I'm really pleased with how my strawberries are performing. I chose three different varieties which fruit at slightly different times to prolong the harvest, Honeoye, Elsanta and Alice. In total I've got about 25 plants and they are sufficient to provide strawberries to pick each time I visit the allotment, which is delighting my daughter who is strawberry mad! I'm especially pleased as my next door plot holder (who grows just about everything) told me that he had planted strawberries but dug them all up as he didn't get a single strawberry off his.
The brassica plants are starting to put on lots of new growth now, however, two of the cabbages have been eaten. I presume it must be slugs which have taken a liking to them as they are well protected inside the brassica cage from birds. I have some spare plants so I will replace the ones which have been eaten on my next trip.
I planted my runner beans against the canes of the wigwam which my hubby erected for me a few weeks ago. I planted the seeds in plantpots and they have made nice sturdy little plants so I hope this has given them a good start. I've also got some climbing French beans which were also started off in plantpots and these will be planted out the next time I go to the allotment.
The lilies which were planted in the flower bed at the allotment now have buds on them. They do still seem a little way away from flowering but I'm looking forward to having flowers to bring home for the house.
My son has planted a pumpkin on his patch. He made a nice deep hole and filled it with lots of home made compost before planting the pumpkin and watering it in, as pumpkins are very hungry plants. He also gave it a mulch of home made compost. He's hoping for a pumpkin to carve at Halloween!
glad to hear the strawberries are doing well. isn't it lovely to keep picking the fuit? i hope you're not being too smug! ;)
ReplyDeleteI wish I could grow these... in our hot humid climate.
ReplyDelete~ bangchik
Jo, wonderful! We've only got 12 and I expected that to be enough. Husband and I share a dickensian moment every time we pick strawberries, sharing if there is only one to pick!
ReplyDeleteHehehe, isn't it secretly fab when you get great results in your plot and your neighbour doesn't - oh I'm BAD. We're still waiting for our 1st one to turn red, ahhh, just go red already. We too share everything, even if it's one berry.
ReplyDeletePah! The slugs are eating all my strawberries. The joy of spotting something red under the netting, the disappointment when you pick it and something has got there first. V jealous of your crop!
ReplyDeleteI'm jeallous! A fine looking brassica cage a few post back too. I'll look for some scaffolding netting I think.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying not to be too smug Steph. Especially as my next door plot neighbour intends to have another go at growing them now that he's seen how well mine have done. Come next year he might be getting a better crop than me!
ReplyDeleteAnd I wish that I could grow some of the things that you grow Bangchik, especially the Papaya which you have blogged about today, it looks delicious.
You may find that your crop increases next year Modern Gardener. I was expecting alot fewer strawberries than I'm currently picking as they're only in their first year.
You are naughty Carrie, but I know what you mean!
Oh no! It must be really disappointing Allot Of Veg, especially when you can see it there ripe but don't see the damage until it's picked. You need to get some slug pubs down around the plants.
Thanks Simon. I've left a message on your blog about where to look for scaffolding netting.
If you need any Strawberry pickers Jo then just tip me the wink. Young Alyssa is a dab hand at it but be warned - once she's had her fill of ripe ones she is not adverse to plucking the odd green fruit off the plants!
ReplyDeleteG x
Awww, bless her. Just think, her sister will soon be following in her footsteps and you'll have two helpers then.
ReplyDelete