Flowers on the plot!

Welcome back to our allotment retreat. As the title suggests and the pictures show, the spuds have started to burst into flower, a sure sign that they are growing on well, and getting closer to the all important harvest time. We are lucky to have almost white flowers mixed in with the usual lilac and yellow , and as the next few weeks come and go, we hope to see even more flowers. Over the last couple of days I have doused the spuds with a hose ( borrowed from fellow plotholders - thank you ) and I think they have responded well. This morning it's raining lightly, and the rain is forecast for the weekend, so they should get plenty of the wet stuff now!

Our apple tree's continue to put on good growth, as this picture of our eater shows. The variety is "Elstar" - not one of the common ones that i know, but a necessary pollinator for our Bramley apple. I'm constantly worried that the apple tree roots might dry out, and with that in mind have recently been collecting buckets of stones / pebbles from around the plot and placing them around the base of the trunks as an aid to locking in the moisture. Guess we'll have to wait and see if it works!


Our Bramley Apple; as you can see, is fairing far better than the Elstar, and it looks like we'll be getting some first season fruits. Differing opinions tell you to sacrifice this first bearing of fruit whilst others tell you to leave well alone. We're opting for the latter course, and we'll see how we get on ! Of the other 2 tree's we planted, the Conference Pear is looking good - plenty of lush leaves but as yet no other signs of fruit. Too early perhaps? The Victoria Plum tree however, is not looking so healthy. Most of the leaves have died back for some reason, and we will be watching this closely to see what occurs. I'm convinced that moving all 4 tree's earlier in the year was not a good move, especially so soon after planting. It's a shame also that we moved the tree's to accomodate a fellow plotholders wishes, and she has not returned to her plot since. What a waste of time.

The runners / climbers that we planted as seed directly into the ground are now making headway. As mentioned in earlier posts, our early plantings were devastated by the winds so we are really pleased that these are growing so well. We have been watering these daily over the last week to help them on their way, and with a few ( or more ) showers forecast this weekend, the growth should continue. Only trouble we have now though, is trying to remember what we planted, and where ! Maybe we can just wait and see, and look forward to the surprise !!!



And finally, here's our young apprentice! Ruby is with us whenever possible on the plot. She really LOVES the plot, and can't wait to be in it, either at home or on the allotment. We are both looking forward to the time when we can dig up some produce - take it home - and cook it !
Not long now darling.

That's it for today's update. Hope you've enjoyed it, and we look forward to welcoming you back to our Allotment Retreat very soon.


Take care all, and enjoy your gardens & plots.


TTFN.