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Look who was found mooching around the plot!

I suppose as we tidy up more and more things on the allotment he'll find fewer places to hide. We've got a load of leftover pallet bits from making the compost bin that I think I'll try to leave in the corner as a little wildlife refuge. Although, maybe all a frog really wants out of life is a nice blue tarp...

Honey, I'm ho-ome!

I've been away for a week to a conference and before that I had so m much preparation to do I couldn't get to the allotment. I've had a great time, but man, am I tired. A day down the allotment pottering around doing some weeding, cutting back the paths and sorting things out was just what I needed.

And now I have proof of growth!

We found actual broad bean pods growing in the black fly/ant infested beanie beds. There was MUCH cheering. I was starting to think we'd not get any so I was chuffed to find a few on their way.

When I grow up, I'm going to be a broad bean...

There's pea pod sign too:

When I fatten up, I'm going be full of pea loveliness...

Possibly the most eagerly anticipated strawberries in the world...

I'm going to put straw underneath the strawberries soon, and cover them with netting. I'm probably not the only one looking forward to juicy strawberries.

And finally, the long view (click on photo to enlarge). We have some space beyond the tree (in the back of the photo) but realised we wouldn't get around to preparing it this year. We've covered it in weed suppressant for now and hope to plant a few things through it but otherwise leave it to next year.

What you (can almost) see here is, 2 beanie beds, 2 carrot/beetroot/onion stuff beds, 2 brassicas beds (one of which is now mostly strawberries, the other one still empty) and 2 potato beds.

I don't need no shed

See, all you need is a bit of floor space and a good tolerance for mess and soil EVERYWHERE. I sowed some pink coneflowers, some runner beans and potted up the iddie biddy tomato plants and two squash plants. I then got a bit carried away and tried to sort out a massive house plant that looked like elves had been stealing it's soil in the night. jobsa goodn. I found it all quite satisfying actually.

I went down to the plot later and wanted to get down to some proper weeding of the beanie beds. However, every time I plunged a fork into the soil I seem to hit an ants nest and the ants would just erupt. Aggh, ants everywhere, terrifying! I can't stand them, really. I remember as kid jumping around on a bouncy castle and getting covered in ant bites. I couldn't stay and weed the beds, just the thought that one might try and run up my leg! yak! Those ants have got to go. I still can't bring myself to use insecticide though, but I came very close today.

So what's left? Boiling water? That'll cook the plants. Cold water? Would that do anything more than irritate them? All I know, is that they HAVE to go.

Beanie Beds: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The Good. I've finally rigged up the supports for the future runner beans and for the sugar snap peas. I'm still starting the seedlings inside and planting them out when they get 4" or so high. Or they are evicted to make room on the window sill for the next thing which usually happens first...

The Bad. These broad beans really don't look good. The flowers all seem to be going manky and there's small black blotches on the plants. I don't know what it is, or what to do.

The Ugly. The 3 bordered beds are completely infested with ants. I was doing a bit off weeded at one end when the soil just erupted with ants. I've read somewhere that I can put them off by watering the infected area with water that's had cloves soaking in it. Anyone got any other ideas?

Start of May

Here's how the plot looks now. We've dug 7 of the 8 main raised beds.

Two beds of potatoes. Realised the other day that we don't actually eat that many spuds. And we now have 40 potato plants. Everyone will be getting potatoes for christmas. Wrapped up nicely of course, we're not mean!

One brassica bed with only half the bed for brassicas because those strawberries needed a home and we're a long LONG way off digging the bed where they were supposed to go. The other half of the bed is housing the red cabbage plants. I was thinking we could plant radishes in the gaps between the cabbages. I wonder, perhaps the tomato plants could go in between. Does anyone know if tomatoes and red cabbage are good allotment buddies? The big grassy patch in the top photo is where the other brasscica bed will go. Eventually. Maybe.

This is the red onion, leeks and beetroot bed. Haven't seen any actual beetroot yet. Still hoping they're just bashful.

The onions from sets plus a few from seed that we;d pretty much given up on. Plus a few carrots. There was supposed to be a whole line of carrots down the middle but I can only find about 6 plants. I may have weeded out the carrots with the weeds. stupidstupid. There's also a couple of garlic plants in the corner that I accidentally dug up at one point. They seemed to be a bit better for it to (might be because it gave me the chance to put them the right way up!)

The first beanie bed. Broad beans, peas and a few sweet peas.

Massive number of flowers but still no pods...

The other bed is still empty but will have sugar snap peas and runner beans

It was such a nice evening down the plot last night. I was just pottering along, doing the watering and listening to the birds. Things might not (ever!) go according to plan but I get so much pleasure from this garden.