The summers arrived.. Well this week !

Finally a good spell of sunshine. Everything outside seemed to sigh with relief on Monday. And with the arrival of the sun the plants all got down to the serious business of growing. 

Everything has put on lots of growth but still, apart from the very successful potatoes and the strawberries, nothing is ready to come indoors onto the plate.  The broccoli is so close. Another couple of days like this and we should be eating it. Sadly I have just watched the weather and it looks like normal rainy service will be resumed tonight!.

I have found myself, for the first time since we started the garden project, kicking my heals for something to do. I alluded in an earlier blog that patience is not one of my strongest points but its certainly out of my hands now. Its been too glorious to be inside, where there are plenty of things to be done, so I set about sorting out some bits and pieces that are purely ornamental. 

First was my Camellia. I have had two for about 20 years which have been growing in pots, as our previous home was on London Clay and no matter what you did, Camellias, Rhodies and the like just wouldn't grow. I had noticed here in the spring amazing arrays of the above mentioned plants in all the gardens around me, so it was time for the smaller of the two to make it into the ground! 

I noticed a couple of weeks ago, that both plants had Scale, so I have been treating them in readiness for planting. It took me a while to move around a few plants but I soon had a spot big enough for this one. 

It took two of us to wrestle it to the ground.

But no matter how hard we pulled we could not get it out of the pot. So drastic measures were called for, out came the power tools!  

Now I don't have pictures of the hole we dug. I say we, because I started it, but the ground was too heavy for me the deeper it got so Jim took over. I declared it big enough, so we lined up the plant and tried it, Of course, it was nowhere near big enough. The debate that followed went something like this. Jim "Did you measure the pot" me "No why" Jim Because then you would know how big a hole to dig" Me "I didn't think of that!" Jim - Much tutting heading up the garden to get tape measure. ! 


Anyway much digging later and another inspection by me and the hole was again declared big enough. 

This time it fit in perfectly. 

And very nice it looks too. I will post some pictures next Spring, If I haven't bored you all to death with my blog by then..


That job done it was time for a trip to the garden centre. I wanted to get some seed to plant in the gaps that I hope will soon be appearing in the beds. I was looking specifically for stuff that can overwinter or can be planted late and be ready before the frosts arrive. 


The choice was a bit limited but I ended up with some late Spinach, Broad Beans, Japanese Onions and Swede. Our diet may be a bit odd this winter!


I then wandered into the section with all the silly bits and pieces. I am always drawn to this area because it makes me smile. This time I bought things.


They advertise some silly colourful bouncing insects on sticks as bird scarers. I don't think my resident wood pigeons are scared of anything but I bought 3 because I thought they were amusing. They are now bouncing around in my salad beds. 

I know they won't scare anything but I like them, They make me smile. I then bought something a bit (Not much) classier to put in a bed nearer the house so I can see it from the Kitchen and Lounge windows. This one bobs up and down in the breeze. 

A bit of general tidying up followed. I cleaned away all the weeds around the water butts and planted some left over flowers, A Penstamon and some Nasturtium

When we put the one of the butts in, I failed to notice, as it was winter , that there was a dahlia planted in the ground where I put the butt. It has come up anyway between the butt and the sentry box and looks very nice.

Here are a few other flowering plants around the allotment.

The animals are enjoying the sunshine. The chickens right to roam has been restored, the plants are now all established and they are enjoying getting in under all the big shrubs. As you walk down the garden you can hear contented clucking coming from under a variety of plants. Even the Chickens have started to pose for the camera. As usual its Margot! 

Gisbon is his usual self. 

Thats it for this entry. Not much about vegetables but maybe next time, I will have cut my first broccoli stalk. Cross everything for me please..