Summer growth spurt

So summer is well and truly underway! The pond area went literally wild!! It needed some serious neatening up. At one point crouching down by the pond meant I totally disappeared. While it was lovely it was just becoming a bit crazy so we trimmed down just one little part of it. The rest is still really long though. And the frogs are loving it! 

I think it's safe to say the frogs love the plot! 

The apple tree is also starting to look like something this year! I'm really enjoying it- and little apples have now appeared!

I spent some time planting out some cauliflower and beetroot as well. There's also plenty white and red onions on the other side.

The bees are certainly enjoying the flowers on the plot as well.

There's plenty of things growing. The lettuce is happy. There's some courgettes planted out there too, as well as a greenhouse full of tomatoes, bell peppers, sweet red peppers and chillies.

There's still loads to do! But in just over a weeks time I'm spending 3 weeks in Peru taking some students on a school trip- so hopefully my husband will head down a few times and get his hands dirty!! 

Lots happening down on the plot...

Every Spring I take a walk around to an allotment that I know will be covered in tulips. And this year I was not disappointed! I don't know who owns the plot but it really is stunning and makes me smile every year!

I absolutely love tulips. They're one of my favourites (tulips and peonies are the top 2 for me) so I wanted to have my own on the plot.

So I was happy to see the other day when I turned up that the deep purples ones had all opened and looked stunning!! They really are so beautiful! 

A close up- no filter of any kind is needed for any of these photos as the natural colours are just so vibrant and beautiful. Definitely glad I went for the zinc bath idea! I'd love to plant tulip bulbs of all different colours around the grass area so they all come up together. These ones in the tulip bath I planted 2 different kinds, one kind (artist) slightly lower than these purple ones so they'll come up a little later!

I also had a pleasant surprise when I went to take a look in the pond! Last year I was given a little clump of Snakes Head Fritillary and planted it out by the pond. It didn't seem to last long before it died off so to be honest I wasn't holding out much hope for this year- in fact, I'd forgotten all about them! So despite the thick long grass around the pond, I was very happy to see it had managed to fight through again this year! 

My allotment is quite a sun trap though and the soil is a fairly thick clay soil so it does retain the rainwater really well, without getting all waterlogged- so I was also happy to see the alliums are already pushing out their flower buds.

I still make a beeline for the pond every time I get there. It doesn't get old at all! And it's different every time! There's still masses of tadpoles and everything is looking so healthy.

If you look at the last blog post you will see a photo of the marshmarrigold- and this photo is of it this week- so it's already putting out a lot more leaves and a lot more flowers! I love it! 

As well as having a jam packed greenhouse at the moment I've also got my windowsill in the house full of seedlings. The tomato seedlings are doing really well. I've got a lovely bunch of parsley and basil growing from seed, and the chillies and pepper seeds have recently come through as well!

After work the other day my husband and I went to the allotment and did a bit of work, including planting out the onions. Excited for this growing season to get underway!

Spring is taking hold!

So Spring has definitely taken it's hold on the plot! Absolutely loving it at this time of year despite how much absolutely needs doing!

 A selection of photos to show where I'm at:

 Marsh marigolds are now popping up.

The pond is looking awesome and is absolutely full to the brim of tadpoles.

The tulip bath is on he verge of bursting into colour (this photo was taken today)

Beautiful flowers have started to appear. The alliums have also started to come up- and are now several inches tall! 

And the greenhouse is looking good! I've currently got lettuce, onions and cauliflower in there, I've also got tomato seedlings, cayenne pepper, sweet red pepper and bell peppers sitting on windowsills at home. 

So it's all looking really great! There is a lot of ground work that needs doing though- and I need to get the potatoes in the ground pretty soon! Lovely time of year though- beautiful when the sun is shining!

Autumn has now set in, so plenty work to do...

It's frustrating that as soon as I go back to work at the start of September everything else just seems to be put on the back burner. Work exhausts me so by the time I get home on an evening I just want to sleep! 

Little bits have been happening at the allotment over the last few weeks, though not as much as I would have liked. 

I had a lovely brown and red onion harvest earlier in September. They're all sitting at home drying out to store- had the first one last night with our dinner and it was delicious. I'm just trying to think of a sensible way to store them when I've dried their skins out. 

My Sarah Raven order came in the post the other day too- so I've now got plenty tulip, alium and crocus bulbs waiting to go in!

This was my rather pathetic little greenhouse harvest the other day. The tomatoes have been an absolute disaster. There are still a few ripening on the plants at the moment but it really hasn't been worth it. They were given to me by an allotment neighbour at the beginning of summer, so might be more selective next year and grow my own. 

The cucumbers have been a success all summer though so can't complain there!

Last night my husband and I spent a fair bit of time on the allotment. After an insanely busy week at work I initially couldn't be bothered, but when we got there I really enjoyed it. It was a lovely evening, frogs were constantly appearing and I had to refill all the bird feeders- they've clearly been spotted now!! The mealworms are a clear favourite!

My husband began pulling back the tarp on the right hand side of the allotment- I wanted to get started on that sooner rather than later - basically before all the frogs move in to hibernate! Though as we started to lift it back there were already 3 frogs warming themselves at the edge. 

I had fun taking all the dead leaves from the bottom of the brussel sprout plants and collecting a few of the bottom sprouts to test those out.

I had heard mixed things- some people saying wait until the first frost, some saying it makes no difference. So I've taken this pile and I've just popped them straight into the freezer so I guess that will have to do! Will probably try and test them out on Sunday dinner this week. 

Next job is to keep working on the tarp area of the allotment, clearing that back and then starting to make raised beds over the Autumn/winter.

I also need to get some compost and gravel so I can sow my crocus and alium bulbs. The tulip bulbs will need to wait until the frost starts to plant though. 

I also need to start making my way around the pond pulling out the dandelion leaves and other weed like plants I don't want around there. Then I will be cutting it all back a bit waiting for the spring time when I can scatter new wildflower seeds and let Spring do it's job! 

August almost over...but still plenty going on...

I can't believe August is almost over. Despite being off over the summer I just find the time flies by and I always feel as though I haven't quite done enough. This summer has been my first with the allotment though, so it's been great seeing how it copes as the season passes.

Every time I go to the plot I automatically walk to the back to see the pond. I always hear half a dozen (sometimes more) splashes into the water as I walk up the path. I can't remember the last time I was there when I didn't see a frog though which is great! I also noticed last time I was there the arrow head flowers have started to open. I wasn't sure if they would this year but they look beautiful. The marsh marigolds have come into flower as well, which is just another reassurance that the pond is pretty happy. 

I also spent some time weeding the onion/carrot bed. I took up some of the stragglers from the edges and decided to take them home to pickle them. No idea what they'll be like, but thought it was worth a go! I'll give them a taste in a couple of months. 

The shed/greenhouse has also come into it's own over the last few weeks. I've been harvesting plenty of cucumbers and jalapeños (I decided to pickle those as well) and my tomatoes have finally decided to fruit! 

 We've had a fair few storms lately as well, a lot of heavy rain, wind and thunder and lightening over the last couple of weeks- so there was a true test on the shed which I was happy to discover it held up perfectly. So it was definitely will built and it now gives me confidence for the winter. 

My husband and I also installed a bird feeding station next to the pond. Complete with fat balls, seed, mealworms, peanuts and fresh water. I'm looking forward to visitors turning up for a feed. 

A cloudy but productive Saturday...

Well, the sun may not have been shining so much today, and it may not have been as warm as it has been, but I still managed to spend 4 ours at the allotment in my t-shirt today. 

Yesterday I took various things to the local tip, leftover rotten/scrap bits of wood from when the shed was built, a large compost bag full of rubbish that had accumulated over the last few months (we find a lot of glass and metal on the allotment still) and we had a large double glazed window that we needed to take along as it had cracked along the middle and water had started to get in. So- after the tip run we stopped at a can and carry like shop to pick up a few things, compost, a few paving slabs and a little wooden dividing fence.

So today I got to work putting things in place and doing some more organising! 

I painted the little wooden diving fence blue- the same colour as the shed and gate of course! I wanted that put down just to edge the wild area as things had started to creep over into the celery bed. 

I've discovered in photos the allotment is quite deceptive: 

It doesn't appear to be in any incline at all- but when I photo is taken from the gate you really don't seem to be able to tell how long it is. I always think the pond area looks tiny from this angle - but when you get up there and stand at the edge of the blue fence, there's another 3 metres until you reach the back of the allotment. Strange how it does that! 

I also placed the 4 paving slabs I bought down (4 for £12) I think I'll buy another 4 for in front just to define the area a little more- it will still allow me to either plant things along the fence in the ground or put pots along there too.

 You can also see to the left of the photo in the yellow buckets- I planted out 2 of the butternut squash plants. They're verging on flowering and were clearly too big for their little pots so this is quite a change in size! So hopefully they will grow on ok. 

 I think I am going to take up the strawberries as well and plant the remaining butternut squash plants into the ground. The strawberries haven't been great- I was given them from a kind neighbour but for some reason the yield was very small and other creates often beat me to the ones that were there.

 I think next year if I grow strawberries I will do it in pots on/around the shed. 

And here's a final photo today of the pond in all it's glory. If you look carefully you'll be able to see a few frogs. I counted six at one point. Two didn't move an inch the whole time I was there. But it seems really healthy! There's still plenty of pond skaters on the top and the plants are all looking really good. We keep having to remove some of the green plant from the top of the water- we're quite ruthless when we do, as it grows so quickly I don't want it taking over and suffocating everything. Though I always leave plenty for things to hide in and under. It seems to be working out though! Next plan for next to the pond is to weed/turn over and get some turn to turf the back right area of the allotment. After all, I don't have a garden at home, so I was determined to have a garden area to relax in as well as a growing area for veg and as many flowers as possibly for the bees and other insects that need them. 

 I've still got 6 weeks left of the summer holidays as well, so plenty of time to get things done! 

A completed shed & a happy wildflower spot...

Today I spent another lovely and peaceful 4 and a half hours at the allotment. I really love the summer holidays! It's lovely and quiet down there and I was able to potter about and get some useful things done!

My shed is now completely finished! I now have two hanging baskets on the side filled with violas which are on the verge of flowering. The box on the front of the door seems to be doing really well too! I think next year I might use the boxes and baskets on the front for strawberries. 

I also got the gate painted (to match the shed of course!) and the inside of the door needed a few coats of blue as well. I'm really happy with the blue and cream combination. 

 I also got all the gardening tools hung up and even cleaned the windows inside and out! It's now spotless! 

The plants on the inside seem to be pretty happy as well. Plenty chillies, cucumbers and peppers coming along nicely. 

I noticed some of the sprouts have started to properly show themselves as well! Hopefully I'll get a decent return on them- the plants are pretty big now!

And here are just a few photos from around the pond of the wildflower section- I think it's looking pretty awesome- exactly as I wanted it to be honest! And every visit something new keeps poking it's flowery head above the rest.