This month has been an exciting and rewarding one at the allotment. It’s been a mix of weeding, watering and picking. Followed by more weeding and watering!
We picked our first peas and beans of the season and it brought back a flood of childhood memories, picking and podding peas and beans with my parents and grandparents. Turns out little fingers really are better at skinning broad beans! The peas are also proving a handy snack when the moans of ‘I’m hungry’ start to come out.
Of course, while the peas and beans are a joy to harvest, June has also meant a lot of hard work in keeping the weeds at bay. The mix of sun and rain seemed to encourage the weeds to sprout everywhere. I realised towards the end of June that I needed to rotate my starting point when weeding. I had been starting at the same point and working my way down the plot, but kept running of steam and time before I reached the other end. I’ve decided to rotate my starting point in the hopes that no sections get too weedy. I definitely need to put in some more wood chip pathways to make life easier and lessen the weeding when I get the chance.
Cooking and sharing our homegrown food with friends has been an absolute highlight of the month. There’s something incredibly satisfying about preparing meals with produce you’ve nurtured from seed. We’ve enjoyed delicious dishes featuring our own carrots, onions and beetroot. The girls have also been great at trying new foods. Suddenly beetroots seem more appealing when they’ve pulled them out the ground a few hours before! And if a carrot comes out a peculiar shape, they squabble over who gets to eat that one.
The sweet peas have also been a hit with the girls. They smell incredible! The plants have nearly reached the top of their pyramid - hopefully they will get to the top before long. We’ve been picking them frequently to keep the flowers coming. Lots of jam jars of sweet peas have been dropped to friends across Claygate (particularly those with houses that are on our walk home from Vale Road).
As June draws to a close, I’m filled with anticipation for the months ahead. The runner beans are in flower and the courgettes are just starting to set. Hopefully a few will scramble up the trellis structure before long. I look forward to seeing what July brings!
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