Allotment Garden Plot 2018

I cannot remember the last time I wrote about the allotment garden plot, but the last two weekends, we have been working hard in it, taking advantage of the long Bank Holiday and the sunshine.

So much has changed in the garden since we got it - click here if you want to see how it was when we first got it.

The ground has been thoroughly cleared of weeds, except for the grass tangled amongst these chives.   The bees will love the chive flower heads when they bloom.  We have already seen a few bees in the garden dipping and diving into the apple blossom and broad bean flowers, which are the only vegetable plant that has gone into the ground so far. 

D moved the been climbing frame trellis to a new part of the allotment garden plot in readiness to receive some climbing green, purple and yellow beans soon.  In the space in front of it, he will also make me a some climbing wigwams or tee pees to accommodate more climbing beans. 

 Looking through the apple tree branches, you can see some raspberry canes. 

Green to Red Gooseberries

Its almost a month ago, when I showed you progress in the garden plot. 

Today a little more as some plants have gone into the ground, but many plants are still in pots.

Before I go further, I have to admit these photographs were taken last week before the rain came pouring down and much more has grown and sprouted since, including the weeds!

The climbing bean frames are finally up

Beneath these are climbing purple beans, the yellow beans and runner beans have not yet germinated, partly because the seeds were old and partly because I sowed them late, but I am hoping for some more.  On the bean frame at the back are Climbing Alderman Peas.  

Garden Plot in the Spotlight

After three years of moving  into our new home, I have neglected the garden plot.  Every time I went out, my heart sunk for different reasons and I seemed to have fallen out of love with gardening and growing my own vegetables. 

However, this year will be different.  I said that last year and the year before, but this time really it will be different as progress has been made.  

But before I share progress in my garden plot, I am partly writing this post to coincide with Harvest Monday with my offering of overwintering Rainbow Swiss Chard from the garden. I used some of it early in the month for a Black Bean Chile, this however will be used for a quick Indian style vegetable curry.  Also by joining in with Harvest Monday, I am hoping my love for growing vegetables will be reignited.

It takes all sizes

The past few days have been blazing.  Of course one of those sunny days had to be spent in the garden.  Compared to previous years, I don't have very much growing in my garden plot this year.  Its mostly potatoes, but my oh my ...look at the size of these spuds!

We have enjoyed potatoes, simply boiled and smothered in either butter or oil, but in the photograph below some have been roasted with garlic and red onions and a sprig of rosemary sprigs for flavour. The potatoes are infused with rosemary flavour and the garlic and red onions become soft and caramel like.

I am sharing this post with Wendy at Greenish Thumb who is hosting Garden to Table this season.

Rosemary new potatoes roasted with onions and garlic
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 – 6 medium new potatoes, sliced in half
1 bulb of garlic
140ml olive oil
1 large red onion
Sprig of rosemary
Method
Do not peel the potatoes, but split them in half length ways. With a small, sharp knife, criss-cross the flesh with slashes without cutting the skin. Put the potatoes in the roasting tray along with the cloves of garlic and scatter them around them. Pour the olive oil over the potatoes and place in an oven preheated to gas mark 7. Trim the base of the onions, peel them if you wish, and slit them in quarter, keeping intact at the root. Add these to the potatoes after they have been cooking for 10 minutes and distribute the rosemary around them. Make sure the potatoes are face up and then baste all the ingredients with the sizzling oil and put back in the oven to cook for 15 - 20 minutes or until potatoes are golden brown. Remove the sprig of rosemary and serve immediately. Adapted from No Place Like Home by Rowley Leigh.

Borage and Bees

One of the first edible flowers we grew in the garden plot was borage, little did we know that it would self seed and come up blooming blue every year.  And without failure, here they are again growing amongst the potatoes.

The bees love it though, and I now and again get to pretty up a salad plate with the edible flowers and the baby leaves, which taste like cucumber.

Dormouse...Dormice in the garden

A few days ago, I think it was Wednesday we both took advantage of the sun shining. Good move, since then the rain here has been non-stop. To be fair its raining quite heavy in Wales where my parents are. I know this as I rang my mother earlier to see if anyone had been over to the allotment plot since I left. With no shelter at the allotment plot there, the rain has kept them all away all week.

Some creatures have literally taken this message 'Welcome to my garden' literally. As D was cutting the grass he noted some movement.  He slowly crept up to find: not one, not two, not three, not four - but 5 dormice.     Dormice are part of the rodent family and have characteristics similar to those of mice and squirrels.

We must have spent a good hour hovering over them, marvelling at their small cuteness.

Sadly a day or two later, whilst looking out of the flat window down at the freshly cut grass, cleared of weeds, buttercups and daisies, I did see a magpie sweep down and peck one of the dormice that was out of its comfort zone and exposed to the swift and sharp eyed.  I was completely overwhelmed as the magpie flew right past the window carrying the little defenceless dormouse in its beak.

Some progress photographs.  The potatoes are looking good.  I may dig a plant up later in the week.

The salad is doing well, so are the radishes that are ready for the picking.

You may remember this allium in full bloom.  Even though its lost its magenta colouring, I think it still looks rather attractive.

Blueberry progress

Some wild strawberries.

I also managed to get some laundry done.

This is another one of my Gardening and Growing themed tea towels.  This one shows the Gardening Calendar. I know its just a tea towel and its purpose is to dry dishes, but I actually think this particular tea towel would serve as a fantastic wall hanging. I got my tea towel from All Tea Towels. There are so many different themes and designs such as retro and nostalgia, seasons, flowers, and my favourite vegetables, garden and herbs.

Salad Leaves and Pea Shoots

I realise its been a bit monotone on my blog recently, so I thought I'd share a little colour compliments of my garden plot and the sunshine that's been teasing us on and off.

There has been some progress since I last stepped out into it.  The salad leaves are starting show off their many shades of green.  The salad and radish bed is looking good, except for my rocket that has been a bit slow to take off the ground!

Some of the peas have come up.  These will soon feature on our plate.

First of the strawberries peeking through.  As there are not that many growing, I hope I get to them first, before the beasties in my garden. The Jerusalem artichokes and potatoes seem to be growing well, but unlike fellow growers down South, mine have yet to flower.

We've had so much rain the past two weeks, that the grass needs cutting again, but it will have to wait when we come back.  We are due to be travelling down South again the next couple of days.  D's mother has fractured her wrist and it will be in plaster for six weeks. D would have been down there in a shot, but we've both had a stinky cold the past few days, and the last thing we want to do is pass our germs on. So chances are we may be travelling down tomorrow or the day after.

Me - pulling out some weeds from a herb pot.  Above by my head, the wild strawberries in the hanging basket haven't fared well. The hanging baskets are looking a bit knackered too as the birds have been stealing  the wood fibre lining from it for there nests - they do it every year.

I grew these lupins from seed.  I absolutely adore them, but I think the bees in my garden adore them more than me.

Pottering about in the garden

The garden has seriously been neglected.  So this morning whilst D cut the long blades of grass, I pottered about and sowed some seeds, yes you read right, I sowed some seeds.  Even though we are planning to move later this year I decided to sow some lettuces, salad leaves, radishes and some peas. The peas will only be grown for the shoots.

Deep down the amateur and avid vegetable grower in me wants to sow more seeds, and I mean proper vegetable seeds like broad beans, courgettes, climbing beans and squashes.  I flick through gardening catalogues; blog hop with envy through fellow vegetable grower blogs; look at unopened seed packets; as well as those warmly sent to me by fellow bloggers such as Little Black Fox; and my heart aches a little.  I can only hope that wherever we move to has some green space to quench my vegetable growing desire.

Anyway, here are a few other things still growing in my tiny garden plot and pots.

Over wintered Swiss Chard.

Chives - I am looking forward to seeing the flowers bloom as they always invite the bees.

The potato seeds have begun to push way out of the soil.

In pots: Some Jerusalem artichokes.  I know we won't get to harvest these, but I'm just happy to watch them grown purely for the lanky and pretty flower heads that resemble sunflowers.

Some strawberries

Blueberries (and raspberries not pictured)

In the border, I have fennel herb, rosemary and lavender (not pictured) growing, as well as some stinging nettle.  I also have some sage, thyme, lemon verbena, black mint and lemon balm growing in small pots.

So far its been a gorgeous bright blue day, so another task for the day was to get some laundry done and allow it to dry naturally in the gently blowy breeze.

I absolutely adore my Garden Potting Shed tea towel.  Its just too pretty to use.  The tea towel features gardening tools such as a fork, spade, a watering can, plant pots, wheelbarrow, welly boots, all surrounded by a border of vegetables.  I know its just a tea towel and its purpose is to dry dishes, but I actually think this particular tea towel would serve as a fantastic wall hanging.  In fact, I think when I move home, I am going to frame and hang it somewhere suitable where it will catch my eye and make me smile  I got my tea towel from All Tea Towels.  There are so many different themes and designs such as retro and nostalgia, seasons, flowers, and my favourite vegetables, garden and herbs.  

Potato Bed

With so much change happening in our lives at the moment, we have decided to keep our growing antics in the garden to a bare minimum. We have just planted some early potatoes in our tiny garden plot. In the plot border, you can see chives growing and some Swiss chard from last year that has somehow survived the snow. I've also transferred my sage to the plot as it did not seem happy contained in a pot.

Normally I put some colourful flowers compliments of my late neighbour, but I've decided to put the strawberries in them. Hopefully this way, those pesky slugs will keeps away.

In the border, where I've planted some brambles the daffys have come up.

Last year I had transplanted some wild garlic in my garden near the water feature aka bird bath, the dampest spot in the garden. Surprisingly the wild garlic has taken root, look here next to the wild nettle. This will give us perhaps serve as a garnishing, rather than a meal. So I'll still definitely be foraging for wild garlic in the coming weeks, and hopefully other free edible wild weeds.

Fresh Beetroot Recipe ideas

I can't remember the last time I stepped out in my garden. Over the past three months, I've managed to avoid most tasks that have involved venturing out in the garden. Tasks such as cutting and bringing up fresh hardy herbs like rosemary, sage and thyme for cooking; and emptying vegetable scraps into the compost bin had all been allocated to my husband, as the wimp in me wanted to stay cosy and warm inside, dry from the wintry weather that has been battering us all all recently.

Well today the sun shine came out and I could not ignore the gardening tasks ahead of me, so I stepped out for a little while.
Whilst pottering around a little and taking mental notes of what has to be done, I harvested the last of my vegetables: Beetroot - Barabietola di Chioggia and Detroit 2. As I dug them out, I found so many wriggly worms - an excellent sign.
After washing them thoroughly and delighting over the colours, I wondered what to make with them?

Here are a few recipe ideas to ponder on:
Beetroot Hash

Beetroot Bular Pilau

Gold Beetroot and coriander pakoras

Beetroot and cheese slices

Beetroot Cumin Pasta

Beetroot Gnocchi

Beetroot Risotto

Red and Gold Beetroot, Coriander and Feta Salad

Beetroot Fritters

Beetroot - Mint Tea cakes

Beetroot and chocolate waffles

Beetroot Muffins

Enjoy!