Work Day

On 13th May we had a communal Work Day at the allotment to get some work done on paths and hedges. We also had a BBQ, which we volunteered to get going and man.

The main job was cutting down the large hedge on the outside edge of the site, it was filling the whole pavement and there had been complaints from people who lived nearby, so that was the aim. We gathered at 1pm and got going with one person on a Lidl scaffold platform with a petrol powered hedge trimmer and the rest of us with brushes and wheelbarrows ferrying the, considerable amount of, waste to the compost heap. Others got on with strimming grass on the paths and painting fences. With about 20 of us it all got done quite quickly, we stopped at 3pm for the BBQ. I had made mushroom, mustard beef, and spicy beef kebabs - peppers, red onion, small mushrooms on all of them and then one lot with beef marinaded in oil, lemon juice, mustard, chili flakes and honey, one lot with large flat mushrooms marinaded in the same kind of mixture, and beef ones marinaded in yoghurt and curry paste. Mmmmmmm. Plus pitta bread and salad out of the Bath o' Salad™ .

Other people brought loads of stuff too, so it was a marvelous social feast - we even had a little generator so we could run some powered speakers and our iPod. Apparently they tried a day like this last year and hardly anyone turned up, so the allotment committee were thrilled with how it went. It was good to meet people and we now know a few more faces.

And the neighbours can walk down the pavement now too.

Rainy Days and Bank Holidays

Generally the same thing it seems. We hopefully took the tools along and started on the cold frame today but the rain soon got the better of us. So we retreated into the greenhouse. Consequently the aquilegia got potted on into bigger pots; my Mum has warned me about aquilegia, she says hers self seed everywhere, so I'll have to keep an eye on them when they get planted out and maybe try and pick them as cut flowers before they seed. I don't want to annoy our neighbours.

Next week we should meet a few more plot holders, we are having a work day to cut the hedge that overhangs the public footpath and to tidy some of the main paths in the allotment site itself. And then a BBQ - we have volunteered/been asked to do the BBQ, must look out some kebab recipes to supplement the burgers and sausages.

I wonder if you can BBQ rhubarb?

Tomatoes and stuff

Flowers! Only on the bought tomato plants but at least it would seem we will get tomatoes this year.

When I went today there were open flowers on 3 of the 4 plants - the plum looks like it has quite a few trusses forming, the others 1 or 2 so far.

Looking at the plants from the seeds we planted it looks like it will be ages until they get to this stage, but then I remember these plants were tiny 80p ones only a few weeks ago.

The greenhouse had got to a ridiculous 39.9˚C today, which I think is a bit much even for tomatoes, so I put up some more shade fabric. It is already over the windows, but I draped a bit more from the ceiling. Whoever built the greenhouse didn't really include much in the way of ventilation, there are 2 small vents in one corner but everything else is sealed tight. I guess we will need to add vents in the roof at some point but for now I'm just trying to shade it all as much as possible.

Rhubarb Watch

It is hugely prolific, isn't it? I now have several jars of rhubarb marmalade and a kilner jar full of more rhubarb chutney.


I'm not sure about this batch of rhubarb chutney, it just doesn't feel quite right although I haven't tasted it yet - last week's batch was great.

I fried red onion in olive oil, added crushed garlic and coriander seeds, added the rhubarb, some sugar and some cider vinegar, and ground cumin, and this time some dried red chilli seeds. It worked last time, so just I hope it has worked again. It is certainly a good colour.

Parsley?

So, is this my parsley?

It is coming up where my parsley seeds went in, but so were quite a lot of round leafed seedlings too. I pulled out the round leafed ones and left these. Please someone tell me I've done it the right way round?

These are planted in the bath o' salad ™ which is doing really well. It was on the plot when we got it, we drilled a few holes in the bottom to help it drain and then half sank it into the ground. It has cut and come again spicy salad leaves and some small parmex carrots.