May 2025 Video Diary
24 May 2025
Cheesed off
This has to be one of the worst starts to a growing season that I can remember. We are having to contend with an ongoing drought situation and late spring frosts. Our early potatoes were caught by frost on 06 May. Some of our potatoes planted later hadn’t sprouted and as a result weren’t affected. On Tuesday of this week (20 May) I made a video showing how all our potatoes had recovered from the frost damage. Then visiting the plot yesterday (Friday 23 May) another late frost had caught several rows of potatoes.
23 May 2025
The great allotment cover up
It seems like we have to cover more and more crops at the allotment to protect them from pests. I’m sure we didn’t have to do this years ago.
21 May 2025
New arrivals. The swans have some cygnets
I messed up the audio on our walk with Ruby this week at Nostel Priory. It appears that the swans have at least six cygnets this year.
Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/justin-lee/gently-does-it License code: Y1UP3XWO9XRCTY4Z
19 May 2025
Our plot compared with the kitchen garden at Clumber Park
It was a month or so ago since we last compared our plot with the kitchen garden at Clumber Park. As both begin to fill up with crops, we compare the growing progress of the crops.
17 May 2025
Goslings galore – Clumber Park
We had an afternoon at Clumber Park to take Ruby for a walk. We decided to walk down to the lake to see if there were any chicks about.
14 May 2025
Planting peas in a drought – will it be successful?
We’ve delayed sowing and planting at the allotment hoping for an end to the dry weather. However, with no rain for the last month and none in the forecast for the next 10 days we decided we had no choice but to try sowing some peas and carrots.
08 May 2025
A tour of our home greenhouse
A look around our home greenhouse. At the moment most of the plants are due to go to the allotment. However, some like tomatoes and peppers will be planted in our home greenhouse to provide us summer crops
06 May 2025
Frost wipes out potato crop
We had a frost in the early hours of Tuesday morning with the temperature dropping to 0.2C. All the early potatoes at the allotment have been caught by the frost.
03 May 2025
Drought issues – Have we any plantable ground?
We’ve had two dry months now, and the lack of rain is now having an impact on the allotment. We are trying to hold back on planting out on the plot, but that can’t go on for much longer. I decided to remove some weed control fabric and see if the ground was suitable for sowing a crop of early peas.
03 May 2025
Bluebells and lambs at Kedleston Hall on Ruby’s walk
A wander around the long walk at Kedleston Hall with Ruby. The bluebells are probably at their peak.
03 May 2025
A hike to Bluebell Woods with Ruby
I’m sure this is one of the largest displays of bluebells in the UK. We hike with Ruby to the bluebells on display in Temple Newsam woods.