Downpours!!!

From having scorching weather on the weekend of the 9th, last weekend... and pretty much every day before and since we have had rain... and not just the wimpy kind of rain you can go out in with a coat on - this was real, soak you right through after 5 minutes rain!!! Flooding for most areas, especially in Leeds where I work when on Friday morning the police decided to close most of the roads into Leeds West as cars were driving through foot deep water, coming out the other side and breaking down!!!

With all this rain though, and `semi` warm weather everything on the Pellon Plot has put on a growth spurt, I was kept away for most of the week due to the weather and when I finally managed to call in several days later I was amazed at just how much things had grown!



Everything is looking green and lush now - including the weeds!!!



These are the main crop potatoes... they were earthed up - but must still now be almost a meter high in places! This picture above was taken on the 18th June 2007 - Compared to last year these are easily triple the size

Here is a picture of my potatoes from the 17th June 2006


hmmm, spot the difference!!!

One thing that is noticeable in my potato bed is that when it was manured last October I still had some leeks at one end, so no manure went on where these were. Now they are all growing the greenery at the end that did have manure looks a lot larger and stronger... will be interesting to see if I get bigger/more spuds from this side too!

My flowers and herbs round the shed all looking lush and fresh, the clematis on the shed looks a bit straggly, I think I should have pinched out the growing tip on this to make it bush out a bit more.



And the lobelia in the window box seems to be chocking everything else that’s in there (inc. the two sunflowers growing in it which I didn’t plant!?!?!?!)



The rain and wind has caused some casualties, my pepper plant was clean blown over snapping the stem, the rhubarb has taken a pounding - though there is new growth now coming from the centre



On a brief trip to the plot I also noticed my tiny tomato plants had been blown over too... tied them into the canes though with a little garden twine and they seem to have recovered quite well, and are now starting to flower -



The same cant be said for this onion though which seems to have taken a dislike to the constant drenching, splitting and demoting itself to compost heap!





I was going to wait till the end of the month to post some general pics, but with the amount of change in the last week heres some anyway....


Flowers round bath

Runner Beans

Undergardeners flower patch

Jap Onions

Lettuces

Blue Berries

Onions

Spring Onions

Parsnips

Apples

Carrot! (singular!) with an additional sowing made at the side of it...

`Sunflower Wall`

Leeks... STILL not quite the thickness of a pencil!!!!!!!!