On the plot

Just spent a busy few hours at 51b, my half allotment plot. It rained earlier (hooray!) and threatened another shower but so far, it's held off. Now I'm back home, it feels like there's a storm brewing. I like this weather: looming grey clouds then sudden bursts of hot sunshine before it swings back to a leaden sky.
When I got my plot last year, it hadn't been worked for several years, according to Mark, my lovely lottie neighbour. I got the plot in late April, so there was an awful lot to do quickly so that I could get some kind of harvest. Digging was hell in the clay soil, but once it was done the veg loved it.

Before, April 08 (above) and after, May 09 (below)

My allot-mate Q and I have dug seven beds, but we've almost certainly left too much grass, so we're going to expand the beds slowly once the current crops have been harvested. The onions and garlic are doing brilliantly - my first time at growing both, the broad beans and toms look in fine fettle and the peas are just coming up. I planted some runners last week but they haven't appeared yet.

Today's main tasks were clipping and weeding, then more clipping and weeding. Finally we could reward ourselves by planting out the courgettes I'd brought up from home: Tricolour has round fruit that come in three colours, and Oriela is a long yellow fruited variety. Last year we nearly drowned in courgettes, so I hope four plants isn't too many.

I'd also transported an achoba Fat Baby (spiny fruit that taste like green peppers when fried - or that's what it says on the packet) and two types of pepper - Dedo de Mocha and Meek and Mild. They're in the shed, along with the cuces and toms. There are still some chillis to go in.
Last thing to do was harvest the rhubarb. It's been superb this year. I gave it a mulch of dried farmyard manure in the spring, and it's been the best rhubarb I've ever had. Heaven knows which variety it is, as the three plants were already there when I got the plot, along with a goosegog bush. I've added to the fruit count with a raspberry, a blackcurrant and a yellow gooseberry.
Must go back up in a couple of days to water the shed plants, and do more weeding among the onions.