Allotment Tales – 8th August 2024

Posted August 14, 2024

Thursday was overcast, but mild – and no wind! A day of plant and plot maintenance. We grasped the thistle and thinned the apple trees (Discovery and James Grieve). This seems almost sacrilegious, removing such promise, but over-burdened boughs risk disease and overall smaller fruit. Also, over-fruiting one year can result in low yields the next (know that feeling?!)
Some heavy-duty path weeding today… and a lot of banging coming from the shed! Was a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang invention about to emerge?? Sadly not – just mundane shelf maintenance following a tool avalanche incident.

Netting the winter cabbage and pak choi

Slug versus Human – Episode 2: Hurray! We seem to have won this battle (though are not smug enough to think the war is won). Moving the bean bed from Slugmagedon has been a masterstroke, the slugs outmanoeuvred.

Slug wars – first battle won

We planted and netted Winter Cabbage and Pak Choi today – cross fingers… Today’s harvest was quite exciting with autumn onions (Senshyu Yellow) and garlic joining the fray alongside second early tatties (Nicola) and continuing crops of blueberries, red currants, peas, beans and courgettes. The sweetcorn won’t be ready for a while yet, but it’s looking great!