
In the greenhouse things are going quite well - only one cucumber casualty so far ... no sign of my crystal lemon yet.
A day trip to Whitby on Friday with OH's nieces resulted in 12 Ailsa Craig tomato plants ... nearly double the size of mine ... and best of all, I definitely know what variety they are :)
I germinated my sweetcorn at home and they are nearly all through - hope I haven't made the wrong decision moving them to the lottie. Hope the meeces leave them alone:
I uncovered the compost heap this morning to discover that a little mouse has been munching his way around a pumpkin. Said little mouse / vole was darting about looking very surprised to see me. Still I'd rather he munch his way around my compost heap than munch his way through my greenhouse, right ?
I've potted up some mint and need to find a spot outside for it. I love mint tea and minty buttery potatoes ... slurp ... wonder when those potatoes will appear. Nick's were planted the same weekend and have been poking above the soil for a week - we've concluded that mine were planted much deeper.
Spare seedlings ... just in case ! Celariac, fennel & kohl rabi. They are all doing quite well in the ground so far, but you never know when a flying rat or dratted slug might appear.
Outside, things are blossoming - this is the 'rogue' tree behind the greenhouse. Last year it produced two apples - yes, two ! Nick pointed out that it had canker on two of it's larger branches, so after lopping them off, I'm left with just two blossoms ! Hmm ...
At least my bramley apple is covered in blossom - I hope that the tree does better than last year, which was a little dismal. I love Apple blossom, it is so pretty. The crab apple is also in full flower - alas I now think it is a 'flowering crab apple' vs a 'crab apple' tree ... it would explain why I've not yet had any fruit ! I may move it next season to the pond area - at least I'll be able to admire it.
My blueberries are budding up nicely - think at the end of the season I'll need to think about pruning them.
My dwarf aquilegia is looking fabulous:
My lupin gets better each year - Nick asked me what colour it is, but I have no idea ! Guess we'll find out soon enough - I've promised to save him some seed:
We are having much rain, and waiting for the first sprouts of our potatoes, onions, radishes, and the like. Our apple trees are in bloom, and our lupines here are up, perhaps a little behind yours. But in generaly, the students are amazed that your schedule and ours match really well--so they continue to watch what you do as a signal for their dealings. they were all pretty happy that you checked out their blog--i stuck some older stuff on there this morning--some pics of the 2006 group--that was about the time they began to follow duck dinner dash.....
ReplyDeleteNobody likes a smug allotment holder ;>)
ReplyDeleteIt's all looking good on the lottie Michelle!
ReplyDeleteI've got this fortnight off, so am working away like a mad woman every day (*whispers*... could do with some rain though!)
I've planted out spuds, onions (will 200 be enough?), garlic, salsify, herbs, beetroot, salad leaves, and a few each of runner beans, mange tout, peas and dwarf beans - I'm keeping the rest safely indoors for a bit longer, just in case!
Did you know that if you plant a chilli plant in with a cucumber plant you get the most gorgeous spicey cucumbers?!!