Glorious weather!

[Mrs Ava]

What a wonderful day!  The sun shone in this part of Essex all day, and I have tan lines to prove it!  Spent the morning on the allotment and I have to say I am Mrs Chuffed of Chelmsford cos everything is growing so well!  Just about everything I have sowed has germinated, apart from one row of carrots - a complete no-show, so have sowed some more, and virtually everything I planted has continued to grow and is looking great!  Got a lot of digging done on plot numero 2, and I am so close to finishing it, so I planted 3 sunflowers and a row or peas on it to celebrate.  Tis nice to have something growing on it.

This afternoon was spent cleaning out the greenhouse.  Emptied it, washed all the glass and staging and found a couple of whopping big snails - probably huge cos they ate ALL of my melon seedlings! Put everything that needed to go back in back and am really pleased with myself!  Sitting here now, gently glowing, with a smug satisfied smile on my face, the house is spotless, the kids are asleep and happy, Ava is playing on his computer and is content with the world, the garden looks wonderful and the allotment looks great!  Just thought I would gloat quietly there for a moment or two, thanks!  ;D

[Mrs Ava]

[Wicker]

Weather not so good here today and I haven't done quite as much as you EJ but you sound so happy I'll just bask in your reflected glory anyway!!  Cheers.  :)

[legless]

it was lovely here too - which was nice for the wedding i was photographing but quite frustrating cos i wanted to be gardening!  ;D

weatehr looks even better today so enjoy it while i am travelling to todmorden and back to see a bride - just hope its nice tomorrow so i can get out there gardening!!

might put the runners outside for a taste of the outsie world this morning

[Mrs Ava]

Absolutely stunning today!  Spent it in the garden and the greenhouse.  Everything came out for a good dose of fresh air.  Allotment tomorrow, that sun had better not get any ideas about vanishing!

[ruud]

Hi E.J. here in holland the sun is shining.I have spent the whole afternoon on the lot,building some wigwams for some different types of polebeans,the kids love those wigwams i build.They sit inside it when it is all covered by a runnerbean.My potatoes are going well and the broadbeans are all in flower.I have a very old type of broadbean with red lmost purper flowers very nice to see.Tomorrow i go with one of the kids to the allotment,she wants to sow some beans and some sunflowers and some..........she wants to help her dad how lovely

[legless]

it is another great day! got a huge long list of things to do down the plot. fun fun fun!!

stared longingly at the allotments i passed on the train yesterday - even at leeds they are so  much more ahead than we are up here!

[Garden Manager]

EJ you carry right on gloating, why not after all your hard work  ;D

Weather certainly has been wonderfull. Had a whole day in the garden yesterday, and boy do I know it today! The back of the old neck was a little sore from too much sun, but it was worth it.  Made some considerable headway in the veg plot. Planting onions and lettuce (cell grown), and sowing beetroot (direct) a second batch of runner beans (the first failed), and an experiment in carrot growing - seed sown in compost filled toilet roll inners for planting out once germinated (direct sowing never seems to work on my stony soil).

Today i am taking things a little more quietly. A little gentle potting on, followed by a sort out of the cold frame and mini greenhouses, to try to get a few more things hardened off.

[ruud]

Hi everybody,got just home from my allotment.I have sowed a lot of different types of beans,like painted lady,golden of bacau,veense,halfpole white runner,kentucky wonderpole,rattlesnake,trail of tears and some russian ones.Next job to put some cucumbers in armenian and chinese snakes,at last i sowed some sunflowers.So this was a very busy but rewarding day.

[jethro]

Well we have had 2 glorious days of sunshine up here in the north, so like a fool i stripped off and now i look like a lobster  :-\  but at least it doesn't sting (yet) now i'm just waiting to peel like a snake shedding it's skin  ::) well as the saying goes ' there's no fool like an old fool' .
At least i've got everything planted in the lottie, now i'll just sit and wait for the weeds to shoot up  >:(.

[Doris_Pinks]

I too had a brilliant day today, (though a nice shade of brown, not lobster red! Sunblock Peter, SUNBLOCK!!! ;D)  went and dug loads of free very well rotted, 3 year old pooh (yipee, we love free, though the back didn't!) Then moved it to the plot. Pootled in the garden and finally finished clearing out the shed >:( Now enjoying a nicely chilled glass of chardonnay, and heading towards a long radox soak, with a good murder mystery!  Oh perfect day!! ;D  ;D  ;D  ;D

[Gardengirl]

Well done you EJ, you really have been busy.  Been a lovely weekend here in Herts, spent most of the time outside.  Not got a lottie but did put my toms in growbag and made a wigwam for some runners.  Just got carried away with the good weather so hope I am not being a bit too previous :-\   Hub and I did a spot of patio cleaning so everything looks lovely and fresh.  Been watchng the young starlings hopping round the pond trying to figure out how to have a bath without sinking, until a friendly blackbird showed them the way to the stream that runs into the pond and they were away :D    Visited a friend and had a wander round her garden, took her some of my overflow plants.  Just heard the weather forecast which said the rest of the week is going to be good, so as DP says 'don't forget the sunblock' - enjoy :) :)

[legless]

just barbequed! woo hoo!

spent 7 hours down the plot today and got loads done. people who know what they are doing are planting out sweetcorn and runners. i can't really get down again til next weekend so i reckon my runners will go in then.

had the joy of sharing my first plants - chillies all round then! i scored some webbs wonderful plug sized plants (good because my lettuce is a few weeks behind these) and 2 cucumbers potted into huge pots so 'you don't have to do anything to them love'

broad beans are quite big now, i reckon we'll be eating them in 2 weeks max.

i love allotments. hubby is not so keen and is slightly moody that i left him alone all day.

[Mrs Ava]

What a scorcher!  Had to remind myself that it is still only May!!  Down on the plot before 10 and planted my corns on plot number 2, along with 8 sunflowers and a row of french beans.  Plot number one is looking soooooooo sexy (if you know what I mean).  Everything is doing what it is supposed to do, and like you Legless, I think broadbeans will be on the menu in a week or so, along with romaine lettuce, radish, and the baby leaves from spinach and chard!  Excellento!  Then back home to spend the afternoon with Ava and the kids working on the pond.  Really taking shape now, edges almost complete.  Father-in-law has weed and fish for us, so fingers crosses, it will be up and running in the next week.  ;D

[busy_lizzie]

Fantastic weather in W/B, but a bit frustrated as so much to do and not enough time to get it all done.  Is it me or is anyone else out there struggling to keep up with  good old Mother Nature.  Working to get all my veggies in at the allotment and also work on our home garden at the same time,  - our son's annual  birthday bbq coming up.

Things going leggy and yellow in greenhouse, cabbages that I have planted have been eaten, and peas look a disaster.  Help!! ::) Poor husband having to lie around with his swollen knee up all the time, so he can't help.  EmmaJane you are a marvel - where do you get your energy from? How are you so organised with two little ones to also look after?

Weeds and grass coming up like nobody's business at the Lottie whereas two weeks ago things were looking good - have asked for a petrol  driven grass strimmer for my birthday. Keep trying to persuade myself it is a leisure activity and It doesn't matter if everything isn't perfect. Phew!! :-[ Good to get it off my chest!  ;D  ;D busy_lizzie  

[Wicker]

That's what it's all about - lots of people on site busy and enthusiastic but it was almost too hot.  Fruit bushes and strawberries especially are all looking quite magnificent, even that crucified cherry has lots of fruits on it tho I still don't know for sure what to do!! so many lettuce seedlings that I ending up planting them in a sort of small block in a corner to use as leaves - or add to compost.

Roll on tomorrow - I raise my glass to all of you, Cheers!

[Mrs Ava]

Where do I get my energy from.......caffeine, and plenty of it  ;D  I manage to get to the plot in the mornings for a couple of hours whilst the kids are at school, and now number 1 son goes on the school bus, I am at the plot before 9am, and stay until 11am to go get him.  The only day I don't go is Thursdays, well I have to go shopping at some point.  Then, if I am a good girlie, I am allowed to go for a few hours over the weekend and Ava entertains the kids.....well I think they entertain him watching cartoons and eating crisps and chocolate!  ;D  It is a juggling act, but at the moment, it is working.......at some point I will probably collapse and sleep for about a month!