As we approach July’s two-third waypoint I think it’s safe to say that it’s been a blooming great month here in Devon – scorching hot (too hot for some, I’m sure) for the first section, followed by a mix of warm, wet and sunny days for this current one. It seems that this kind of weather is great for a gardener – all of my plants seem to be loving it.
Making the most of the weather
With us having such good weather I’ve deferred my bigger allotment jobs in favour of doing more enjoyable things with my friends, e.g. cycling, drinking cider. I’ve literally limited my time at the plot to watering and minimal weeding. As such, the allotment’s looking a bit tatty, and is in need of a good old tidy-up! The rest of July and August are looking pretty busy too, so I probably won’t get around to any of the major jobs I have lined up until September.
Progress update
Here’s a run-down of the things I spotted last night at the plot…
Blackberries galore
Despite aggressively chopping out 99% of my blackberry bush, the remaining 1% has taken really well this year and is producing the juiciest, sweetest blackberries.
I had just finished at the gym though, so I think anything sweet and juicy in my mouth would’ve been the nicest!
Successful strawberries
I wasn’t too optimistic about the strawberries I’d planted – I was told that squirrels, mice and all sorts of creatures would find their way in and demolish them. I determined that wrapping them in a fine mesh cage should provide sufficient defence against them – it seems to be working…
Popping pumpkins
My pumpkins are coming along nicely – I’ve found three so far, each in different stages of their lifecycle.
I can’t say so much about my butternut squash, but maybe I should’ve put them into their own bed (I’ll do that next year).
I’ll certainly have higher expectations of my pumpkins next year too – this is the first year that they’ve done anything other than fill me with a false sense of hope! They’ll get their own raised bed.
Fantastic flowers
This is the first year that I’ve really gone floral on the plot – I grew Dahlias last year, but this year decided to plant a bed-full of different flowers. I do still struggle to identify them but they brighten up the plot and make me feel like I know what I’m doing! Definitely recommended. Here are some more photographs of them:
Looking ahead
Well, with the weekend looking a bit wetter, I did plan to spend time sorting the flat out a bit (there’s a lot going on here in August), and a little bit of time at the plot. As it happens, I’ve got some friends visiting so we’ll probably get ourselves into some bother. If there are any good photos, I’ll make a post! Have a good one yourself!