Asparagus growing, garlic harvesting, losing more cucumbers, and eating some fruit

 

Asparagus (and a few weeds) to the front, artichoke and raspberry (and a lot of weeds) behind, May 2026

Check out my asparagus!  I'm trying to keep it weeded as well as possible, as that bindweed means business.  At the back are the transplanted artichokes, not expected to produce this year, plus the very weedy raspberry patch (lots of little berries on these).  I've got at least 10 cm of wood chips on this bed.  In fact, every bed that's mulched this way should have a minimum of 10 cm, but I'm trying for even more in places.  I haven't picked any spears this year, in order to let the crowns establish;  I may not pick any next year either, but we'll see.

This weekend my garlic came up somewhat in a rush, because of white rot.  I never had this disease until last year:  the bulbs start to go moldy and if left in storage will just disintegrate.  I won't be able to save any of my own garlic for replanting this year, as it all seems to have it;  instead I'm mincing it all up and freezing it, and will buy new bulbs in the autumn for replanting.  I'm a bit sad about this:  I've been self sufficient in garlic for many years now, but my winning streak is broken.  I'll probably plant the new cloves in planters instead of directly in the ground, in the hopes they'll avoid it next year.  It looks like my overwintered onions grown in containers are free from the infection, so that gives me a little hope.

The son, daughter and I did some work on the now empty garlic bed, digging out grass and weeds and raking out roots.  In fact, we had to stop before the bed was all clear as we completely filled our five composters!  Well, they weren't empty to begin with--most were about half full already, but still:  a lot of compost material.  I was able to spread a few wheelbarrows of wood chips on the edge of the bed, where it meets the next bed (previously mulched and growing peas and beetroot).  I'll carry on clearing the bed this week and will just have to make a pile until some of the older stuff compacts down.  Luckily this time of year that doesn't take long.  I may sow some turnip and beetroot seeds here, or possibly transplant fennel, or even pak choi though that's a risky idea:  slugs love love love pak choi, and it would probably survive better in the kitchen garden (except I don't have any room!).  It's a rather big bed, so I might even have space to do all of the above.

Of my sad cucumbers, all but one of the pickling types have bit the dust:  I think it was slugs.  Of the salad types, four--of five--are still growing.  I have a lot of little seedlings growing in trays from a very late sowing, but none are quite big enough to transplant.  To be honest, four salad cucumber plants is adequate--but I definitely need more pickling cucs.  They need to get a move on!  It seems like the potting compost may have been the culprit in the early demise of all the other cuc plants.

In other news, we've begun picking strawberries, gooseberries and redcurrants!  It seems early?  Maybe not.  We don't have many strawberry plants (all at home), but there are two bushes each of gooseberries and redcurrants, and all four are completely loaded.  I put some wire over the strawberry plants, and also netted my small Morello cherry tree, not quite ripe but close.  What's more, I thinned out the apples on my two trees:  no more than two fruits per cluster.  It hurts, but I did it;  I know from past experience that big clusters have little fruits and little clusters have big fruits.  I want big fruits.  

Plants and weeds at the allotment

I feel like I should be at the tipping point now:  moving from the planting phase to the harvesting phase.  But not quite yet.  It feels like summer:  lots of light, lots of heat, and for the last week no school (half term holiday but back at school this week).  However, the summer crops aren't producing yet and I'm not quite finished planting.  

I pulled back the insect mesh to weed cabbages and plant next year's purple sprouting broccoli at the allotment, May 2026

Of the sad little cucumbers I planted out, most seem to be still alive--maybe lost two out of around 20.  So far, that is.  Using different potting soil, I planted a tray each of the two varieties, pickling and salad, in the hopes they might grow more successfully than the first several attempts.  I can see a couple starting to emerge, but only time will tell if they'll fare any better.  

I spent a couple hours at the allotment over the weekend, planting out broccoli and squash and getting weeds out of my wood chip sheet mulch.  Also topping up the wood chips here and there.  We took the chickens back home a week ago as the forecast was for 30 C, much too hot to go without shade;  unlike at the allotment, our chicken yard at home is in full shade most of the day, so they've been keeping as cool as possible there instead.  In just one week of their being away, several squash seedlings have sprouted in their allotment yard.  They grew there last year too.

Zucs and squashes newly planted in plastic rings;  kohlrabi and cabbages under mesh;  me still digging at the allotment, May 2026

It's been fairly easy to loosen weeds out of the wood chips with a garden fork, no real digging required.  I'll need to keep on top of the weeding though:  I can re-sheet mulch on top of a bed of straw mulch, but I don't want to sheet mulch on top of wood chips as they don't break down quickly enough.  I will, however, keep topping up with wood chips, weeds or not--as long as the council keep providing them on site.

Flipping the switch for summer; planting everything out, losing cucumbers again

After a somewhat cool spring, we've suddenly flipped the switch for summer.  Last Monday I got completely drenched (and even hailed on) on my bike ride home from work and this Monday I was slathered in sunscreen at the beach.  Throughout spring we've had some dry spells and some rainy spells;  while I welcome some heat, I hope we still get some rain this summer and not a hosepipe ban.

I've got my zucs planted out at the allotment, as well as all my tomatoes (both cherry and plum, in containers).  The tomatoes have a good straw mulch to keep moisture in; whereas the zucs are planted in a new sheet mulch, and they won't have direct root contact with the soil yet--I'm watering both of them twice a day in this heat.  The rest of the plants, whether on top of sheet mulch or not, have been growing long enough not to need such copious watering (potatoes, peas, beets, broad beans, cabbages, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, garlic).  Except the overwintered onions, also in containers.  Containers need lots of water, no matter the weather.  

I've had somewhat sparse germination of squashes and cucs, and not only that, a lot of cuc losses.  They have been sprouting, wilting, and then shriveling up.  I might not get any cucumbers this year, but I will try one more batch of seed, despite it being a bit late.  This has happened to me in the past, though usually with older plants just starting to produce fruit.  I'm not sure if it's the potting compost (though everything else has been fine in it), the seed (saved my own from last year's fruits), or a cucumber specific disease.   It looks like the squashes are ok, just not a lot of them.  I'll try starting one more batch of these too.

I've grown some flowers from seed both this and last year:  columbine, lupin, verbena, wallflowers, strawflowers, marigolds.  I have some that self seed every year in my garden too:  poppies, honesty, borage, foxgloves, calendula.  There are a lot of ornamentals in my garden:  many shrubs, some bulbs, as well as some herbaceous perennials.  Spring is particularly pretty out back, but it's also lovely now in early summer.  I used to pick myself homegrown bouquets every week;  I got out of the habit around the time I got my allotment, but I really should pick some again even if only once in a while.

Finally, last week I collected my largest plastic plant pots to transplant my chilis and eggplants.  While I've sometimes succeeded with chilis (though not reliably), I've never got beyond two leaves on eggplants.  Until this year:  most of my little plants have at least four leaves!  Will they carry on?  I half filled the pots with partly composted chicken manure that I dug from the chicken yard, then topped up with commercial potting compost to plant into.  Now 10 eggplant pots are on my patio, in the sunniest most sheltered spot, and all possibly looking to grow a fifth leaf;  they are grouped with 12 pots of chilis, with similar leaf count.

Planning for the hungry gap

So.  Hungry gap and self reliance.  How is it going now, ten years into my blog, and eight years into my allotment?

Recall the hungry gap is when the winter stores have run out but the new season harvests haven't begun.  I first wrote about it in 2018 and have touched on it a few times since.  Is the hungry gap a thing any more?  It was for generations past, certainly.  For us?  Well, I have more storage options than just a root cellar and some pickle crocks;  here's what I still have in my stores, of which most but not all is from 2025-2026:  

• One large squash
• Several large bags of frozen tomatoes, leeks, squash puree, broccoli greens, and a few small bags of various berries
• Many jars of dehydrated cabbage, parsnip, swede, zuc, carrot, tomatoes, and quite a few small jars of dried figs
• Several jars of beets pickled in vinegar
• Several litres of kimchi and sauerkraut (mainly shredded kohlrabi/turnip/beet combination)  
• A few jars each of apples and plums
• A couple gallons of fruit wine 
• A basket of unshelled almonds 

Now eating fresh:

• Purple sprouting broccoli and greens (close to finishing)
• Lettuce
• Herbs:  rosemary, sage, parsley, mint, chives
• Chard 

Taken together we still have a good variety of veg to eat until summer production begins, but if we were relying on fresh only, our meals would be very limited.  Having grown so much last year meant I could put away a significant portion into my storage, intended for just this time:  the hungry gap. 

Busy: planting, weeding, tidying, top dressing, harvesting

Two thirds of my allotment with purple sprouting broccoli at the centre foreground;  the other third contains the chicken yard, raspberries and artichokes (not shown), April 2026

Photos!  But don't expect this trend to continue.  

A lot going on right now, both in my personal life and in my garden and allotment.  So busy.  I make my food producing engine a top priority though.  Not only is it important to me to have as much homegrown food as possible, I also enjoy the whole process.  It's my beloved hobby.  This time of year I'm in the garden as much as possible, and at the allotment every day.  I'm still planting out my transplants, bed by bed.

Tiny quince tree in the garden, May 2026

I spent the last two weekends with a pair of leather gloves, pulling out all the nettles from the edges of my garden;  I also did as much of the encroaching brambles as I could (these are harder to pull out but cutting them only encourages growth).  The whole garden looks much tidier now.  Most of it is given to perennials and ornamentals, with good habitat for birds and other creatures;  a certain amount of disorder is therefore encouraged, but I want to be able to enjoy the full extent of it too, without getting stung or prickled.

Another job:  digging chicken manure out of the now vacant yard--chickens currently having their summer vacation at the allotment--and spreading it all around.  It's gone at the base of every fruit tree and rose bush, around some of the garden beds, and anywhere else that looks needy.  There's a whole year's worth of manure there:  plenty to share.  The son and I emptied the coop too, then dusted it thoroughly with diatomaceous earth, to protect against mites.  After mowing the lawn, he put the grass clippings in the coop and nest boxes to dry out into straw;  it will be dry and ready for chickens to move back in after their summer break.

It's never flowered before;  will we get our first quince? May 2026

The purple sprouting broccoli at the allotment is just about finished and I'm pulling up the plants one by one, stripping the leaves to eat like kale;  I've frozen a lot too.  I've also begun regularly picking the first new season lettuce (this is in the kitchen garden), as well as new chives, parsley and garlic.  Though the maincrop garlic isn't ready yet, I've found some volunteers that got missed last year and am cooking them whole: very pungent.  I'm still hopeful for some spring cabbages soon, growing bigger;  and one spring cauliflower--the rest already matured, back in autumn and winter.  Oh, and there is still one squash left from last autumn, alone on its mat in my living room:  time to cut it open.

Summer plants, tomatoes, rain, chickens

I managed it;  all my summer seeds have been started now.  Most of them are up and growing, except the very latest:  French beans, cucumber and squash.  Some of them are not as far along as I'd hoped (broad beans and peas) and some are racing away (lettuce and zuc).  But I'm not done with seeds yet, not for a while.  I'll be moving on to my autumn and winter seeds straight away, as soon as I can free up trays.  

In fact, I freed up one tray at the weekend, planting out my tomatoes at the allotment.  The son and I went up and filled the last remaining container (a big one like a raised bed) with well composted manure;  the pile of it next to the stables is sadly diminished now.  I still need some for when I plant my zucs, cucs and squashes in a few weeks' time, but luckily for me, no one else seems to be digging it out any more.  There is also huge pile of fresh manure, which probably has some composted stuff at the very bottom, should I desperately need some.

We then planted out most of the tomatoes:  the cherry tomatoes in the tall, deep containers and the plum toms in individual plastic planters.  We'd filled those ones a few weeks ago and they were very dry, so we kept running a dripping hose on them as we planted.  Then it rained overnight and the plants really perked up by the time I visited the next morning.

We'd had a prolonged dry spell since around Easter.  Maybe that's it for dry weather this year!  (I said that last year and was so wrong.)  My water barrels have filled up again and it's forecast rain and cool temps for at least a week, after about a month of short sleeves weather.  I like to plant for both possibilities:  a hot summer or a cool one.  While not everything will succeed, it also means not everything will fail.  

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I moved my ten chickens up to their coop and yard at the allotment so they can clear out the grass.  Will they stay there all summer?  Will it just be a short vacation?  I haven't decided.  It means a bit more work for me, as I have to visit both morning and evening;  the husband broke his leg in March and can only just hobble around now, and the son is preparing for his GCSEs, very important exams at school.  And the daughter is only six.  It has to be me, and when I get sick of going twice a day every day they'll be coming back home.

No room! and a duck truce

So much to do at the end of April.  My sowing window is almost closed for summer plants.  But next up are autumn and winter plants, some of which are already going (leeks, cabbage and Brussels sprouts).   And as usual, I'm running out of space to plant everything out.  I want to grow it all!  But where do I put it?  

I had earmarked a bed at the allotment for my squash but now that push comes to shove, my cabbages are ready to plant whereas my squash aren't even sprouting yet.  I desperately need kimchi so I can't neglect my cabbages, right?  It's ok, I have a backup plan:  when I harvest my garlic I'll put the squash there, despite it growing in that same bed last year.  It won't mind, so long as I put another generous helping of well-composted horse manure on the bed first.  

I also wanted to grow my tomatoes directly in the ground but it looks like that's not going to happen either;  they'll have to grow in containers again.  About half of my containers are already full of overwintered onions however--I'm not certain when these will be ready for harvest, but I can tell it's not imminent.  Luckily I've acquired a large wooden shipping box and have filled it with some of that horse manure, ready for at least four plants.  I already had another one, just need to fill it.  They are more like raised beds really, not like the individual plastic planters I already have.

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I finally got those lethally prickly rose branches sent off in the gardening waste collection but even after two pick-ups, I haven't cleared all the bamboo roots!  That was a big plant.  There's still a mighty clump waiting for the next collection in two weeks' time.  I'm kind of wondering if I should have saved some more of it to grow as screening, for instance in the small front garden (recall I did save one small piece, replanted in a container sunk in the ground out back).  I guess it's not too late to break up that big chunk--I'm sure it'd still grow even three weeks after uprooting.  In containers, of course.

I think the Snowflake ducks are settling into the flock, a few weeks on from their forced integration with our two old ducks.  Initially I was letting them free range with Boy Duck and Girl Duck but locking them up in two separate yards overnight (Snowflakes in one, Boy and Girl in the other);  however Boy Duck--and as my sister once remarked, "that duck is a jerk"--had nightly been breaking out of his yard and into theirs.  So after a bit too much of that malarkey, we decided they might as well be locked up together.  And after a few weeks things have somewhat calmed down--at least we're not hearing panicked quacking at all hours.