Matters of Watering

Last night just as I was dropping off to sleep I realised that I didn’t water in all of the bean plants when I planted them up. Curses. I had said that I wasn’t heading up to the allotment again until Friday, but I may have to go earlier and Attend To Matters of Watering. We came back from a long weekend of climbing at lunchtime. And our return journey took us straight past the allotment. Why don’t we drop in? suggested David. And delighted I concurred; but realised that I didn’t have my keys with the teensy gate lock that lets one in. So we went straight home instead. Must remember to always have the keys at hand – just in case such impromptu visits come up.

I went to buy groceries, went for a run, sat at my computer doing work – and all the time pouting that I wanted to put in the celeriac, cabbage and kale. David came up with a great solution. At 6pm he announced that he would drive us up there, look at the plot and while I got on with half an hour’s gardening, he would go for a run around the playing grounds at the back of the site. What a star. I was changed into my grotty gardening clothes (tattered cashmere and grubby black cotton trousers) in a flash.

It was great to show David all the progress that has occurred since he was up last in January. I hope he was impressed. The potato plants are certainly thriving. I didn’t waste much time as David jogged off to the park – I started with the beans. All the varieties I planted up in root trainers came up, except the White Lady Runner Beans, which rotted. They will have to be planted from seed next visit. Now each of the 12 supports (except for the white ladies) have either sweet peas or runner beans or French beans. Hopefully they will thrive.

Almost at a trot (and hence forgetting to water them in) I then went on to the cabbages. There are now two rows of the same variety; quite a glut I fear and they may not grow on as they were so leggy, but it’s all a learning curve. Next to them went three rather sturdier kale plants, nicely spaced. I watered these little plants, then stalked up to the busiest bed – the onions and roots. The garlic, shallots and onions seem to be doing the right thing. I weeded carefully between the plants, then hoed the bit where the celeriac is to go. They will grow into monsters, so needed plenty of space. In went the two little plants that I grew from seed. I will plant two more seeds up later – if I remember. There’s just so much to do now.

I earthed up more of the potatoes (must ask Mick next time he visits to show me how it’s done) and hoed off the small weeds in the spare parts of the legumes and salad beds.

I pulled out huge stalks of rhubarb which is to be made into a rhubarb crumble for a friend at the climbing centre – he is poor as a church mouse at the moment after a month in the Himalayas, and looks like he is in need of a bit of pampering and feeding up.

The cabbage and kale have to be protected from the pigeons and the mysterious white cabbage moth or some such pest. So it was out with the sturdy material called enviromesh I had bought back in January – sort of a strong white mosquito net. Alas it’s too narrow for the bed. David, who had come back from his run, helped me to place it over the little vegetable plants, and I finally found a use for those wretched cane supports that were going to go over the top of the beans. We pushed them into the ground and used them to hold up the netting from the cabbages. I secured the mesh as best I could, and we drove home.

Not sure what to do about the cabbage mesh. Some plot holders have elaborate and neat cages for their brassicas. I may just have to buy another (expensive) mesh and sew two together. That ought to make it wide enough to cover the whole bed.

Today on my run I went to the garden centre (pathetic bit of multi-tasking) in search of the cucumber seeds that everyone seems to recommend for outdoor growing – it goes by the ghastly name of burpless tasty green. I will now have some space for such a beast next to the rhubarb plants. No seeds to be found in the huge array of seeds at the shop, but I did find a little plant outside in the vegetable section. Not easy to carry the little thing at a trot through the delights of Camden town – but I held the pot, pressed firmly down on the soil to stop it flopping about, and ran home.

It is now upstairs with the other little plants that can go out next week. The tomato plants are turning out nicely, as are the peppers. I then got out the secateurs and did something I have been dreaming of for years. I cut the tulips growing in pots and now have two large vases of gorgeous flowers. White tulips in a glass vase, and the magnificent deep crimson parrot tulips in a favourite blue Wedgwood vase. Hopefully this will be the theme for this year – armfuls of flowers for the house.

Vegetable: Scarlet Emperor Runner Bean
How many?: 2
How planted?: On beanpole supports
Notes: Middle of plot

Vegetable: Fasold French Bean
How many?: 2
How planted?: On beanpole supports
Notes: Middle of plot

Vegetable: Polestar Runner Bean
How many?: 2
How planted?: On beanpole supports
Notes: Middle of plot

Vegetable: Kale redbor
How many?: 3
How planted?: Plants, in a row
Notes: Bed 3

Vegetable: Celeriac Monarch
How many?: 2
How planted?: Plants, in a row
Notes: Bed 2

Vegetable: Cabbage Greyhound
How many?: 7
How planted?: Plants, in a row
Notes: Bed 3