Lots of activity on the Allotment

Posted June 10, 2024

Thursday saw blustery day at the Allotment with temperatures taking a dip and the wind factor making it feel more like March than approaching mid-summers day! Lots of things are growing well, helped on by the recent rainfall.

A bean frame was constructed, the ground prepared and french beans ‘Blue Lake’ planted. We used green mesh to protect the delicate stems from the prevailing wind.

Constructing the bean frame

The sweetcorn bed was prepared with compost and manure dug in and two varieties of sweetcorn were planted – ‘Earlibird’, the earliest cropping plant and ‘Incredible’, a particularly sweet variety identified by its red stem. The sweetcorn was planted in blocks to help maximise pollination and the young plants were also given some wind protection with green mesh.

Protecting the newly planted sweetcorn

The grass paths were mowed and the grass cuttings used to mulch the raspberries.

The sweet peas were tied in to secure them.

‘Meteor’ peas and ‘Sweet Horizon’ mangetout were planted and netted.

We planted 2 flax plants in the flower bed.

The potatoes were earthed up, onions were weeded and ongoing weeding of beds and paths continued and the area checked for flatworms.

We discovered Codling Moth in the apple tree (see photo). This was removed and destroyed. Codling Moth affects apple and pear fruits and occasionally found in walnut and quince fruits. Codling Moth is a species with caterpillars that bore into the fruits of apple and pear trees during mid to late summer. Damaged fruit tends to ripen and drop early. The caterpillars exit hole is often visible in the side of the ripe fruit or at the “eye” end (the end opposite stalk). When the fruit is cut open the tunnel and feeding damage inside the core can be seen, together with the caterpillars excrement pellets (known as frass). One method of control without using pesticides is to encourage predators and other natural enemies such as birds, hedgehogs and ground beetles.