It's warming up at last and been busy on the plot! 16 June 2015

We're approaching the longest day already and it's warmed up a bit. I've been digging up more of the Rocket early potatoes. Another 3 roots this evening making 21 so far with only 3 left to go in that bed (plus one in youngest daughter's area) then it'll be on to the Abbott bed which will hopefully be ready for lifting!

I'm obviously biased but they are really tasty.

The strawberries on the bottom allotment have started producing in abundance now - we picked 1.1 Kgs (2.3 lbs) on Sunday and I got another 635 grams (1.4 lbs) this evening and that's only counting the ones that actually made it home!

Also the aubergines and beans have recovered somewhat and the peas have started flowering. The sweetcorn is coming along nicely and the cabbage and brussel sprouts look healthy.

The strawberries on the top allotment (different variety) are ripening now. Everything is growing well but I still have some missing parsnips at the front.

I've been busy with the hoe but I need to properly weed the beetroot and parsnips behind the trees.

Back at home in the greenhouse, the tomatoes are now about 5ft (1.5m) tall and I've rigged up some wire to support them as they grow. There's quite a few tomatoes coming now, yippee! I'm amazed how much they've grown in a month.

The ones on the right have been 'encouraged' to grow through the staging!

Pepper plants have been potted now but they are still quite small.

June has started off windy but there's been planting aplenty!

It's been really windy lately and not that warm but managed a few trips to the plot last week

31 May

Popped up to dig up my first crop of first early potatoes for the year. They were delicious!

1 June

Earthed up more of the potatoes. Most of the main crops varieties are showing through now. The onions, shallots and carrots are growing well on the top allotment but the parsnips are a bit hit and miss so I've sowed a few more in the gaps.

On the bottom allotment, some of the aubergines and beans don't look that great but the peas are doing well.

3 June

Dug up some more potatoes, really nice:

I've covered up the strawberries on bottom allotment and most of the ones on the top with wondermesh as some are starting to turn:

4 June

Couldn't help it, dug some more spuds up ready for a BBQ tomorrow. On the bottom allotment I planted a couple of courgettes in the front bed (one is a bit small!), added some more sweetcorn to fill that bed and put some purple sprouts and red cabbage in and wonder-meshed that:

On the top allotment I put a couple of rows of leeks in (Musselburgh):

Usual technique of using the end of a broom handle to make the hole, insert and hold leek, fill hole with water and then leave to settle.

I also planted some butternut squash and a pumpkin:

7 June

Watering trip this morning, found my first 3 ripe strawberries - they've started and they're really tasty, yippee!:

My wife took one of the red onions as we've just about finished all the ones from last year and we put a few sunflowers in too.

I was very surprised to see very small pears, plums and apples forming. Could this be the first year where I get all three to actually crop! I put some sticky band stuff round all three - should have done it earlier but better late than never.

Back at home in the greenhouse, the tomatoes are growing very well, some tomatoes have already formed. The cucumber is beginning to shoot but the aubergines are a bit slow, the plants look healthy enough just not growing that much. I have started to rig up a micro irrigation system to make it easier to water.

I need to pot up the pepper plants, they are a bit behind so will have to see if they actually produce anything!