Very hot up there today, so lots of drinking water was needed. Sorting out the last few bits to plant that were left from the fair. Put in the last of the nasturtiums and leeks (not much room to plant these as I’m supposed to, so planted 5 together in a large hole. Hopefully they’ll be ok). I know I said I’d never plant tomatoes outside this year, as the last few years they’ve all got blight. But, I’ve got so many and can’t fit them all in the greenhouse. Hopefully the weather will be kind this year, and blight will be kept at bay. Fingers crossed. This afternoon I did 2 more films, potting up cape gooseberries and strawberries. Hopefully they’ll be up next week. Also harvested the first of the mangetout. Very yummy, I had to try 1 just to make sure they were good and then another just incase.
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Clairesallotment's Blog 
I love receiving these updates Claire. Today, I spent 2 hours clearing out thick weeds from between the potato rows, including the relentless Mare’s Tail. My friend Julie came over and she did the watering. Two weeks ago, she planted some sweet corn, beetroot, and other vegetables. Another friend, Pinder, planted blackberries, raspberries, pumpkin, marigolds that time. Another friend, Toni, brought her daughters and they planted flowers, marrow & they have chilli peppers in the greenhouse. Kat & John planted the potatoes a while back and they have various veg & flowers seedlings in their greenhouse at home which will be planted out on the weekend. I planted the rest of the stuff (mange tout, french beans, courgettes, lettuce, various tomatoes (including a Maltese one, seeds from preparing a sandwich in Malta in May), cucumber, onions, strawberries, and more… and we still have lots of space! Oh, to keep fit, I do all the digging, weeding, making up planting beds, composting, clearing, moving stuff around in the wheelbarrow, etc… and today I put our England flag at the top of my French beans “wig-wam” masterpiece 🙂 Come on England! xC ps – tonight I came home with a bagful of “gifts” from other allotmenteers… onions, methi, coriander. Another nice allotment picnic I think next weekend. Ooooh, I love my allotment… hate the mare’s tale but since I cannot eradicate it, I might as well learn to manage it!!!
Wow! Sound like it’s a group effort. You’ve got loads growing, but keeping the weeds at bay is and endless struggle. Some people just don’t understand that an allotment is so much fun and the trill you get when plants grow and produce veggies. I love mine and if I’m away from it for too long I get worried. Hope you have a very successful year. Happy gardening, Claire
Hi Claire,
Do you have water on tap at the allotment? Carting water must be a real bugbear on some allotments. I am hopeing for rain today so I don’t have to hose. What plants did you get at the fair? Did they have them at reduced prices? I put nasturtians in all my raised beds where they were able to wind around the bent hose I use to hold up the plastic in Winter. They gave the plants underneath shade and drew lots of bees as well as looking very pretty. I am hopeing they will disguise the kiwi fruit, grapes and cherries from the birds next season. I made a decent sized strawbale bed for all those strawberry runners you mentioned to keep. They are still alive so all is good. Want to do gooseberries this season so am looking forward to seeing how yours do ahead of time. Must go and check the vids out now. Happy Gardening.
Yes we do have water on tap at the allotment. They turn it off over the winter. Seems a little harsh on those who have chicken as they need water all year. We don’t have enough taps though as it’s a huge site. I water using a can and fill up my water butt with the hose. Using a can uses less water, and gets it exactly where you want it. Takes longer, but never mind. I was selling plants at the school fair, got rid of about half that I took. Warning for gooseberries – they have very large thorns. ouch!
My strawberries are flowering, i hope eat some. Not as the last year that the flowers came to late on the season.
Make sure you water them frequently so the fruits swell nice and big. They take a couple of years to establish themselves, but make sure you train the runners.