With the long summer days and a few good spells of sunshine most of the plants have taken on a dramatic spurt of growth in the past couple of weeks, but I approach my plot with a mixture of anticipation and a little foreboding at what I might find after my previous visit.
A few of the potato plants have been almost devoured by slugs and snails and when I was there one evening I discovered at least half a dozen of the pests climbing up the side of the raised bed towards them. I hadn’t tried to deter slugs from the potato plants, as they are not usually a favourite of theirs, but I find that beer traps work best.
The red currants are now almost ready to harvest, along with the gooseberries but these are not as numerous since the bushes are only a year old. All the onions, which were planted in the autumn, are now laid on a frame over the top of the compost bin to dry in the sun and I have sown a few rows of beetroot in their place.
On the other side of the plot yellow and white irises are flourishing, as they are happy in wet ground and will help to drain the soil, and the roses are also in full bloom. Generally the plot is beginning to look rich in colour and almost all the vegetable crops are doing well.
In a couple of weeks time the judging for the Wandsworth Borough allotments competition will take place and there is still plenty of work to be done removing all the weeds and planting out winter crop seedlings of kale, celeriac and cabbages.
I enjoy the late evenings on the plot at this time of year, working in the soft light and warm air at the end of a sunny day. Sometimes I have a feeling of being watched and turn to catch a brief glimpse of a fox making its way along the maze of paths between the plots, but more often a large cat, named Arthur, can be seen strolling around the place in search of prey.
