There is BIG stuff at the allotment

It has been a good year, weather wise, for our first year sharing an allotment plot. Last summer was hot and dry and would have been difficult. Our own garden veg plot didn’t do at all well as we couldn’t keep it watered.

This summer started off hot and then has been wet during the growing season. Recent weeks have been a mix of sunshine and rain which is perfect for the allotment. The two couples that we are sharing the allotment plot with are both away on holiday for two weeks so at the moment it is all down to us.

We are also in charge of watering the plants of our friends and allotment sharers opposite us. They had put their pots in the front garden near an outside tap to make it easy for us. Instead of watering we have had to empty the trays that the pots are in to save them from drowning!

So watering hasn’t been needed. What we have found though is that it has been difficult to keep up with harvesting before everything gets really big. Everything has gone mad. T wanted to enter some competitions. He was hoping for the longest bean, longest carrot, biggest pumpkin and tallest sunflower. He planted the sunflowers from seeds and now the tallest one must be more than ten feet high.

Yesterday I decided to take some photos of the biggest things on our allotment plot.

Giant courgette

We have all been using the usual glut of courgettes and also giving some away to the neighbours. Some got too big and were more like marrows. We decided to leave this one and see how big it eventually gets.

My husband in front of giant sunflower

T’s pumpkin plant is snaking alongside on the left of the grass path.

Me in front of giant sunflower

We think this one could be more than ten feet high and it is still growing.

Giant bean

Beans like this are too big to be good to eat. They are more than twelve inches long. We decided to leave a few plants as we couldn’t keep up with picking. They will be good for taking the seeds for planting next year.

We have filled the freezer with cooked runner beans and given loads to our neighbours too.

Looking lush

Giant sunflower head

This sunflower head is too heavy for the plant to hold up. The seeds are forming on the head and will be good for the garden birds.

Wild flowers

Wild flowers attract the bees and give a splash colour. In the background is hubbies bargain, twenty pound, mower. He keeps the paths and the grass around our plot neat with this mower.

Artichoke

We have a row of artichokes from some seedlings that a neighbour gave us. None of us has ever grown artichokes before.

White onion

Red onion

The onions have been amazing. We haven’t lifted any garlic yet but must have a look soon.

Bee on sunflower

Our car beside our plot

See how neat my husband is keeping the grass around our plot as well as our paths through the plot.

This has been a learning curve and we will tweak a few things next year. Next year we will grow less runner beans as we have been over run with them.

D who lives opposite us is thinking about us taking on the empty plot behind this one. He has an idea of planting the tall things around the edge as a screen and then putting a lawn in the centre with a bench. He fancies a big square of wild flowers and I like the idea of some spring bulbs and some sweet peas for the summer. We could add a lavender bush and a rosemary bush.

We think we might be a bit crazy but we are all warming to the idea. Watch this space!