Allotment update

 Oh! How I have missed my allotment while I have have been putting my feet up, but was able to visit on Saturday and have a potter.  It has been very well cared for by Mr Handmade-Homemade.  He has picked pounds of runner beans and raspberries.  The raspberries are still going strong and I picked another punnet full.  The runnerbeans have finished, which is quite good as I think we had just about had enough of them.  The potatoes have all been dug and stored though I am not sure how they will keep as they weren't very good this year.  Not as big as last year and full of holes.  Not sure where we went wrong with them.

 I have had trouble growing winter greens, managed a couple of sprouting broccoli plants last year which gave a few meals.  But not one brussel sprout.  I plant the seeds in the spring but the plants do not grow well or get eaten, but this year there has been some improvement.  We have lots of sprouting broccoli plants and there seems to be some brussel sprouts, but best of all are the cabbages, they are looking very good.  I think that this might be because I was given the plants by another allotmenter. (ha ha)

 These are my bortelli beans, they look quite beautiful and the red pods stand out against the yellowing leaves.  I am leaving them to dry and then will pick the pods and store the dried beans inside to use in the winter.

 A first for us - Pumpkins!  I got some free seeds from a magazine and decided to try them.  We had some space since we got the extra bit of allotment and they have grown well, not massive but big enough.  There must be at least 10, plenty for Halloween.

Sunflowers grow well here, these ones were planted along the front edge of the plot in my "flower bed"!!  They are at least 7 foot high and each one has lots of heads.  We have deadheaded them all summer and they keep on flowering.  I have decided to leave them now to produce seeds for the birds, hamster and chickens