Early Summer bits and bobs - 2017

[peter]

That's why our sites have horse troughs and just a couple of the office / holiday camp press taps which turn off automatically for some people less able than average.

Hose pipes are banned and the sites are metered.

One naughty tap installing person was caught when the bill for that one site wax more than all the other sites combined.

Same situation last year, almost, led to the discovery of a severe leak between meter and site boundary.

[Johnboy]

Here we water at dusk and that gives the water time to get to the roots and the plants are very capable of withstanding
the rigours of extremely hot weather the following day. We also use irrigation systems and I know that this may not be possible on allotments but rather than rush around with watering cans when it is hot all we have to do is plug-in and the use of stop fittings makes it even easier and move the hose to the next bed takes but seconds the sit on the garden bench timing the amount of watering is needed then the time is reached unplug and move to the next bed. My runner beans only need five minutes watering each evening and not everything else has to be watered but beans are originally bog plants and should therefore never be allowed to dry out at any time. Get the water to where it is needed for the best results.

[peter]

Raspberry avalanche is over.
Just 2lb from the whole lot this evening.

[Westi]

The next avalanche is not too far away at mine Peter!

Spotted berries on my autumn ones, still a way to go but means time to clear the others asap - but the freezer is full & I've google so many raspberry recipes I'm bog eyed. Fortunately I'm quite fond of milkshakes & the weather is perfect for this ice cold cool down so what I have left will not be wasted.

[tigerburnie]

Had the last of the few black currents before the rain set in again yesterday, not a bad crop for the first year on them. Grey and coolish today, dry at the moment.

[robo]

I pulled around 6.5 pounds of blackcurrants last Wednesday I've got around the same amount just about ripe which we will pull today once the rain stops not bad for one bush

[Pa Snip]

I pulled around 6.5 pounds of blackcurrants last Wednesday I've got around the same amount just about ripe which we will pull today once the rain stops not bad for one bush

RAIN !!!!! well aren't you just the lottery winner, warm bright and dry here again. Blue sky , white cloud.
Need some rain, ground dry & dusty.

Been so warm it has been too hot to work on the plot.
Mind you, gives me a chance to pick the camera up and practice on a different subject.

50 years ago, Monday 10th July1967 :- last day steam locomotives ran on Southern Railway's region
This picture of 'Clan Line' taken Sunday 9th July 2017 on Southern main line on charter trip from London to Yeovil and return.

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And back on site subject> I have at least managed to lift some of my onions that were grown from sets planted last October.

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[tigerburnie]

Nice onions and a great chuffer(I'm building a railway in my loft for the dark days of winter)

[robo]

We had three hours of heavy ish rain the ground is still like concrete

[retropants]

no rain here for weeks. The Ancient silver birch is now looking seriously sick

[Primrose]

Respectable looking onions Pa. No risk of rain around here rotting them !

I have been pulling up up some immaculate kohl rabi plants without any slug damage this year. I don't know whether this has been due to the dry weather or to the generous amount of grass cuttings I thoroughly mixed into the soil before planting the seedlings out.

[Primrose]

"Life & Death on your Back Lawn" tomorrow evening BBC at 9 pm might be worth watching.
Perhaps we'll find out If the snails some of us throw over the garden or allotment fence make it back home !

[Westi]

Today I got 'mildly damp' for about 3 minutes! But looks like we have some proper showers coming to perk everything up, but I can't complain as I've been harvesting loads. This is today's wee harvest (only little as I was on the bus). There is another cauliflower, cabbage, spuds in a bag to take to my mate at work tomorrow & the peas have put in tonights supper. Apols in advance if it it sideways again!

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[Westi]

Note the one spring onion! Speedy crop indeed!

I'm sorry you have to be contortionist to see my pics - maybe I'll try to rotate them upside down in photos then they will be right way up when I post?

[robo]

Westi how do you manage to stick all your vegetables on your ceiling