Plot 36

The trips to the allotment have been a bit sporadic of late. A combination of weekends away and rain in the weekday evenings have conspired against me. I was pleased to see that everything is still flourishing and the beetles are keeping their forays to a minimum.

There isn’t much to do except pull weeds and harvest. This week we have: aubergines, tomatoes, sweetcorn, potatoes, raspberries and blueberries. I’ve also harvested elderberries to try making something called Pontack; a preserve for use with pork and game.

The borlotti beans are persevering despite being in the worst spot in the allotment, too dry and too shaded. The squashes will be ready in about a month. I thought I’d planted butternut but they aren’t the right shape some are beautifully round, getting larger as you watch, the others are flat like flying saucers. The carrots, beetroot and parsnips are a little behind – I’m hoping now for an October harvest. My neighbour has taken pity on my shoddy carrot growing and we left clutching 12 beautiful carrots.

Squashes