Reaping the benefits on the Allotment
On Thursday more winter veg were planted out – Swiss chard, red cabbage and Savoy cabbages. A weekly soak and more normal temperatures are certainly benefitting the plants.
This is the time of the year when you are rewarded for all the work you have done with pickings from peas, broad beans, dwarf French beans, courgettes, beetroot, patty pan squashes, potatoes and, of course, fruit. Not much from any one veg since we grow a variety but enough for a taste.
A couple of the courgettes have turned into baby marrows so these have been left to grow on.
The spring planted onion sets have now matured and the tops were bent over to encourage them to dry off. Next week they will be gently eased out of the soil to continue that.
The strawberries are over so time to cut off all the old leaves and feed them with a general fertiliser. We use blood, fish and bone.
The photograph below shows the benefit of upturned plastic bottles to drip-water individual plants. The squash on the left has the water bottle refilled each week, the squash on the right is the control, only watered once a week. You can easily see the difference in growth.
DATE FOR YOUR DIARY – OPEN DAY SUNDAY 14 AUGUST 2pm—4pm. George Anderson will be giving his every popular workshop on the summer pruning of fruit. Cold refreshments (coffee available from the Bridgend farmhouse cafe) and produce. To book your spot, please email rchsallotment@gmail.com.
Jobs for next week
- Cut off all the old strawberry leaves and feed the plants
- Keep watering and weeding
- Ease out the onions
- Check ties on fruit, tie in new growth
