Vinny's Allotment Plot

Another emthralling edition of an allotment visitation. I was there about four hours today as the Barre fitness session was cancelled so I had energy to burn.

Started by preparing 'stations' and planting out six courgettes in previously prepared ground. Built a little mound and planted on top of mound to stop the stems rotting.
Also planted out two pumpkins using the same method.

Next I moved on to leek planting the traditional way with the dibber. Had to dibber holes then water them and re-dibber them as soil was so dry and holes kept filling in. Once dibber holes were made I planted out about 50 leeks, trimming the roots a bit to fit hole then filling each hole with water to consolidate roots.

After that it was hand weeding some of my narrow paths with a trowel. Backbreaking work but needed to be done.

Finally I used a spade and scraped my main path and got rid of weeds. Myy brush has fallen to bits so couldn't sweep it but scraped it the best I could.

On a positive note the strawberries have started cropping so I munched a few while working. Watered everything that was looking a bit dry but barrels are getting low now and I want to save my IBC tank water for greenhouse watering when I eventually get it sorted out.

Now I have a clean-ish path the plan is to dump all the used compost that had last years crops in them on the path and mix in some home made compost from the heap along with bagged compost to make a cheap medium for planting into. Thats for another day though!

More shenanigans today.  I finally got my tomatoes planted in their final pots. To do this I emptied the pots of last years  compost and piled it up on the path. I then dug into my compost heap and accumulated some of the well rotted stufff from the bottom.
Individually I put home meade compost in the bottom third of each pot, followed by a third of old compost (mixed both together with my hands) then topped up the last third with new fresh compost. I added a handfull of BFB to each pot for good measure.
After planting various tomaoes in position, (Craigella,cherry red,cherry yellow, Black Russian,Gardeners Delight and Moneymaker) I flooded each pot with water to soak through the old dry compost.
That completed I still had a bt energy left so I sowed a row of lettuce, thinned out my kale plants then watered all stuff that needed it.

I finished the 4 hours I was at the plot by hand weeding some of the creeping buttercup from the path and finally by collecting a bucket of strawberries. Strawberries are fantastic this year and are well worth the space alloted to them.

I was at the plot for three hours this morning.Started watering stuff that needed it then heard the hose going two plots away so asked whether I could have it next just to fill up my wter butt. While it was filling I did a load of hand weeding of paths.

 I also loosened up the soil in a bed on the fenceline that had previously had leeks in it. I planted some Calabrese in it from my seed bed.

It's a complicated system of of hoses and taps that gives us the option of a little bit water. It took me 20 minutes to retrieve hoses and knock off the feed taps.

Just prior to leaving plot for the day I gathered yet another bucket full of strawberries which this year seem to have thrived .

More strawberries gathered today and a tray full of redcurrants before the birds get them.  Probably make some redcurrant jelly and no idea what to do with the strawberries. There's only so much strawberry jam you can eat.

I cut some lengths of string and tied up the tomatoes in greenhouse, armpitting them as I went. I also tied some of my Gigantes beans to the canes to get them started. Some of them had started to climb the wrong cane so I disentangled those and set them on the right path. I am pleased with the way they are growing considering it's only the start of July.
Some of the Japanese onion tops are dropping down but instead of tidying them up all facing the same direction(as I usually do) I am just allowing them to do there own thing.

Did quite a bit of backbreaking hand weeding with trowel.

I still haven't sown my Bright lights Chard yet but watched a youtube video where they were sown in modules. You can then pick out the interesting coloured ones to grow on. I have some modules at home so I will sow them there, where I can put them on the patio bench and keep an eye on them, making sure they are watered at all times.

Phew!!! Dammed hot at the allotment today, but I was still quite surprised I was the only one on site?

Whilst weeding and watering I managed to drink my half litre of water I had brought with me. To energise myself after that I spent time foraging the gooseberies,redcurrants, blackcurrants and strawberries. I even stripped down to my under pants as there was no one around (not a pleasant site)  I was mainly weeding the paths which is  a backbreaking task and a bit like painting the Forth bridge as I just finish weeding one path when I am ready to start weeding at the beginning again. I do find it quite theraputic looking along paths I have just weeded though and knowing that adding the weeds to my 'weedy' compost heap which will eventually go back onto the beds seems to meake it all worth while.

I need a liedown.
The thought of you picking gooseberries whilst stripped down to your underpants is a bit too much for me. Hope they weren't too prickly.

I need a liedown.
The thought of you picking gooseberries whilst stripped down to your underpants is a bit too much for me. Hope they weren't too prickly.

Helped to get rid of my tan line where my shorts came to, and quite liberating!

You'll be wanting to get rid of the new tan line next!! When is Naked Gardening Day?

You'll be wanting to get rid of the new tan line next!! When is Naked Gardening Day?

Bought some skimpy swim shorts from the charity shop this morning, but still havent worn them in public yet!

The next photo for the Rogue's gallery?