Author: alex

Italy 2023

Cesarina was just talking about the amount of wine that used to be consumed when her husband, Giovanni, was alive. They used to make 5000 litres a year, half of which they drank. They used to have 5 or 6 people around every night playing cards until the early hours – then, on Sundays, there’d be maybe 15 people around playing boules and, again, cards.

Much of the half that was sold was sold as grappa – Cesarina would man the still.

End of August

Apples very abundant but sadly undereaten. Not sure that a million of them make good compost… Will be pruning hard this year to reduce the amount the tree overhangs the bed.
Tobacco flowers. Lettuce to the left.
Squash thriving, though more leaf than fruit (caption of the year…). Couple of late tomato plants. And aubergine in the middle.
Another squash – same story.
Cavolo nero doing ok (but a lot of leaf damage atm). Chicories to the left; pak choi struggling to the right.
Another row of chicory.
Have harvested the main crop potatoes. Not v impressive. I think I should have watered.
Celery and leek doing ok. More chicory and lettuce in foreground.
Lettuce planted.
Toms doing ok. Could ripen faster…
One squash snapped off.
Trying to establish as flower bed.
Again, more ripening please.
Really tasty, those big ones. When they ripen…

Scorcher

Tomato, basil and marigolds. Doing well.
Squash under the apple tree.
Well, better than the usual bramble-trap.
Nasturtium and some other flowers to the left. Beats bramble and bindweed – though those are still trying hard.
Those squask really need planting out.
Cucumber, tomato, chilli.
Garlic was all v small. Too dry?
Potatoes. Think these were pentland javelin.
While these are Kestrel.
9 celeriac seedlings. From Cecelia.
Celery and leek coming on.

Back after a week away for easter

During which time I passed the allotment inspection. Amazing growth in a week – I guess it was a warm and sunny week…

All the seedlings are coming on well. Tom’s, leeks, chili, fennel (which is a bit leggy), pepper, celery, various flowers,…
Carrots, sown direct.
That’s a Meals worth of spinach in a week.
Rocket going a bit bolty.
All growing well but this bed has a lot of couch grass and dandelion pushing through.

April already

Pear tree in blossom and daffs are out. Sowed celery, leek, chard, more tomato.

Fleeced over the kestrel potatoes i planted during the week. Did a fair bit of weeding and hoeing and trimming of grass.

Planted out more spring onion and lettuce.