Allotment Part 8: report on growing season.

Watering the allotment is a real chore but I have done it so nothing has died - although the courgettes got mildew while we were away, and were also almost overwhelmed with weeds, and are just recovering and are just coming back into production again.

Courgette plants having recovered from mildew.

I think we were slow to realise how regularly we had to respond to the plants. That every day something else comes into readiness to eat. And this was particularly the case with the beans. Runner beans need picking every day. They get hard and fibrous if you leave them too long in the sun. Likewise our first courgettes were enormous just because we thought the small ones needed a few more days, when in fact one more day makes all the difference. Respect to the plants, they work hard to produce their fruits in short time.

Only a few more runner beans to come - we have had loads

If you can't water every day then you must come every other day and really soak the earth. With this pattern we have kept everything in production.

The potatoes are over now, and have been beautiful and very productive. I am glad I prepared the soil so well. Where we went wrong was mixing up two kinds of seed potatoes. I am pretty sure that when I asked for Maris Piper and Charlottes I wanted them in two separate bags and I was too inexperienced to insist, so I got them all in one bag and we planted them in three mixed rows. But the Charlottes should have been harvested earlier than the Maris Pipers because they are meant to be earlies. As it was, we let all the potatoes stay in the soil for too long. The haulms have stopped growing and they are now dead so we will have to get the potatoes out soon. You have to be careful when you cook them because overcooking makes them all fall apart. You actually have to stand over them and pull each chunk out when it is cooked through because a moment later the potatoes are all disintegrated. This is true of both kinds of potato. Of the two, the Maris Piper is the better. Some of the Charlottes became too big and are hard inside. The small ones are really tasty though.

The strawberries didn't produce many fruit, and likewise the raspberry canes were hopeless, half of them dead, and they were from the RHS. Nul points for the RHS. Here are some autumn fruiters that did not come from the RHS,

 

Haven't watered these as they were in the ground over winter.

 

Tomato plants - these were all cherry tomatoes and very very productive. You have to pick them as soon as they are turning faintly red. Not the whole truss, just individuals.



Nick gave me a few lettuces to plant amongst the strawberry plants. The netting protects from birds.
 

We have planted three rows of beetroot seedlings, and here they are covered with environmesh to protect them from birds.

Also planted some leeks but I honestly don't think they'll be any good because they are so dry.

This pic shows the lovely red apples on the little tree, and the rows of parsnips behind the courgette plants.

Poor leeks.

The rhubarb has done really well, we have not picked any because it's the first year but next year it should be very productive.