Mon 1 Jun 2009
Weather : Sunny and very warm
Progress : Started with a long chat with my new neighbouring allotmenteer who told me that he used to be a Market Gardener so he should be useful for some tips. Todays task was to put straw under the Strawberries and replace the netting with a stronger net. I had to turf much of the contents of my shed out in order to get to the straw. Watered the Purple Sprouting Broccoli plants which I moved recently. Topped up my water tank where someone has been taking water again so I put a pallet over the top.

Tue 2 Jun 2009
Weather : Sunny and very warm
Progress : Called in first thing with the car to deliver another pallet from home as it was a better size to cover my water tank. Went back in the late afternoon and found that the Pigeons have been at some of the unprotected greens. Covered up the smallest greens then used the last nets available to reinforce the covering to the Red Currant Bushes. Did some strategic watering of newly planted seedlings then topped up the tank.

Wed 3 Jun 2009
Weather : Sunny and warm
Progress : Called in during the morning to deliver some bags of fresh horse dung. Loaded up a couple of bages of green waste to take to the tip. Whilst there I dug over part of plot 1 and planted the Sweet Potatoe (Georgia Jet) slips, then did a bit of watering. Went back in the late afternoon and did some more watering as necessary. Picked a helping of Strawberries. Sprayed the Cherry Tree where aphids have caused the fresh leaves to curl. Used the draw-hoe to take off the weeds on the central paths.

Thu 4 Jun 2009
Weather : Sunny and warm
Progress : Spent a couple of hours in the afternoon weeding around the edges of the plots, then hoeing and watering where necessary. Turned over part of plot 1 and planted a Marrow which I was given. I am told that it produces small fruit. Back at home I sowed some Lettuce (All the Year Round) into a pot to start off in the conservatory.

Fri 5 Jun 2009
Weather : Sunny spells
Progress : Made an early visit to cover the Wheelers Imperial Cabbage plants against Pigeons. Did a bit of hoeing then sowed two rows of carrot (Early nantes 5) in plot 2c. Would have stayed longer but another allotmenteer who had made an early start on the alcohol was slowing ne down. Went back in the evening to deliver a couple of bags of fresh horse dung. Whilst I had the car with my tool box I altered the position of the handle of the water pump nearest my plot. The handle had been moved by someone who must be cack-handed as it was almost impossible to use and other were complaining. Put up netting for the Peas in plot 2b then put a net over the Summer Cabbage.

Sat 6 Jun 2009
Weather : Sunny spells and windy
Progress : Hoed through the Runner Bean seedlings then installed some watering funnels after which I put up the sticks. Did a little bit of watering. Used the shears to cut back the end of the adjacent allotment which is awaiting the new tenants but has overgrown the path I use to collect water. Sowed a second row of Turnip (Snowball) and two rows of Swede (Marian) in plot 2a. Picked enough Strawberries to fill two containers. Checked the first early potatoes for production but they are not ready yet.

Sun 7 Jun 2009
Weather : Heavy overnight rain
Progress : Just a bit of picking today.

Mon 8 Jun 2009
Weather : Overcast
Progress : Mowed the grass paths also did the edges of another plot whose tenant gives me spare seedlings. Weeded through the Carrots, Beetroot and Parsnips on plot 3a and was surprised but delighted to find that the later sown Parsnips have germinated. Oversowed the first row (Countess) which had not germinated at all. Sowed some more Beetroot to infill the gaps. Sowed some more Pea (Kelvedon Wonder) into the gaps on plot 2b. Had a chat with a new allotmenteer who was seeking advice about picking Rhubarb from a new plant.

Tue 9 Jun 2009
Weather : Sunny spells
Progress : Weeded through the Salsify and Scorzonera then sowed fresh seed into the gaps where germination had failed. Dug over the remainder of plot 1 then planted out the Cucumber and Squash seedlings from my coldframe. Did some hoeing. Was given some Savoy cabbage, Kale and Lettuce seedlings to make up the gaps in my rows. Put some more netting up over the Brassicas also re-arranged the netting over the Blueberries as the Blackbird is taking an interest. Picked more grubs off the Asparagus. Picked the first cabbage of the season - one of the Wheelers Imperial.

Wed 10 Jun 2009
Weather : Overnight rain. Sunny spells
Progress : Was given some more Brassica seedlings from which I made up gaps in my Winter Cabbage also planted a new row of Autumn cabbage in plot 3c. Repaid the gift with some Bush Tomatoe plants I had left over. Added some more netting over the Brassicas. Had a decent picking of Strawberries but noticed that the slugs and snails have become active after the rain so I added some more traps. There was a skip on-site today to take any hard waste, but mainly for the clutter cleared from a recently vacated allotment. Went to the Garden Centre and bought some bug spray which I used later on the Broad Beans.

Thu 11 Jun 2009
Weather : Sunny spells and showers
Progress : Delivered some more bags of fresh horse dung plus a bag of leaves from prunings at home. Made up the compost enclosures. Hoed through all areas. Tied up the Broad Beans. Sprayed the Asparagus against the bugs.

Fri 12 Jun 2009
Weather : Overcast
Progress : An early trip today to do some picking. Plenty of Strawberries and Broad Beans. Noticed that the first early potatoes are showing signs of blight - dammit! It has arived early this year and the potatoes are not ready to be harvested. However, I dug one of the plants which was most affected and gathered a few tubers which we qate for dinner.

Sat 13 Jun 2009
Weather : Mostly sunny
Progress : Went into town early to buy some Bordeaux Mixture to traet the blighted Potatoe plants but the shop had no stock. Took some Yellow Sulphur dust to the allotment and used that onthe Potatoes and Onions. Mentioned about the blight to one of the allotment supervisors whe said that he had just sprayed his Potatoes with copper fungicide solution. He had a bit left in his sprayer so offered it to me and I gratefully accepted. Had to be brief as today was the wedding of our younger son.

Sun 14 Jun 2009
Weather : Sunny
Progress : Went up to pick some Strawberries and gathered 4½ pounds! Watered some of the new seedlings before coming home.

Mon 15 Jun 2009
Weather : Sunny and warm
Progress : Cut the foliage off the first early Potatoes (Foremost) to prevent the blight spreading further. Hoed over all plots then did a bit of selective watering.

Tue 16 Jun 2009
Weather : Sunny and warm
Progress : Lifted one row of the first early Potatoes (Foremost) which yielded 1½ stones of tubers. We started eating these Potatoes today which is about 6 weeks after we finished the last of last year's crop. Picked 4 lbs of Strawberries.

Wed 17 Jun 2009
Weather : Sunny then rain later
Progress : Brought a bag of fresh horse dung onto the allotment and collected the green waste for disposal. Lifted the second row of the first early Potatoes (Foremost) which yielded 2 stones of tubers. Cut down and composted last years Spinach Beet in plot 3a as it had gone to seed. Picked the first of the Raspberries.

Thu 18 Jun 2009
Weather : Sunny spells
Progress : Delivered another couple of bags of fresh horse dung. Tied a cord around the base of the compost enclosure on area 2. Planted a row of Lettuce (All the Year Round) seedlings in plot 2d also two rows of Cabbage (Greyhound) seedlings which I covered with a net. and put down some slug traps. Put a few seedlings of Parsley (Flat Leaved) at the end of the row of the Moss Curled Parsley in plot 1. Planted a row of Aubergine (Moneymaker) and Sweet Pepper (Ace) seedlings in plpot 2c. Watered the seedlings in. Removed the netting from the Purple Sprouting Broccoli plants as it was preventing the plants from growing properly.

Fri 19 Jun 2009
Weather : Mostly sunny
Progress : Cut down and composted the final row of last years Spinach on plot 3a as it had all bolted and gone to seed. Fenced back the Potatoes that were overhanging the Spinach beet in plot 3b. Did a bit of watering and hoeing. Came back in the evening to do some more watering and top up the storage tanks. Looks as if the Currants and Gooseberries will soon be ready.

Sat 20 Jun 2009
Weather : Sunny spells
Progress : Did some hoeing and watering. Found that someone has been taking water from one of my tanks so I covered it with a pallet again. Put in watering funnels for the Aubergine and Pepper seedlings. Put up the canes for the Climbing Beans. Picked a good helping of Raspberries. Cropped the first of the very few of my Spring Onions. Spoke to another allotmenteer who told me that water was also being taken from his tank.

Sun 21 Jun 2009
Weather : Sunny spells
Progress : On arrival I noticed that the pallet over my water tank had been moved but no water had been taken. Then realised that someone had put some of my netting over the Lettuce seedlings in plot 2d which means they had also been into my shed. I am pretty certain I know who has done this and, although his intentions are not bad, he should leave other people's allotments alone. I will make this clear to him the next time I see him, especially as other people have complained about his similar actions. Rattled the hoe over the allotments then picked Strawberries, Lettuce, Cabbage, Spinach, Radish, Broad Beans and the first of the Turnips. Noticed that one of the new allotmenters was picking Gooseberries from another allotment. I thick this may be by arrangement but I should check to be fair to the owner.

Mon 22 Jun 2009
Weather : Sunny spells
Progress : Had a hoe around then tidied the edges of plots 1 and 2 and started plot 3. The person who had put netting on my allotment came onto site so I spoke to him but it was brief as he took umbrage and stormed off. Planted out my Calabrese (Green Sprouting) seedlings between the beans on plot 3d. Dressed the top of the Blueberry barrels with wood chip mulch. Sowed Climbing Beans into the gaps where germination had not taken place. Cleared the only surviving Cauliflower plant from plot 2a and tidied up. Did a bit of watering and topped up the tank. Spoke to the supervisor regarding so many allotmenteers having water taken from their tanks. He suggested putting up signs but I said that you could put up signs for everything. I asked if the new allotment holders were given any sort of instruction or guidance when they joined but it seems not. I had drawn up a suggested list of Allotment Etiquette and he thought it would be a good idea to give to the Town Clerk to send out.

Tue 23 Jun 2009
Weather : Sunny spells
Progress : Sent my Allotment Etiquette to the Town Clerk suggesting it as a possible basis for guidelines for allotment users. Oversowed two rows of Pea (Delikata) in plot 3d as only four of the previous sowing have germinated. None of the other two rows have germinated at all so I have abandoned them. Finished tidying the edges of the grass paths ready for the Best Kept Allotment competition inspection on Thursday. Had a good picking of Raspberries, finding quite a few on the ground for whatever reason - birds? Children? Adults? Picked the first few Loganberries also tried a couple of Gooseberries which are nice and sweet. Picked a bowlful of Red Currants to freeze. Did a bit of hoeing and watering then made up the compost enclosure with leaves from home.

Wed 24 Jun 2009
Weather : Sunny
Progress : Started with a bit of hoeing. Dug over part of plot 3a and sowed two rows each of Carrot (Early Nantes 2) and Carrot (Autumn King 2). Tied back the Potatoes in plot 3b so they do not overshadow the adjacent Spinach plants. Noticed that someone has taken water from my tank again, having moved the pallet to do so. Picked a punnet of Raspberries for freezing and a large punnet of sweet Gooseberries to share with our son and his family. Had an email from the Town Clerk who said the Allotment Committee Chairperson would like to send my Allotment Etiquette out with the rent notices in September. I was talking with a couple of allotmenteers, one of whom said he had already complained about the miscreant's behaviour on the allotment. Went past the allotment several times during the late afternoon to see if I could catch the person taking my water.

Thu 25 Jun 2009
Weather : Sunny spells
Progress : Delivered some bags of fresh horse dung and made up the compost enclosure by plot 3. Did a bit of hand weeding and watering. Went back later and made a good picking of Strawberries, Raspberries and Red Currants. The Strawberries seemed fewer than I had expected. One of the allotmenteers showed me some seeds that had been sown on the waxing moon and which had made amazing germination. Sowed a row of Radish (Sabina) in plot 1. At home I sowed a couple of trays of Lettuce (All the Year Round).

Fri 26 Jun 2009
Weather : Rain overnight and until mid-afternoon
Progress : No work today as we were looking after grandson. Whilst at home I resowed the land Cress as the previous sowing must have perished in the dry weather.

Sat 27 Jun 2009
Weather : Sunny and warm
Progress : Too much rugby and tennis on telly to do much on the allotment but I did go in to pick fruit and veg for our daughter-in-law take to her parents. The picking included the first of the Swiss Chard (Bright Lights). Noticed that the Shallots are starting to get blighted.

Sun 28 Jun 2009
Weather : Sunny spells and humid
Progress : Went up to do some picking for dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow. Cut off the foliage to half of the Shallots to check the blight. Spotted that more water has been taken from my tank despite it having my ownership written on the pallet I have placed over it. The nearest place that has been watered recently are the Runner Beans on an adjacent plot worked by the person I suspected in the first place. My sister called in so I gave her a bagful of the colourful Swiss Chard as that is one of her favourite vegetables. This evening, an old friend sent me this amusing link about one person's view on allotments.

Mon 29 Jun 2009
Weather : Sunny and warm
Progress : Started with a bit of hoeing then watered the Broad Beans, Gourds, Aubergines, Peppers and Tomatoes. Had a good picking of Raspberries and a few Loganberries. Cut the first of the Courgettes. Had the last of the first Spring Onions. Topped up the water tank that has been robbed then secured the pallet cover with wire. I would like to make a better pallet with chicken wire that lets the light into the tank better. As it happened I found a piece of chicken wire on the back of my allotment soon after so I will use that. Went back a bit later and started to prepare another pallet to make a better cover.

Tue 30 Jun 2009
Weather : Overcast with rain later
Progress : Had a peck around removing the odd weed here and there. Did a bit of watering then topped up the tank. Picked out the Gooseberries then a good helping of Raspberries and a few Strawberries. Went back later and picked the first of the Spinach Beet in plot 3b.