I finally managed to get to the allotment today after two weeks. I definitely picked the right day though. The first thing I did when I arrived was check the thermometer in the greenhouse. It was a balmy 45 degrees!
A month ago (really must update this more often) I was exstatic that spring was finally here, and today it was like a summer's day. And I wasn't the only one that thought so. The birds were singing their hearts out, there were butterflies a plenty, and the bumble bees were buzzing around wherever I went.
Now, I know that most people that read this blog (all two or three of you) are more intersted in the animal antics than the veg growing, so...
The bees are back! Last year when we had managed to clear the allotment of most of the 4 foot tall weeds, we noticed that there was a bumble bee nest under the pear tree. I was particularly pleased about this as they are supposed to be in decline. So we tried not to disturb the ground too much nearby as they leave their nest in winter, and I was hoping they would return. And return they have. Unfortunately, they haven't returned to their old nest. Instead, they have taken up residence in our pile of cuttings that are waiting for us to make a bonfire. Obviously, the pile looked like a permanent addition to the allotment. Even the wildlife are passing comment on our laziness now!
My other wildlife news is the butterflies. They were in and out of the allotment all day today. Unfortunately, we don't have any flowers, so they never stayed long. However, in my little nursery (more later) in the greenhouse, I have already got some tequila sunrise plants growing. They are only about 1cm tall at the moment, so I hope the butterflies are patient. Apparently, butterflies live for 2 to 14 days, so they are going to have to tell their ancestors about the allotment!
Mark was not as concerned that there was nowhere for the butterflies to settle as he thought they would lay eggs on our veg and the resulting caterpillars would eat everything!
Back to the vegies... In the greenhouse, the home made propagator has become a little nursery. All of the seeds mentioned in my last post, have now germinated. And two weeks ago, I planted more. Upon inspection today, they have germinated too. The only ones left are chilli seeds and romano pepper. Both of these were not bought, but saved from chillis and a pepper that we had at home. These are also showing signs of life, but are a little slower than the others.
I couldn't believe the speed that these peas and mangetout grew. I hope the rest of the progress goes as well. It was so hot in the greenhouse, that everything was starting to wilt a bit.
Work was a little on the slow side, mainly due to the gorgeous sunshine and comfy garden chairs!
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