The work never stops.

The work never stops at this time of the year on the allotment. Now the seeds have all germinated, you can see where the gaps are and do some re-sowing, so the carrots and the peas had the gaps filled in. Another row of peas – Hurst Greenshaft – and carrots – Kingston – were sown as well to give succession cropping.
The comfrey is a fine sight and covered with bees but we do grow it as a green manure so time to cut it down and add it to the compost heap. A couple of plants were left along the path for the pleasure in them.
We need to try and keep on top of the weeding especially round the fruit and veg and stop the competition for moisture and nutrients in the soil so the biochar bed and round the apples were cleaned up.
Biochar trial bed. The veg planted are all looking good and no difference as yet.

Even if it rains, the plants in the tubs need to be watered so that is now another weekly task. Otherwise we do try to keep the watering to a minimum to encourage the plants to send their roots down into the soil to find water and so far there is plenty of moisture in the soil.

On the ‘Beechgrove’ this week, they were summer pruning the gooseberries and redcurrants and we need to do the same. There is a lot of new growth and it is better to get the energy of the plants into ripening the fruit.

Jobs for next week
Weeding especially round the fruit and veg; Summer prune the gooseberries and redcurrants;Net the redcurrants and blackcurrant; Dig up the Marguerite roots at the end of the biochar bed;
Pick the strawberries!