First Runners

Today's pickings...

Too busy to list on twitter!!

The shopping bag is runner beans - freezer bound for most of them. Lots more to pick.

The Peas include some of the first Alderman peas, which are looking very good this year.

The blackberries are an incidental and while we have to keep clipping them back off the allotment, they do border two sides so there's lots to come - and they are OURS!

Our first cucumber of the season and a couple more courgettes - one is a little big and was hiding. Probably the courgettes are for the freezer as they are coming thick and fast - too fast.

And our first runner beans from the allotment - Painted Ladies.

Also another good cabbage with about 5 more to come and a couple of lettuce.

We are getting a good crop in our first year.

A satisfactory week

For a little while I seem to have paused on the manic digging, planting and sowing front although I have been planting and sowing this week.

I have planted out French and climbing beans and some broccoli and sown peas, iceberg lettuce and carrots. We have a MAJOR pigeon problem and although there is a fox who lives next door we do have to net everything. I am finding the netting takes a lot of time. Setting it up, checking it every visit with more to check each visit, and weeding underneath it.

We did today lift our second cabbage which within a week of planting was nearly destroyed by pigeons but as you see the netting saved it. Also lifted the garlic and picked a few broad beans from the first row. And a couple of solitary peas.. getting towards the end of our second pea row.

Just one corner left to dig and tidy, but it has a cast iron bath on it which is something we don't want so we have offered it generally for collection - hope to find it gone soon!

The more you sow and plant, the more there is to water as well although the "polytunnel" is self watering. Need to set the last peas, get another water butt and set up a "pepper house" which will also be self watering and get more swedes set. Also need to do some TLC on the shed which was put up in a rush to be able to crack on with digging.