Update From Number 7

It's been a while and I apologise- unfortunately that little inconvenience known as work has kept me away from the blog, the allotment and my social life...

Anyway- an allotment update with pictures ought to win you all back round eh?

Disasters.....

My beautiful red cabbages have fallen foul of the slugs and snails- it breaks my heart a bit because they are so pretty, almst beatle-y, pearlecsent-y green-y, purprl-y....

My calabrese and purple sporuting have faired worse, despite the addition of a couple of little chive plants and some baby marigolds. I just dont know what to do...do you think they stand a chance? I've planted out more in another bed at the other end of the plot to see if they fair better...

And some success....

Two out of the Three Sisters are growing wonderfully- I have the beans ready to go once the sweetcorn gets a little taller but I might not bother as they seem to be growing well without them...

The broad beans have been a surprise success. I have been eating them as fast as they can grow, definately before they're big enough to be stored for winter soups etc as was originally planned...whoops!

Now the peas have had a healthy dose of compost they are growing well, they're not tall but they are flowering so I'm feeling hopeful. If nothing else they look terribly pretty on my wonky home made mini-frame.

The radishes have become the runaway success, I'm tempted to turn the whole plot over to radishes as they are the only things which grow without any help at all. I have instead bought a more varied selction, from white to red to purple...we'll be sick of radishes by July!

The strawberries which all came from last years runners are doing magnicently, free food tastes even better!

The sweet peas I grew to try and cover up the ugly fence at the end of our plot took a while to get going but they do look pretty- if a little sparce. More next year.

The ever present comfrey, always full of beas grows faster than we can use it! I intend to plant a big block of it in the wildlife section I'm building over the next few weeks, along with a small "pond", meadow flowers and a log pile...