14 May 2006

Tempting fate?

(Or, ‘The unshakeable optimism of the allotment gardener as she invites frost disaster’.)

As rain stopped play yesterday we took advantage of the dry weather today and finished preparing our sweetcorn bed. We have now covered it with plastic and planted out the first batch of sweetcorn seedlings through holes cut in it. Perhaps I am being foolhardy given that a harsh frost in June decimated my sweetcorn last year, but they were getting too big to stay in their loo rolls in the tray, so I decided to gamble.

Besides, this year I intend to be armed. I have just ordered what I think is the cheapest good quality fleece I can get hold of - and a 25m roll at that. I will have to wait up to a fortnight for it to arrive so cross your fingers that the weather doesn’t get too nippy before then. It would be just my luck for the stuff to arrive the morning after a viscious frost and for me to lose out on sweetcorn yet again.

Though, of course, I do have my emergency back-up sweetcorn currently germinating in the plastic greenhouse, you know, just in case.

And generally everything down the allotment is progressing well. I am very excited to see that some of my broad beans are starting to flower. Potatoes are shooting up all over. And, the plans are going well for the team raised bed building event in a fortnight’s time.

I must be at just about optimum smugness for mother nature to decide to give me a slap.

Filed under: Hard labour — Clare @ 5:12 pm