Don't be shy to also share your good stuff on here as well as the shit state of the world because that's how we make a positive platform. ☺️
Retired in Essex UK Love nature & food with provenance. Allotment diarist @ FB Living The Good Life American Labrador Barney 75% into writing a book https://eastangliabylines.co.uk/author/robertgunn/ 27yrs amateur musical theatre Now choral singing
1,295 followers 1,559 following 1,805 posts
view profile on Bluesky
Don't be shy to also share your good stuff on here as well as the shit state of the world because that's how we make a positive platform. ☺️
It’s a fine mesh rather than a net. I get it from Amazon. It kept my salad leaves etc safe last year. The 2nd pic is the initial Borlotti wrap I put on when I put the wigwam canes up. I attach it to the canes with wooden clothes pegs.
Well said. You have plenty of ammunition to throw at the opposition if needed though 😂
Agreed. Lots of fruit on each plant. Great for creating an interesting plate (we have friends round to dinner this evening) but I would challenge you to blind taste with a red or yellow cherry variety & tell the difference.
Fuchsia, rosemary, salvia, potentilla - the cuttings from my recent WildWay.info guide on how to do this. Peat free compost only, no grit or rooting powder, all rooted strongly. You can zoom in to see. Read the guide on Wild Way. www.wildway.info/p/how-to-gro... (for paid members)
I’m sure there’s a song about that …?
The crop that keeps on giving. At least something has grown really well this year! Brandywine, Tigerella, Moneymaker & a few Black Cherries plus some odd cornichons. Loads more toms still on the vine waiting to ripen.
The sweet bell peppers are filling out.🤞Jalapeño chillies are also finally starting to form. Planted red & white onion sets to get some root development going before planting out on the plot to over winter.
This is a special little tree. Last year our granddaughter was eating an apple & said to Nanny, ‘Gramps grows things. If I give him these pips could he grow me some apples?’ Nanny came home with 5 pips that I planted. 3 germinated, only 2 survived. Today I’ve planted this one on my plot. 🤞
Not been to the plot for a couple of days. It’s been a bit wet. But digging down to plant fruit trees revealed that the rain has only penetrated 2”. Its still rock hard dry below that. Planted the Bramley apple & the conference pear. They are both netted now to deter any deer that may break in.
PRIDE IN NATURE 🌈 🏳️⚧️ ✊🏿 this Sunday 7 September RHS Bridgewater, Salford - a family friendly day celebrating the diversity of LGBTQIA+ people in nature and gardening. I’m hosting a panel of experts discussing our careers and lives at 1pm. Come along! www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/rhs-...
I think it developed over the years. Dedicated growers not council employees run the show. Unfortunately the numbers & work involved in managing 8 sites mean there is no overall social side. Anything we do is on a site by site basis headed by the site reps. The overall community spirit is excellent.
This is the advantage of the HS managing the sites on behalf of the council. The charity status means the organisation is overseen by a team of trustees. The HS committee includes 2 reps for each site plus a very dedicated Chair, Treasurer + several other roles. EG H&S.
We have 8 sites around our town with some 600 members of the Horticulture Society & a healthy waiting list. The HS has just gained charity status & agreed 25 year leases with the council on all sites. Non cultivation is not tolerated. It’s strict but it works.
Looks great Nick
We had a glut last year. They were going in everything from spaghetti sauces to cakes. This year I’ve been unable to grow a plant, let alone produce a crop. They got to a certain size & stopped. They didn’t die, they just stopped growing. 🤷🏼♂️
Agreed Penny
Growing is my hobby. Issues of extreme weather & attacks by wildlife present challenges. Any harvest is a bonus. Good quality, edible produce is very special.
The tomato you eat today is nothing like what the Aztecs knew. It was smaller, tougher and sour. And in Britain, suspected of spreading disease. How did this “dangerous” fruit become beloved worldwide? Mouthwatering recipes alert!
I love putting my own produce on the plate. My lunch today- beautifully crispy cucumber & pickled cornichon, Tigerella & Black Cherry toms, Borlotti beans & baby beets cooked fresh this morning, plus a beef pie from a local producer made from ingredients with full provenance. It was delicious!
No need to be sorry. I wouldn't give you a thank you for scallops.
Feeling chuffed. Got the bedding out on the line for 3hrs in advance of the forecast rain this pm. Cooked borlotti beans & beetroot before breakfast. Took recovering Barney on a longer walk - no issues. Watered some bits in tunnel 2. Got back in time to hang the bedding in the utility room to air. 😀
Each to their own
OMG! I cooked these guys before I went out this morning. They had cooled by the time I got back & they are delicious! I originally thought they would be good for inclusion in stews but they have real depth of flavour in their own right. It's just Barney & me today, so I might have some for my lunch.
Thanks Jane. I was already keen. Your enthusiasm confirms they will be on my growing list for 2026.
They are delicious
The next bank of cloud is rolling in, so I pulled a few baby beets to have with our salmon salad later. I love the taste of fresh cooked beetroot. Off home now.
Whilst sitting on the back of the car having a bite of lunch with Barney I noticed the netted bamboo wigwams supporting my Borlotti beans were moving excessively in the breeze. I opened them up & look what I found! My first time growing these, but they’re worth it for the colour alone.
Barney has just had his first gentle walk down the allotment site since contracting kennel cough. He is 95% better in just 3 days of medication but we are not allowing him to overdo it too early.
Oops. Forgot the Tigerella.
There are cornichon under these toms. A couple of days in pickling vinegar & they are gorgeous. Toms inc Black Crimea, Tigerella, Black Cherry, Brandywine & Moneymaker. 2/2
In case you were wondering I have been busy during the latest shower. My cues & cornichon corner in tunnel 2 have had a tidy. Several little cues developing now. Better late than never. 1/2
Sitting in tunnel 1 waiting for the latest shower to pass over. A decent block of blue sky to follow.
The entire gardening industry is looking at Labour wondering when they will act - the legislation is agreed and waiting to be signed off! Over a year of inaction. Democracy shouldn’t be this hard.
Congrats. I gave my 2 biggest pumpkins to 2 of our granddaughters to take home & keep for Halloween. 🎃
Absolutely Sue. That’s why I have Fort Sweetcorn 😉
I had them in the garden a few years ago. They came out for precisely that reason. Hopefully I can keep them under control on the plot.
I looked at the root veg bed this morning & thought, I wonder when my BH is planning to make a veg stew? I got home & she said ‘I’m making a veg stew for later. Is there anything worth having from the plot?’ We are so in tune.
There was a raspberry bed on the plot when I took it over but it was in poor condition & riddled with bindweed. I cleared it out & it now has cherry bushes & flourishing rhubarb on it.
Did some levelling work on my car parking space. I will reverse in at an angle. The area around the car will be turfed in the spring. I’m almost there on deciding where the 2 apple & the pear tree will be planted. I want a productive area where I can sit with Barney, out of the car & in shade.
Covered the 2 rows of fledgling broad bean plants to give them the best chance. And lookie here. We have baby sweet peppers. But is there enough summer left for them to mature?
Planted 3 x Raspberry & 3 x Loganberry plants today using copious amounts of what Allotment John calls ‘the good stuff.’ I still have space along the left side for more but no decision on that yet. Then I’ll fit a netted cage as elsewhere on the plot.
Yorkshire Water hosepipe ban to remain in place despite expected wet weather Campaigners call for a crisis task force to tackle water management, after “abject failure of planning” By Brian McHugh @yorkshirebylines.co.uk
I did the same Gill, but they grew about 4” and that was it. 🤷🏼♂️
Same here. I'm assuming it's been the weather. At least the borlotti grew and produced something. My peas and mange tout didn't get off the ground.
Ouch! Hope it recovers quickly.
Thanks Fred
He is, thank you
For those that are interested just 2 tablets in & the improvement in Barney is marked. His appetite is normal & the frequency & intensity of the coughing spells greatly reduced. We are keeping him quiet for the next couple of days. Then we will try a lead walk around the block. Photo @ 5 weeks.
My peppers and chillies have only just flowered & started to grow fruit. Who knows if I’ll get anything?
My wife told me I cannot bring her too many toms. The challenge was accepted 😂
Us too. We got some acceptable ones last year but the later ones were too woody to eat.
Very scrummy. But I would challenge you to shut your eyes then taste & identity black, yellow & red cherry toms. Aesthetically pleasing on a mixed plate but they all taste good.
Our council claim they have no time or money so the horticultural society has to sort it. We have 8 sites and over 600 members, so it’s a big job.
My little gems & salad leaves bolted at the first touch of rain some weeks ago. Radish & spring onions the same. Like you, my staggered planting toms have been the real success. I live by the maxim that the plot is my hobby. If I get a harvest it’s a bonus.
👍
PM had certainly been a problem on the site this year. Everything in my tunnels has been healthy and pest free. 🤞But so many plants have failed to produce fruit - peas, courgette or are late, like my cues.
That is my challenge. I hate food waste. All our kitchen waste goes in our hot composter. My plan is only to grow what we can consume. Then the weather/ nature steps in & screws it up. Sometimes I think I could gave just thrown some seed on the ground & crossed my fingers. 😂
Green like the stems & leaves! 🤷🏼♂️ We’ve got no chance. 😂
We’ve had family here for the last few days. They left an hour ago - phew! I’ve also got a sick dog to keep calm. (That’s my excuse anyway 😁)
Be warned Nick. It was an experiment for me this year. The plants take up as much room a cues and you have to check them daily to avoid getting the monsters. Debating if I’ll try again next year. 🤔
Thank you M’Lady. I’ve cubed & pickled some of the larger ones to see how they work out. They gave to be crisp!🤞 Yep, last year, slightly undersized courgette one day, enormous marrow the next. Couldn’t grow a courgette plant to save my life this year. 🤷🏼♂️
I’m still waiting for several different cultivars to colour up inc Black Crimea, Green Zebra, Golden Cherry, Marmonde, Balkan Zauber, & Oxheart. Looking forward to trying them all.
How do they do it? There was no sign 2 days ago and today I’ve got things that would pass as police truncheons.
Showing us up Stuart. I need to sort out Polytunnel 1. It’s on my list.
At last, I’m starting to get some fruit on my cucumber plants. There have been masses of flowers with plenty of access for pollinators but until now, no sign of anything edible. 🤞
Cornichon corner has been a bit of a nightmare. I like the little guys that fit in my pickling jar & taste lovely & crisp after a couple of days in vinegar. But some have the ability to stay hidden in the undergrowth until they have taken on walley / cucumber proportions.
Some of the more interesting tomatoes are starting to ripen. Black cherry, Tigerella, more Brandywine and Moneymaker.
Haha! I know exactly what you mean Nick. I’ve just donated another giant cornichon to the ‘help yourselves’ table on our site. That’s the 6th one that has somewhere grown to the size of a marrow without me spotting it. I had the same problem with runner beans last year.
It’s been several days since my trail camera captured the comings & goings of the deer onto our allotment site. I’ve had the camera back on my plot for the last few nights & can report there have only been sightings of Mr Fox who we welcome, as he keeps the rabbits & rats away.
There was actually water in the bottom of my excess water drainage pond today. The first time in months.
One of our favourite scenes from Dibley. 😁
The borlotti beans are coming close to harvesting. There won’t be a lot so I’ll hang on until they all look ready. The other day I popped the last broad bean seeds in the ground and here they are! The rain will no doubt bring the slugs out so I’ll put a fine mesh over these little guys.
Allotment John has been adding any extra fence panels & pallets he acquires to the boundary to help keep the deer out. This one had fallen over in the wind, so my first job today was to wire it in place. 2/2
Further to the news of potential building work on the neighbouring land, I checked the trees along the side of the track. They are all on our side, so will presumably not be affected by any construction work. 1/2
Popped into the plot during a break in the rain. Wore my boots for the first time in months & I could have parked further down but, jumping in the puddle just had to be done! Yep, for a few seconds I was 7 again.
Love the principle & want to support, but they need to open a distribution depot closer to us for it to work year round. When I was a child our milk was delivered on an unchilled open electric float from a dairy on the edge of town. The baker came to the door with his wicker basket of goodies too!
Particularly when the experience is shared with children. Last year our 4yo granddaughter helped me lift the first root of early potatoes. We discussed how some foods grow under the ground, some on the ground like pumpkins & some above the ground like peas. Lovely times. ❤️
We switched to milk delivered in bottles to save on single use plastic. They also supply everything from yoghurt to bacon. Unfortunately their nearest depot is miles away so as the weather warmed up, customer deliveries in non chilled trucks meant it went off too quickly. Had to cancel.
Please help me share these #giveaways that I'm doing. Thank you! 🙏🏻
We are regular visitors to the Lake District and it’s the same there. As we always say, ‘You don’t come to Cumbria for the weather.’ We are off to get wet again in October 😁
Sending rainy vibes your way Emily. 🌧️
And you Rick
Just looked out the front and spotted a Brucie bonus. The layer of dust that has been clinging to my car for the last week has been washed away. 🚘👍
Woke up to the sound of rain on our conservatory roof. We still have rain and there is more rain to come. 😁 Happy Friday BS peeps.👍😁
Here’s the link to T&M’s spring bulb packs for £3 offer, should anyone wish to partake! I’ve ordered some for my new garden and saved quite a lot of dosh with this offer. xx #gardening www.thompson-morgan.com/TMFB922W
Not guilty Nick. The fencing company between the site and the road have one going almost daily. The new residents may well object.
Thanks Maria. He is already improving after 1 of the 4 pills. Full dinner now eaten & no sign of it coming back. 🤞
Fellow allotmenteers have just spotted that the owners of the house & grounds on the other side of our entrance track have planning permission for 7 properties on their garden with separate access from the road. The gardens will back on to the track & should not impact on the site. We will monitor.
Well, we just had about 20 drops of rain. Not enough to wet anything. Knowing our luck that will be the quota for the day. 🌧️
Vet is virtually certain Barney has kennel cough. No idea from where as he hasn’t been with dogs, other than those we have already checked on, for days. A 4 day course of tablets, light exercise & keep away from other dogs for the next few days. KC shouldn’t be an issue for a young fit dog.🤞
Thank you all for your kind words and support. As soon as I know more I will update. ❤️
Been up half the night with the boy. He keeps having coughing spasms. Could be something caught in his throat, beyond where I can see, or it could even be kennel cough. We have an appointment at the vets later. Keeping him calm until then. 😕 We are both very tired.
The sweetcorn are coming on. Not sure how big they will be or how many we will get (assuming the wild life don’t get there first).
We have showers and wind in the forecast for the next few days, so a quick visit to the plot to stake the fruit trees already planted. The other 2 are still in pots but well protected from the wind and deer. They will be planted out in the next few days.
True. Brandywine is a very delicate flavour where a cherry is a little more in your tastebud.
Agreed.
Thanks Jack. I’m pretty chuffed. They have a beautiful flavour too. Have you tasted yours yet? 😉
Wow! My largest so far is a Brandywine @ 340g