A taste of summer...

Well for a Bank Holiday weekend the weather has really played ball. Admittedly it wasn't 'Hotter than Spain' here in Nottingham, as some of the press suggested earlier in the week, but for the most part the sun shone warmly and we're now being treated to some showery rain. Perfect growing weather!

Down at the allotment things are progressing nicely. The warmer weather and the rain we had during the week have really pushed the plants forward and the site has now taken on its 'more green than brown' look - a beautiful view to greet you when entering the site through the top gates.

On my plot I've spent a good few hours weeding, planting and muck spreading in the past couple of days. Everything is now poised and ready for the tender summer crops to be released from their pots into the warm soil of my raised beds.

The first of such plants went in on Sunday - the various climbing beans. Many on the site had put them in several weeks ago, with many suffering and eventually giving up the ghost in the chilly evening breeze. However, temperatures of 20C and some rapidly growing beans overspilling their root trainers meant they were the first tender crop for the plot. The picture below shows how they currently look, and after only a couple of hours in their new home they were reaching for the sky and twining round their supports.

I've also finished planting the polytunnel now, with 14 tomato plants and 10 chillies/ peppers located snugly inside. The one remaining plant is the melon, to be grown up the trellis at the back, but which is still only at 2nd true leaf stage and about 2-3 weeks away from being ready. Here's how it looked yesterday.

The first earlies, broad beans and onions from seed are progressing well, especially after I weeeded the bed by hand today and removed the competing thistles and chickweed. The picture below shows the bed, which has overwintering onions at one end, the Kelsae giant onions from seed in the middle, and the broad beans at the other end. The second photo shows the rows of potatoes with the cordon apples and pears behind.

The final shot from this weekend is one of which I'm extremely proud, not for its photographic quality but more for what it shows. I've managed to nurture 5 apricot fruits to about walnut size so far and, with a bit of luck, I'll be tasting a home-grown, allotment ripened fruit some time in July.

Next week the courgettes, pumpkins and sweetcorn go in and then it's time to sit back and wait for the harvest!