A weekend of visitors, sunshine, corn and crowns
Where to start? With the Queen becoming the latest ‘celebrity’ to have an alotment (though not totally sure she qualifies under the enclosures act, which had thought was to protect peasants from posh people)? But happily doff my cloth cap to anything that encourages growing organic food, and the thought of HRH weeding her Heritage peas before podding them with her tiara on made me smile most of yesterday.
Lots to make me happy this weekend. Started Saturday morning, around 7am, when was joined at the allotment by Howard and Nancy is search of caterpillars (well, perhaps more Nancy than her dad). Nice to have company planting the radish row so could talk about moving the tagetes and purple sprouting before buying cherries and croissants for breakfast
Our Open Squares weekend was quieter this year. Mainly I suspect because nearby Fenton House didn’t join in. But visitors seemed to be making more effort to get there (one group had even taken in the Physic Garden first). Smaller numbers also mean more opportunity to talk, from what to do with the suppliers of biodynamic soil to the 50-year waiting list. Was especially good to meet regular commentor Deborah, who turns to have one of my favourite plots on Fitzroy Park. Will drop in for mint tea soon.
Howard was staying at Great Dixter, from where I am hoping he will return with advice on our salsify. The flowers (and there are many) are starting to seed – great heads of matted hair, like a Barbie that has been left in the bath. Still scarily ignorant about when to crop the roots…
Otherwise, did lots of watering and weeding, standing around admiring other peoples’ plots and again headed home with bagfuls of broad beans. Who could ask for more? But what’s eating well on your plots at the moment, and please, any advice on cropping salsify and what we do with the salsify flowers and their scary amounts of seed?
