Bumper harvest!

After the huge amount of rain and local flooding, the plot has actually come out of it ok - but the weeds! They've thrived on it! Mind you, so have the beans and the courgettes - loads of beans to pick, and every courgette recipe I can think of! - plenty of courgette soup in the freezer and even tried the chocolate courgette cake recipe! YUM!

The childrens' pumpkins are coming on well -this is James with his!

And the sweetcorn - WOW - delicious! The kids keep begging me to bring more home every time I go up to the allotment!

Unfortunately one of my butternut squash snapped off the vine today , so will have to see how it tastes as it isn't really ready yet - I was really upset! It was my prize one as well !

We pulled up a parsnip today to see if they were going ok - it was a bit like the enormous turnip - I pulled a muscle in my shoulder trying to get it up!

It was huge! and very tasty ! WE had it with roast potatoes, carrots, french beans, tomatoes, courgettes all home grown, and roast beef - scrummy!

Anyway, all in all, despite the weeds, we've had loads of things to eat! All the old boys keep telling us its the worst year ever but I'm ecstatic every time we have something home-grown to eat, so I'm very happy!

Forgot to mention the very lovely carrotty carrots and the NINE huge courgettes we picked today to make into soup!

The potatoes have been fab but only a few plants left to dig up, the broad beans and peas have produced loads but are just about finished.

The parsnips are looking huge but obviously a bit early yet, and the baby butternuts are soooo cute!

Here are a few things we harvested for tea the other night....yum!

22nd July 07

Everything on our plot is MASSIVE!!!We went down to do some weeding but no watering after the floods,it was all muddy!Here are some quick updates of some plants on our plot!

Sweet-Peas..........Excellent,Very big

Corn..........Starting to grow the corn!

Broad beans..........Nearly Finished

Peas..........Finished

Raspberries..........Have a few that are ripe!

Strawberries..........Not producing any. :(

Pumpkins..........Growing very well

Squash..........Growing well

June 07

All our veggies are growing well and we've eaten quite a lot of them!
We have Millions of Sweet-peas,I have loads of Nasturtiums !

Quick update!

This picture was taken a few weeks ago so I must take my camera next time I go up to the allotment!
So far, everything seems to be going ok - (haven't been up over the weekend though so who knows whats happened during the bad weather!).
Last week I harvested my first garlic as the leaves had all gone yellow - it was huge! SUCCESS!
We have had our fist few strawberries which wee sooo sweet and delicious, and also some peas and pak choi. Not bad eh?
All the raspberry canes are sprouting now and a few have flowers starting. The blackcurrant bush has lots of green berries on too so hopefully we'll have something to harvest from them even if this is their first year.
The broad beans are flowering, and the runners have a couple of buds on too. The peas are going great guns and though there aren't ever many ready at the same time, its still nice to be able to serve them up for tea!
I've gradually been thinning the carrots which are looking FAB - the guinea pigs have been enjoying the thinnings!
I have planted out the corn, the butternut squash and pumpkins - having divided the middle area of the plot into 4 narrower beds. The calabrese will be ready to go out soon - just need toi construct some protection for it first!
Anyway, its all starting to come together now at last - will pop down later to see what damage was done whilst we were away!

11th April

Today we've gone down the alottment to plant some sweet-peas!-Well my mum, did me and James played "it" and were pretending to be silly little girls!

I took a few pictures of today though!It was fun, after my mum planted the sweet-peas we went for a walk.We met a man-Him and my mum started taking and aparntly he has 8 plots!

Thats when me and James started skipping around like silly little girls!

A beautiful day!

Today the sun is shining and we've got lots done!

The parsnips have germinated on the damp kitchen roll, and half have been planted into toilet rolls, the rest I will sow directly into the raised bed up at the plot to see which way works best.
Carrots (chantenay) have been planted into a raised bed today and covered with fleece. A couple are showing through in James' bed and his radishes are all sprouting.

The cold frame and a couple of the raised beds have been moved to 1) make room for the compost bin in a sheltered spot so hopefully it won't blow away so easily! and 2) to use the space better as the area used for potatoes is slightly narrower than planned.

I have trimmed the grass edge down one side of the plot so it looks a bit tidier.

We have 2 weeks off now as it is the Easter hols, so am hoping to get lots done! I want to get the parsnips in, transfer the peas out onto the plot (got to get the supports built first!), sow some beetroot, and get the supports and netting sorted for the fruit bushes.

Check this out!!!

My nasturtiums are growing leaves,The tomatos are GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Were waiting for the melon still.

A sunny day

Today my mum and James (my little brother)went up to the allotment. James planted some Iris bulbs, radishes and carrots and they covered them with a cloche to keep warm.

They went for a walk around the allotment site and a lady gave James some brussel sprouts for tea and my Mum got two rhubarb crowns so she was really pleased.

Yesterday my mum and nanna put up the new plastic greenhouse in the garden at home.

March 9th 2007

The peas,beans and sweet peas that we planted on the 27th February are all showing now! My mini daffs look lovley!!!My mum had time off work so she was able to go to the allotment and do some digging!Our compost bin has blown away and we can't find it.=-(

My mum has put some chipbark where the paths are!

Now we know where to walk and where not to!

New arrivals!:-D

Of the veggie kind anyway! Our cauliflower and cabbage seeds have all sprouted, and the tomatoes, beans, peas and sweet peas are just starting to show through as well!

Yesterday we bought a 6' x4' plastic greenhouse which should come in handy when all the seedlings are bigger and start taking over the house! It will go in the garden at home where we will keep the seedlings until they are ready to go up to the allotment. We can use it during the summer for things like tomatoes, peppers and chillies!

Up at the allotment my mini daffodils are all out and look lovely and the rhubarb is coming along well. Mum has been busy making paths around the raised beds and she has collected some horse manure to dig in where the potatoes are to be planted.

Today it has rained ALL day, so nobody can get on with any gardening!

Sowing seeds!

(This weekend) We've sown cauliflower,peas,sweet peas,french beans,chives,marigolds,tomatos and cabbage!!!The sweat peas should end up like the picture!

What we've done so far!

So far me and my little brother have planted some mini daffodils
in our little kiddy patch!We have painted little garden statues for our little bit!
Just between ours and Lynda's my mum
and her have made a seating area-we just need a picnic bench or somthing to put there! In the main part of our half my mum and dad have put some raised beds there me and James (my little brother)have got one each!My mum has planted some garlic and they are doing really well but the onions are not very good. :(
My mum has put a path through the kiddy patch!

Welcome to our allotment!

Welcome to our allotment, we share half and half with our friend Lynda and her family!
It all started when we got into gardening. We started off last year growing some vegetables in a tiny patch of the garden and loved it so much that we applied for an allotment. In October 2006 we got one!!! Well half a one - we have half a plot which is probably enough to start with! When we got it, it was a total mess!
We had to work really hard to get all the thistles and weeds out. It took a long time, but now it is just about done!