Thursday 5th July 2007 - Weather: bright and breezy

HAPPY 40TH BIRTHDAY AVA BANANA!

I know I shouldn't, but I could wait no more, so this morning, after taking the kids to school, I popped to the allotment. My only intention was to pick, and that is all I did. Considering all the rain, the plot is quite dry, but thanks to the rain and warm days the weeds are growing well, along with everything else!

Picked a tray of broad beans, red epicure and cut them back to the last bean - hopefully then they will fill out before my next visit and I will be able to cut down the plants and plant something else in their place. Next to the beans are my Supersprout Jerusalem Artichokes and in the wind from the last few days, they were laying down on top of my Green Mealie Corn, so they were staked.

Next along were the raspberries. Masses again and all monsters. They taste AMAZING. I don't want to make jam with these, so I have decided to freeze them for use maybe at Christmas. Might make a nice trifle as we are hosting this year. The canes are still covered in young fruits, so fingers crossed I will get another couple of harvests. the other fruit in the cage is maturing well and the gooseberries will be ready by the middle of next week, along with the redcurrants.

Then, rhubarb, another thing that has adored the wet warm weather. One of the stalks was as thick as my daughters arm and the leaf was like an umberella. I picked masses leaving only clusters of young stems. I plan to make some rhubarb chutney, and if I have enough left, a large crumble for the weeekend.

No strawberries, so I went to plot 2 and pulled the red onions. They didn't really come to much, the rot got them, but I will use them in the chutney, and also at the weekend as we are having a BBQ. I also pulled 2 salad bowl lettuce which had started to bolt. Also pulled an oak leaf lettuce which weighed a ton! Plenty of salad for the next month!! Picked a dozen lovely red radish and took a good look at all the seed beds. All the young seeds are really growing well which is great, but gaps are appearing as I harvest things, so next week I will have to sow more.

Went along the pea netting - the Alderman peas have pods and loads of flowers so they will be ready in a week to 10 days time. The shorter peas haven't done great thanks to being eaten by either birds or the deer, however I did fill a tray with pods. Also picked a lovely big bunch of sweetpeas and 3 big sunflowers to brighten up the house.

Last job of the morning, I tied up my tomato plants as they have really put on a growth spurt and dusted them with bordeaux powder. Plenty of flowers and buds and quite a few young fruits. Most only the size of a marble, but fruit nonetheless.

Then home where I got on with making tutti fruitti jelly, chilli jelly and rhubarb chutney!