The allotment in June

It seems no time at all since the last update on the allotment but in these summer months so much changes in such a short time. It's been a month of dodging the rain showers, weeding when we can and actually eating produce we have grown! Due to the reduced amount of time we've been able to spend at the allotment I asked Miss JibberJabber to do this month's photographs for me.

We've been enjoying the little gem lettuces. These were sown directly into the ground and have been the most successful of the salad crops. The best part is that Master JibberJabber has always been a confirmed salad dodger and apart from cucumber refuses to eat anything green. When we asked him if he would try the lettuce he had grown himself (and weeded!) he did and said he liked it. This was confirmed when we had some more one evening and he ate the lettuce first.

Also at the front of the allotment is the main rhubarb bed plus the leeks and strawberry boat. There are a few strawberries ripening but I think it needs another year for a full crop. The leeks are coming along well and we will need to space them out soon.

The rhubarb patch I found under the compost heap at the back of the allotment is at its peak at the moment. I even managed to lose Miss JibberJabber behind one of the leaves.

The crop we are most pleased with at the moment is the broad beans. We started them off at home and they have gone from strength to strength. They've grown so much we had to add another line of twine to stop them collapsing.

Of course the best bit of the broad beans is that now we have been able to pick some. In fact now I would say we officially have a glut! We managed to persuade Master JibberJabber to try some broad beans as well and they all got gobbled up.

Another crop we started off at home was the purple sprouting broccoli. We've got another batch that is just about ready to go in at the allotment. The first lot are starting to develop broccoli heads.

We can't wait to see what is in the ground underneath all these potato leaves and flowers. We've decided to plant a lot more potatoes next year and to try more varieties. The ground definitely seems to suit it here.

One thing we will be doing next year with the potatoes is putting fertilizer in the trench. Mr JibberJabber added fertilizer to the trench on the left but not the one on the right. Look at the difference!

The kids tried the first ripe raspberries at the weekend. We were hoping to go back during the week to pick some more but the lack of sunshine hasn't made that possible.

I'm also collecting jars now in anticipation of making some batches of red currant jelly. I hope to get to them before the birds do!

A brief mention about our neighbours on either side. I think they have both given up their plots. One of them we have never seen but someone is coming to feed the chicken on a regular basis. When we first took on this plot in March we saw there was beetroot, cabbages and swedes waiting to be picked but they have all gone to seed. The rest of the plot is now filled with poppies. Beautiful as they may look but I keep pulling up poppies on our patch. On the other side the tenant came and cleared two areas in April but hasn't been back since. The weeds and old crops had grown so much that someone has come along and cut the tops off them all. When this was done they also lopped the top off our plum tree! *shakes fist*

The latest crop to be planted up is the runner beans. Originally we sowed some directly into the ground as the packet said this could be done. None of them germinated so we decided to sow some at home in pots which germinated in two days! They have all been planted into the ground now and I hope the slugs and snails don't munch through them before I get to do the July update!