THE ALLOTMENT

This year I started an Allotment, nearby to where I live. When I took it on, it was a mass of weeds and rubbish, left from the previous occupant. So it was a tough task clearing it and digging it all over. The soil was full of "Twitch", like a tough root that tangles everything up.

Thankfully the soil is quite easy to dig and work with , so it was not long before I got a few crops planted. It now has Cauliflowers, Cabbages, Broccoli, Sweet corn, Potatoes (7 rows) Beetroot & Carrots, Swedes & Turnips, Courgettes, Leeks, Brussel Sprouts, Celery and Dwarf Beans and Onions....and Rhubarb.

So hopefully not too long now till i reap the rewards of my work there.

Just recently I added a bench to sit on and a small tool shed and compost heap.

Next year i'll plant things closer together, now I know how big certain things get.

Watering & Weeding are the main things. The weeds seem to appear overnight and we are having a dry spell at the moment, so watering on a regular basis is important.

Lucky for me, I inherited Four large Blue water tubs, that can be re-filled by a hose nearby.

So all in all , its proving a very enjoyable project so far!

How Things Look In June

Well, almost at Mid Summer now and things are taking shape in the Garden. All Summer plants are now in and some are coming into bloom right now. The Greenhouse is looking very promising too, with the Tomatos , Cucumbers, Melons & Peppers in there. Regular feeding will help them along . Outside I have the Vegetable patch which has Peas , Carrots, Beetroot, Garlic and Parsnips. Also my Strawberry bed (Photo above) with straw around the plants, to encourage the sun to ripen the fruits. My Raspberry Canes (Photo above) are showing signs of Fruit appearing too and i've netted it over to stop Birds beating me to the Raspberries!

At the rear of the Greenhouse, are the Runner Beans which are climbing gradually up the canes.

So all in all, things are looking good and should be a productive Summer .

I have also begun doing an Allotment this year, which is close by and soon I'll be taking a few photos to show here, how it is progressing. I've completed the digging and planting there and so now its a case of watering & Weeding it! . But so far that also is coming on well.

Clematis In Bloom

June has arrived and it see's the start of the Clematis season in my Garden. I have a few varieties and photos of some of them are above. The first to flower in my garden is the "Montana" variety and now others are coming into Bloom which are the larger flower types, like "The President" and "Fireworks". When planting a Clematis , it is worth remembering you should set it in the soil, lower than its pot depth! About 3 Inches deeper in fact.

So some of the stalks will be below ground level. This helps prevent the common Clenatis problem called "Clematis Wilt". Which see's an often healthy Clematis, wilt and die off within days. So plant them deeper and this should not happen. If you do get Clematis Wilt, try digging up the plant and re-setting it deeper and it may grow back and add some "bone meal" to help root growth. When a Clematis is growing , feed with a Potash feed to help produce extra flowers. Also keep the roots of a Clematis shaded, maybe with gravel or with broken crockery around the base of the plant. They like their heads in sunshine and base of plant shaded & cool.