Gardening Blog
Allotment Diary
June 25, 2008: summer bounty
Despite the changeable summer weather, Terry Walton's fertile plot is beginning to yield a bountiful harvest
The summer solstice has passed but it will not be remembered this year with much fondness. The day was dark and an angry sky was full of threatening clouds unleashing at regular intervals very heavy downpours. Far from being a day of extended daylight in which to enjoy the warm sunshine into the long evening it was on the contrary abysmal! This was followed the next day by gale force winds of an extreme nature for the time of year.
Welcome to high summer Welsh style!
Still we have to look on the bright side of life and you may join me in a happy sing-along and take what ever nature throws at us...the trials of gardening in a changing climate.
The whole plot's landscape has changed dramatically of recent days and it takes a trained eye to spot a glimpse of dark brown earth on the plot. Green foliage extends all around and this is broken up by the vivid dark reds of the beetroot and Lollo Rossa lettuce, which is almost blood red in contrast.
Occasionally there are little white or purple flowers standing proud at the masses of green foliage of the thriving potatoes to punctuate this amassed green landscape. But the sight that gladdens the eye of most gardeners is the majestic crimson flowers adorning the long flower stalks amongst the runner beans. Despite the poor weather this signals summer has truly arrived.
Yes, despite the unseasonable conditions that exists around them most plants are faring well and are moving onto maturity.
The daily tasks are changing as more time is diverted from sowing and planting to one of daily harvesting. Yes, it's pay back time on the plot!
What more exciting moment in gardening can there be than to plunge a fork into the ground near a fully grown potato plant and lift the crop? At this stage the results are completely unknown. The moment the root comes out of the soil, one shake of the root and those brilliant white tubers fall like a hail storm onto the ground. Food for the table is on its way!
What's more, the lifting of this crop makes some much needed room on the packed plot for a second sowing. This fine, fertile soil will become the new home of the quick maturing salad crops. Waste not, want not!
As you walk the plot more surprises may hit you. The fern-like tops of the carrots maybe hiding a new treasure below the soil. One tug on this foliage and out of the ground (hopefully) slips the long, tapered, orange root of one of the more colourful vegetables. One step further and the firm heart of a cabbage awaits your attention.
Another small step and there in clusters hang the pods of the broad bean. Pop open a pod and there nestling in its furry chamber are its oval, fleshy beans.
This walk around the plot has supplied the makings of a superb dinner, with only a joint of meat and a tasty gravy to add for a fresh, wholesome and delicious feast.
There is more to come as many more delights reach their harvest time and, despite the lack of high summer sunshine, there is a beaming smile on my face as the time of plenty brings the joyful time from the plot to the kitchen.
Go on enjoy your gardening whatever the weather.
More from Terry Walton
More on growing your own food
- How to grow fruit and veg in window boxes and other containers
- How to start growing vegetables
- When to start growing vegetables
- How to grow your own mixed salad leaves
- Video guide to growing blackcurrants
- Chat to other gardeners at Saga Zone
My Life on a Hillside Allotment
Terry Walton is a regular contributor to The Jeremy Vine Show on BBC Radio 2 and has written a book called, My Life on a Hillside Allotment, published by Bantam Press. The book is available from Amazon
