Allotment - June

Earlier this week, amid all the showers I ventured up the plot to do a bit of overdue weeding.

Things weren't looking too bad and I was pleasantly surprised with the first harvest of the year just around the corner, looking at these gorgeous gooseberries.


So this weekend we'll be having gooseberry and elderflower fools.


And inspired by Paul's blog, we may even have a crack at some goose-gog jam. Gooseberry crumble is obviously a given.


I hoed the sweetcorn, which was looking nice and healthy.


Even little'uns pumpkins, which were planted out a couple of week's ago, were beginning to shoot off between the corn.


The rest of that bed is taken up with red onions and parsnips. The line of unsightly pallets protects the young corn from the stiff prevailing wind.

At the bottom of that picture you can see our wild bed to help attract pollinators. Here's a better shot, plus a close up of one of the plants that has a fantastic spherical bloom.

As for the squash, the two varieties I've planted are very different. The ugly squash are doing what I usually expect squash to do, ready to cover every inch of ground available, whereas the Honey Bear plants are looking very small and compact. They seem happy enough, though, and have even set some fruit, which is the earliest I've ever had squash on the go. 

But work is pressing, so I must stop rambling and go and earn some corn. I hope your plots and patches are doing well...