At the allotment, May 2020

I still don't have a photo of the allotment?!  Well, it's a lot less weedy than it was last year (also no photo), but it's still pretty darn weedy.  However, we are no longer the weediest allotment at the site!  For now, anyway. 

The first batch of peas put down in February completely failed.  The second batch from April is up, but pretty short still.  I only just put some peasticks and canes up, but they still don't need them yet.  Hopefully they'll get a few good rain showers and start growing.

The potatoes started to come up and then we had a late frost.  I can't remember getting a frost in mid-May before, and certainly it didn't frost the volunteer potatoes in my own garden, but it nipped off the tops of the ones at the allotment.  Luckily (I guess?) the tips were only just emerging, so hopefully the tubers have enough vigor to put out more shoots.

The garlic is growing strongly but is drowning in grass: so much grass...  I will harvest mid-June or early July, and that patch will probably get sheet mulched straight away to smother all that grass.  It's right next to where the very grassy future chicken yard will be (very near future, I hope).

Speaking of sheet mulch, the cabbages planted into the beds previously mulched have been severely slug damaged--I've already replanted once and I don't think it's worth doing again (though I do have some spare plants);  I'm putting in the rest of the brassicas at home this summer, though I may move some spring cabbage and broccoli to the allotment later in the season if I have some good sized ones. 

The husband just planted out a double row of runner beans and a double row of green beans, all started in paper tubes.  Hopefully they survive the slugs long enough to establish.

The strawberries are flowering, and hopefully forming fruits, but I'm a bit worried about the slug situation in their bed too.  We put down sheet mulch around the plants last month to smother grass, so maybe the slugs have taken up residence.  However, we have some raspberries forming, and about twenty or so new canes planted to hopefully fruit next year.

And finally, a harvest:  we have been picking purple sprouting broccoli about once a week for the past month, and it's still going, but the sprouts are very tiny now.  I think there are three or four plants, which is just enough for one or two meals.