The sun shines on

The sun continues to shine at the Bridgend Caley allotment, though a North Easterly breeze meant that the air was a bit nippy to start with.

Today’s main activity was weeding – yippee! Over at the communal bed we attempted to check the march of the bindweed. The second winter brassica bed was weeded and lime added, ready for the next crop of greens. We dug trails of couch grass from paths and border edges.

Some attention was required in the sweet pea bed – hazel supports went in, with shorter sticks placed to encourage the tendrils to clamber towards these. An outer frame of netting was added to give some protection from marauding rabbits. We tried to stay ahead of the sun, watering shadier beds first to avoid too much evaporation. We watered trenches between the earthed-up potatoes, as splashing water onto the green leaves can encourage the development of blight.

The grass was cut, and we started sharpening up the bed edges. Cuttings were tipped into the compost bins and mixed with dry matter to avoid sludginess.

Small, green fruit is now appearing on the gooseberry bushes and cherry tree, so before we left, we netted these with enviromesh. It’s too hot for flatworms to be out playing.

Jobs for next week:  sow beetroot and swede; tie in the climbing spinach; cut grass edges; continue weeding, including over at the communal bed; water as required.