Leeks

The soil is so light and sandy, the planting holes had just about back filled themselves after I had watered the leeks in.

Time flies

I spent a couple of hours at the allotment this morning and just didn't notice the time passing despite the rain. I planted globe artichokes and leeks. I also put some asparagus peas in a trench in bed one and dotted about some nasturtiums.

Birthday worm

My work colleagues bought me this worm for my birthday, so it is now in place heading towards my climbing beans. I'm just hoping that the slugs and snails don't use it as a bridge to reach my plants!
New plantings include purple sprouting broccoli in bed two and a couple of butternut squash at the top of bed three. I cleared a small space, added plenty of manure and planted into some cardboard.
The rain is just stopping as I write this, so will head off back to the allotment later.

Sweetcorn

The pigeons and crows were looking at this rather hungrily when we left....I might have to put some fleece over it to protect it from being pecked.

Planting and paths!

Nigel and I did a couple of runs with the wood chippings this morning and got the other two main paths finished off. This just leaves the one at the back which I might do with all the stones that I am pulling out of the beds and the garden here.
After lunch I went down with Liz and got the sweetcorn and courgettes in! I feel like a real allotment holder now. We also got bed two totally dug over. It's going to need quite a few more digs before anything goes in it as it was much heavier going than bed one - mainly because of all the nettles. However the soil is really sandy and so it makes it really easy going. I don't think I would be able to have got to grips with such an overgrown site if we were working in a heavy clay soil.

Question: When is digging not digging?

Answer: when it is shovelling.
Nigel has reprimanded me for moaning about having hurt my back after I had been to the osteopath, and is holding me to my statement in the previous posting about digging before my appointment not afterwards. However, my defence is that I did the damage shoveling compost and bark chippings in to bags, and that this does not constitute digging.
I may have to consult Anthony - the legal eagle about the validity of my case!

Drunk students

Dropped in to the allotment for 45 minutes on my way home from work after a drunk student had staggered out of the SU bar and into the side of my car (how poetic!). She managed to take my side mirror off in the process. I stopped to check that she was ok, and then went on to the allotment (which I had knocked off work early to do anyway).
Dug over bed one again - still bringing up thick couch grass root and at least half a dozen more potatoes! I then raked it over.
I also cut down the grass growing round the edges of the beds and along the front - heavy work with just a pair of shears. I also started to clear leaves out of the water butt which was a very smelly job, and did a second dig over part of bed two. I would have done so more clearing of that bed but didn't have any gloves with me and there are a lot of stingers in there.
I'm off work tomorrow and have an osteopath appointment at 11.30, so it might be appropriate for me to go and do a bit more digging before I go there, rather than afterwards!

On the bench

I finally got to the the Diss auction rooms today to pick up the bench that I bought a couple of weeks ago. Nigel and I took it up the allotment this evening in the pouring rain, it's going to be a great place to sit to watch the sun go down.
I also bought a couple of fantastic potato/beet forks. They've been kept in really beautiful condition - the handles are wooden and have obviously benefited from regular oiling.
Whilst at the allotments I noticed that a few people have started to plant out their courgettes, mine are in the cold frame at the moment, so hopefully they'll be no late frosts, and if I can get bed one manured in the next couple of days, I may take them down at the weekend.

Bed one dug!

Liz and I spent a couple of hours digging and gossiping hard this morning (it makes the time go quicker and the work seem easier!).
Bed one is now totally dug out and bed two has been cleared back about another half a metre.
The plan now is do another forensic dig over of bed one to remove any remaining weed roots snd then to get the sweetcorn that I've got hardening off in the garden into a block at the end of bed one - probably planted through cardboard to keep the weed growth down.
I've got beans that can go in as well and some courgettes, which will give some good ground cover.
Some one suggested clearing a small area at the end of one of the covered beds and putting some squash in there and let them sprawl over the plastic which is a great idea.
It feels like a real achievement to get this first bed cleared. Splitting the tasks down into manageable bite size chunks has been really successful.

Nigel

My soul mate.
Walking with him can be slow progress though because of all his 'camera stops'.
I've just noticed the sky in this photo (taken last weekend at Hemley) - lovely.