Rained On but Defiant!

After a really busy week at work for us both, today was the first opportunity for us both to go allotmenting together, Simon had popped into No. 119 on the way home from work one day to water the greenhouse bits but apart from that I have felt allotment deprived this week!  Stopped off at B&Q for lawn edging to mark our path on 119 then spent the morning down there catching up - more broad beans up, otherwise quite quiet.  Simon put his hops in, they arrived in the post yesterday and will form the basis of our hop arch.  Bought 2 varieties, Challenger - one of the few recognized dual-purpose hops combining moderate amounts of alpha acids with a good kettle hop aroma (apparently...) and Target - a second generation selection from Northern Brewer by a male seedling of English Goldings (according to the leaflet).

 

Should help him brew some interesting ale later in the year!  I planted some more broad beans, my Wahoo sunflowers (bushy variety) and then dug some more of the old compost heap out, now decided to turn that area into a raised bed.  Also marked out the right hand bed ready for planting.  But no more down 119 today, got rained on a few too many times and decided to head home for lunch.  Can't beat a bacon sarnie after a mornings hard work!

 

After being suitably refreshed, we had a break in the rain and headed up to plot 69 with our lovingly nurtured turnip plants, put in 3 rows and netted them.

 So home after that, with 2 bags of nettle shoots, gathered somewhat carefully from around the edges of the allotment sites.  Simon is now in the kitchen making some nettle beer.  Smells extraordinary... the nettle concoction that is, not Simon!