Allotment gardening

I speak to my mum on the phone from Paris. My parents have been watering the plot while we've been in Brittany. But my mum tells me that she has used some weedkiller on some parts of the plot. I am not too pleased. I have always tried to do things organically over the past year and I didn't want any chemical interventions. I know my mum disagrees with that approach so maybe that's why she did it. Anyway, I am anxious to get back home and assess the state of play.

One thing I have noticed while on holiday in Brittany, is that quite a few people have put a part of their gardens or fields aside for a veg patch. There are some pretty impressive looking allotments near the house where we are staying. It keeps my mind focused on fruit and veg plans.

During a day-trip to the beach at La Baule we walk past a paper shop and quickly scan the UK papers. The international Guardian has a feature on allotments so I tell my wife to buy it. We then go for a drink outside a bar and I read the article by Sally Weale. She explains how she has just got a "dirty plot" letter from her council because it is such a state. She says the only things she could grow were: "pumpkins, squash, courgettes and runner beans, which are virtually idiot-proof."
This did nothing for my own gardening self-esteem as I had been really pleased with the strong showing of our courgettes and squashes. But now it seems any idiot can grow those. I finish my beer and head back to the beach to enjoy the fun and try to forget about my allotment for another few days.

I am off to Brittany this afternoon for two weeks. My dad has been primed to water the plot if it gets dry and to feed the tomato plants every week. I make time between the packing to race down the allotment for one last time. I have to run around like crazy as someone is using the nearest tap to my plot and I want to feed the tomatoes before I leave. There are lots of weeds all over the plot, with bind weed beginning to obscure the bins. oh well, time for some sun and sea and a break from digging.

A day off work gives me the chance to take some grass cuttings down to the allotment to dump on the compost heap. I'm not sure I've got the hang of making compost as none of mine seems to be breaking down. I follow the advice of my gardening books and cut all the foliage off my strawberry plants and try to bury as many runners as possible. I notice that some of the courgettes are getting very big. I also pull up the remainder of the pea and bean plants and throw them on the compost heap. I'm going on holiday at the end of the week and I want to try and leave the plot in as good a nick as possible.

The whole family heads down to the allotment as there are a number of jobs to do today. We begin pulling up the remaining broad bean and pea plants. The pea crop has been disappointing but the broad beans were a big success. However we didn't pick them all when we should have done and as a result the remaining beans are a bit tough. I will definitely grow broad beans again next year but have learnt my lesson and will freeze them all for later use.
I then turn my attention to finishing the job of cutting out the sideshoots on the tomato plants and tying the main stems up to the bamboo canes.
We then plant a double row of French beans and some spinach beet as well as a short row of lettuce. Hopefully by the time we come back from our summer holidays, these new crops will be beginning to show.

During a trip to Robert Dyas in Putney we buy a packet of French bean seeds, some spinach beet and a packet of lettuce seeds. I intend to plant them in the beds where the peas and beans were. I like the idea of getting a second crop in before the onset of winter.

As we are going on holiday in a week-and-a-half, I decide to dig up all the remaining early potatoes so we can concentrate on eating them all before our departure. The ground is bloody hard and it is not easy going but I get them all up eventually - and there are some real beauties among them. My wife joins me after a while and picks some broad beans while I begin the job of cutting out the sideshoots on the tomato plants. I have left it a bit late and there are some big ones and in some cases it is hard to tell the main stem of the plant from the sideshoots. As I trim them, I tie them up to bamboo canes. I have to stop after I've done about eight plants as my young son Nathan is fed up of playing among the plants and wants to go home.

After a trip to my son's school for an Ugly Bug picnic lunch,




my wife, youngest son and I head down to the plot to get some more crops. I dig up some potatoes for tonight's dinner, while Cath gets some beans. While we are digging and picking, the heavens open and we have to hide in the shed until the shower passes. We then head for home with our latest pickings. The beans turn out to be a bit tough when we have them for tea. I think I should have picked them all when they were ripe, rather than trying to pick them as I needed them. Another lesson learned.