Leeks, faggots and paes...

Not alot happening this week apart from the regular mundane tasks such as removing any cracked and weak sticks from the celery and leeks. On the subject of leeks my mate John the baptist has a friend who owns a market garden at Evesham and he went to see him the other day. With him he brought several bundles of leeks trimmed and ready to plant out. John the baptist gave me three bunches and i planted these in my brassica cage to see if the debris netting cover will help to keep the leek moth at bay- it has proved to keep the carrots carrotfly-free! All i did to plant them was to dib a hole, drop the leek in and fill the hole with water.

Everything else seems ok albeit slow with the way the weathers been. My runner beans are just coming into flower, broad beans are flowering but very few are setting due to the lack of bees about. Potatoes are suffering with blight and constant wet with some cases of blackleg. And i now have three lots of sweetcorn planted! The first lot i sowed didnt come up so i went to local garden centre and bought the plants which, unfortunately, were sold in pots with about 5 or 6 plants to a pot. I reluctantly seperated the roots knowing these plants would do well to survive such a check. Meanwhile, i sowed a second batch which, being bloody akward, germinated 100% so i planted these out although they have alot of catching up to do. Then the third batch came along when a fellow plotholder,Barry, went to a local auction and brought back some plants which were fairly substantial so hey presto! Three lots.
Next saturday is my open day at the allotment. For the past two years i have organised this event which consists of a grand raffle with prizes donated from local businesses, a tombola, 50/50 bucket and plant stall. We usually get a good turn out and we provide tea and cakes which always go down well. So next week i'm going to be like a blue-arsed fly running around making final preparations for the open day. I will try and posts some photos of the day on here next week though.
To finish the week i have relaxed with a traditional black country tea- Faggots and Paes!

Take note...

And another Henman is born...

We brits were never meant to win wimbledon were we..

Neil on the NVS is rather good at putting together these cryptic quizzes and he has compiled yet another. So Ive pinched it to put on here. So it's 10 cryptic varieties of veg for you to work out. The answers can all be found within catalogues that exhibitors often use, but they're not all recognised exhibition varieties. 1. Cauli - Johnson or Becker 2. Cabbage - Murder a heavy weight 3. Lettuce - Small ruby 4. Lettuce - Huron, Erie, Michigan, Ontario and Superior 5. Cauli - Release Joly 6. Cabbage - Small Ashley 7. Sprouts - Gives you wings 8. Parsnip - Choose an entrance 9. Capsicum - Medical condition perhaps after really hot curry 10. Capsicum - Sounds like Teletubby not seen from above Good luck!

That's determination for ya...

Come across this joke, just had to share it. Very funny.

Three guys enter a disabled swimming contest. The first has no arms. The second no legs and the third has no body, just a head. They all line up, the whistle blows and "splash" they're all in the pool

The guy with no arms takes the lead instantly but the guy with no legs is closing fast. The head of course sank straight to the bottom.

Ten lengths later and the guy with no legs finishes first. He can still see bubbles coming from the bottom of the pool,so he decides he had better dive down to rescue him.

He picks up the head, swims back up to the surface and places the head at the side of the pool, where-upon the head starts coughing and spluttering.

Eventually the head catches his breath and shouts: "Three years I've spent learning to swim with my f***ing ears, then two minutes before the whistle, some arsehole puts a swimming cap on me!"

Your collared!

Not alot happeninhg today, still raining. I did want to spray the access road down the allotments but the weather the way it is there was no point. So instead i got the petrol strimmer out and cut i all down ready to spray whenwe do have some sun. Ha!
Anyone growing celery this year you want to ignore the advice of getting the collars on a few weeks before the show, instead get them on now, working from a small cloose collar to a larger one. I have several batches of celery at slightly different stages so i currently have some plants with small collar and some with larger collars. For a bit of added extra i've applied a top dressing of vitax q4 and sprayed with sb plant invigorator which will give a boost in growth and help to control leaf miner and aphids. Having added soot to the celery bed in the winter, there doesn't seem to be any slug activity around the celery at all. I am still putting down pellets though and, when we get a dry spell, i shall start with slugclear aswell watered around and over each individual plant. If your celery seems to be slow to move don't forget that they are a  bog plant and therefore require ALOT of water (even when its piddling down!) but also give a high nitrogen feed such as vitax 301 or dried blood/sulphate of ammonia. Dont overdo it though as too much will promote soft growth which is more susceptible to heart rot.

Doing the rounds at the allotment i noticed my first lot of courgettes ready to cut.

Today i've given my exhibition broad beans a spray with a fungicide to try and prevent an attack of chocolate spot which broad beans are notorious for getting and especially in a wet summer like this. Touch wood no signs of blackfly yet but the insecticide is ready and waiting for when they do decide to attack!

Hoping to take some measurements of the onions and leeks tommorrow so, i'll keep you informed.

Cut 'em; peel 'em; dry 'em...

Well, first of all i'd like to say a big hello to the gentleman who came to my place of work today and said 'You're the chap who does the blog!'. It was nice to see someone who reads whatever rubbish i write! In all seriousness if any of you readers do ever see me out and about please do come and introduce yourself- i dont bite.
Whilst watching Harry Potter last night (there's little else on tv lately!) i sat and trimmed/peeled my hative di niort shallots. As you'll see from the photo below, i cut the tops down and cut all the roots off. Then i peel them down to the first unbroken clean skin. These are then put in the greenhouse and shaded from direct sunlight to dry off. They will stay in here for two/three weeks and then they'll go in the shed or somewhere a little cooler and airy where they, hopefully, will ripen to a lovely chestnut-brown ready for the showbench.

The french beans i sowed just over a week ago are now through and looking healthy. I'm undecided yet as to whether i plant them straight out on the plot or grown them to maturity in pots thus keeping the pods off the ground and therefore clean. In the tray below there is 'The Prince' and Jim Thompsons strain. Both destined for the showbench.

Now i think i deserve a cuppa!...