A change in the weather, still planting, hoping for fruit

It rained at last!  My plants all grew about an inch overnight I think, and my rain barrels filled up again.  Although now I'm wondering if that was our "summer" and it's going to be cool and wet from now on--not an uncommon occurrence.   

There was a very slight and unexpected frost at the allotment last week, touching just four of my zucchini plants.  Everything else:  tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, and the other four zucs were absolutely fine.  And the zucs are all planted near each other, right at the center of the allotment so it's a puzzle to me how only those four got it.  One plant was a goner but the other three may recover;  though if I do lose them all, I still have another four in the kitchen garden and have just planted out two more at the allotment.  I'm hoping it'll be another zucchini summer.  Though I need the weather to cooperate...

I cleared away all of the old purple sprouting broccoli at last and the son helped me fully sheet mulch over the bed so I could replant immediately:  six squash and five sweetcorn.  I am hoping to get at least six more squash (though I actually have around 12 more plants left) when I pull up the garlic--probably this weekend. I wish the broad beans were a little more forward so I could replant there too--they are right between the two other beds.  However, they're only just forming their first little pods so I probably won't be clearing them away for another few weeks at the earliest.  I'll still have time to replant the bed, but probably not with squash.

The daughter picked our first two strawberries of the year, which does seem pretty early (mid May).  I'm trying to remember if the ten plants I put down this spring are everbearing strawbs or not (I only remember thinking I ought to choose those, not if I actually did).  The first berries came from one of our older plants, and there are lots of little green ones forming, on both old and new plants.  I was lucky to get one bite of the smaller berry--the daughter is five and has quick fingers and a very persuasive manner!

Did I mention that both my apple trees flowered and set fruit this spring?  Since I've had them (pre-blog but not by a lot), both have produced biennially;  last year was an on year so I was expecting an off year for 2025 but it's an on year again, hooray!  Has the biennial tendency stopped now they're older?  Or is it just a freak accident of timing and they'll go back to their normal ways next year?