New fruit cage and latest photos

Time for a post with some photos. Here is my new raspberry cage which is made from two tripods to resist falling over. I am quite pleased to have come up with this much better-engineered solution than my original method of whacking single poles straight into the hard ground, only for them to inevitably fall over. It has so far resisted unseasonable gale force winds so should do the trick. The netting is from Harrod Horticultural and whilst expensive has withstood the test of time. Excellent stuff. In the foreground, maincrop potatoes.

Raspberry protection

Next up, strawberries are doing well and are now under netting. They are planted a bit too close together really, I will plant my next lot much further apart. They need fresh air and get mouldy and rotten if we have wet conditions, such as last year's wet summer.

Strawberry patch

 In the distance behind the strawberries you can see onions and a small row of Salad Bowl lettuce. Here is a better picture of my nice neat overwintered onion rows. They are nearly ready, they look so good it will almost be a shame to harvest them. I think I will put some speedy salad veg in their place when they come up.

Neat onion rows

 Here is a closer view of the companion planted area at the front of the plot. Allotments are a haven for all sorts of pests so the carrots are planted in between two rows of garlic to guard against carrot fly. The garlic will come out before the carrots but the chives and onions will hopefully put the flies off the scent too. I'm also using resistant variety 'Flyaway' for maximum protection.

Carrots, companion planted with garlic chives and onions

 Finally here's a long shot of the plot. Cucumbers are under the plastic tunnel to the right. The long grass on the far right is my neighbour's fruit bushes, he is, by his own admission, slowing down, and can't keep up with this bit of his plot at the moment, although the rest of it is still in perfect condition.

The plot, June 2013. Note huge young dog in background by the shed.

So much to do...

Time marches on and the allotment has really taken off. It's hard to keep up with the blog.

The old man opposite complimented me again and said the allotment was a credit to me; this is great, I'm glad old-timers have looked on and approved, it's a great feeling for a novice like me to keep getting compliments. Also I met Irene, who like me is in her first season on her allotment. She commented that my plot looked lovely and tidy from her side of the riding, although I was forced to point out that those lovely green paths between my beds are in fact mainly weeds rather than grass...

Here's a quick list of what's been going on:

• Onions are greening up well, stalks are about 6 inches high already. None have been uprooted by birds, as I planted the sets so that the tops were just covered, rather than leaving them visible on the surface.
• First early potato plants are getting big too, I have scooped some earth up around the stems as instructed by just about everyone.
• First row of maincrop potatoes are just starting to surface.
• Garlic is plumping up and should be ready to harvest soon. Have planted some carrot seeds in between the rows to use up the space and to confuse carrot flies.
• I have created a big fruit cage for my raspberries. Two posts with wire in between, covered in netting to keep birds off.
• Planted in short rows in the same bed, surrounded by fleece for protection: Carrots, spring onions, Cos lettuce, cut-and-come-again salad leaves.
• Germinated and growing on in the greenhouse: French climbing beans, courgettes, more salad leaves, red lettuces, tomatoes, chillis, peppers, chard, sweetcorn, leeks. They should all be in the ground in the allotment in a few weeks time
• Still to go: Parsnip seeds and peas need to go in this week if I get time.