Enoughs, enough.

[oldherbaceous]

Now i very rarely get annoyed, but this rain is becoming quite tiresome.
Some of my veg are really starting to struggle under these conditions. I've even got blight on my early potatoes this year, and thats the first time for me.

Luckily i hoed my allotments really well before i went on holiday, so weeds are not too much of a problem.

I'm sure there are people out there that are in a lot worse predicament than me, so i won't dwell on it.
In fact i suppose i should think myself very fortunate. And i have got a large greenhouse, so i don't know why i'm even moaning.

[Chantal]

I'm right behind you OH. It's rained every day for the past 6 weeks and I am heartily sick of it. It's raining now, it's forecast all day and if we're lucky it'll only rain in short but torrential showers tomorrow. Oh goody, we don't have sheds on the plots.

I picked 9lb of raspberries on Thursday/Friday and I had to sweat them down ready for jam as soon as I got home as they go mouldy within hours. I didn't have time to the full jam thing then, but now I have a fridge full of melted rasbers, take a guess at what I have planned for today.

I know it could be worse, I could live in a flooded area and I do feel sorry for them. It doesn't make me any less grumpy this morning though.

I'm also worrying about the potatoes getting blight and wiping out all the tomato plants.

Agggh, I need another cup of tea. (we need an emoticon for "really, really fed up).

[Clive.]

Hello,

Likewise....
I reckon this is the most frustrating growing season we have had in the 15 years I have worked in the big house gardens

"My" Broad Beans went ridiculously tall...and despite an extra string right at the post tops they have got half flatened...they had loads of flower..but where are the Beans.?!

Blight starting in Potatoes...and downy Mildew making its way through the Onions.

Lettuce planted out has done well but sown in situ recently is poor as are other salad seedlings.

Strawberries looked promising but much rot and slug chewing...
...we haven't had to water the Raspberries this year though

Spinach has done well...Carrots resonably..and Parsnips look to be moving along well.

First wigwams of Runner Beans so far look to be on the way nicely..they are sheltered next to some Cardoons grown as ornamental..as long as the Cardoons don't decide to fall over..
Second wigwams of Beans are struggling a bit and seem slow.

Marrows, Courgettes, Pumpkins have struggled to get established as the wind has buffeted them from every direction...

It has been very hard at times to get a succession of things set...many days by afternoon it has nearly dried sufficient to get on the ground but then it has rained again overnight.!!

I stayed late one evening to get the Brussel plants set out as having spent all afternoon getting the cage for them set up it looked as if it was going to be another few days before I could get back to them....as it turned out they would have had to wait longer...

Attendance for our NGS Sunday open day was much down on usual as the rain threatened all day sent the large proportion of folk home mid afternoon...

Then the real rain arrived and whilst I take any failings in growing very personally...it all became a minor detail as when I had got through several flooded sections of road in trusty Skoda I arrived at the gate and found the lodge cottage was flooded right through and then arriving at work our shed too...




Monday became a day of furniture and everything else salvage to help the folk at the lodge...much has been able to be saved including some electrical items that were under water but were not connected at the time. Photo albums have been emptied and almost all photos salvaged and dried courtesy of much kind work by Dr & Mrs A' up at the big house.


The big house gardens as a whole look lush and reasonably well...and on Friday when the sun shone the multitude of colours was really cheering... we want a good clear week of weather then I think we may hopefully feel a little more back on track.

As for hiding in the greenhouse...it rains heavier in some of ours than it does outside. ...except for phase one of a plan of renewal..which is now complete and really lovely.








So onwards and upwards....weather permiting

Clive.

[vivienz]

I couldn't agree more with the sentiments on the rain - truly fed up! Not least because we seem to get a few good days during the week but awful weekends. We've lost 2 flower troughs from outside the house - anticipating "normal" summer weather we used water-retaining compost (ha, ha!) and then planted them up with busy lizzies lovingly brought on from micro plugs only to see them rot/damp off/die of trench foot!
My toms that I planted out in April romped away, put on loads of fruit, only to sit there green and sulky for the last three weeks. I've been force feeding raspberry compote to everyone, the next lot is destined for the freezer.

No, I'm afraid I'm very bored with rain now (can you hear a petulant stamp of my foot in the background?), had enough and want to go & play outside, but not in mud pies!
Think I'll go & find some seeds to sow (in modules, indoors!)

[Sue]

aaarrggghhh more rain Enough is enough The last of the strawberries are turning to mush in the garden as I speak.

Deepest sympathy to any of you affected by the floods. We live near the Thames, but so far so good. Been star spotting to brighten my days. We had Christine from Christine's garden using our offices for an HTA course last week. Then Paul Daniels and Debbie Magee popped in the other day for a look round. They live just up the road from my work, but not seen them in before.

My allotment does not allow sheds either Chantal, so I will be deluge dodging tomorrow as well

Sue

[submariner]

Amazingly, all my veg is doing well. I've picked about 3 lb of shelled broad beans, and my carrots and parsnips are great. Onions are coming along very nicely too. I wonder if it's because my beds are 3ft high, and the drainage is excellent, so no water logging, or of course it could that living in God's country gives me an advantage!

[submariner]

Sorry, but to add to my tale of pleasure, I have no slugs either! My theory is that because the beds are made of rough concrete blocks, they (the slugs) find it irritable to their membrane, and so do not bother! Any ideas?

[madasafish]

I'm trading my wellies in for waders:-(

[Chantal]

Although I've hardly been there I'm very lucky that my allotment is very free draining with fabulous soil and although I've had my waterproof shoes on there's been no need for wellies. My problem is that the weeds come out like a dream but if I step on the soil where I've pulled the weeds I can sink in up to my ankles. Perhaps there is something to be said for permanent, no walk on, beds.

It's still b****y well raining.

[Weed]

I have spent the morning fruit picking.. a very large bucketful of Gooseberries and several ice cream boxes full of red currants

In addition to my bucket of gooseberries I gave a large plant pot full to a plot neighbour and there are still quite a few on the bushes still to pick

I got absolutely drenched through to my underwear but I wanted to get them before our local goosebery thief paid a visit
He/she stripped two gardens of gooseberries last Saturday night and I reckon mine was next. The blighter took the lot last year...on the Saturday they were there and I was planning on picking on the sunday....the thief saved me a job...Yes I was angry

We think we know who it is but we have to catch them in the act so to speak.

I dug up some potatoes too but the ground is really soggy

[Primrose]

You can tell how bored and frustrated I am at being stuck indoors - I've at long last sorted out my knicker drawer. And if it doesn't stop raining soon I may well be forced to go through the "old bills" drawer and have a good clear-out there too. And then there's the wardrobe to start on. If the sun doesn't come out soon this household is in danger of starting to look a little organised.

[Primrose]

Weed, how on earth does somebody manage to steal gooseberries in the dark without being pricked to death? It's a bad enough task trying to pick them in daylight! My gooseberry bushes are in the front garden so hope your thief isn't coming our way. Perhaps you should check around and see who amongst your local greengrocers are selling gooseberries ! Did you read the case in the newspapers some time ago where a local florist was creeping into cemetaries and crematoriums at night, pinching the floral tributes and recycling them for the next customer with a new card on them?

[Jenny Green]

Weed, are you sure your gooseberry thief isn't of the feathered kind? One year when I didn't net my fruit area the birds waited until my Whinam's were perfectly ripe then stripped the bush. I've just picked the Leveller because they were on the turn and are in an unnetted area. Ditto Primrose's query about being able to pick them in the dark.
Well, my experience has been similar to Submariner's, so three cheers for raised beds. The pea and broad bean crop has been great. Runner and French climbing beans are loving the weather, but sweetcorn, tomatoes and courgettes would like it a bit warmer. Cabbage seems happy under its fleece. Raspberries are being eaten as they're picked and we're looking forward to bumper crops of other soft fruit.
I've suffered too many droughts to complain about the rain - yet. It will stop raining eventually, I promise. Just not for the next week in this area at least.
Looks like wet trousers for Number Two Son again on Monday, though! I can't help being happy. I had my leaving do last night and got two beautiful David Austin English fragrant roses and a gorgeous penstemon.

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Jenny, did you mean your leaving party was your retirement party.

And by the way, i heard there is a tornado heading your way.

[Monika]

I might moan sometimes about our allotment being on a steep slope, but in this weather it pays off - it's very well drained. But the lack of sunshine is a nuisance, we really could co with some dry, SUNNY days.