Nice To See Some Rain

In 2025, Sutton, Surrey has experienced a significant drought, with April being the sunniest and third warmest since records began, and with only half the average rainfall for the area. Specifically, the Sutton Guardian reports that February had 44mm of rainfall, which was below the average of 55mm, while the Sutton Guardian also states that between March and May, only 30.5mm (1.18 inches) fell, less than 20% of the long-term average of 161mm (6.3 inches). While June saw 45% more rain than the annual average, with 90.5mm (3.56 inches), the Sutton Guardian notes that summer rainfall tends to evaporate or soak into dry soils, meaning the underground water resources were not significantly replenishing. 

Beds 15 & 16

No visit yesterday as I had an appointment with my Rheumatology consultant, today the temperature was around 17C overcast with Sunny spells and I spent a good few hours on the allotment today.

Nice to see the Climbing French Beans and Cucumbers starting to climb up the mesh fencing to the climbing frame greenhouse

Climbing French Beans and Cucumbers starting to climb up the mesh fencing to the climbing frame greenhouse

Nice to see the Climbing French Beans making progress vertically and getting away from slug and snail territory 

Longitudinal Apex braces cut drilled and fitted to the two raised beds on what was bed 15. A couple of the tomato plants have been moved out of the potting shed and placed under the netting.

More mares tail showing and removed from the un-netted Bed 15 before the hoops were installed. Bindweed pushed back along the Daleks behind bed 16 & 15. 

Weeds coming up on the Asparagus beds again, I will have to bring the strimmer to the allotment and knock them back again.

Raised Bed 16 cleared of weeds, the spoil heap needs to be weeded and the humus material decanted into buckets and 30 litre plant pots with handles.

Spoil heap on the rest of bed 16 to be weeded and decanted into square flower buckets & 30 Litre plant pots with handles.

Dwarf French beans germinating. 

Typical I had given up on the Beetroots germinating and planted the dwarf beans and they both come up. Beetroots pinched out in favour of the dwarf French bean.

Started removing the bindweed on the first raspberry bed that needs a cage constructed ASAP.

Late Watering Visit

No photos taken a swift late afternoon early evening visit to the allotment to water the the spuds in 30 litre plant pots with handles, the French climbing beans and burpless tasty green cucumbers in the climbing frame greenhouse, bed 15 again and the sowings and plants on the potting shed bench.

I did manage to get ex fireman Andy from plot 12 to lift my last 70 litre sack of peat based Clover out of my compost bunker and put it in a wheel barrow for me. I'm glad I can call on physically fit plot neighbours to help me. 

Following the cancer I also have a yet unnamed autoimmune disease. There are more than 80 types of autoimmune diseases that affect a wide range of body parts. Autoimmune disease happens when they body's natural defense system can't tell the difference between your own cells and foreign cells, causing your body to to mistakenly attack normal cells. 

This has left me with lack of strength, mobility issues and arthritis in all my joints. Tomorrow I go to see my consultant at St Georges hospital and will start my course of steroids, before reverting to autoimmune medication, and hopefully get some of my stamina, strength back and regain more mobility.    

30 Litre Plant Pots With Handles

I have 10 of these little beauties coming my way today, only problem is the couriers track app is so very naff and gives no indication what time they are likely to arrive. Not my first purchase of these from Oakland Gardens. I take a soldering iron to one of the handles to mark them with my initials as some have historically gone walkies from my plot. 

Oakland Gardens | Gardening Supplies for Home & Trade 

Evri didn't send me the delivery time until the start time had expired, then they sent me an updated time for delivery 5 minutes after it had been delivered and with the same time stamp confirmation that the parcel had been delivered. 

Oakland gardens terms at purchase was three working days, so its a bit of a shocker finding the next day delivery sticker on the stack of plant pots with handles.  

Bed 15 & Climbing Frame Greenhouse

Speed Feed pipes installed in Raised Bed 15, which will be sown with carrots seeds eventually once I have cut and drilled a timber to hold the top of the arch of the hoops and cut the netting to fit the bed. 

The Speed Feed Pipes are no longer sold so I will visit a plumbing shop and buy some pipe and fittings to make some for the bed behind in the photo.

Speed Feed Pipes, basically a gully with a pipe with holes in along its length that I got off Freecycle a few years ago

Trench dug to the depth of the gully

Trench excavated and Speed Feed pipes installed so the top of the gully is at bed surface level and the pipe level-ish. 

Speed Pipes once covered and the soil leveled off again. I watered the bed and also watered via the speed pipe as this bed is really dry as we have not had a lot of rain. I washed the paving down as they were covered in dry weed cuttings, that makes the area look cleaner and a bit brighter and more loved.

The job that is taking way too much time, removing the mares tail and bind weed from the Climbing Frame Greenhouse. I just wish that French climbing beans and cucumbers grew as fast as bindweed !

Crushed egg shells, to deter the slugs and snails and Cucumbers planted but with small capped sticks to hold the plants upright to make them a little harder to get at for the slugs and snails

The remainder of the Cucumbers were planted on the bed by the entrance

Still some mares tail to be removed but if I keep an eye on these beds now I can keep removing it as it comes up until the remainder of the climbing plants and the dwarf French beans have grown large enough to be transplanted.

Planning and Reviewing June In Previous Years

Reviewing the diary over the last Twelve years for June

2013 - Potting up tomatoes & peppers, potatoes, cabbages, sprouts and sweet corn, dug beds 7 & 8  

 

2014 - Watering system installed on Mill Green plot 1A, Potted up Tomatoes into buckets, installed bed 12, Marrows in manure covered in cardboard. Beetroots, Harvested the first bunch of Spring onions. Harvested first early potatoes from buckets. End of the month bed 13 completed, second bed of runner beans sown.         

2015 -  Not many posts in the blog for this month in this year, it was however my first Vlog from the plot. first year trying French beans the family didn't like them and it they have not been grown again since. Potted tomatoes from vending machine cups into pots that were taken to the grow house on the plot. First year growing Marketmore cucumbers. Sweetcorn planted on Fathers day, First year for successfully growing a whole bed of Parsnips. First year for peas. Cherries on the cherry trees. Sent two Crimson Crush tomato plants.   

2016 - Very cold June. Grow House heaving with plants, Burpless Cucumber transplanted into pots, Tomatoes potted on from vending machine cups, Sprouts failed and I had to buy some. Third sowing of beetroots, First year for celery. Flooding at Wallington Railway Bridge

Second sowing of sweetcorn due to slow germination then the first sowing germinated after the first ! Drying Coffee Grounds

Mill Green - Runner beans planted out, sweetcorn planted out into beds mulched with cut comfrey, Sprouts planted out,    

Spencer Road - Onions, Potatoes, Beetroots and infrastructure works. 

Home - Tomatoes finally get transplanted into flower buckets.  

2017 - Due to wife being very ill and in hospital a couple of times, everything was late and many things just didn't happen. Sweetcorn was sown about a month later than usual, so were Beetroots, and the first early spud in buckets experiment for SoilFixer was also a month late. Very large double size Dalek picked up off Freecycle for Mill Green

2018 - Community work, clearing weeds from plot 4 for Sarah who has burn injuries and can't work her plot.  Crimson Crush & Rapunzel tomatoes planted on the plot.  Lark Sweetcorn planted, Moving slabs and kerb stones from Spencer Road to Mill Green, Sold my Handy Tiller & Generator that I had bought and had never used, Trimming tomatoes and giving a Comfrey feed, Butternut Squash in the bottom of Plot 1. Clearing Spencer Road Allotment and bringing items to Mill Green. Sowed more carrots, Spring Onions in cut down flower buckets, 24th June Cucumbers transplanted, Fixing the chairs, Comfrey pipe from Spencer Road plot set up on Mill Green, Shed maintenance replacing feather edge board, Trees from Jersey Plants Direct, 

2019 - Lots of potting up and growing in the Space Saver Greenhouse, Purchased CMH Heavy Duty Plastic Trays,  Lots of rain and flooding in the early part of the month. The contractor working on the property behind the wall cut down the trees and left branches on my shed. Lots of plums on the tree and the some bastard picked them all!  Beetroots disappointing this year wiped out by the intense heat and slugs. 24th June Butternut squash planted out, cucumbers starting to climb their framework, Trial of Nemaslug sent but they had to be stored in the fridge!, Weekend Heatwave with temperatures in 40C .Watering visits as a very dry and sunny June, Potatoes in buckets drying out very quickly, must consider toeing into the bed next year.  

2020 - Due to Covid and the lockdown I  didn't visit the allotment during June as I was shielding my wife. My daughter and son in law visited and tried to keep the allotment tidy and undertook weed management. All of my growing was done in the back garden.

2021 - First week potting on tomatoes into vending machine cups. Met Jane from idverde and she undertook the plot inspections and served no cult letters on two of the plot holders. Planting Sweetcorn into the beds. Gherkins and cucumbers potted on. Second week of June really hot and dry, mid week watering visit required. 300mm x300mm paving slabs off Freecycle used to make the path between SFG Beds 1 & 2. Making tomato planting membrane for the new narrow beds on the plot. Buying 3" spring clamps to hold the debris netting to the tube was a game changer . Lined the inside of the plot 1 Greenhouse with blue Debris netting and made it look like a TARDIS. Beetroot bed a third sown and growing. Tomato Bed 2 weeded, compost added and plants planted. Path between Rhubarb Beds 1 & 2 weeded and formed. Quadgrows finally set up in the plot 1 greenhouse.

2022 - Lots of Raspberries harvested this year, Onions harvested before they go to seed, First trial of Postiplugs from Suttons, Planting Membrane production, Kelly and Emma cleared Mares Tail, Poor sweetcorn germination so late starting off on kitchen towel in a take a way container, Sowing Cucumbers and Courgettes.

2023 - Trying to get everything up to date because of the proposed reconstruction of my jaw. I have cut back on sowing new vegetables as my girls will want to come and see me in hospital and not be down the allotment planting out watering and weeding. Setting up the Hotbin worm farm, Harvesting Raspberries , Karmen (Red), Pink Panther (Pink) and Snowball (white) Onions and Lazy Housewife French Climbing Beans, Crystal Lemon & Crystal Apple cucumbers.

2024 - Climbing Frame greenhouse planted out and decimated by slugs and snails, Summer Solstice 20th June, Questions when viewing a prospective plot article written, Rhubarb, Raspberry and Blueberry harvest, Remedial works to the loft extension on plot 1A,  24th Yellow heat health alert for the UK, Formulating plan to alter the low framed beds on plot 1 to smaller raised beds,  Arranged a woodchip delivery end of June .Raspberries unrestrained and bindweed knitting rows together, action needed to prevent this in 2025 .End of June excavating SFG Bed 1 ready to extend and make a raised bed. 

To Do List   

Mill Green - Plot 1

• Greenhouse 1 - Currently being used to house all the cardboard to be used in the new raised beds, The Loft Conversion is failing and needs remedial works.   
• Infrastructure - Convert standard 2.4m x 1.2m beds to 2 number 1.2 x 0.9m Raised beds with a path between for bed 

Mill Green - Plot 1A

• Greenhouse 1A - Set up more Coffee to dry out 
• Daleks - Dig in the additional Dalek by the Hotbin
• Onions - Overwintering Onions and Shallots in weed bed as necessary. 
• Apple Trees - Prune & Stabilise
• Grape Vines - Prune   .

• Blueberry Ares - Weed and make a base then fence in using spare panel  .
• Potatoes In Buckets - All Now Planted 
• Beer Traps - Set Up More Beer Traps 

Sowing and Planting Plan for June    

June

Week 1              Asparagus - stop harvesting

Week 1              Cucumber (ridge) - plant out (grown indoors / shop bought)

Week 1              Carrot (early) - harvest those sown under cloches

Week 1              Lettuce - begin to harvest

Week 1              Sweet Peppers - harden off

Week 2              Cauliflower (summer) - begin to harvest

Week 2              Kale (curly) - transplant to final position

Week 2              Plum - prune from now to mid July

Week 2              Potatoes - potash feed fortnightly

Week 2              Swede - thin seedlings in stages to 25cm apart

Week 2              Sweet Pepper - move to final position

Week 2              Turnip - begin to harvest

Week 2              Melons – F1 Mangomel - Plant Out

Week 2              Melons – Rugoso di Consenza Giallo Plant Out

Week 3              Carrot Onwards- harvest as they become ready

Week 3              Cauliflower (autumn) - plant outside

Week 3              Cucumber (ridge) - prune main stem

Week 3              Spinach - harvest spring grown leaves

Week 3              Radish – Sow fortnightly

Week 3              Spring Onions – Sow fortnightly

Week 3              Lettuce – Sow fortnightly

Week 4              Cauliflower (autumn) - begin weekly feed

More Weeding

 

Sunny and 25C today on the allotment. Watering in the potting shed and crops outside. Taking the Ryobi trimmer to the paths around the beds on plot 1 and up the main path of plot 1A.

Looking up the allotment from the square foot gardening beds on arrival

Looking up the allotment from the square foot gardening beds on departure

View from in front of the plot 1 shed. paths trimmed again and Asparagus bed trimmed. Empty Square Flower buckets staked ready for decanting soil from bed 16.

Beds 15 front one with netting hoops and watering gullies to be installed. I have carrots to sow in that bed next visit.

Beds 15 front one with netting hoops and watering gullies to be installed. I need to find another two hoops for the bed on the left and make a top tie for the hoops next visit.

Asparagus bed trimmed and Empty 30 Litre buckets with handles with block or coir in and watered to hydrate.

Coir Blocks watered to hydrate, ready to add Clover Compost once I can find someone who can lift it out of my compost store for me. It's a 70 Litre sack of compost which weighs about 25kg, however now I have the yet unnamed autoimmune disease and arthritis in all my joints, they are now way to difficult for me to lift and carry. Three years ago I would have had little problem.  

Climbing French beans in the climbing frame greenhouse beds watered. I trimmed the weeds inside on the path and outside on the path between plot 1 and plot 2

Square flower buckets of soil; moved away from the mesh wall to the climbing frame greenhouse and the mares tail that was growing along the kerb stones under the mesh panel were trimmed to leave no hiding places for slugs and snails. 

Bindweed growing up the Raspberries needs removing as they are trying to extend to the neighboring line of raspberries.

Back of Rhubarb and back of the Climbing Frame Greenhouse needs clearing of bindweed and mares tail, job for another day.

Path and around Bed 16 trimmed. The mound of earth needs weeding and decanting into buckets ready for building the next section of raised beds.