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.

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 !

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.

Scorzonera

We are going to try some different root crops this year : Some to eat as Summer vegetables and some that will be able to stand in the ground over the Winter months.

For the Winter it will be Swede Brora and Scorzonera Maxima.

Scorzonera is an interesting vegetable that is a member of the Daisy family. It is easy to grow, untroubled by pests and will stand in the ground over the Winter to be pulled for the table as and when required.

Brassicas

Heather sowed our brassica seeds in the nursery bed this morning.

We are growing : Brussels Spouts Trafalgar F1, Red Cabbage Kalibos, Kale Tosco di Nero, Savoy Cabbage Tarvoy and Cauliflower Candid Charm.

Going tits up !

A beautiful afternoon down at the patch.

Heather tidied-up the garlic and onions and I dug the trench that will be filled with manure and compost .This will be where we plant our leeks in June.

Best of all, was the sight of a Blue Tit closely examining the bird box we have put up. It then flew off with its mate... so we wait to see if they will return to nest.

'Taters

Good Friday is the traditional day for planting potatoes, but we took advantage of the good weather to get down to the patch today and plant them one day earlier.

We planted 4 x 15' rows of Golden Wonder and 2 x 20' rows of Cara.

Two additional rows of onion sets Red Baron were also planted.