Another Quiet Week

Between the poor weather we've had this week and the start of the school holidays, there's not been much happening at the allotment, although did add some pallet wrap around the tomato bed to help keep off the worst of the weather and planted another row of carrots (Amsterdam Maxi 2).
Spinach left, centre was grown from seed, stared in the garden at home in May and the row front left was sown direct a few weeks ago.


Peas and beans, more flowers and more peas starting to show, shouldn't be long now !

Leeks are doing ok, especially the big one on the end.


Stopped off for a walk around Chibbanagh plantation on the way home.

Quiet week

Well, its been quite a quiet week at the allotment, weather hasn't been great, and when it has been good i've mostly been out on the bike.

Popped in on the way past today to make sure everything was ok, and it is, even the weeds don't seem to be too bad at the moment.


Cut a few stalks of celery to try (very nice, stronger taste than from the shop) and brought back some chives too.

The early potateos seem to be loosing their colour a bit, they'll have been in about 10 weeks next Friday, so hopefully they'll be ready to pull up very soon - there was one plant looking a little worse for wear so dug it up and got a few potatoes from it, although if the few I've dug up so far are anything to go by, there wont be that many potatoes from the earlies !

The first pumpkin, found another still with flower so pollinated that one.
I'm still a bit dissappointed that there's lots of work gone in so far and not much has come out, but have to keep reminding myself that only 2 months ago, it was a grassy bit of field.

And another first, a very small cauliflower.

Oh...forgot....

I saw a little frog today :-)

But he hopped away into the grass before I had a chance to take a picture.

Tomato Hilton

The allotment is in a very exposed location with no shelter at all from the Isle of Man's prevailing south westerly winds that blow up though the Irish Sea.

So....as the weather has turned much cooler and windier this week (I had the heating on at home yesterday!)... I've started work on a cover for the raised bed with the tomatoes, cucumber and melon plants (the last two haven't really done anything since being planted out) 3 sides are now up and as the weather isnt particularly good at the moment, I've wrapped some debris netting around to keep the worst of the wind out.

Also, picked up some clear pallet wrap to try and sheet the sides once I've got the last few pieces of wooden frame in place.

At home

The Sub Artic Plenty tomatoes have germinated, sown a week yesterday (Sunday) so thats pretty good, I know its really way too late to be sowing these but as its a fast maturing variety and supposedly good to grow in low temperatures I thought I'd have a play.


Also potted up the fennel (or presumed to be fennel) x3 and the mystery herb from the posting on 15th July which I'm pretty sure now is tyme (x14) - to go with the purple basil (x14) so far from the herbs sowing at the start of July.

Unwelcome Grass Mulch

Popped in on the way past today only to find the whole of the front of the plot covered in grass cuttings from another plot.

Not very happy, a few damaged plants from the weight of grass on top of them, and no doubt more damaged by me trying to clear the grass off them (an hours worth of work I hadnt been planning on).

Still lots of grass inside the cabbages/lettuces, just hope it doesnt go all soggy and ruin them if it rains !!

Sowing at allotment

No pics from today, but sowed some dwarf french beans and dwarf broad beans (The Sutton) , some turnips, parsnips and cabbage (mammoth red rock).