A Big Blue Sky Day – that’s what we have today. A weekend of sun and some warmth, perfect for gardening. Time to blow away the cobwebs, time to feel the sun on your back. Time to garden.
I haven’t taken you to the allotment in ages, pretty much all winter, that’s because I was either away, it was too cold / wet or I forgot my camera. Life is like that sometimes. These are snap shots with a small pocket digital camera, I like the colour of the blue! Especially combined with some warmth from the sun.
As ever there is work to do, jobs that haven’t been jobbed but slowly-slowly I’m gathering pace and ticking jobs off my mental to do list, which also involves a fair amount of time – especially this morning, chatting and catching up with my fellow allmonteers – we are all out of hibernation now!
The first set of photos are looking down the length of the plot, ground slowly being cleared, uncovered, re-covered, manured, weeded – you name it.
Yes, take a look my friends – a path that has had a Spring haircut
Spinach and Chard growing – and looking like they are filling out nicely after surviving the greys of winter – plenty of pickings left
While the greenhouse is standing up well to sea blown windy winds protecting the salads within
Now we are looking back from the end of the plot under the trees with the shed to my left.
All blue.
Blue water pipes for the fruit netting cage, a blue tarpaulin covering the manure pile and a beautiful blue sky.
Have you properly lingered and admired my mown path?
Just out of shot is a bed of Broad Beans (fava) struggling through to Spring and the Asparagus bed I had such high hopes for seems to have given up the ghost – no asparagus from the plot this year, time to start again.
The garlic has survived the cold blasts and wet soil to emerge into Spring sunshine, I need more mulching material like grass and seaweed, but those will come with time
The leeks are gradually being dug and eaten – it’s leek and pea risotto tonight, (the last batch of peas from the freezer) fancy popping round? There’s home grown salad too!
But more about salads and a new addition to the plot another day!
Happy gardening my friends
___________________
Related articles
- The weekly view ….. time to get down and dirty! (promenadeplantings.com)
A feast for the eyes, Claire! 🙂
Are you sure the asparagus is gone? I finally saw a shoot this morning on mine!
The ground looks pretty bare and miserable, I won’t touch the area for a while in hope, besides I have other jobs to get on with !
Happy gardening! It looks like quite a bit survived the winter. Spring took a long time to arrive in my part of the world, and I’m thrilled that it’s finally here. My kids are looking forward to planting our veggie patch.
How much fun will that be – getting out into the garden with the kids, sowing some seeds. Fun ! Happy growing 🙂
I love your ‘haircut’ pictures … you’re right to be proud of that neatly trimmed path. You’re so industrious. Between the cold and rain in the last month, I have no motivation to plant any seeds indoors to transplant outside later. Guess I’ll be buying my herbs from the grocer’s/market this year. 🙂
It was hard work today – my muscles aren’t used to the gardening, it will take a few weeks for them to get used to the pushing mowers, bending to weed, kneeling to sow and generally lugging things from one end of the plot to another!
I think you have the right idea, spring has been so late and cold, let someone else do the hard work with the herbs, while you have more time to enjoy them 🙂
Thank you for encouraging my planting sloth … I’m making up for it by doing a lot more baking than I’ve ever done. Today I made my first ever buttercream (not the cooked syrup etc version, but still, my first) to fill my first ever chocolate sponge/jelly roll. Luckily I can give away most of the results. 🙂
I wouldn’t give up on the asparagus yet, mine is definitely still hibernating under a seaweed mulch – well I hope it is.
I’ve also had a spring haircut and look like a cross between a convict and a refugee from a fever hospital!
So that’s you and Marie both telling me to hold on – I’ll wait a while longer before totally condemning them !
That is too funny about the haircut, I’m overdue for one too !!
Isn’t is a glorious day – we even had our “workers lunch break” sitting in the garden! The plot is looking good and the haircut is great. Could you do something with my hair please?!
I wouldn’t trust me with a pair of sheers let alone scissors !!
Thank you for a trip to the allotment! Your peek of spring has brought a smile this morning!
It was a pleasure to have you along for the trip! I even took my flask and a piece of cake with me – energy was needed!
What a beautiful day in your garden! I look forward to seeing what you plant this year!
It was a lovely day, a bit windy but then I do live by the sea! Hope you have a great weekend
I now have a much clearer idea of your plot – so much space! Looks good after the spring haircut! Enjoy that salad – I’m only sowing my first this week!
I think it’s easier to see it when it’s not planted up Cathy, you can literally see the bare bones of it.
These salads have been over-wintered in the greenhouse and have survived absolute neglect, freezing temperatures, you name it! Tasty now though 🙂
Lovely day to get going again. we’ve had similar weather in cornwall and I’ve been sowing seeds – not veggies though…annuals 🙂 Got a lovely orange cosmos which I took from some going over in spain last year.
The cosmos sounds fab, I love sowing / planting from free!
Great pics! My garden is still partially covered in snow, but you make me anxious to get out in it. Lovely mowed pathway! Thanks, Claire!
You still have snow! Is that late for you?
It’s much later than last year, but that was a terribly early Spring. Because we’re so well insulated…surrounded by water…it’s not unusual to still have some snow in patches in the woods in June. Still, Michigan’s upper peninsula – not that far north of here – just got 10 inches of new snow; the same thing, I hear in Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin. That is tending toward extraordinary!
Gosh Cindy that is a long winter! Interesting to hear how the island has it’s own micro climate and the effect of the body of water around you. Hoping you see some Spring signs soon x
oh yum, i will be right over for leek and pea risotto thanks claire! loved all the photos giving us an overview of the plot in spring, so glad to see there are overwintering vegetables … i worry about those bloggers who live in very snowy climes … what fresh food could they eat without supermarkets? … our garden is coming into winter (equivalent of your summer i think) so all the brassicas are in here, plus peas, onions, kale etc … happy sunny weekend to you!
I often wonder how tough it must have been say even 50 years ago living somewhere high isolated and snowy like the French Alps. It must have been tough, trying to preserve enough.
Leek and pea risotto, with fresh salad? What time is dinner? 😉
7.30 for 8 🙂
I love putting seaweed in the garden.. so good. I do envy you your chard, none of ours has come back up, this year was too mean, my asparagus is coming though, fingers crossed for yours, it is such a weed I would be surprised at its demise.. nothing like a gardening weekend! wonderful.. c
It sounds like I should be a bit more patient with the asparagus, I forget you grow lots. Do you have a greenhouse / winter shelter for winter veg and salads?
not yet but there are plans afoot for a wee greenhouse, I have heard of people growing in cold frames, even out here so I Must try that this winter.. ooh and the mowed path looks grand! c
I put mowing the grass on a par with ironing, avoid it at all costs!
So minor miracles do happen.
There are lots of great varieties of veggies to grow for winter, I’m sure we can find some that would work for you
Something satisfying about a newly mown grass path. Enjoy your chard, we like it just steamed with butter and lemon juice.
There definitely is, and its a rare event around here!!
Sure is nice to see your allotment doing so well. And if that blue sky isn’t a welcome sight to behold, I don’t know what is. I woke up to a spattering of snow this morning so I worked indoors. Tomorrow will be warmer but there’s little gardening that can yet be done. I’m still checking the roses for buds. All but one has awakened and I’m in no hurry to replace my lone (hopefully) sleeping beauty. I hope Sunday has brought you more blue skies, Claire. 🙂
Thank you John, the blue sky was very welcome. And I can’t believe that you see getting show flurries so late in April.
You do know I put mowing the grass on a par with ironing – avoid at all costs!!!
So happy to see you back in the dirt, so to speak. I spent the morning yesterday at my community garden plot and so many people were out. It is such a joy to have people gardening along side you. I bet even more so after a long winter. Cheers!
It’s a good feeling, I spent hours up at my plot, totally unaware of the time or other pressing jobs and demands – a bit of an escape really. And you are so right after the long winter and late spring it’s been a true pleasure to see everyone emerging into the sun
Have fun getting dirty! I know what you mean about the weather, though. It’s still quite cool here and it’s difficult to get up in the morning and get an early start. I’m waiting for the sun to warm things up. Enjoy the day!
Dirty knees = a day well spent on the allotment Kevin! We are still having cool weather too – cool in the wind, but nothing like March so three cheers!!
What a lush and inviting place. You are so much further along that us; my eyes enjoyed lingering and studying your place. All our asparagus was frozen in that ugly storm we had.
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com
I’m sorry to hear about the asparagus have you lost the lot? Spring can be cruel can’t it – with late frosts or in your case snow!
What a beautiful walk I feel like I just had!
It’s a pleasure to have you along for company 🙂
Your allotment is shaping up well – it was great to see some blue sky again over the weekend wasn’t it… just don’t look at the forecast for next week!
It looks like we will escape the worst of the weather this week – mind you it’s was blummin cold today even though the sun shone! Happy gardening my friend!
Reminds I have about 40 daffodil bulbs and can’t remember where I put them.
Ha I know that feeling too Carl, I planted loads of bulbs in the garden, and until they came up I’d actually totally forgotten about them
Now, I would fancy popping round! I love that everything is just growing abundantly in your allotment.. we’ve got nary a speck of green round here:P
Oh Spring really is late coming isn’t it! I’m sure iit will make up for it when it does settle in, in the meantime I’m happy to share my greenery and blue skies with you Smidge!
It looks huge – how big is an allottment – are they always the same size????
I think the perspective makes it look a bit bigger than it really is.
My plot is 8 rods, the standard is 10. And presuming you don’t measure in Rods Valerie 😉 the conversion is this –
I have 8 Rods, so my plot is 242 sq yards or 222 sq metres
For more info and a peak at the other plots I wrote a piece last year which might help – https://promenadeplantings.com/2012/05/24/a-wander-around-an-english-allotment/
Such springy fresh and beautiful photos my friend 🙂
I wish I could comment on the gardening but you know me, purple thumb 😛
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
No matter what colour your thumbs or fingers are) – green or purple – you’re still very welcome to come and sup some tea up on the plot
Oh I have missed our allotment visits! Thanks for bringing us back up to speed.
🙂 Mandy xo
My pleasure Mandy! I was pretty sluggish about the allotment until it warmed up a little in April, pretty fickle of me I realise, but now I’m back up there more regularly so it’s happy days are here again 🙂
Yes, indeed, I admire your beautiful new mown path! And the gorgeous blue!! It must feel satisfying to be coming together with the others who love and appreciate the hard work and satisfying joy of working in the allotment. I am sorry the asparagus didn’t make it, but given all you must do to over-winter and then prepare and cultivate the land, I’m really an ardent admirer of all you do, Claire! I look forward to what you’ll be serving next. I was working in my own garden this weekend and it seems I missed the invitation to dinner! So next time?? 🙂
It is lovely Debra to chat and while away the day with people who share your passion, and the best bit is that we don’t bore each other, going on and on about what works and what doesn’t, too much rain or too little, … you name it we talk!
And how wonderful you managed to get out into your garden, I’m sure you feel good for having spent time away from a desk and computer!
Just give me a time Debra and I’ll get cooking 🙂 wishing you a bright blue sky week
We’re finally getting some blue skies here too in the States. I can’t wait to start digging!
I know that feeling Julie! I hear from some blogging friends that there is still snow and snow storms – brrr and frustrating!
Claire, I enjoyed properly lingering and I’d love to join you for pea risotto! So much promise in a Spring garden…
I know you will be very busy…but it is definitely nice to be out of hibernation. 🙂