Things are really springing into life on the plot. The few days of lovely weather was the trigger the plants were waiting for. It also spurred us into action.
Grass paths have been mowed for the first time this year and the permanently planted fruit beds have been tidied. Lavender has been moved to form an edging around the new fruit beds. This should not only look attractive but will be much visited by bees; not that the bees need any encouragement to visit the fruit bushes. Large queen bumble bees are already sniffing out the flowers of the gooseberry and currant bushes. These flowers may seem insignificant to our eyes but despite lack of colourful petals they don’t go unnoticed by the insects.

Fruit trees and bushes are looking very spring like with both flower and leaf buds bursting open. We had a bumper harvest of plums last year however at the moment it looks as though this year could be disappointing
Strawberry runners taken last year have been planted out and fill the gaps left by plants that did not survive winter. Older plants that should still have at least one more productive year have been tidied up and fed. I just hope this year they produce as good a bounty as last year. Alpine strawberries already are flowering, however the cold nights are putting paid to any suggestion of early fruit.
Autumn fruiting raspberries are producing new shoots and our Glencoe raspberry is growing well.
All our potatoes have now been planted, we use the trowel method so this task isn’t as arduous as it once was and the results are equally as good without the backache of digging trenches. We planted ten different varieties so hopefully at least some will like whatever conditions summer throws at us. Potato bags have been moved from the garden greenhouse to the plot greenhouse where they will remain until they are ready to be moved outside.

The tubers are now growing well so hopefully we will have some early pickings of new potatoes from the five bags set.
Parsnip seeds – Gladiator & Panache - were sown when there was no breeze to waft the seeds away. These were sown in shallow compost trenches. The seed bed has been protected using chicken wire ‘cloches’. Foxes tend to roam the site at night and their footprints can wreak havoc on newly sown seed beds.

Carrots sown in a trough in the cold greenhouse are growing well and more carrots have been sown on the plot under enviromesh in order to give protection from carrot fly. Peas and various salad leaves have been sown directly into the ground whilst a whole host of seeds have been planted in trays and pots in the greenhouse. Many have germinated well although the tomatoes seem to be struggling. Cold nights do not provide the ideal conditions for tender young seedlings.
Our first sowing of broad beans has produced some healthy plants and more seeds have been sown to try for cropping succession.
It feels really good to see things growing again after what has been a long hard winter, so let’s hope for a good season to come.

5:00 pmin allotment, fruit, vegetables by admin 3 Comments »