Cosmos

Structures 2 - spiral staircase

This picture says a lot. It says this. Top left: find some old freezer trays and put them over some of your Little Gem lettuces as a sort of protection. Watering cans: try not to lose the rose. Tray on plastic pot: remind me what this is, A? On rusty ex-bed, top left: why did we sow quite so many leeks? Ditto, bottom left: that celery needs transplanting. Ditto, trough and black pot next to it: mixed salad leaves, you can't go wrong. In front of trough: cosmos plants: so far quite easy to grow but need transplanting. Baby kale in tray on grass: fine up to a point, point arrives when leaves begin to taste bitter, precise point as yet to be established. Potato beds: four more weeks till first harvest unless it continues to rain as much as it has done this month. Views: to be enjoyed. Far right in the background of Plot Six: two sweetcorn on the brown compost heap have been attacked by slugs. Never mind, we have lots and will transplant more.

Mowing and sowing and planting

Last Thursday:

Having made the astute observation that RKF was mowing his plot but not ours, we went back to plan A. Do our own mowing. Did I report that Bowler D said that Chef T was considering giving us his push mower? Well, he did, but I suppose it'll mean us getting a shed as soon as possible.

The green wheelbarrow. I woke up far too early the other day, remembering that I'd seen a green wheelbarrow on one of Forester B's derelict plots ...

Last Friday:

A planted eight cosmos plants in A4 and elsewhere as they were pot-bound. She re-potted the remaining five, transplanted two courgette plants (Nero di Melano) "on the compost heap" (we have two of these as well as compost bins) whilst mulching them with the manure/straw concoction from a local farm.

Last Saturday:

I transplanted 13 leeks into C4 as the seedlings are now more than 20 cm tall, weeded C3 and C4, prepared the remainder of bed A4 (more French beans to go in) by weeding it, cutting up the large clods, then stamping on it, then soaking it.

Yesterday:

Sowed lovage into two pots, five seeds each, dug and weeded new bed, C1, partly, transplanted the two surviving sweetcorn (D said they're looking v dry and should go in) sowed more sweetcorn 2 x 4 in same bed, sowed more baby kale, 30 to a tray, fed asparagus in H4, is anybody reading this.

It's been hot this week, necessitating up to six trips to the communal water butt. Our bath is not only showing signs of leakage, it also harbours hundreds of tadpole-like creatures ...