A busy day and lots of helpers!
We started the day with a tour of the plot - it’s been a few weeks since we chatted at each bed about our fruit, flowers and vegetables in all parts of the allotment.
While Amanda started with the table jobs, seed collecting and potting on today, we all saw how our runner beans are starting to come - we counted all of the big ones together (one!), but there are lots more to come!
The lettuce, spinach and chard, which were only seeds a few weeks ago, are now strong young plants. We checked the tomatoes, cucumber and courgettes and also the French beans. The pot planted by Amanda and Wendy last month, outside the summerhouse, had a lovely cucumber and a few green peppers too. Duncan had taken some leeks Jacquie had brought to share, and showed us some of his produce and how he’d planted his row of leeks (saving us some internet searching!) he also gave everyone a beautiful sweet cherry tomato and a French bean to try. Everyone loved them, thanks Duncan!
Once we’d walked around, we knew what to water and which plants needed a feed. The cucumbers which had seemed so poorly last week were lovely and green today, so Claire had fed them really well! Fabulous how the group are now like a well-oiled machine with the watering. Everyone knows what do do and they just do it - Alex is a superstar waterer!
After feeding a few plants that needed some extra TLC, it was leek time for those who wanted to plant. Willow, Laura, Julie, Jacquie and Marian, armed with all sorts of tools, took ‘girl power’ to a new level as we transformed an unloved weedy and stony patch of ground at the bottom of the plot to a lovely, flat, healthy bed. Julie got some string from Duncan and used it to get straight lines, and we used a measuring stick and dibber to make holes. The leeks were then popped into the holes and filled with water. We had space for a row of Willow’s’ mystery onions’ started off a few weeks ago!
There was lots going on at the table. Sweet pea seeds gathered from the pods and planted, and Mathew Claire Amanda and Alex sat with Wendy, with Lavender blossom scent wafting over from next door, gently removing seeds from the ‘Titan’ sunflower head, ready to dry and store for next year. Much chard was potted on, and the whole area looked like a garden centre by lunch time. Thanks. Mathew for your professional and speedy planting.
Steve (the builder - can he fix it?) brought out power tools and all sorts of bits and bobs and in no time at all we had a tunnel for the leeks and onions which we covered in mesh to protect them.
What a busy day! We had a wonderful cuppa and lunch under the shade, and just a bit of harvesting for shop and cook at the ARC tomorrow (courgettes!) and baby lettuce, mint and (more!) courgettes for Café Cornell.
We hope you like our photos.
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