Beans, beans and potatoes

Managed a good three hour session on the plot on Saturday. Continued clearing the bind-weed root from the soil below the old manure pile, dug a manure trench for the runner beans and turned and bedded up a section of the bean bed ready for planting the peas and black eyed beans which are coming along fantastically well in the pots at home.

The first broad beans have also started well - about an inch of growth from the first set that I planted and the second lot is now pushing through. I also could not resist planting the empty bed that I had set aside for purple sprouting. I have put french dwarf beans in instead. Will have to work out where to put the brocolli when its ready. (Note the good successional planning going on here!)

First of the early potatoes are also now pushing leaf through and the seedlings that I harvested two years ago from fruit that the potatoes produced is going great guns. I am considering planting these out into grow bags and not harvesting them in the first season - and then chitting and planting out next season as I am not sure how much they will yield in the first year.

I've also planted out Cosmos flowers in the flower corner of the allotment - Imogen and Amelie helped with these. I've also put chilli and parsely out in the seed trays - bally slugs have had a go at the purple sprouting and savoy cabbage - I think I've all but lost the savoy cabbage :-(

Broad beans - early growth


The manure bed and trench for beans and peas.


French dwarf beans planted in bed 6.