28/29 June 2008 - Raiders of the Lost Ark

It seems as though we were premature in our predictions of blight. Mr G, older and wiser than us, said that our early potato plants were merely indicating their state of readiness to be dug up and eaten. This is great news. We have now eaten or disposed of the first plot of Belle de Fontanelle (small, tasty) and dug up a couple of the regular Arran Pilots (much bigger, tasty). Very interesting. The maincrops look blight-free and sturdy. Hoorah. Top left is a longitudinal view of the garlic in bed A and the beans etc in bed B.

This weekend was nice and sunny, allowing us to entertain by bbq a visitor from the States, Mr Haines, on Saturday. He graciously condescended to tour the plot and was extremely complimentary of our progress. He has started to grow his own in the States and we reflected on how our hobbies and interests change as we grow older while the sun set over the site. We served our potatoes with dinner - we could do no less for such a discerning connoisseur of taste after all.

We made an astounding discovery on the plot the next day. A dead snake!! (note the unusual use of exclamation marks, something we normally eschew but it did make N jump a bit). He had got tangled in a loose bit of net near bed B. We think he was a grass snake and only recently dead. Harrison Ford, eat our shorts.

Other than the perennial (excuse the pun) task of weeding, other tasks included moving the cabbage (January King) seedlings to their new home as they were clearly running out of room. We calculated that they could all fit on the brassica bed (bed C - I think). The less developed specimens were donated to two new allotmenteers, a young couple who have the daunting task of ridding their plot of nettles, carpets and an accretion of refuse dumped in less enlightened times.

We fed the burgeoning courgettes, corn and beans and snacked on fresh peas, raspberries and salad. We have pondered the use of mousetraps in view of the 3 robins trapped (yes, apparently Pat and Jan had found one in one of our traps, meaning that we have probably decimated the local robin population irredeemably). We have to hide the traps if we are to avoid further robin homicides.

The sweetpea plants are starting to look fab against the austere backdrop of the Pagoda, and the pumpkin plants are thriving, especially the one on the compost heap.

We have had somewhat of a dry and hot patch so some emergency watering was needed in the week to revive the poor cabbage seedlings. We are sanguine that they will regain their erect stature and adjust to the move.

We sowed some basil seeds for fun and radishes again. The second lot are already ready for eating - they are truly vigorous. Our plot looks full of produce and fun with no significant casualties thus far.

Weather note: sunny, cloudy, some showers, some hot days