Where to start on this catch up?How about at the front of Plot 18.
Nearest camera some rather feeble looking Banana Shallots (Var Pigletwilliensis) which have been out for some weeks, over the first hurdle the Sweetcorn, four survivors from the frost at the end of May, one that lurked in the greenhouse unplanted because it would have been odd man out of the square and the more recent (re-)sowing planted out today.
To the left of that square of Sweetcorn is some Curly leafed Parlsey, beyond the next hurdle are some more Shallots and some dark purple Cornflowers, all planted out this weekend.
The strip to the left has been weedkilled due to amounts of bindweed poking its nose out.
This shot looks up towards the shed, with its new green bit on the lefthand end, across the potatoes, which are sprouting pretty well. The bit just after the potatoes had leeks in and was also weedkilled for docks, dandelions and bindweed, nestling just below the rampant Herb Patch is wire and plastic defences protecting a row of Summer Cabbages and a row of Brussel Sprouts, both of which have been out for about a month.
The detail of these defences becomes clear in this shot.I'll have to uproot my two hurdles, rebulid the third whose top bar broke and pop them over these brassicas pretty soon or their growth will be stunted by hitting the wire.
Lurking in the greenhouse and witing for the improved defences and death of weeds are a row of Curly Kale and a row of Purple Sprouting Broccoli.
The daleks have decided to hold a parade next to the blue barrel planters, perhaps they intend to hybridise!Two rows of Garlic next to the corrugated sheet back left, then five or six rows of onion sets, both planted out some weeks ago, hoed yesterday, finished on the right by a row of Dahlias and back left by a block of Cornflowers, both planted out yesterday.
The Peas (rusty support centre) have been out for some weeks as a row and a bit, the righthand row was completed yesterday and the whole lot weeded.
Thirty Climbing French Bean plants were planted out yesterday and gently tied in to their supporting canes. Oh how my arms love tying eighteen knots above my head.
The soft fruit had the benefit (last weekend) of another trailer load of horses doin's and (today) of a Dalek's guts.The shed extension comprises the old garage back door (green) nailed to a framework with the door from the kids now defunct playshed hinged off a vertical attached to the first extension, the back and end are made from two gates I got off freecycle and some oddments of shedlap that Rob was going to burn, inside it has a shelf-type seat for me and a dog-type mat for my furry supervisor.
The parsnips appear to like their barrel, today I planted the only five to survive the slugs from my second RooTrainer sowing in another barrel to compare planting density.The chicken wire seems to have detered the foxes, too high around a small area for them to jump in and hopefully too prickly to lean down.
At any rate no further damage, yet......
The construction method was to unroll sufficient chicken wire to make a hoop that just fitted inside the barrel with a couple of inches overlap, then cut along the middle of the unrolled length so the bottom has the original edge and the top the pointy cut bits, thus making two guards out of each bit, finishing in situ by folding the cut stubs back over the opposite ends uncut bits to form a hoop.This shows the patchy Carrot growth, nice and strong at the front northenmost edge and a bit stunted further back.
This is an arial shot of the latest barrel plantup, containing Pak Choi planted out today.The canes are weedy little jobs, just strong enough to hold the wire in place.
The other end of the bean trench has three Cuccumber plants and one left over Butternut Squash.
Now there should have been a shot of all the planted out Butternut and Queensland Blue Squash, but it seems to have gone missing since pressing the shutter on the camera.
What also went missing was rather too many of my just germinated Squash seedlings, caught in the greenhouse and fried by the recent very hot days.
Other stuff done is mostly sowing in the greenhouse this afternoon and planting out a Thyme selection from the Herb Man's Saturday Market stall outside the greenhouse and the remaining Pak Choi in the greenhouse border, additionally potted up a surprising number of self-sown Gladioli from the allotment.
In no particular order today I sowed: Crown Prince Squash, Chieftan and Harrier Butternut Squash, Yellow Zuccini, Patty Pan, Black prince Squash, Rocket, Purple Spring Onions ( the last two in the greenhouse border), Tomato Gardeners Delight, Sweet Red Pepper (last lot failed to surface), Mangetout Peas, another RooTrainer load of Parsnips.
Must remember to sit at the PC each week and blog, trouble is I now have an HTC Hero phone and for e-mail it is the poodles privates, so I tend to use the work PC all day for work and not use the home one for private stuff as I can use the phone, but it is no good for blogging.
