Keeping Cool and Allotment Corner

I must admit that I didn't take advantage of the heat on Saturday and  go out in the garden.  Little Bird went out with some friends and their mum for a bike ride in the morning, whilst I stayed in the house, kept cool and did lots of things that needed doing online.   I spent most of the day working away on the computer, in the morning doing some work for my business and in the afternoon doing some computer housekeeping by removing lots of old photographs from my picture folders.  It's one of those jobs that only gets done every few years, so takes ages when I do get around to it.  I'm almost done, just a few months worth to sort through at some point, which is very satisfying and my computer might hopefully work a little better as I've been having a few problems with it of late.

OH had a bit of an accident on a dog walk this morning and hurt his knee, so couldn't go anywhere, and I hadn't booked my Zumba class this week,  two more reasons we stayed home.  An inexpensive day as a consequence.  I did venture out later to walk the dog and then after dinner I went out to the allotment to harvest and water.   I deliberately waited until the heat had died down in the evening, so that the plants could benefit the most from the watering.  Whilst I was there OH got the hosepipe out and watered everything in the garden at home which was helpful.

When I got to the allotment the first thing I noticed was that a few flowers had started blooming which is always a bonus; hollyhocks, English marigolds and nasturtium.  They brighten things up a little at least.

 

 

 

The sweetcorn was looking much healthier, although still small.

 

 

 

There were quite a few jobs to do.  Firstly I cut down and harvested the remainder of the broad beans.  Then I harvested the few remaining strawberries and cut back the strawberry patch as the plants had finished producing fruit.  This can prevent disease and also I may get a second harvest if I'm lucky.  It looked a bit bare afterwards.

 

 

I dug up a few potato plants, harvesting quite a few to keep us going.  I'm going to have to get imaginative in the kitchen to get us eating all of these up more quickly.  There's still lots left and some of them are big enough to bake now.  I also pulled up the remaining garlic bulbs and the last two lettuce and some spinach, although I did spy a few small lettuce hiding in amongst the potato plants that might just tide us over until we go on holiday.

 

Finally I spent a while cutting back the comfrey which was starting to get invasive again, before watering everything that needed it and heading home.  It was 9pm when I left and when I got home OH said he was beginning to worry and thinking about coming out to look for me.  Sweet.  It didn't help that I'd forgotten to take my phone.  Silly girl.