The Lotty

We made our first visit to the lotty 4th May with the intention of cleaning up the three plots and planting up one of them.  It only took a couple of hours between us and even through the creaky joints(mine) it felt good to be getting my mitts mucky again.

The raised beds are an advantage but you still have to work.

the raspberry box

I am just leaving the raspberry box to do its own thing.  They are happily putting out runners and starting to make new plants.  Eventually I hope to have a box full of raspberry bushes.  I absolutely know they should be in nice rows and tied up to good supports and cut down at different times of the year depending on whether they are summer or autumn fruiting so why just a box of 'wild' raspberries?

• Constructing a strong post and wire support sounds like hard work and costs money.
• As yet I have no idea whether these are summer or autumn fruiting raspberries - hope to find out this year.
• I have a memory of a corner of my grandmother's garden which had been left to go wild and was packed with all kinds of soft fruits amongst which were huge and utterly gorgeous raspberries, so why not give neglect a chance.
• I am lazy.

rhubarb and strawberries

I cleared out most of the debris round the strawberry plants but not a perfect job I confess.

The rhubarb had two huge flower buds on it which I removed.  I have never actually seen a rhubarb flower - must let one go the whole way one year.  Here's why you need to remove them.  http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/seedpods  This is a link to the very best information you could ever want about rhubarb.

full of potential!

Now this looks like an exciting photo - it actually is for the gardener as it is full of stuff.  From memory, which is poor these days, I have planted peas in a clump at the back so they can fall over the sides - no supports again.

One row is shared between radish and spring onion.  Then there is the usual salad leaves, land cress, spinach, beetroot.  I have pushed three courgette seeds in each corner and will reduce to one if they take.  A single plant produces more courgettes than we can use but they are fun/easy and we can share them with friends.