UPDATE ON MY ALLOTMENT PLOTS - June 2014

Allotment Picnic bench

Frame for squashes to grow upwards

Kale protected from Whitefly

Tomatos and Polytunnel

Interior of Polytunnel

Tomato area

Strawberry patch

Cabbages

Potatos

Globe Artichokes

All is looking good on the allotment plots so far this year as the above photos show. Though germination of the seed rows has been a problem this year, i've managed to get most things going now. I have also taken on another half-plot for now!.....though at the end of the season i'll decide if to continue with it, as it all takes time on there weeding, etc. But so far i'm pleased with everything there. The polytunnel has been a big success this year with tomatos, peppers, chillies and aubergines all looking very good. They all need regular watering and feeding of course.  Strawberries & Raspberries are in season now and i'm picking those almost daily.  The Kale is being protected by a very fine netting I bought online, which is supposed to deter Whitefly from attacking the plants. Usually most brassicas are affected by Whitefly under the leaves, which puts you off eating them. So this year I tried the special neeting, which is much like net curtaining used in a house!....in fact it might be, but it is a very fine net. So hopefully it will do the trick. It allows water through it, but nothing else!.

The pumpkins are all strting to grow now, so we hope to enjoy more of those this Autumn onwards, after they lasted up till April this year.

Meanwhile on the Garden at Home.........

Wisteria

Front Garden Border

Rose -"Compassion"

Delphiniums

Window Basket

Rose - "Iceberg"

Campanula

Fig Tree

Garden Arbour

Me with Wisteria

Things are looking good on the garden here at home, with so much in bloom now.

It's the first time out Wisteria has flowered on the front house wall, after being there 3 years. It is looking great there and we hope it continues to spread.

The Clematis are looking very nice too and seems a good year for those. Maybe because of all the rain we had. The fig Tree has plenty of Figs this year and generally all the fruit trees are well laden with young fruits, which I hope will continue to grow now. 

The pets are enjoying the current good weather, with the Ducks enjoying bathing in their troughs especially on warmer days. We'll soon be adding to our Hen population here!

In July we are adopting another 20 Hens from a nearby farm, who are re-stocking.

So they put all their current Hens up for adoption. So i'll be adding photos of those when they arrive on July 19th. 

BBC GARDENERS WORLD "LIVE" 2014 - NEC Birmingham UK

Show Garden Exhibit

Show Garden

Edible Garden

Ladybird Poppies

Floral Marquee (RHS)

Show Garden

Jazz Band Entertains

Cocoa Garden (Winning Entry)

June 14th 2014 we visited the annual BBC Gardeners World show in Birmingham.

I have visited this event so many times since it started and I always find it very inspiring as well as interesting too. Lots of stalls to buy gardening stuff and there is a floral marquee with exhibits of all types of flowers and vegetables, with many plant nurseries selling their plants too. We bought a few perennials for our front garden as well. The "Show Gardens" were very good this year and designed very well I thought. The winner was a garden based on "Cocoa" with seats that looked like Cocoa beans (photo above) together with a chocolate pool and Cocoa Bean trees too.

Thankfully the weather was very kind and the sunshine made it a great day to stroll around the site looking at everything. Amazing to think that these exhibits are only temporary and all will be taken away now the show has ended. But it was well worth the visit and I'm sure i'll be there again next June!

Blooms In June - June 1st 2014

French Lavender

Clematis

Pyracantha

Grape Vine

Californian Poppy

Daisies

June has arrived, though at present here in the UK it is rather unsettled at times. Not wall to wall sunshine by any means....but occasionally we get a day like this when it feels like summer!

The garden is starting to look very colourfull, with the roses coming into bloom and the Clematis too, which we have a few types. The grape vines are starting to grow and the Lavender smells lovely on the front garden. So maybe time to feel optimistic about Summer gradually coming?.

I hope so anyway.  I must say that the fruit trees are looking very good and loaded with small fruits, that hopefully will all mature and not suffer from "June Drop", where the weakest fruits drop off the trees. But so far it looks promising for fruit this year! I will add photos of those soon.