At last I can’t complain about the weather being against us growers. This mixture of hot spells and rain is just what is needed to bring crops on target for a reasonable year. The outdoor crops are picking up and showing signs of cropping well, and the inside ones are doing better as well.

The courgettes have doubled in size and are showing signs of producing fruits each day. The runner beans are starting to give more than the odd bean and the climbing french beans have started too. I have eaten my first sweetcorn from the inside plants and the outside ones are fattening up as well. Last year we had a plague of rats, and they ate most of the corn on the site a day or two before it was ready, so far so good no signs of them yet.
My potatoes are not showing much sign of the tubas being affected by blight as I am digging them up, lets hope that I cut the haulms early enough.

I have lifted all my onions after the leaves had fallen over and they are drying off in the tunnel for a week or so, before I store them in crates. The calabrese is suffering because of the rain we had and it is only producing small first heads and sprouting style secondary ones.
We seem to have overcome the efffects of blight in the tunnel, the tomatoes are growing well again, minus a few leaves and some fruit, still time for more fruit to set and grow.

The experiment with cabbage in bottles seems to be getting results, they are begining to produce more leaves and are starting to heart up.

JOBS FOR THE WEEEK
1 Transplant the lettuce out. Done
2 Weed some more. Done
3 Dig over the onion bed
4 Remove old compost heap. Yes done!
5 Clear broad beans
6 Harden of seedlings. Done

WORK DONE THIS WEEK
Sunday
Dig potatoes
Pick
Water
Transplant seedlings
Monday
Dig potatoes
Dig over area for lettuce and plant out
Water
Tie in grape vines
Tuesday
Weed tomato bed in tunnel 2
Water
Pick
wednesday
Weed
Water
Pick
Thursday
No time today
Water
Friday
Remove old compost heap- At last
Weed
Water
Pick
Saturday
Working today so I only managed to water

CROPS PICKED THIS WEEK
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Sweetcorn
Broad beans
Runner beans
French beans, dwarf and climbing
Cabbage
Beetroot
Courgettes

In some ways this is a quiet time on the plot, because there is only a few jobs to get on with.
There is picking, weeding and watering most of the time, with a bit of transplanting and sowing, but nothing like the last three or so months. It is a time when you can sit back and enjoy the plot.

As you pick crops they come to an end and finish producing, then the area is cleared and unless you have a second crop for that piece of land it lies empty or you can use it for something else. If it is left empty not only does it look a mess but little things like weeds tend to take over!

The flower beds need some attention now as the flower heads are dying and need removing to keep them tidyand looking good.

The show season has started with the first show of the season. I visited the show soon after opening time and saw a good selection of flowers and vegetables on the tables. There were empty spaces for some of the classes, which I think is due to the weather which we have put up with this year.

Also some of the exhibits were not as large as normal but, again this is due to weather this year and in no way a reflection on the ability of the exhibitors. Other vegetables have grown well as they prefer lots of rain to produce foliage, like the cabbages shown.

In fact all credit must go to the growers who put the produce on the tables, in several classes I could not have entered as I have nothing ready to pick yet! In every show one entry wins the ‘best in show’ prize and this at show it went to a large pair of leeks grown by John Woods, these were a good example of show leeks and deserved the prize.

I was told that the flower classes were not as full as normal, but again the weather is probably to blame.

There was a table full of silverware to be won and the prize cards showed that there was competition for all of it from a number of growers.

To produce these exhibits a lot of hard work and dedication has gone into the growing and displaying and from the people who set the hall up for the show.

This is the first show, could you do better? Yes then get on and enter a show, the more entries the better and it’s good fun. Don’t forget the spider in thwe cave with Robert the Bruce, if at first you don’t succeed try TRY again.
The next show that I have is :-
25th and 26th September
Gorton Horticultural Society
Collier House, Wellington St, Gorton
Sat. 2.00 to 5.00
Sun 12.00 to 4.30

THIS WEEKS SHOW
Northern Moor Gardening Society
Saturday 11th August 2.00 to 4.30 pm
St Michaels and all Angels Church Hall
Orton Rd, Northern Moor.

I thought I would try a different picture to start the article this week so I have taken one of our chickens. They live in a house and run on Roy’s plot, but we share the work and the eggs. They are useful for converting the surplus crops, when they start to go past their best, into eggs and fertiliser.

The weather has at last taken a turn for the better and we can do a bit more work outside and see some results of our work this year. The beans are beginning to take off and the runners are full of flower and settting beans, the climbing french beans are a little behind with just the flowers showing.

The courgettes have also just put on a jump in growth almost overnight, I hope that they will start cropping a little better now. The sweetcorn, in the tunnel,which is touching the roof (7ft 6ins) is very nearly ready for picking, a close watch is being kept on it. The other three blocks outside are all in different stages, all now have the tassels and silks, but none are anywhere near as tall.

The potatoes have not been as badly hit with the blight as I thought they might have been. I am digging them up slowly and the usable ones are plentiful and a reasonable size, I am only throwing away a small percentage.

Life in the tunnels is more rewarding, the cucumbers are doing well as are the peppers, chillies and aubergines, all are flowering and setting fruit. The melons are also coming on well and setting fruit slowly. The tomatoes are nearly up to the roof and carrying plenty of fruit even though we have had to strip a lot of leaves and some fruit off, due to blight. One of the cucumbers has just reached the ridge pole and I will have to stop it going any further.

JOBS FOR THE WEEK
1 Finish removing old compost heap!
2 Sow more winter and late crops
3 Weed
4 Pick
5 Start preparing area for new shed.

WORK DONE THIS WEEK
Sunday
Weed celery
Remove old leaves from second brasssica bed
Dig potatoes
Water
Pick
Monday
Repair damaged standpipe
Water
Pick
Tuesday
Water
Pick
I wish I had more time or less to do!
Wednesday
Thin beetroot seedlings
Weed
Water
Pick
Thursday
Weed second brassica bed
Weed cabbage experiment area
Water
Pick
Friday
Loosen onions in ground to lift
Water
Pick

Crops picked this week
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
French beans
Runner beans
Courgettes
Cauliflowers
Calabrese
Beetroot
Sweetcorn
Spring onions

The Tatton Park show run by the RHS took place last month, and the NW Counties of the NALGAS put on a stand to publicise the allotments in the area. The stand was manned for the duration of the show by a few volunteers from the association, and our thanks go to all of them.

As many of you are aware the RHS asked if we could provide cover for their stand for most of the show. The request was made at the beginning of the show and, somehow, Ron managed to recruit enough members to cover the period, again many thanks to these members for giving up their time to help out the RHS.

All the volunteers spent some of the time working on the stand and could then have a walk round the rest of the show to see the other stands.

Other societies put on displays of produce to show off their society, and to recruit new members, one of them was the NVS some of whose members grow their produce on allotments in Manchester.

Here are photos of a few of the other stands at the show