Cucumber sandwich?

This is the first year with a proper greenhouse, so also the first year with indoor cucumbers, tomatoes, melons, peppers, chilies and aubergines.

The cucumber is now in flower:

The Cherry Tomatoes are forming well:

And here is a blurred photo of a pepper (just set in the foreground), and a melon plan behind.

Gooseberry Fool and Lazy Housewife

I've never liked gooseberries. Every time I've tried them I've hated them.

Until today.

Our allotment neighbour persuaded me to try one of his, saying that everyone who hates gooseberries changes their mind when tasting his straight off the bush

How true. They were sweet, juicy, with a hint of apple and grape. What a fool I'd been.

I'm now converted, and will look for a few bushes to plant for next year.

Meanwhilst I must report on the Lazy Housewife, a heritage variety of climbing bean that Captain Custard acquired. Here they are, the leaves are quite different to our other runners.

We've been harvesting a few carrots from the greenhouse recently, but here are the first allotment crop: Early Nantes 2. No sign of the dreaded carrot root fly this year yet.

Flowers and Berries

One of my allotment goals this year was to grow more flowers for cutting. In additional to the usual sweet peas, today I found the first of the sunflowers for cutting were ready. I'm also trying to grow more fruit. So far it's only strawberries that are ready, but they taste great.

Everything else just keeps growing quickly, especially weeds. The peas aren't cropping heavily, and courgettes are struggling at the moment, but I'm sure they will pick up.

Sunshine, showers and a mega-harvest.

The weather never gets it right does it?

After weeks of no rain and unseasonably warm weather, all we seem to get at the moment is rain (good), wind (bad, unless I was out kiting), and cooler than expected weather. I just hope it doesn't turn into "blight" conditions.

Last weekend we had a super blitz on tidying and weeding, but I haven't managed to get up to the plots at all this week, apart from a quick trip to pick some peas and broad beans . Today was a "must do" day - apart from the fact I wanted to get a selection of produce for tomorrow's lunch.

When I walked down the plot, I couldn't believe how much everything has grown in just 4 days!

Just as I was settling down to tidying up rather weedy brassicas, the heavens opened (again) and I retreated into the shed and closed the door to keep dry. It's sad when all I could think of doing was taking a photo of myself to prove it!

When it eased off a bit I then took photos through the rain from the shed door, where you can just make out what 54b looks like and can see some of the work we've started on 53b.

All ended well. The sun came out and I set to harvesting:

• four nice* cauliflowers, one of which was swapped with Maddi for a punnet of raspberries (*family joke)
• two spring cabbages
• three beetroot
• purple sprouting broccoli
• calebrese
• strawberries
• lots of sweep peas
• loads of peas
• carrier bag full of broad beans
• and the first potatoes of the season - yum yum.

The Blitz

Today Captain Custard and myself spent 5 hours (10 man hours) on plot 53b, next door to our main plot 54b.

Having cut down a lot of the top growth on Sunday, we got stuck into the roots today, prepared the ground, and planted out beds for:

• Celery
• Turnips
• Carrots
• Beetroot and Chard
• Peas
• Sweetcorn

Hard work, but amazing progress.

Things to sow in June.

Found these useful links:

Flower seeds to sow in June

Vegetable seeds to sow in June

Cauliflower Suprise

The suprise was that we didn't expect to see this lovely head yet. It made a lovely meal.

June signals a new start!

Having been away for a week, everything has grown, including the weeds. Everything is green and lush despite the lack of rain.

The highlight of yesterday was harvesting a big bag of strawberries (now all eaten) and lots of peas and broad beans.

Last night I made a very nice broad bean and pasta meal:

• Pasta
• broad beans
• onions
• bacon
• seasoning
• cream cheese

Cook it all up and mix it all together with the cream cheese. Reheat.
Serve with a Greek Salad.

The other activity started today. My neighbour on plot 53 cannot keep it up, so is letting us look after just under half of the plot (53b). It was very over grown, so today I started the clearance.

Before:

After 3 hours:

No strimmers were used in the making of this sequence.

What a glutton for punishment!