Worthing and District Allotments and Gardens Association

Sunday, 31st May

Ouch! That hurt, right in the wallet. Mrs N and I just spent a few days in Paris with a bunch of fellow allotmenteers. Never again will I complain about the price of beer in England (well, not until they put it up again). A typical pint cost around £7 - £8 although one of our group saw it at over £10. On the other hand, if you were willing to risk somewhere dark and noisy you could get it fro around £6 a pint. A bottle of wine to go with your meal typically cost 18 euros and a small glass €3,70. But, hey, what can you expect? It was Paris. And Paris is lovely, I must admit, and we all had a great time. Mrs N and I have been to Paris a few times so this time we visited a few things we hadn't seen before and left out the Eiffel Tower, the boat ride, the Louvre, etc although they were visited by and impressed other members of the group. We didn't particularly go on an horticultural trip but we did seek out the Jardin des Plantes (Garden of Plants?), the Gardens of the Palace of Luxembourg and the Bois de Boulogne (huge woody park).
It seems it was time for redoing all the beds as many were empty but here's an impression of the Jardin des Plantes.

And the gardens of the Palace of Luxembourg.

The nearest we got to anything like an allotment was La Bagatelle in the Bois de Boulogne where we saw this vegetable plot.

beds like this & birds like this

But the most impressive bit in the Bagatelle was the rose gardens although we were probably a week or two early to see them at their best.

We also discovered some new cultural sites, well, new to us that is: the Orangerie museum/gallery with some huge paintings by Monet and we saw some more of his works at the Musee Monet Marmottan including some when hewas nearly blind because of cataracts. Certainly affected how he painted.

We also did lots and lots of walking, the best way to get around Paris, I think, although we did of course use the metro particularly in the evenings when going out to dinner. And we enjoyed our evening meals when all 10 of us got together determined to have a good time - and we did. Now, where to next year?

Monday, 25th May

First it was yellow, then blue and now my garden is gradually turning red, going through shades of mauve, purple and pink on the way. There's one or two bits of white as well from the choisya and the philadelphus (Mock Orange) but doesn't the poor old Mock Orange suffer from blackfly? It smells lovely while it's out but that's only for about three weeks, a bit like the lilac really and the wind here shows no mercy, does it?
On the allotment I've had a go over the weekend at strawing my strawberries. I've never done it before and I'm not sure I've done any good but one thing I have learnt is that a whole bale of straw is probably a bit much for 3 rows. Still it only cost me £2 from the Humber store. Once I'd put it on I didn't want the blasted blasting wind to blow it all off again so I then covered the lot with fleece, weighed down with several bricks. No doubt next time I visit the wind will have torn it to shreds but that'll let in the pollinating insects, won't it? They're forming berries already so probably a bit late for that.
There's been a lack of moisture recently (today excepted) and much of my time has been spent watering; the rhubarb has put up some spectacular seed heads and the onions don't appear to be shifting. Signs of a few gooseberries but they could probably do with a drop more rain as well. It had to rain today though because it's Bank Holiday Monday so good job I had a go at strimming the allotment paths yesterday where the grass has been growing really well!! There has been some warmth to help things grow too. In fact I've had to move things out of the greenhouse before they fried to death but I've covered them with fleece to protect them from the wind and the pigeons.
Indoors a squash has germinated at last but I think he could be very lonely as there's not a sign of the others so maybe I'll have room on the allotment for some other exotic - like purple carrot or stripey beetroot. Hope they don't taste like ordinary beetroot - yuk!

Thursday, 21st May

I'm afraid I just took another 2 days off there. Went up to Trent Bridge to see Notts play Hampshire in a one-dayer. The match wasn't up to much as Hants won without breaking sweat but it was nice to meet up with former schoolboy chums, all retired now of course which is how we came to be able to go and see a midweek cricket match and not many others could, I suppose. Despite a miserable forecast it kept fine all day, which is the important thing when you're sitting outside for hours on end watching somebody else earn a living. Yes, it's a hard life.
Back on the plot today and the results of all that "fine" weather, mainly a mixture of sunshine and wind here. I like the sunshine but the ground is now very dry and we could do with some of those heavy showers they keep promising but never deliver. Most of my time was spent watering and weeding - somehow the grass and the weeds don't seem to mind the lack of moisture and just keep on growing. Talking of weeds, have a look at the weed problem sent in to the Ramblings page. Can you help? (I can't) Then when I got home I decided I couldn't put off mowing the front lawn any more, especially when a friend called round and said, "I've come to tell you to mow your lawn." For once the wind came in handy as it blew the grass cuttings away but it's proving a nuisance when you want to harden things off. They're nicely protected from the wind in the greenhouse but when you bring them outside they get blown to bits. Survival of the fittest then, so in the end I should have some really sturdy plants if any survive. Yes?

Monday, 18th May

Oh, dear! I'm getting all behind. The garden and the allotment are getting away from me and what do I do? I go away for the weekend. Mind you, from what I've been told, gardening conditions weren't perfect here, mainly wind and rain. The rain we could do with, I suppose, but I could do without the wind. So today I thought I'd try a little catching up but first I had to take the car in for a service. I only bought it last year so if I'd waited I could have got £2,000 for my old 12-year old Carina on a trade-in for a brand new car which would probably have had a service thrown in. And it's got an MOT this week - what joy! Of course I then had no means of transport to get to the allotment, so time to concentrate on the garden then. But first I had to get a haircut, so a walk down the road and join the queue. Luckily there wasn't one but by the time I got back home it wasn't worth starting any big jobs so just a bit of potting up and cutting back of hedges. Then into the greenhouse. How did those slugs get in there? And to add insult to injury they were actually in a tray of seedlings 3ft from the ground. Time for slug pellets, I'm afraid. I don't like them because they cause such suffering to hedgehogs which eat the slugs and snails but I don't get hedgehogs in my greenhouse so POW! After that I felt a bit more confident about planting up one of the borders with young tomato plants - Gardeners' Delight, a very sweet cherry sized tomato which I grow every year.
Although most things seem to be romping away I've still only got 6 runners germinated and no squash and they're indoors in a propagator. Any suggestions? On the good side a clematis which last year only got to 2" high before it got clobbered by the slugs is up to a foot this year and the aquilegias seem to have spread all over. The weigelas are putting on a good show but the apple blossom has all gone now. Wonder if we'll get any apples.

Friday, 15th May

Gardening took a back seat on Wednesday. Well, no seat at all really as I opted for a day off walking with 50-odd others from the Old School in Rackham around Parham Park and the local woods. The day was nicely broken up by a ploughman's lunch and then later on tea and cakes. I probably put on more pounds than I walked off but it was a thoroughly enjoyable day and provided a different form of exercise from digging. In the evening I attended a talk put on by the doctors and nurses of the Strand surgery and on the way home Mrs N and I stopped off at the Levant on Strand Parade for a coffee and biscuit. By a stroke of good fortune there were people I knew in there and they paid my bill. How good an end to the day is that?!
Yesterday was almost gardening free as I spent the morning helping a friend shift some wood and stuff, then in the afternoon I had to take my wife shopping in town. She was looking for some new gear but as often happens in these situations she bought nothing and I got a new pair of trousers.
What little gardening I did undertake yesterday was in the greenhouse again, moving pots and trays around to try and make more room as things continue to grow beyond the scope of the windowsill. At least the nights seem a bit warmer so I think things should be OK in the greenhouse now without any heating or protection. In fact to make room I've now shifted some baskets I made up out of the greenhouse and stuck them up on the garage wall. It'll be long time before they provide any sort of display but it does give me some sort of feeling that Summer might be on the way.

Tuesday, 12th May

A bit blowy outside. The runner beans won't like it but it won't bother mine yet as they're still in the pots. Only about half a dozen have germinated so far whereas some people have got them about a foot up the poles already. Let's hope that promised rain arrives as several things, including the beans, could do with it. I oversowed the front lawn today on a promise of some rain so that's it - won't be any for days. On the other hand I am planning on a walk round Parham Park so it might just rain. Apart from my beans there's no sign of my squash either or my carrots which I sowed ages ago. The grass is growing OK though and I'm mowing in earnest now - can't keep up with the grass paths round my allotment plot but I do keep forgetting to put the strimmer battery on charge so that does hinder me somewhat.
I went along to Oak Grove College plant sale today; they've got thousands of bedding, basket and container plants at less than half the price the garden centres and superstores are charging. I bought some fuchsias to replace those I lost over the winter. The rest of the day I've been working in the greenhouse where it's a bit less draughty. Mainly I've been replacing the soil in the borders where I grow my tomatoes. At least they came up from seed OK, I've got dozens of them. Maybe I should put them on the Swap 'n Shop page in exchange for some squash!

Thursday, 7th May

Blue is the colour. Well, it certainly is in my back garden. It used to be yellow with forsythia, daffodils, tulips and primroses but now it's bluebells, cornflowers, aubretia and forget-me-nots. We've even got blue tits nesting in one of the bird boxes on the back of the house. We've also got nesting robins, blackbirds and sparrows (fledged) - not so blue - but the wildlife I'm worried about is bees. I've not seen any. On the allotment I've got a range of soft fruit including 3 rows of profusely flowering strawberries and at home we've had an abundance of apple blossom - eaters, cookers and crab - but without any bees to pollinate them they're not going to bee much good. And it's not just the fruit. What about the runner beans and so on when they come? So, let's hear it for the bees; we'd be lost without them.
Mind you, it's going to be a long time before they're pollinating my runner beans as they're still not up although I have at last got round to filling in my bean trench with a load of garden compost in readiness. No sign of any carrots either or squash but on the plus side I've got parsnips up and I just sowed them direct into the ground. It's years since I had a decent crop of parsnips and they're one of my favourite vegetables so just maybe this year I'll be in luck.
If you've got a bit of a competitive streak or think you have a nice front garden there's a couple of competitions coming up soon: Best Front Garden and Best Allotment. See the News page for details, more of which will appear in your next Plotholder. There's also a children's "Grow a Marigold" competition, details of which are also on the News page and notices will be going up on the allotment gates in the near future. I'm toying with the idea of entering one of these competitons. Why don't you have a go?

Friday, 1st May

Crickey! What a huge crowd at Pub Night on Tuesday including several first-timers. I'm glad we don't buy rounds. It seems to have become something of an institution and numbers are increasing to such a point we'll have to start booking a section of the North Star soon. If you fancy going next month you'd better turn up early - but to tell the truth I know that several regulars will be missing next month as they're going on a jolly jaunt to Paris. Paris or the local? Close call.

On the plot I have dug my tank trap bean trench but have not filled it yet and I've put in a row of onions. There's no signs of any potatoes coming up yet. Back home there are signs of courgettes but not altogether encouraging. Out of 23 seeds 6 have come up and have been up for some time but of the remainder, not a sign. They were all out of the same packet. I know I don't need 23 courgette plants but I do give some away or put them in the Church Fair so they don't go to waste. In fact 6 plants will be more than enough for our needs and probably enough to have all the neighbours pretending they're out when they see me coming with another basketful.

I went for a little walk on Wednesday afternoon as usual with our walking group but this time we went to the Dover, just off the A27 before you get to Crossbush (Think Chestnut Tree House). Why? To see the bluebells in the woods, of course. Not your garden Spanish bluebells but good old native English bluebells which are darker in colour, scented and tend to curve over more because of the arrangement of the flowers on one side of the stem. I don't know how much longer they'll be out so if you want to see them I should get your skates on. If you can't make it, here's a few pictures.

see ARCHIVES for earlier entries