30 July 2006
Courgettes the size of footballs.
With hearts in mouths we ventured down to the lottie today, terrified that thigh-high weeds were all we would see, and although our plot is full of thriving bindweed and very thirsty crops, what we saw was not so very disheartening.
We stayed only for about an hour, filling up two bags with weeds, but we also came home with food, including enough courgettes (and, ahem, marrows - well, we’ve been away for a while, what do you expect?) to finally lay my ‘I don’t seem to be able to grow courgettes no matter what I do’ demons to rest once and for all.
When we arrived at the allotment we were greeted by Pappy, a new plot holder who, I am proud to say, found his way to our happy Warstock Lane site via P’Soup. Pappy and Dougie his pal (sorry - I didn’t catch a name, please fill me in!) have done some amazing work on the overgrown plot they have taken on and are clearly full of energy and enthusiasm. I gave them a little harvest of courgettes (So many I’m giving them away! Who’d have thought?), potatoes and onions because new people should always be encouraged.
There was encouragement for me too, when I spotted that our squash plants seem to be thriving and developing fruit, in spite of the bindweed tangled all over it. It looks like we’re going to have a whole load of Turks Turbans and Golden Apples Buttercup Squashes, so I hope they taste good.
Tomorrow we’ll be back to continue the truly entertaining job of pulling up the perpetual weeds. Joy. Note to self: it is sensible to wear something with long sleeves for weeding in between the prickly courgette plants.
Filed under: Hard labour, Harvest — Clare @ 7:20 pm
hi clare…..its pappy’s pal…..dougie. sorry i wasnt very sociable today…i was hot,tired and my lad was doing my head in.hopefully we will speak in the week.sorry our plot looks like the dingles garden but me and pappy have got some BIG ideas and just collect things on our travel.hopefully by next spring the plot will be how we want it and be able to start planting.speak soon….doug. p.s our blog is allotmentlads
(30.07.06 @ 9:40 pm)
Hi Dougie - great to hear from you! I can’t believe you’re apologising to me about how your plot looks when mine is currently weed central with a few metres of black plastic thrown in just for variety. I’m not exactly RHS gold medal material!
I’ve tried to find your blog but have had no luck. Can you give me the full address so I can have a look and add you to my list?
(30.07.06 @ 10:52 pm)
Introducing new members to the allotment? I hope you are on commission
As for the allotmentlads blog, here you go (I love Google, me)
http://pappyanddoug.blogspot.com/
http://allotmentlads.blogspot.com/
Not sure why there is two though, but I’ll add both to the WB site for good measure.
hb
(31.07.06 @ 8:37 am)
Madam, an overgrown courgette is not a marrow which is a joy to behold in it own right. But I wont argue with your squashes, they look like the real thing.
(31.07.06 @ 9:22 pm)
Mr of the Burro - How did you manage to have more Google luck than me? And I thought I was a creative Googler!
Gnome - My apologies. But then, that’s what I like about this blogging malarky - you learn so much from other people.
(01.08.06 @ 12:15 am)
I have to confess that I got nowt from Google too, but I guessed they’d be using Blogger and did a search there. Sneaky Burro
(01.08.06 @ 9:46 pm)
Sneaky indeed. But that’s why we love you.
(01.08.06 @ 11:21 pm)
Shhhhh! Owen and the mistress don’t know
(02.08.06 @ 6:38 pm)