Gardening Blog
Allotment Diary
June 9, 2009: stormy skies
Thunderstorms and heavy rain are not everyone's idea of fun, but Terry Walton's wilting brussel sprouts are looking grateful for the change in weather
After a turbulent week they say 'a week is a long time in politics' but the same can be aptly applied to the weather last week on the allotment!
June entered with an exceptional summer's theme and the mercury rocketed to a balmy 27 degrees centigrade. The plot basked in the hot afternoon sun and even my sturdy brussel sprouts began to wilt. I can assure you there is no more painful sight than to see your 'brussels' wilt! The plants waited with patience for late evening and my arrival with a watering can of cool water. You could almost hear them slurping this refreshing drink.
The heat of the afternoon was perfect time for me to don my shorts, not a pretty sight at the best of times, put on my sun hat and remove the hoe from my shed. I could practically see the weeds quake as I walked purposefully down the path. With a rhythmic push and pull action it was an easy task to sever these young weeds from their roots. The scorching afternoon sun did the rest as they withered up in the heat. This is the easy way of ridding your plot of weeds and is a perfect way to spend a sunny afternoon.
Then came last weekend and what happened? The mercury plummeted down the thermometer and temperatures were back in single figure digits. It started to rain steadily on Friday evening - and this only days after I started up my irrigation system. Throughout the night it rained steadily and I was grateful for the quenching stuff falling from the skies.
By Saturday afternoon the shies blackened and became more threatening. Then the show really started! Crazed, silvery lightening bolts flashed across those dark skies with a momentary bright flash eerily illuminating the darkness then a crescendo of noise followed as great thunder claps rolled above my head.
Then the monsoon started! Rain fell straight as stair rods from those deep clouds and before long there was water, water everywhere. The storm moved in an hour but the heavy rain continued to fall from the black skies. We needed a drop of rain but not that much. Still, those wilting brussel sprouts were happy!
On Sunday the calm returned but not yet the warmth. The watering can has finished its stint so it is back onto its hook in the shed as it will not be needed for a while. Those hose pipes that I had only run out a few days ago were lying there in deep puddles knowing they too were obsolete for a while.
This deluge meant Sunday could be spent in the greenhouse where it was a degree or two warmer. I could catch up with the jobs in there that were not possible when it sweltered in the high forties.
The newly-planted tomatoes were making excellent progress in the recently-replaced greenhouse borders, after the unfortunate incident with the herbicide-laden manure. They needed tying to their canes and the newly-growing side shoots removed.
It was time to plant out the French marigolds in the border. This is my concession to companion planting. It works well in the confined space and warmth of the greenhouse where this strong, pungent aroma does deter the aphids.
Out on the open plot I have little success with companion planting and the pests still seem to detect their hosts despite the effort to disguise their smell. I do not decry this practice and if works for you, keep going.
Let's hope this coming week is more in keeping with the settled, calm weather expected in June and I can enjoy those long daylight hours out on the plot.
Useful links
- June 2: the joy of June
- Terry Walton's weekly allotment diary
- How to grow tomatoes
- Grow your own strawberries
- Planting to attract useful insects
- Visit our gardening channel
- 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
