Royal Wedding Fever

Have a lovely day xx

Easter

Easter was spent either gardening or out and about around Cheshire with the buggy and a picnic. The best day was at Tatton Park for their Alice in Wonderland event (an obsession of mine).

Since getting my allotment this is the first time that I had revisited the kitchen gardens at Tatton so with a head full of vegetables I whooped and skipped around marvelling and informing Daddy Bird of all my new found knowledge.

I'd love one of these even though I don't think I'd use it for fear of weakening the plant. My crowns of rhubarb at the plot have suffered after being moved in the reshuffle and are half the size they should be. This year I'm not harvesting any sticks and nurturing it. Grandad Bird has rhubarb on his plot that's absolutely massive so I'm relying on his generosity.

Obviously it's still early in the season so there was little to see but I loved the raised beds with their lovely rows of lettuce, radish, spring onions and beetroot.

I'm also growing turnips (Purple Top Milan) at my plot, part of the brassica family and as I've found out with my radishes are prone to Flea Beetle - even those at Tatton. However, up to now they have not affected the root, just the leaves. Apparently they prefer radish so if you chuck a line of them in alongside your other brassicas they should just munch circular holes in the radish. I am now trying this experiment.

For the last couple of years in my garden we have made a scarecrow for the pure fun of it and this year will be no exception. Tatton's kitchen garden had a few jolly ones dotted about and I particularly like this one with a plant pot for a head.

Hope you all had a great Easter.

My Allotment Plot

Last August I made my annual call to the local council to check on the status of my now 8 year wait for an allotment plot. I was told that the list had been handed over to the allotment society. After a few more conversations it transpires that for years my name has had 'OUT OF AREA' attached to it and I've been bypassed whenever a plot has become free. In my town the allotments are given to those people who live within the old town boundary (hundreds of years old) first which makes no sense anymore as the town has clearly expanded. Furthermore, I actually was within the town boundary and should have been offered a plot years ago! Days later I got my plot..... not ideal timing as I had a cranky colicky 9 month old baby in tow.

This is what we got. A heap of weeds such as Fat Hen, Shaggy Soldier & Couch grass;

a Crown Prince pumpkin - found after some clearing and duly eaten in honour of previous tennant

two rhubarb crowns, Chives, Oregano and Sage (see baby having a very rare quiet moment).

I won't bore you at once with where we are up to today and I'm giving myself chance to get to grips with blogging again whilst having a now 16 month toddler zipping around the house.