Sunday 27 June 2010

Cool as a cucumber ...

what's a girl to do when it's too hot to go the lottie - well I found a few things to keep me busy ...

... like unpacking my new icecream machine :)

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This is my very first attempt and oh my it is delicious. It is strawberry flavour - having seen the ingredients, I now realise you could put on weight just looking at the photo !

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Then lookie what I found in TK-Max .. hunter boots ! they had some full length ones, some mid-calf and these rather fetching yellow short boots with handy pull tabs. I got some odd looks trying them on, while everyone else was grabbing sandals ...

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can't wait for winter !!

Tuesday 22 June 2010

27degrees in Sheffield ... ssssshhhhhh

I've not had much spare time for the lottie recently, thank goodness it is getting on with it on it's own.

My pea cage has been very successful - well mostly. I've had no critter / pigeon damage and now have lovely pea pods developing. The downside is that the peas have decided to grow into the netting and I'm not sure if I can get down the path inbetween them anymore ! Oh well, can't have everything - they do look good though, I'm very proud :) They are about 4.5 foot high now.

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The potatoes are just coming into flower. Well I say THE potatoes, but of course I still have some in the shed ** waiting to be planted ** ahem.

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My sweetcorn is coming along nicely. I've been paying particular attention to the corn that I pass on my daily commute and may try planting mine through black landscape fabric next year to see if that makes any difference. It's interesting that commercial corn is grown under plastic - I wonder how it gets enough moisture ?

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The strawberries are small, but starting to ripen. I think I'll try and make an effort to space them over the winter - of course I have an enormous wish list for the winter, but a girl can dream ! The strawberries that are in the main bed are really not very good. I think the bed definitely needs manuring. The apple trees all have small apples on - no sign of disease ... yet. My rhubarb flowered this year - all three plants, so pickings have been a bit slim - presumably it'll be better next season. This is not such as bad thing as OH HATES rhubarb ! My raspberries are looking very promising - although they are slowly being engulfed by bindweed. Here's the blueberries - looks like I should be in for a good crop. They are going to be moved next season, as OH thinks they are blocking the greenhouse too much.

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Here are my beans. This photo was taken a couple of weeks ago, so they are a little taller now. Still got some waiting to be planted ...

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This is either my Crown Prince or my Queensland Blue. It's much bigger now (took photo about 2 weeks ago). The courgettes have all got flower buds on and some of the squash look as though they are thinking about flowering. Still got an Uchi Kuri to go in the ground !

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I was very relieved to see this lovely sight shyly peeking out - I lost one plant over the winter and had weeded so 'hard' that I thought maybe the remaining two were not going to do anything this season. I'm going to sow some new ones in the autumn - lots of people were asking for them at the plant sale, so will kill two birds with one stone.

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The pond & wildlife garden are looking stunning, although I will have to thin out the flag iris this winter - they are taking over the pond. The excess plants will go to next years plant sale. I've torn out hundreds of Ox Eye Daisies and the remaining plants are at that lovely stage - the minute they drop though, I'll be chopping them down and composting them !

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Life is never ending on the lottie - goodness knows what these are - I'm too soft to destroy them. You have to admit though, they do look very pretty.

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The comprey is absolutely stunning. It is covered with bees and smells lovely. The plant is huge though. The one next to the pond is OK, but the one behind the greenhouse got waterlogged and then blown over by the wind - I've had to string it up, but it will need moving to a better position I think next year. If you haven't got any comprey, I'd encourage you to get some. I've yet to make comprey fertiliser ... perhaps it'll out smell the chicken manure. Wonder which is worst ?

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I think my favourite visitors to the lottie have got to be shield bugs, damsel flies and ladybirds.

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Wednesday 9 June 2010

lookie - the man the man !!!

Lookie - Medwyn Williams - ten times Gold medal winner at the Chelsea Flower Show, current Chairman of the National Vegetable Society, President of the Welsh Branch of the same Society and a member of the Fruit and Vegetable Committee of the Royal Horticultural Society .... and he is talking to me !!! me me me. Not that I was excited. At all. I coulda just walked on by. Really. Had to budge that Carol Klein out of the way first - that's her in the green to the left and my mum grinning inanely behind us :)

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Apparently his son has got him back into the show - he was last there in 2005 I think and now they are doing it together. We had a chat about how cold and slow the season has been - Medwyn was really worried about his stand and wasn't sure everything would be ready in time !!! I told Medwyn that I'd seen a programme a few years ago following him and his amazing vegetables and that he'd inspired me with my allotment. He seemed quite pleased :)

He took the President's Award this year ! What an exciting moment for a young whipper-snapper like me ;)

Thursday 3 June 2010

Chelsea Chelsea !

so it finally happened to me - the big 4-0 !!! me and my folks went for a birthday trip to Chelsea Flower Show - how cool is that. Hold on tight folks, there are tonnes of photos - I tried to be selective but there were too many amazing things !

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This is the Tyne Tunnel !

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Ah what a lovely rose ... David Austin's stand:

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This is Medwyn Williams stand - I got to meet him !!! It was very exciting - I think my folks have a photo, I'll see if I can get a copy :)

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There was lots of sculpture:

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These water fountain trees created quite a buzz - not my thing personally, but quite amazing

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I think we'd need to mortgage our house to afford this garden seat, but it was so beautiful AND comfortable ... when I win the lottery ...

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Show gardens:

Kazahana (A light snow flurry from a cloudless sky)

This is one of the gardens, it was positively enchanting until some guy opened the magic door and shattered all of our illusions by revealing the chipboard structure inside !

This is a hanging basket - our jaws were definitely open :)

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This is the M&G Garden:

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Places of Change:

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yep, it's made out of pop bottles ! You'd have to drink a lot of pop tho !

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The Victorian Aviary Garden

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The Trailfinder's Austraian Garden was also jaw dropping:

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Kebony - Naturally Norway:

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The Tourism Malaysia Garden:

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The Daily Telegraph Garden:

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Courtyard gardens:

A Centenary Garden for Captain RF Scott

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The Pine & Connifer Enthusiasts Garden:

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Welcome to Yorkshire's Rhubarb Crumble & Custard

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Global Stone Bee Friendly Plants

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Urban Gardens:
A Joy Forever

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The Waterless Water Garden

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The Go Modern Garden:

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Bradstone Biodiversity Garden - apparently someone won this in a competition !

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The John Joseph Mechi Garden:

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