Treasure hunting

Buried treasure spotted on a plot in Weston,
Gold dubloons found beneath dark rich soil.
Emeralds hidden in tiny green sleeves.






Gold bars, purple Amethyst,










Red rubies and white pearls

Amongst
the swaying seaweed, they found shiny black pearls

and this glass globe, hand blown and

shining like a light.

Father's Day

How did yours go? Well, mine was great! Got a new addition to the clan, a Grape vine! White, I will check the name next time I'm there but I do recall it is used in Marsala wine!

My , now very much adult, children bought it for me. Eldest boy took me and it and a few things to the plot in his car(told you they were grown!), he was pleasantly surprised at the site. We took the car to the plot and emptied out my goodies before turning and returning home. He actually said he'd wanted to see the plot anyway! So despite the lacquered hair and the girlfriend, he may well turn into a gardener yet.

Apparently,girlfriend's mum is a gardener too, she sent me some sweetcorn plants(Thanks!) so she may be having an influence too.

Put some grit,coarse, into my clay soil to open it up for the grape as they like a well drained soil. I've seen grapevines in real vineyards growing in what seems to be pure flint!

Most of the old onions now dried, despite the rain and some plaited and hung up at home.

Did the french seller bit..lol

Onions are something I know we'll use on a regular basis so I'm glad they are growing well, even though most go to seed early!

The spring plantings are almost ready now so I'll just ease them up with the fork and let them stop.

landmark time, I had to pinch out the first runner bean to the top of the sticks today! Good sign.

Had a good day today, well, couple of hours. Listening to 'I'm sorry I haven't a clue' on my radio, planting out lettuces, watering in vine, digging potatoes and pulling first carrots.

Picked a good crop of gooseberries, only the thinnings but still a tart full! Can't overstate the crop I'm getting from just one bush. Amazing, but my black gooseberry didn't last, died or just didn't take. Who knows what the crop there might have come to?

The tomatoes, outdoors, are going away like little sprinters so i need to tie them in, the peas are starting to fill the pods and the currants are colouring up.

The oddest sweet william appeared today or rather, I saw it first today. White but with all pink flowers on the same head.

Onions drying on an old

bed rack,

Same onions before harvest.

Strawberries looking lovely, soon tasting lovely too!

They have been fruiting and been harvested since, more to follow.

The Blackberry is looking good and the fruits are going to be huge!

Slugs and strawberries

The rains stopped, the grass didn't! May need to rethink the cutting back weeds plan. The battery powered strimmer is as effective as swearing at slugs! May just buy a second battery pack so I can strim for longer, or for shorter if you see what I mean!
The wonderful pumpkin that I bought from the plant sale, planted out through black plastic into a rich,compost filled trench, has been pole axed by the slimy terrorists! Big plant but only one main stem so it was victim to a swift hack through by a midnight muncher. The heat caused by the sun's somewhat weak rays on the black surface meant that by the time I found the decapitated plant top it had literally fried. It was completely separated from the root system but nonetheless I was surprised to see how fast the sun had cooked the top.
I have started picking the first of my strawberries and ,yes, they are delicious! They are very elongated fruits too so all the better. I can't give you a name for the variety because, as is the tradition in allotment and domestic gardening, I was given the plants as offsets from a family member's own old plants.
The lattice I had saved for so long to use as a support for the black butte blackberry promptly snapped and fell over!
The bramble survived intact so i just need to move another old 3' bed frame base to replace it. I will then have a matching pair on the plot, the one for the tayberry is still standing firm. The Tayberry cane is itself taking a while to get motivated though.
I pulled the remaining onions from the early autumn plantings, A few, though a small percentage, have managed to reach full maturity without running to seed/bolting. The rest will need to be used fairly quickly as they won't store for long.
I now have a large wheelbarrow filled with good sized onion bulbs sat in my tiny shed!
The American land cress has germinated like weeds, or even more than weeds. The brassicas have followed suit and I have resorted to an organic/friendly spray to fight the flea beetle. The slugs are being kept at bay with the blue pellets, though as soon as i need more I will seek out the organic ones I know are now available.
Took my trays of french bean seedlings and squash family/cucurbit family plantlets to the plot. They will go straight out soon.
My green gooseberry is heavy with fruit but the black one never took root and has been grubbed out.
The peas are stretching up to the sun and the potatoes will be harvested as needed from now on.
The runners are taking hold and flying up the canes, some flowering well already.
The toms are doing OK but haven't put on a spurt yet, still getting the roots out and comfortable.
That's a point I do labour. If you grow on clay soil, is it better to start your seeds, cuttings etc. in a soil based compost?
If a plant has grown in a peat/coir based compost, is the adaption to a soil, heavy in clay, going to be slower than in a soil based starter?