Last week on the allotment was in general terms, a repeat of the previous week. The beds are beginning to empty; no sooner have the beds filled up than we start emptying them again. It’s also amazing how quickly our sodden soil dries out after a few sunny, warm and dry days. It means that we have to spend time watering. At least we are getting something back from our exorbitant water charge.
When weeding we have to make sure that we don’t overlook beds hidden under covers.
Onions are still growing despite some of the tops being blown over in recent gales.
All the peas have now been uncovered and given support. So far the pigeons have left them alone.
I sowed a mixture of annual seeds in one bed on the plot. In my mind’s eye, I imagined this becoming a riot of colour. It’s been really disappointing.
On the other hand, I planted some sweet Williams and gladioli in another bed. Among them have grown calendula, godetia and cornflowers that have self-seeded from plants growing there last year. The seeds seem to grow better without interference from me.
I gathered some of the gladioli, sweet peas and dahlias to take home
There seems to be a lack of butterflies this year but I spotted a pair of gatekeepers trying to do something about that.
We have a tayberry on the allotment that we inherited. We like the fruits but the plant is a thug. It is exceptionally thorny so not only is it, literally, a pain to pick the berries but the new canes grow at a prolific rate and encroach on a pathway and the area where we sit to have a coffee break. It is also under a greengage tree so some years is covered in greenfly which means that we don’t pick the fruit. We allocated an area alongside our thornless blackberry where we could plant a new tayberry and I found a thornless variety. At the same time, I spotted a tummelberry which is supposed to be similar to a tayberry but crops later. On the same page was a Japanese wineberry. We used to have one of these and we liked the berries but the plant died some years ago. The result was that I ordered all three.
The plants arrived promptly but the courier hadn’t treated them with sufficient care and the tummelberry was tipped out of its pot. We are hoping that it will be OK. As we need to prepare the planting area the plants have been put into larger pots.
27 July: Rhubarb – Timperley Early, over-wintered onions – Radar, carrots – thinnings, blackberries – Loch Ness, blueberries, courgette – Defender[/caption
28 July: potatoes – Elfe, sweet peas, courgettes – Defender & Climbing Italian Squash Courgette, cabbage – Caraflex, tomatoes – Bloody Butcher & Sungold, carrot thinnings, tayberries.
The spring-sown sweet peas are now starting to flower so should pick up from the ones sown last autumn which are beginning to set seed.
Martyn finished lifting the Elfe potatoes from the bed that he started on the previous week. As I explained before these were grown from tubers saved from last year’s harvest.
Back in the garden, the pots that I planted up are filling up despite the best efforts of the slug and snail population.
It would seem that the army of molluscs doesn’t have a taste for petunias or nicotiana. I’ll have to do a bit of research to try and find more plants that they are not attracted to. Any suggestions? Pansies seem to fare better in the tubs placed around the edge of the pond. These pots are ceramic so is it the type of pot or the location?
Below is just a small selection of flowers in the garden.
At Nostell, the family of swans were busy preening. This spot seems to be a favourite of the parents as they seem to congregate here every year.
Last year, at this time, we were still spotting flowers in the meadow but this year there seems to have been a dearth of flowers and the meadow has already been mown. Last year it wasn’t mown until towards the end of August.
Once the hay has been gathered, I suppose the cattle will be moved in. This will cut down our options for walks. 
Although they are not quite at glut proportions, courgettes are featuring in our menus.
Last week they were used in a chicken and courgette risotto.
They went into a courgette curry with some of our potatoes and red chilli. 
Finally, I made a vegetable bake using more courgettes, an onion, our potatoes and cauliflower which had been frozen earlier. It was based on this recipe but I added sliced potato, sliced courgette, cherry tomatoes and one of our over-wintered onions.
That’s all for now so as always stay safe and well.
Once again I am joining Dave on the Harvest Monday Post at his Our Happy Acres blog
Ah, nicotiana, I wish I’d grown them again this year. The verbena bonariensis, antirrhinum and rudbeckia are the plants that the molluscs have left alone-ish on our plots.
Our meagre harvests haven’t yet included our first courgette!!
It isn’t going to be a year for prolific harvests, Belinda. Thanks for the suggestuons, I’m looking for plants for pots so maybe antirrhinums although we don’t seem to have much luck growing the from seed despite them happily self seeding.
Your flowers are quite lovely, and the self-sown ones are a pleasant and colorful surprise!
I guess that;s if the bats avoid coming to grief due to the windmills Dave
THey are Dave.
the dahlias are like an explosion of fireworks
there is very definitely a lack of butterflies and other flying pollinators. I read a very sad article of bat colonies starving due to no flying insects to feed on.
I guess that;s if the bats avoid coming to grief due to the windmills Dave
I guess that;s if the bats avoid coming to grief due to the windmills Debbie