In the Summer Time ...

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It’s the solstice today, the longest day of the year and the start of Summer (not to mention Father’s Day). It’s also the start of Wimbledon tomorrow, so prepare for either a ton of rain in the next few weeks or a complete heatwave. Maybe now there’s a roof on centre court it will be less inclined to rain in late June, I won’t hold my breath.

Another weekend has been and gone, with activity on the allotment, in the garden and happily in the kitchen as well.

I removed an ivy that was growing up the side of the house. It was a lovely ivy but drastic action needed to be taken as it was coming in 2 windows and had reached to the eaves and was working it’s way into the roof. And twice a year I needed to go up a ladder and clear around the satellite dish. So in an effort to clear the bed and tidy the house up the ivy has been removed. It came off quite easily really but took 3 journeys to the tip to get rid of it all.

Back on the allotment I have given the plot a little spring clean, taken things out that were seeding or going over. I have given the site a hoe and a weed so it looks nice again, gotten rid of the weeds and it is now all spick and span. It needs a water tomorrow, so there are always things to do.

I have transplanted the sweetcorn seedlings that I grew as a reaction to the original sweetcorn yellowing in May, but now I know that I needn’t have worried. This does mean that there are now 60 odd sweetcorn plants on the allotment. I did say originally that you couldn’t have too many sweetcorn plants but I may now eat my words (and my own bodyweight in sweetcorn come the Autumn).

There are pea pods forming on my peas and the late crop of peas are now merrily growing away. At the moment that seems very promising and a success story for next year

Everything is growing nicely and the world seems good. Especially as the new potatoes are in full flow now and

More carrot seeds have been sown, so hopefully I have managed to get some in ready for the autumn. The first batch of carrots are well and truly carrot fly infected, so I am eating what I can and taking the rest out.

But not to be too glum there is a lot of things growing and ready. I dug up the second potato plant from the tub, picked a lot of mange tout, lots of broad beans, a lettuce, a couple of turnips, strawberries, raspberries and blackcurrants. Quite a haul, look …

So it was shoulder of lamb with lods of veg for dinner, ands yes it was lovely. I also managed to blanch and freeze a lot of the mange tout and broad beans. With strawberries and cream later on.

Unfortunately I ran out of time to go and get the elderflowers because I was busy doing other things, but there’s always Monday or Tuesday to collect them. There’s always things to do (I think I’m going to make that my catchphrase).

I think now I shall share with you my favourite gardening anecdote that I heard on Gardeners Questions on Radio 4 a few years ago (and it proves that gardeners have a sense of humour, albeit smutty). Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of former US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, had a rose named after her. This would make any woman happy surely, but no, Eleanor was not a happy woman. The reason was the description of the rose which said simply “bad in a bed, good against a wall”.

Have a good Summer all out there.

• 22 Jun, 2009
• 6 likes

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