Celebrating an allotment award

Ok, so it's not an RHS Gold award, but this morning when I arrived at the allotment site I was greeted with a sign on the reverse of the gate announcing that I had won first prize in the plot/compost competition. One of the criteria for any plot being entered was that there was a working compost system (and regular readers will know I'm a bit of a compost fanatic!)

(Of course the first thing I do is post a picture to facebook and tweet about it!!)

According to a fellow plot holder my win hasnt been greeted with the same joy as I had by others. I expect my gender and my being under 40 have gone against me, and that I pipped someone who has had his plot around 40 years to the post by 4 points (me being a mere novice having only had mine 5 years!)

But I care not for the griping of these people. I WON *skips*

My prize is £25 of garden centre vouchers which I am thrilled about, though the kudos really was enough in itself.

Anyway, the lovely tweeps have been asking for pics, so I shall show you around what is currently happening.

 Rhubarb - can probably have one more cut before the crowns need dividing

The raspberries are producing beautifully - see further down 

Strawberries are done for this year and have done well to say they were all new plants 

Red onions and shallots cleared and ready for planting leeks 

White onions are nearly ready for lifting 

Sweetcorn will hopefully produce well 

Purple sprouting broccoli is nearly big enough to be uncovered 

After a very slow start the butternut squash have finally got going, but maybe too late for this year 

Hiding among this lot are 5 really good size pumpkins that look like they will still get even larger 

Where the blight ridden tomatoes came out from a late sowing of peas went in

Beet looking good, carrots looking fly infested 

Parnsips doing really well, and some salsify 

Main crop will get lifted when I return from my holiday 

My little flower garden which I love

Aubergines, chillies and peppers not doing as well as their greenhouse counterparts, but making progress

Bird seed growing! 

So pleased these came true with their colour - self seeded from last year

Bees enjoying last years leek which I purposely left to go to seed

Hoverfly on a fennel flower

More bees enjoying the leeks

A view down the plot

The biggest raspberries I've ever grown

1 of 4 bowls of peas picked and frozen today

Round up w/c 9th July 2012

Its going to be a blog mainly of pictures again. Have spent the last couple of weeks digging out and riddling the 2 compost bins and the compost has been spread around the plot, which is now resulting in a fresh flush of weed and tomato seedlings! It's been really hard work, but the compost is fab and the plants are definitely going to like it.

 Anyway, today this bumblebee was going absolutely bonkers in the poppy and was so laden with pollen when it had finished that I wasnt sure if it would take off successfully!

This area between the tomatoes and corn hadn't been allocated for anything, which was quite fortunate as I had a tray of purple sprouting broccoli and a row of sprout plants to transplant. So hoed and raked the area

 then firmed it down with some festive wellies ;-)

 ta dah!!

 dug some holes

 puddled them

 then planted, and pigeon proofed (hopefully)

This is what else is going on around the plot - onions are starting to get to a really good size and the white and ones from seed havent bolted yet. The red have, so have nipped out the flower heads and will need to use quite quickly once they are lifted.

 The strawberries have just about finished, but have been delish

 these cauliflowers are almost big enough to lift the tunnels, but wont risk it for another few weeks to make sure the pigeons dont demolish them.

 white onions (Ailsa Craig) from seed

 Corn (Incredible)

 peas and broadbeans are both starting to pod nicely

 earliest tomatoes are starting to fruit, so hopefully will have a steady flow of tomatoes ready, and not the huge glut I had last year to deal with.

 courgettes and pumpkins are doing well. BNS is unlikely to come to anything this year.

 carrots and beetroot need thinning

 later sowing of carrot and beetroot, and swede (under the net) are starting to recover from attack from flea beetle

 lettuce, spinach and fennel

 main crop in the foreground, first earlies at the back

 parnsips

 asparagus

 flower garden is starting to look really pretty

 Harvested today, first early spuds, rhubarb and a few strawbs and raspberries

 Then made rhubarb cake

 and baked raspberry meringue pie (with some of last year's raspberries from the freezer)

First week of June round up

Really quick round up, mainly in pictures of how the plot is looking as of last week.

Courgettes in the foreground, then pumpkins, then butternut squash all finally planted out

 All the flower seedlings around the pear tree are starting to grow and should hopefully cover the area in a carpet of colour.

The asparagus is looking very healthy and am looking forward to being able to harvest some next year. This year it is being allowed to 'rest' as the crowns were moved at the end of last season.

The parsnips have put out loads of top growth now so hopefully the roots are doing just as well.

First earlies are well through and main crop spuds are starting to break through. All the rain should mean some good spuds in a month or so. (My earlies went in late - so not lifting them for another few weeks at the earliest)

The swede that I germinated at home and then grew in in toilet roll tubes have been nibbled to almost nothing by flea beetle. I could spray them, but as I'm trying to do it mostly organically and without much help from anything this year will just see how they fare. Maybe next year I will let them grow on further before planting them out so there is more leaf which may make them more resilient.

Lettuce and spinach planted out

Have 4 different types of tomato this year - Moneymaker, Alicante, Gardeners Delight and Black Cherry

Carrot and beetroot are starting to come through

I started about 20 corn plants at home, and then put in several rows with 2 seeds per station which all germinated. Have moved the 2nd seed from each and now have about 80 corn plants. If they all produce a minimum of 2 cobs each there will be a good amount of corn this year.

French and runner beans are starting to climb

3 variety of peas in so far - Hurst Green Shaft, Junos and cant remember the 3rd

I've never limed before planting brassicas before so have given that a go this year to see if it makes an improvement for the cauliflower. 

The onions some set and seed are doing well so far.

The raspberries have gone bonkers!

Strawberries are all mulched now. Not expecting a huge crop as all the plants were moved last year.

The lupins are doing well and the crab apple I planted a few weeks ago is taller than the top if its protective tube.

Rhubarb is growing well and already made a batch of jam from it. Will need to split the crowns this year.

Broad beans were sowed late, so will have to pinch the tops as soon as they start flowering to deter the blackfly.

Almost everything is in the ground now. I have acquired some more currant bushes so they will need planting out if the rain ever stops. There are still some more cauliflower, brussels and purple sprouting broccoli to plant out. And then peppers and chillies and aubergine need sorting into the salad beds which I will hopefully get windbreaked this week.