Rain and shine on the allotment

We all turned up last week but the rain was so heavy and the forecast not promising we fled home and then it turned into a beautiful sunny day. We did manage to pick a few runner beans though in the rain!

Today the sun shone again and we could see and hear the geese high overhead.

The spring broccoli was stoutly staked and tied in to keep them upright in the winter gales and the netting raised.

The first of the Brussel sprouts are ready for picking. We don’t want them yet when there are still summer vegetables but you don’t always know what you are getting when you buy plants.

The strawberry runners have rooted so time to make the new bed, cover the ridges with weed suppressing matting and get them planted. We work on a three/four year cycle with the strawberries and, since the plants are still healthy with no viruses, there is no problem with using runners to make new plants.

All the remaining apple varieties bar one are almost ripe so they were all picked today. The only apple left is ‘Adam’s Pairmain‘ the latest variety we grow. The most productive have been ‘Sunset‘, an eating apple similar to a Cox, more suited for a Scottish climate and the cooker ‘Lord Derby‘ which is cordon grown and has given an excellent crop with no disease.

The autumn raspberries are now over but we are still picking the redcurrants. They do fine left on the bush and get sweeter and darker.

It hasn’t been a good year for sweetcorn for us with poor pollination and not warm enough even with a variety which is supposed to cope with such conditions ‘Northern Extra Sweet‘. With our cold exposed position, it is always a chancy crop but we live in hope since the cobs can be so delicious when fresh.

This Weekend on Bridgend Allotment site

Just a reminder about our Harvest Fiesta taking place this Saturday 8 October from 14:00-16:00 at Bridgend in the Dutch Barn …

This is a great chance for us to get together over some home-fired pizza and celebrate the end of the growing season – just bring anything at all along to share (and your own plate and cutlery, plus a cushion if you like).  It’s BYOB but tea and coffee will be available for all.

There’ll also be an opportunity to meet the Bridgend Bees and see the hives in action.

Jobs for next week
Finish planting out the strawberry runners
New raised beds