Adrian has gone off down there though, he's planting up some more of our tomatoes, and some peppers and a couple more aubergine plants. These will be going in the poly tunnel, which you haven't seen yet..here it is...
It's not huge, 8 X 15, but it does us at the moment. I have salad crops doing nicely in there, apart from the slugs nicking the tops of my Lollo Rosso! Good job it's cut and come again lettuce or we'd be stuck. I have Spring onions in there, just about ready as well, Iceberg lettuce and various tomato plants, aubergines and peppers. Adrian has some leek seedlings starting off in there and they seem to like that environment and are doing well.
I'm hoping that the tunnel will really come into it's own this year, we have grown a fair amount in there up to now, but this year I really want to try and keep the season going for as long as possible. It will be SO nice if I can have fresh picked tomatoes from the allotment in November.
The plant you can see in the foreground, is a grapevine, and we do get grapes from it. Trouble is, we never seem to get to eat any, I think the birds get more than we do. Anyhow, it takes up a a fair bit of room when it gets going, so it might be on the way to the compost, we shall have to see.
This is another view of the allotment as it is at the moment, thanks to the lovely Yarrow for taking the pics.
The broad beans are doing fabulously, and although some have been flattened by the rain, the pods are a good size and the beans are JUST yummy. WE like to have them raw with our slalds, and we freeze what we have over. Several work colleagues also take advantage of the abundance from the plot, and many now will only eat the veg I take into work from the plot.
We don't just have veg, there is a fair bit of fruit coming along nicely as well. We have 3 Rhubarb crowns that are producing at an alarming rate, and it's VERY nice rhubarb as well. Then there are Blackcurrant, white currants, gooseberries, tayberries, apples, cherries, plums, pears, apricot, nectarine, peach, almonds, strawberries and my Baby, a Kiwi plant. We had fruit on there last year, but unfortunately the weather turned at the wrong moment and stopped them getting to a decent size. I'm hoping things will be better this year.
So far all the cabbages, sprouts and caulis are looking good, the first early spuds should be ready to lift before much longer, the peas are flowering and I REALLY hope to get a good crop from them. We have failed With peas every year before, as ants seem to like eating the roots. This year I put in more established plants, in a place that seemed to be ant free, and so far, so good.
There is an abundance of swedes and turnips coming along, and the beetroot, as usual are off and running. We also have lots of different squashes coming into flower. I THINK I may need a few more veggie recipes before much longer. It really does look as though we will be fine for veg for at least 2/3 of the year, if not longer. I really hope so, it will be SO good not to have to rely on shop bought, that taste so bland compared to food from the plot, and of course, the cost will increase as the price of petrol and diesel keeps rising.
SO fingers crossed for a bumper harvest from the lottie, there will be gluts, there always are, but courgettes are extremely useful, and if all else fails, the chickens will eat them.
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