2019-11-03 20:11
Or as I prefer to describe it, a green manure harvest. Somewhere under the canopy of unwanted plants is the strawberry bed. I seem to have lost the ability to grow strawberries… Read More
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Follow the up's and down's of a plotter in West London
2019-10-27 08:20
As I came to write this post, I discovered that I haven’t taken many harvest photos as in previous years. I mean there are only so many angles from which to photograph a carrot o… Read More
2019-10-21 07:01
I’m still deadheading regularly and the blooms keep coming, but there is a chill in the air and it can only be a matter of time.
Before that time arrives, I’ve cut another bunch… Read More
2019-10-19 18:33
The most important part of this, other than the well-drained soil is selecting your tulips. Sarah made me a 20% off offer which I thought would be rude to refuse. I’ve gone… Read More
2019-10-17 21:24
This year I have tuned back into propagating plants from cuttings and so far it’s going well. I’ve also been more successful with autumn seed sowings for flower plants.&nbs&hell…Read More
2019-10-13 18:13
I was reminded by Frogend dwellers post about this exhibition that I have yet to share my photos from an evening at Kew in September.
When I look at FD’s daylight photos, I realise wha… Read More
2019-10-07 19:01
You would think, this being my third build, that it would all go swimmingly. Nope, just made different mistakes. What have I learnt from those mistakes? If I ever need to b… Read More
2019-09-26 21:08
If only all problems could be resolved just by applying bigger clamps…
This is the latest instalment in what is becoming the saga of the polytunnel re-build. I’ve mentione… Read More
2019-08-21 08:56
I enjoy August at the plot. There’s a long weekend to forward to, always spent at the plot and often with a project to start and/or to finish. This year it will be to compl… Read More
2019-07-06 11:03
This seems to be an annual post, where I tell you how amazing the peaches are. This year is definitely the B E S T ever. 2020 has a hard act to follow.
Bonaza peach is positively… Read More
2019-07-03 20:49
My eldest son has joined the family interest in photography. These are some photos taken at the plot – hence collaboration. My hidcote lavendar attracting the bee models.&n&hell…Read More
2019-06-25 20:38
These eryngium are smothered in black fly. I had been squirting water jets from the hosepipe but then it dawned on me; no pests = no predators. When I took this photo last week t… Read More
2019-06-14 10:16
I wanted to show you the herbaceous border in all it’s shaggy loveliness.
Some parts have been flattened by the wind and rain, but a prune will encourage a new flush of growth and blo… Read More
2019-06-07 14:13
The tightly held buds have been teasing me and promising to open for a week or so. The sun arrived last weekend and the peonies decided conditions were right to show off their beauty… Read More
2019-05-25 09:22
Five days ago, this was the size of my fist and a polite side dish for two. Now it’s bigger than my head and could feed a family of four for a week.
This is what happens when you… Read More
2019-05-18 06:40
As is the usual way with cauliflowers, they arrive within a few days of each other and they aren’t good at waiting.
I find boiled cauliflower the stuff of childhood nightmares; bland a… Read More
2019-05-16 18:26
This could well be one of those ‘be careful what you wish for’ moments. After three successive broad bean crop failures, this is turning out to be a bumper year that has co… Read More
2019-05-07 08:14
I’m picking broad beans from the tunnel, which means that sufficient streamlined pollinators found them! I think next year, they need to go in the main bed by the door.
In other… Read More
2019-04-26 07:28
In addition to the bank holidays, I took an extra day either side. It was perfect weather for plotting and that’s where I spent most of my time.
In between weeding, potting on an… Read More
2019-04-14 18:35
Life in the tunnel is thriving. Come with me for a closer look.
The dahlias are on schedule for a late May planting out date. Cafe au Lait is the slowest to get going but I&rsquo&hell…Read More
2019-04-09 07:34
In all the time I’ve been allotmenting, I’ve never managed to get around to forcing rhubarb. I’ve always had at least three crowns so that I could, but it’s one… Read More
2019-04-07 19:34
The asparagus has put in an appearance and this year and I take a light cutting, unless Billy the canine UG gets there first. Being a gourmet labrador he is partial to a spear or two… Read More
2019-04-07 08:12
I thought it would be interesting to review and share progress this March compared to last.
Things are definitely ahead of last year and it’s surprised me by how much.
Peonies –… Read More
2019-04-05 07:18
It’s that time of year known as the ‘Spring shuffle’. Trays and pots move from the greenhouse to beds in the polytunnel or to the outside tables. In an ideal wo… Read More
2019-04-03 18:57
For anyone who’s expecting to read a rant about the values of the youth of today actually, it’s about tulips and broad beans cross-pollinating. Not with each other –… Read More
2019-03-21 09:35
I’m startled by the huge temperature range inside the tunnel but everything seems to be thriving.
The peach blossom is up to its usual standard but the chief pollinator has been slacki… Read More
2019-03-18 19:03
I had a full day at the plot and got a lot done, more by chance than design. I’ve taken on a new under-gardener and it turns out he’s a willing labourer (yay!) UG spe… Read More
2019-03-17 20:09
Two circuits of the park is part of Billy’s routine and I go with him as he doesn’t like crossing the main road.
During the week, this is a quick scurry to get there and back bef… Read More
2019-03-05 10:22
There’s an Orchid Festival in the Princess of Wales Conservatory at Kew Gardens this month. I’ve a new camera to play with and it would be dry and warm inside – what… Read More
2019-03-04 09:16
Purple sprouting broccoli is such a treat. I cut the last romanesco last week (you all voted for that being a cauliflower!), so I was pleased that the succession planning has finally w… Read More
2019-03-02 21:10
Some say this is one of the dark arts of gardening. There are a few principles to follow but it’s really quite straightforward:
Sharp and clean secateurs and/or loppers
Make slop… Read More
2019-02-28 08:32
It’s a new to me, pre-loved bargain. It’s a proper DSLR with manual focus and lots of other bells and whistles, so as a learner second-hand made sense.
I’d walked pas… Read More
2019-02-26 10:15
It’s a strange vegetable and I was expecting the boys to pronounce it the Devil’s brassica. One won’t eat it as it’s green (and he’s 25!) but the other ha… Read More
2019-02-24 22:02
I’m convinced the collective strawberry harvest for 2018 was the best on record, yet my strawberry bed failed to produce and the berries that did form looked perfect on the outside but… Read More
2019-02-03 20:37
I took these photos on Thursday morning in the park with Billy. I was so struck by the ice crystal formation, I was brave enough to take off a glove in order to take the shots.
The way… Read More
2019-02-03 16:28
I went to the other dot org place with a beautifully designed website complete with fancy logo and I wanted to love it but I couldn’t settle; the sense of community just wasn’t t… Read More
2018-12-15 20:33
Welcome to my new London Plot website. My son designed and uploaded it and created the logo – what do you think?
I’m running the wordpress.com and wordpress.org sites together… Read More
2018-12-15 20:26
My website is moving from wordpress.com to wordpress.org.
I’m told you won’t notice a difference, but I’d like your feedback before I press the big red button.
I’m mo… Read More
2018-12-10 19:33
I took on an allotment because I enjoyed the process of growing; the hard labour of digging (although I’m over that now) through to the creative planning of what to grow, when and wher… Read More
2018-11-24 20:36
Compost has been a popular topic for blog posts this month – who knew I’d ever type that statement!
Anyhow, now that I’m a compostista – being a fashionista is so la… Read More
2018-11-19 12:19
Hands up who struggles to get decent parsnip germination, even with super fresh seeds – yep me too.
In my final year at Park Road, I left a parsnip in the ground and it threw out prett… Read More
2018-11-14 19:49
You may have noticed that I’ve not been around a great deal in the past few months. Quite a lot has happened in my life in the past six months and at the time I didn’t want… Read More
2018-07-13 07:00
Last year, I wanted to see if I could grow flowers and veg plants that other people wanted to buy and so London Plot was born (the insurance company wanted a name!)
This is strictly fair wea… Read More
2018-07-09 07:02
I have two peach trees in the polytunnel but for the past two years they have both been seriously infested by red spider mite. Last year I sent in the nano warriors to do battle and ju… Read More
2018-06-25 07:14
You will have realised by now that I adore flowers and grow more than is sensible for one household, but then sharing and gifting is a lovely side-effect of allotmenting.
I mostly focus on f… Read More
2018-06-22 08:52
The cucumbers are ready! Read More
2018-06-20 20:32
I wanted to say ‘fork to fork’ but this is no-dig, so that would be taking artistic licence a little too far.
Anyhow, everything on the plate came from the plot which makes me fe… Read More
2018-06-07 07:29
My efforts to have a more restrained and less jungly polytunnel are being ignored by the plants. The cucumbers and tomatoes are the main culprits. They seem to have almost shot o… Read More
2018-05-31 07:02
The flowers at the plot are really getting into their stride. The first flush is always the loveliest, perhaps because I’ve watched and waited while those first buds swell before… Read More
2018-05-29 07:53
What is the purpose of an allotment in the 21st century? There are at least a thousand different answers to that question. For me and I suspect for many others, it’s the tr… Read More
2018-05-28 07:33
The peony and rose season is here, and this vase is the first cut.
Duchess Nemoirs is the first peony to open but Sarah Bernhardt will be a close second. Gertrude Jekyll and Louise Odi… Read More
2018-05-23 21:35
I’m back from an afternoon at Chelsea. My overall impression from the show gardens is this year is generally a subdued colour palette, mostly whites through to mauve and almost e… Read More
2018-05-21 20:45
The bees love, truly, madly, deeply, these alliums. These purple globes were a hive (!) of activity at the weekend; the word was out that there was good stuff to be had at the base of… Read More
2018-05-20 20:31
This is Madame Alfred Carriere who last year suffered the indignity of being uprooted from the back garden in order to make way for the bat cave. If that wasn’t bad enough, she w… Read More
2018-05-12 20:47
The title isn’t strictly true, I’ve been harvesting purple sprouting broccoli since March and although it’s been delicious there’s something about the first strawberr… Read More
2018-05-07 20:54
The tulips put on a brief show this year. The alliums burst on to the scene this week. They remind me of fireworks with their dozens of individual star-burst flowers. The b… Read More
2018-04-30 19:03
A zingy mix of euphorbia and Queen of the night tulips arranged in the carry-home jug.
and at home where the tulips appear to have taken centre-stage.
Thanks to Cathy over at Rambling… Read More
2018-04-29 19:07
Remember those sad, weedy seedlings that looked like a lost cause in February?
They perked up! They are now in long paper pots, waiting for the first flowers to form before being trans… Read More
2018-04-28 16:45
These photos were taken last weekend. The cloud state this weekend is back to normal
The pear and cherry blossom suddenly exploded, as if bored with the wait.
Here’s Merton Prid… Read More
2018-04-03 07:47
Which is just as well, otherwise Monday would have been a day of housework. As it was, I had three hours of pottering, seed sowing and dahlia lifting to keep me occupied; then I came h… Read More
2018-04-02 07:11
The sweet pea hedge grown against the side of polytunnel was a huge success last year and so naturally, I want a repeat performance this year.
I planted out the hardened-off seedlings today… Read More
2018-04-01 16:52
The same thing happens every year; the rhubarb sends out new leaves and for the past ten years, I’ve not paid the process too much attention.
But look at these leaves, they are an arch… Read More
2018-03-29 19:22
This is another in the ‘sad’ series…
My dahlias were superb last year.
Nuit d’ete and Karma chocolate provided the dark and moody backdrop for the pastel shades of c… Read More
2018-03-27 07:25
Peas in the polytunnel were very successful last year and this year’s seedlings are growing well, despite being nibbled by an uninvited bean weevil type.
This weekend, I sowed enough s… Read More
2018-03-26 08:58
In spite of the Beast from the East, the plot is shaking off its winter grey and turning several shades of fresh green.
My blog record from last year tells me that at the end of March 2017… Read More
2018-03-24 21:37
I did wonder if the PSB would bother this year, being about 4 weeks behind usual production. Last week, there were just huge shrubs of green leaves but yesterday I spied purple buds ne… Read More
2018-03-18 14:28
Spring equinox is two days away, so I see this weekend as winter having it’s last hurrah (please take note winter) It’s also an opportunity to post some photos of Billy enj… Read More
2018-03-08 08:37
I know accordingly to Meteorologists, spring has already arrived but in the garden most plants still know its a bit too cold and dark to make an appearance. But, things are stirring&he&hell…Read More
2018-03-05 20:29
I asked the audience and the majority were for potting on rather than composting…
Yesterday was a lovely day to be in the greenhouse and the result is two trays of tomato seedlings, s… Read More
2018-02-22 09:47
The early tomato and cucumber seedlings are weak and weedy on the kitchen window sill, clinging to life. In the greenhouse, things are looking much better – mostly because these… Read More
2018-02-18 21:23
What was I thinking? I’ve been sowing and growing seeds for the past ten years. I know that I don’t have the facilities to manage very early seedlings. So what… Read More
2018-02-08 21:34
I don’t have space in the home garden for a decent sized herbaceous border, but decided that I could make space for one at the plot. Everything at the plot has to have a purpose… Read More
2018-01-26 08:15
You may recall last year I began a very unscientific experiment to determine if no-dig would work, particularly in terms of suppressing couch grass and my ability to generate/find sufficient… Read More
2018-01-22 08:27
This time last year, the tunnel was still under construction. This year, I’ve no excuses to not utilise it. I missed the autumn planting window, so I’ve been keen to… Read More
2018-01-20 20:25
A week of all-inclusive January sun was just what I needed but I’m just too fidgety to lay by the pool all day. I explored the flora of the southern part of the island; wikipedia… Read More
2018-01-09 09:37
One of the many things I enjoy about blogging is sharing and trying out new ideas and recipes. Some work and some don’t.
This recipe for a chocolate yogurt cake definitely worked… Read More
2017-11-20 22:04
I know, it seems a little wrong to be talking about salads in mid-November. Does it help to know this is a warm salad?
I have a lot of beetroots, carrots and cavolo nero to munch throu… Read More
2017-11-13 07:15
This is a good description for my plot activity last weekend. For the first time I lifted dahlia tubers and I was surprised to see how much growth the tubers had made in the 5 months t… Read More
2017-11-11 12:01
These photographs were taken last weekend when the sun was shining and the sky was blue.
Last weekend was all about clearing, lifting and mulching so it was good to see some herbaceous plant… Read More
2017-11-04 21:13
2017 has been the first full year of growing and harvesting on plot 48. It’s been a good year; here are the highlights:
The polytunnel produced fantastic harvests, more than I co… Read More
2017-10-29 22:39
But that’s it now; this is definitely the perfect spot for the compost bins.
Why move them at all I hear you ask? Well, itchy fingers means a girl needs a winter project and the… Read More
2017-10-25 20:21
These magnificent dinner plate dahlias were planted in May in the optimistic hope they would be in flower at the end of August to be the star of the wedding flowers. There were three e… Read More
2017-10-15 18:44
And still I didn’t write. What can I say, life has been on the fast spin cycle for a while. I’m not sure it’s settled yet, I suspect this is a brief lull. … Read More
2017-08-28 21:17
I’m just back from a long weekend away during which time flowers were cut, loaded, transported and finally arranged at the hotel.
The wedding was at the Hilton in Dartford, which is a… Read More
2017-08-21 22:24
I fear the blooms have peaked a week too soon. I picked an armful of white Perfumella and peach Chandos Beauty. I’m hoping there will be some more buds by Thursday afternoo… Read More
2017-07-24 05:48
Weddings are stressful and I’m just supplying the table flowers! This is my first practice using the bowls and gel beads selected by the bride. There are four weeks to go u… Read More
2017-07-19 06:28
It’s a while since I posted a plot update. In general, more is growing than is dying! There is a steady stream of harvest both edibles and floriferous. My neighbours have b… Read More
2017-07-17 08:30
A little posy in a jade green milk jug. These were grown from saved seeds and of course, the name has been lost! If anyone recognises the variety, please let me know. In th… Read More
2017-07-15 07:24
Another update from the postage stamp:
Watering
The garden started the week basking and baking in our south-facing aspect, although the garden room and next door’s unwillingness to pru… Read More
2017-07-10 18:08
Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase, arranged with flowers and foliage from the garden (or in my case, the allotment cutting patch… Read More
2017-07-05 10:30
A picture diary of inspirations, learning and loveliness Read More
2017-07-04 06:08
Six weeks ago, the main cutting patch looked like this.
I say main cutting patch as the number of flower plants has exceeded the capacity of two 10×4 beds. The dahlias are co-lo… Read More
2017-06-20 06:46
I grow a lot of flowers at the plot. These seem to be more appreciated at home and I enjoy growing them. As well as growing for the vase, there are marigolds and nasturtiums as c… Read More
2017-06-13 06:15
I completed the second set of tying-in this weekend. It’s a task that doesn’t need too much mental effort and the repetition of cutting twine and tying in stems is mindless… Read More
2017-06-12 21:04
Meet the Billy the Labrador and under-gardener. He’s ten this year and has always come to the plot with me. He likes to go off for a bit of a wander, a sniff and general pe… Read More
2017-06-12 06:33
There’s a lot going on at the plot and I’ve not been paying much attention to the fruit trees and bushes. The strawberries have had my full attention, but as it’s the… Read More
2017-06-11 07:19
I refer to Madame Alfred Carriere, who I thought had met an untimely end when I transplanted her from garden to plot at the end of March, just as the really dry spell started.
Despite a gene… Read More
2017-06-11 07:00
It has to be said that I’m a better grower than I am cook – mostly because I try to fit in both activities in the same day.
My favourite summer dish that doesn’t involve sa… Read More
2017-06-10 06:06
Yes, another tale from the polytunnel. I keep saying it, but these plants are amazing. I’ve never grown sweetcorn this tall or with this many ‘ears’ but then I… Read More
2017-06-09 20:53
I haven’t grown peas at the allotment for a few years but the polytunnel offered an opportunity to get in a early crop.
I sowed Hurst Greenshaft. It’s a main crop, so perha… Read More
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