Glorious May Sunshine

Glorious sunshine replaced the heavy downpours of last week, the ground is dry again and it’s hard to believe it ever rained at all. Today started off sunny and warm but it’s beginning to cloud over now, forecast for tomorrow is cloudy and perhaps the chance of rain before getting warmer from Sunday onwards.

Plot 5 is starting to look like the loved allotment it is, I’m getting lots of compliments and praise from other plot holders and as I look around my plot it’s crazy to imagine how it looked just 5 months ago. It feels great to see things growing, the hard work paying off.

My plot changes every time I visit with new growth springing up fast, weeding is a constant job but as long as I keep on top of it it’s not so bad. Potatoes are pushing through the earthed mounds and roots (carrot, parsnip and beetroot) are growing well.

Companion planting really interests me, I’ve had great results with growing carrots and spring onion together for avoiding too much carrot fly damage, my allotment carrots are growing next to garlic and I hope this helps somewhat with confusing the fly. Time will tell of course, this is my first year on Plot 5 so for me it’s all about learning what works and what doesn’t. Anything I harvest is a bonus.

I’m planning on planting out the Brassica and putting together a cage for butterfly protection over the weekend, I find them a faff to grow but worth it with the long season crops such as kale and early purple sprouting broccoli, picking in the depths of winter and early into the following year is very satisfying – if they survive the many other things trying to eat them first! Scaffold debris netting keeps Cabbage White butterflies out and that’s what I’ll be using over my cage for summer.

The hazel bean frame is wonky and very rustic but that’s my style of gardening! The beans are hardening off at home before planting out, I’m cautiously checking the weather forecast ahead for signs of very cold nights. The pumpkin bed is work in progress, I’m continuing to clear raspberry roots, bramble, bindweed and other long tap roots including Hawthorn seedlings (courtesy of the nearby hedge) a section at a time.

This is how it looked in January:

It’s going to be a lengthy process to completely clear this area of raspberries at least, but I’m already seeing good results and just knowing I can grow some pumpkins on my allotment this year and allow them to sprawl to their hearts content keeps me going!