Monday 31 May 2010

May Days

May drifts into June and we are being kept busy down at the patch.

The picture below shows some of what we are growing at the lower end of our allotment :

In the foreground are our potatoes Golden Wonder and hidden behind the low willow hurdle we are growing turnip Purple Top Milan and kohl rabi Purple Delicacy. Lower down on the left are our onions Senshyu Yellow, garlic Solent Wight, shallots Griselle and autumn-sown peas Early Onward.

Looking across to the right-hand beds the same picture shows where we have replanted seedling shallots Banana and onions Sweet White Spanish. Then we have spring-sown peas Kelvedon Wonder and the bed where we are growing squash, sweetcorn and climbing beans. Following down we are growing two rows of onions The Kelsae with a row of beetroot Moneta in between, more garlic and our nursery beds where the leeks and brassicas are under frames to protect them from the pigeons.

The next picture shows our broad beans Aquadulce, onions Radar (which we are already harvesting) bunching onions Ishikura and spinach Fiorana.

The final picture shows the top of the patch opposite our 'ut.

From left to right we have raspberries, gooseberries, currants and strawberries. Next we have the asparagus bed with a young rhubarb at the front end and a dwarf cherry at the other. The bed is bordered with our step-cordon apples and a row of beetroot growing in front.


Tuesday 4 May 2010

I'll be seeing you in apple blossom time

The blossom on our apple cordons has been fantastic this year... apparently it may have something to do with the hard winter we have experienced.

If you look closely at the picture you can see the new season asparagus emerging in the bed behind. More of this later !




Sunday 2 May 2010

It's May and it's wet !

We went down to the allotment this morning in the hope that we could get some work done while it was drizzling. Alas, the drizzle turned to rain and the rain got heavier as Heather was picking asparagus and purple sprouting broccoli. We called it a day and came home.

Heather has been using the broccoli and blue cheese to make some fantastic quiches. See below.

I have found a recipe for crab and asparagus quiche and that will be next on Heather's list.