June update

There's been more acvtivity on the allotment than on the blog - fortunately! So where to start?

In no particular order - the polytunnel is now a coupe version, open to the sun and rain but surrounded by a fantastic protective plastic windbreak that creates a real micro climate but will reduce the need for daily watering.

The soil is very dry and quite poor in the ploytunnel so bit by bit it will be necessary to add manure and other soil conditioners to condition it. Definitely it will benefit from a good amount of manure in the Autumn but for now we'll make the best of what we have or can buy pre-packaged.

Currently the polytunnel contains

8 tomato plants, 2 vines, 2 cucumber plants, around a dozen onions grown from sets and a dozen cabbage plants.  We have already had an immense crop of radish which were all beautiful and tasted perfect. I just need to persist with the aim og sowing for succession. Did I say the same thing last year? Hmmm. As space permits we'll keep adding to what we have in the polytunnel but know that next year will offer a bigger potential. Part of the problem is that a good quarter of the surface area of the polytunnel is covered in burnt wood (for potash?) and sundry other rubbish that needs clearing out.

The potatoes in the plot are all growing well with though they will need watering if they are to achieve any great size of potato.

Also growing well are the broad beans (ours and some given to us by Paul), onions and shallots, with disappointing progress being made by the garlic.

The climbing French beans just need to start climbing, but otherwise look healthy enough, but I need to sow more Chard if we are to get enough of what we really love both to eat and for its appearance.

Next time I'll post some photos but at this stage we're feeling quite pleased with progress so far, despite everything being around 3, maybe 4, weeks behind what you would expect for the time of year.