Allotment Diary June 2006

Friday 30th June
Went am to put up the shading in the greenhouse, me and mum did that bit. Dad planted the new blueberry bush using laers of compost and manure after removing the clay. I pinched out the growing tips on the cucumber and pumpkin plants to stop them going on forever and to encourage side shoots. Dad watered with the hose what needed watering and mum harvested some raspberries and strawberries.

Thursday 29th June
Me, mum and dad went down to water in the greenhouse with the tomato feed. Also watered the transplanted parsnips (a couple of which have stood up ok now). Dad weeded a bit and squashed some eggs that had been laid on the brassicas. Mum harvested some raspberries and I helped a bit and harvested some strawberries again. The courgette plants that had been set back a bit by being left in tiny pots too long have started to flower and produce tiny courgettes. The pumpkin plants have some fruits developing, one of which is a tennis ball size. The cucumbers in the greenhouse are looking good as are the tomato plants. We also harvested another plants worth of new potatos. Went pm to close the greenhouse up for the night.

Monday 26th June
I weeded on the carrot bed and across to near the potato’s with mum. Thinned the parsnips and transplanted the extra ones into two rows where the others hadn’t come (2 came from the old seed). Mum planted a row of parsnips (white gem) with the new seed. I watered in the greenhouse and dad watered in the parsnips and watered some other bits outside. Dad did lots of chopping down and cut the grassed areas as well as weeding between the currant bushes and around two fruit trees.

Sunday 25th June
We all walked down before tea and watered in the greenhouse, dad pulled some weeds around the sweetcorn and I pulled some by the carrots.

Saturday 24th June
Me and dad went down and watered and harvested some more strawberries.

Thursday 22nd June
Mum planted a few sunflower seeds and re-potted 2 cucumbers, 2 cherry tomato and 2 tomato plants into the biggest pots we have to grow on in the greenhouse. Dad weeded some more and helped build a wind break out of twigs to stop the sweetcorn being blown away quite as much and I did some more weeding as well. The things in the greenhouse were watered as well.
Mum harvested a few strawberries as well, it looks like the netting is working!

Monday 19th June
Me, mum and dad went down and took the three new bags of compost. Netted the strawberries to try and stop them being munched away before they ripen enough for us to eat them. Planted out 5 or 6 of each sweetcorn (applause and miracle). Dad did some more weeding mainly around the onions.

Sunday 18th June
Mum and dad took the wire off the peas and put sticks in to support them. Harvested some spinach and watered in the greenhouse. Looked at covering the strawberries with the net, but decided that we need to peg it down.

Friday 16th June
Mum weeded some more space for sweetcorn. Dad weeded some more on the carrot plot. Took the wire cloche off the mange tout and put stick supports in.

Thursday 15th June
Me, mum and dad went down after breakfast. Planted out 1 row of leeks after re-weeding it (24 leeks). 4x brussel Sprouts, 4x cauliflower, 5x turnips, sunflowers where they didnt come or got eaten, 4x lettuce (all the year round), 9x lettuce (balmoral), 3x mixed salad leaf. 6 cucumber plants and some tomato plants were put into bigger pots. Had 1 strawberry, also harvested some rhubarb, a turnip and one plants worth of early potatoes (pentland javelin) which were delicious with the turnip and some turkey. Dad chopped down most of the weeds again and mowed as well as weeding some more.

Monday 12th June
Me and mum watered and planted out 2 rows of leeks (50 leeks). Dad weeded the carrot bed some more.

Sunday 11th June
Went down am to open greenhouse and water.
Went down pm to close greenhouse, planted out the 4 butternut squash plants and watered them in well. Didn't want them to get pot bound like the courgette plants have!
The leaf salad i planted in the garden was almost all eaten, two remain! Mum/Dad planted a row of radish the other day in the garden.

Saturday 10th June
More watering and opened greenhouse am and closed pm.

Friday 9th June
Went down this morning with dad and all of us went tonight to water in the greenhouse and the plants in the ground that need it. Have watered other days this week, but haven't kept track of them.

Monday 5th June
Sowed radish seeds in the garden. Planted dwarf French beans plants adjacent to broad and haricot beans. Parsnips germinated at last. Planted swede seeds again as none germinated. Earthed up potatoes. Weeded carrot and parsnip bed some more. Weeded strawberry bed and planted out sweet pea seedlings in the middle of this bed. Watered in greenhouse and watered a lot of plots with hosepipe as dry. Put cauliflower seedlings into bigger pots in greenhouse.

Sunday 4th June
Watered in greenhouse.

Friday 2nd June
We all went down in the afternoon, courgettes and pumpkins were planted out with a couple of handfuls of pelleted chicken manure in the bottom of the holes. Lots of weeding done around onions, dad made up some more wire covers for the crops so that we can but the brassicas out soon. Mowed and cut grassy areas. Sarah planted 12 sunflower seeds in pots as most of seedlings nibbled away. Mum weeded near carrots.Watered in greenhouse and watered in what we planted out.

Thursday 1st June
Me, mum, dad and Sarah went to water before we went out.