So much to plant!

So now summer has arrived, and looks like it's on the way out already, everything needs planting out/potting on at once. The chillies (Ring of Fire and Hungarian Hot Wax) and tomatoes (Sub Artic Prime and Aurora) were in desperate need of potting on to larger pots, which has now largely been done, but so much for putting them outside looking at the forecast. Which in turn meant the greenhouse needed a good sort out - which to be honest it's needed since I got it. Fortunately it's long looking a bit tidier than it does in the picture. The Sub Artic Prime were from the front of a magazine and are supposed to be good to grow outside. These are doing really well. The Aurora on the other hand are looking a bit leggy and not so good considering they're supposed to be an early variety too.





Finally got the last of the potatoes (Maris Piper) planted out on plot no 2 last night in the semi darkness. Also planted out some cauliflowers (Snowball), calabrese (Waltham) and Brussels (Groninger) and covered with netting. This isn't going to be a popular move as this was the bed the kids had been using as their 'digging patch'. By the time they were in and covered up it was pretty much completely dark - and I wasn't staying long last night...!

The blossom on the apple trees is looking good, so hopefully get some nice fruit off them this autumn. So long as we don't get a late frost. A bit lost in amongst the fruit bed there! Difficult to see but the currant bushes look like they are going to be loaded with fruit, weather permitting of course.



Back on plot no 1 the strawberries are looking good, plenty of flowers - look like they've caught up with the other side of Sheffield now! Just need to keep the birds and slugs off them now. Thinking of getting some straw to put around them, so need to find somewhere that sells it preferably without getting ripped off. The (new) rhubarb is still looking crap though, not quite sure what's going on there. The rhubarb on the new plot is still providing enough to supply most of Yorkshire, so rhubarb and ginger jam is on the menu for later in the week.



The potatoes are all through now and earthed up, the mint looks like it's going to try and take over the whole allotment and the spinach is just coming through. Put in some Brussels and calabrese as well, sadly the netting I took down wasn't big enough to cover them all, so I'm guessing they're not going to be there when I next get down there. Put in a couple of butternut squash with lots of manure, and would have put some courgettes in but realised I hadn't actually dug enough ground...! So they returned home to take their chance with the slugs, already lost one of them.

Back on the new plot I have discovered I have both Ground Elder and Bindweed, which is going to be lots of fun for many years to come...