Been picking...

I love this time of year, reaping the rewards of the year's hard work. I've been picking apples, from my 2 trees plus a neighbours. Have also had a fantastic crop of William bon chretien pears - the boughs were bending under the weight. We have 10 jars of plum jam from my fantastic crops of Czar plums. I also have my first crop of Vranja quince to pick. Counted over 30 of them!

My daughter and I have also been doing one of favourite late summer past-times - wondering the river banks and hedgerows at the allotment picking blackberries.

Think we'll be making another apple and blackberry pie today!

New Year

A bit late I know, but I have at long last started my new allotment year! I've just about tidied up my plot after the winter's inactivity, I've started seed sowing: tomato seedlings, aubergine courgette and brassicas in the greenhouse, spring onions and parsnips in the ground (although may have pulled up parsnips when sorting out the millions of weed seedlings that appeared.

My very productive plum tree (4kg last year) has flowered - I was a bit worried, it lost all its leaves after fruiting last year as have the other plum trees I planted.

Also, I've got an allotment extension! It's a strip of land about 3m wide adjacent to my plot but will make a few extra beds, and allow room for more fruit!