- allotment
- allotment supper
- asparagus
- bees
- borage
- chard
- compost
- courgettes
- golden gooseberry jelly
- golden sweet mange tout
- gooseberries
- gooseberry jam
- greenhouse
- hanging basket
- lemon apple cucumber
- lemon verbena
- no-dig allotment
- onions
- purple basil
- quince
- radishes
- rose de roscoff onions
- shed
- snowdrops
- strawberries
- sweetcorn
- sweet peas
- tomatoes
- yellow raspberries
- zinnias
Author Archives: Ruth Paris
progress
With a bit of warmth things are progressing well, and some nice leeks and psb for supper. More seeds planted today: beetroot Chioggia / Cheltenham Green Top and yellow cylindrical as well as a white variety; two Turkish chillis Urfa … Continue reading
Posted in Allotment
Tagged Aci Sivri, Cheltenham Green Top, purple basil, Rocquencourt, Urfa Biber
4 Comments
seagrass shed
A dry May Day allowed me to paint the shed; much needed new livery to match its recently waterproofed roof. I’m not sure that the colour is as bonny as the previous blue, but it’s certainly better than the rather … Continue reading
Posted in Allotment, beans, no dig method, painted shed, Shed
2 Comments
a constructive weekend
Twisting twiggy birch brooms (sound like the start of an old fashioned tongue twister) turns out to be not only immensely absorbing but also rather therapeutic. Hours passed unnoticed as I transformed piles of branches into woven supports for the … Continue reading
Posted in Allotment
3 Comments
more mud
It’s frustrating still not being able to do much, even when the sun shines. The conditions remain such that even walking on the paths leaves my wellies weighed down by clods of clay mud… I did however clear the brassica … Continue reading
Posted in Allotment
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mud
Inspired by Charles Dowding’s no-dig philosophy, and in defiance of my somewhat calvinist nature, I am going to try this method on some of the beds this year. To add to the likelihood of success, I placed an order for … Continue reading
Posted in Allotment
2 Comments
a mouse in the compost
Turning the compost, forking it from one side over the compartment wall to the other is Hard Work, ideal for a chilly day. It was gratifying how many red worms there were, and how effective the results of their activity. … Continue reading
Posted in Allotment
Tagged autumn planted asparagus, compost, mouse
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quince and tomatoes
Rich autumnal harvest now. Mostly tomatoes (variety Crimson Blush which is indeed – praise be! – blight resistant) and kilos and kilos of quince. Last year the little tree produced just a few treasured fruit; this year, its fourth since … Continue reading
Posted in Allotment, allotment recipes
Tagged blight free tomatoes, crimson blush tomatoes, membrillo, quince, quince gin
2 Comments
mowing challenge, cucumbers & fruitfulness
The heavy old mower my friend Rob kindly gave to me is becoming temperamental. Today, after 3 wet weeks, the abundant grass paths nearly finished us both off. But the cucumbers have enjoyed the weather and I even managed to … Continue reading
in the pink
The pink theme prevails despite torrential rain – in the shape of Rose de Roscoff (aka Keravel) onions brought inside just in time and the indomitable James Galway roses putting up a brave show.
Posted in Allotment
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sweet pea arch – take 2
By popular demand (well, two kind souls asked) here’s a picture of the whole arch; if I’d been a bit more assiduous in training them, I probably could have got the sweet peas joined over the top instead of growing … Continue reading
sweet pea arch
The sweet pea arch has now grown to such a height that I can barely reach the newest flowers. It’s hard to believe the fuss I had to get them going, just a few weeks ago. I think it was … Continue reading
jewelled moments
Posted in Allotment
Tagged borage, gooseberries, marigolds, pink currants, purple basil, redcurrants, tomato crimson blush, whitecurrants
3 Comments
flurry
The Farnham Allotment Show is always a happy affair; beautifully organised and populated by a wonderfully diverse cross section of local people, united by devotion to their allotments. I find it so sweet as we all arrive, carefully bearing our … Continue reading
Posted in Allotment
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purple basilico et al
This lot was just a quick pick of young veg to add to a picnic salad – still tender enough to eat raw, chopped small and mixed with wild rice and a light dressing.
black hawk down
It was probably the finest plant I’ve grown this year. Funny how you can plant seeds from the same packet in exactly the same way, yet one develops into a much more vigorous and healthy specimen… This was a courgette … Continue reading
couldn’t resist….
Here’s pudding this evening, later macerated with golden caster sugar and served with a cool glass of Moscato d’Asti (first experienced at the wonderful River Café for my birthday treat last year, courtesy of my two darling daughters) – with … Continue reading
yippeeee
What a busy day; and how very satisfying to see things coming at last to fruition. Aren’t they gorgeous?! Only a short time before they are the first delectable courgette harvest. And what about the peas, only recently so threatened … Continue reading
Posted in Allotment
2 Comments
asparagus trials
Trials and tribulations actually. I’ve been nurturing my asparagus bed now for 5 years and have yet to harvest any. I had done the deep trench thing, added drainage and delicately straddled the octopussy roots over a carefully constructed ridge … Continue reading
Huerto 
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