Welcome to our plot!

I'm Hazel, and in Nov 2006 my friend Jane and I took on a half plot at Hill Allotments, Sutton Coldfield - we want the satisfaction of growing and eating our own fruit and veg, and to improve our diet (and fitness!).

This is the story of what happened next...........

Monday, June 13, 2011

Eight Reasons to Love June

I think that June is my favourite month of the whole year - here's why:

Sweet peas - first picking of these this evening at the Hill. The scent is divine, & I hope to be picking these over the next couple of months.

They are from saved seed from last year's packet - which incidently cost 35p in the Wilko sale at the end of the previous season.

Light nights - these are fab, fab, fab. I love them.

Peas - probably my favourite veg. And (fingers crossed) I seem to have got the supports right for the first time this year - previous attempts at pea growing include a two foot high netting (the peas grew to twice that, despite what it said on the packet); harps with a different variety on each side (the strings rotted where they touched the soil & snapped); and netting on a V of bamboo canes (too flimsy, peas intertwined, pigeons sat on bamboo supports & ate peas). Wigwams seem to be the way to go here.

Broad beans - heros of the veg plot being first out the traps in terms of harvest, & freeze brilliantly without any faffing about.

Potatoes - although even the most ardent potato fan will concede that a jacket spud is pretty much a jacket spud, those first potatoes of the year out of the warm soil, with the skin wiped off and cooked with a spring of mint, salt and butter really cannot be beaten.

Strawberries - what is there not to love here? Must try strawbs with balsamic vinegar as Nic suggests - a bit counter-intuitive, but something chimes with me enough to have a go.

Weather - despite moaning about the variable weather (and yesterday was no exception - it rained ALL DAY LONG), June is a fantastic month to sit outside in the courtyard in the evening with a glass of something tasty, being shouted at by the blackbird - sorry Mr Blackbird, but it is my garden.

Cherries - I think that this must be a good year for them. The little tree in the courtyard is weighed down with ripening cherries, with no blackfly at all (or on the broad beans at the Hill, come to think of it). If the birds come near them, I will be eating pigeon pie - have taken to posting a cat-sentry on the bench.

Come to think of it, that's probably why I get a bollocking from the Mr B when I sit out in the evening.

5 comments:

  1. I am in awe Oh Great Veg Grower. You are picking sweet peas - mine are barely out of the ground, everything looks so verdant and healthy and if I didn't like you so much I would be very envious.

    Award yourself multiple smug points and enjoy the fruits of your labour (and let me know what the strawbs with balsamic taste like ... )

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  2. Lovely time of year, you are quite right!

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  3. Your broad beans look lovely. I haven't been able to sow much this year as I'm away a lot, so am very envious! You are right - June is a wonderful time of year. Enjoy.

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  4. wow everything's way ahead at the Hill. How lovely to be harvesting already (just broad beans and strawbs here). You're right vinegar with strawbs does sound counter intuitive but it really is lovely provided you don't forget the sugar! Thanks for the link - it goes to the cheeky father-in-law post so I think this is the one your readers will want to check out if they wonder what we're talking about :o)
    http://nipitinthebud.wordpress.com/2011/05/30/first-fruits/

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  5. Thanks for your lovely comments, all - (and I've fixed that errant link, Nic - thank you for pointing it out).

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