Feeling Hot Hot Hot

A great day but far to hot for me. Started the morning watching my grandson Rhys at football training, watching lots of six year olds running around in that heat was quite impressive.

We did intend to go to Beaver World but thought that it was to hot and we would have a barbie in the garden instead, made more sense sitting in the shade drinking cool beer.

Did go to the allotment early evening and got my son and Barbara and my two grandchildren to water everything in sight.

My fathers day pressie was a new super-doopa pair of secateurs , they even have their own polished wood case, how cool is that ?

Managed to get a ticket to watch Kent play Surrey at Beckenham in a 20/20 game on Wednesday ( thanks to my son ) the tickets are very scarce so looking forward to going very much.

Phew almost a scorcher

I finished work early today and visited the plot as I had not been since Monday. Everything has taken off and all looked so dry even after a bit of rain the last few days. I saw four small birds which up untill yesterday I would not have been able to identify but saw the same on Springwatch last night and they are young Robins, brown with spotted breasts, not a red breast to be seen.

My first early potatoes are just beginning to flower so not long to wait for delicious new pots.

Barbara took some of our beetroot, garlic, and radish into work today. Everyone wants some so will have to grow more next year and set up a stall at the hospital that Barbara works and sell it.

It is Fathers day on Sunday and we are going to Beaver World with my grandchildren. A long day is planned at the alottment tomorrow to plant the remainder of our seeds, must remember SUNTAN LOTION

A not so satisfying day

Visited the plot today and my near neighbour told me that he had found two dead fox cubs on the overgrown plot between us. One had been quite badly attacked , no idea by what though.
I know that these things happen but I had seen these cubs playing a few days ago.

A lot needs doing on the plot but could not get motivated today.

A Satisfying Day

We have just returned home after four hours working on the plot. I felt a bit weary today as I spent most of yesterday walking round Harbour Park at Littlehampton with hundreds of children making quite a racket, bless them !

Picked the last of the Broad Beans and cut off the plants at ground level and left the roots in the soil, apparently it adds nitrogen to the soil as the roots rot. We have had a bumper crop, about 12 pounds and Barbara will be making soup with some of them. At the moment she is making spring onion soup.

We bought home lots of sweet peas the smell of which is wafting across the room, wonderfull.

We have planted some courgettes but what is the difference between a courgette plant and a marrow plant? our garden centre sells both, I thought a courgette was a baby marrow.

Just looked out of the window and glory be it is raining, well spitting but hopefully it will get a lot heavier.

I cant type anymore as Barb has just given me a baby beetroot to eat that was in the ground one hour ago, and I am drooling over my keypad.

What a strange week

Intended to spend a lot of time on the plot last week, and then my working partner was taken ill and ended up in hospital having a pacemaker fitted. Barbara happens to work at the same hospital he was taken to so instead of giving my veg some tlc I have been back and forth to the ward. It was also Barbara's birthday and my Mum and sister put on a party for her, and very nice it was to,but all the time inside my head I keep seeing weeds growing bigger and bigger and I am not there to zap them.

Managed a couple of hours today, watered a lot and and was pleased to see our runner beans have germinated, I took Monty Dons advice and planted two beans to a cane but will find it very hard to terminate the weaker one.

I am working the whole of this weekend as I have to cover for my poorly colleague (sp) so will try a couple of evening stints on the plot, need rain but hope it stays fine for the next few evenings.

We have agreed to have a rest day today after spending six hours onSaturday and four on Sunday working on the plot. Sorted out the weeds round the potatoes, untill the next time. We called it a day with the peas, in since last October and produced about six pods but the broad beans which we sowed at the same time are brilliant, lots and lots of healthy pods.

Planted three Alicante tomato plants and will buy three different varieties from Coolings next week. Will be sowing Swede, Turnips and Rainbow Chard during the week. Our garlic is looking good and we tried a bulb but it still needs a few more weeks to mature, tasted good though.

When I planted the potatoes I had a few left over so I threw them on the compost heap, they have started to grow and they look better than the ones in the soil.

Had a few showers this morning which will hopefully freshen everything up.

We have one bird seed feeder hanging from one of our plum trees and I am having to refill it every morning, at the last count we have seen seventeen different species on and around our plot.

The Herb Garden is looking very good and Barbara made a delicious Sorrel sauce which we had with some fish, we have about ten different herbs growing. Barbara planted a few lettuce and mixed lettuce leaves and the slugs have not touched the ones among the herbs.

Jim and Barbara

Barbara arrived at the plot well before me today as I went to watch my grandson play football.I joined her just after mid-day and she had thinned the carrots and beetroot and they look very good. The herb garden also is producing loads of new growth. We took home lots of broad beans which we planted last September and as I type this, Barbara has bought me a hot platefull and they are delicious. The peas that we planted at the same time are very poor though.

At this point I must appologise for my spelling , never been very good.

Tomorrow will try to get to the plot and weed round the potatoes, they have been singed by the frost and need a bit of TLC.