Wowzers…it’s been a whole month…sorry! I have never not blogged for that long but have been super busy and having so much fun. Hopefully you have all seen some very exciting news……I finally have my degree, wahoo!! More importantly for you though…..I launched my YouTube channel! Finally, it’s here and I’m so blooming happy, plus a tad nervous.

If you have missed me sharing the news on my other social channels, stop reading and check out my latest videos here now.

Right, let’s go back a bit, where we were last….wowzers I have missed writing! Never leave it this long again Annabelle!

That’s it, we were in the middle of May after the terrible drought in April. I had just planted out my runner beans and the last of my King Edward potatoes. Very late of me I know. Well…the potatoes are doing great and the beans even better….look! A glut of runners is just around the corner.

I had just sowed the Basil; Siam Queen and Sweet Genovese, 8 Marketmore Cucumbers and 6 Floridor Courgettes which are all now doing great at No.27, the yellow ball shaped courgettes are beginning to form. Definitely don’t need all the cucumber plants though so will be giving a few away.

The blue alliums aka Allium caeruleum, are looking just stunning and bringing a completely different colour to all the green on the plot. You know I’m not a huge fan of latin names. But if you want to buy your own bulbs next year ‘blue alliums’ might not get you that far.

I adore Alliums, do you? I also have beautiful yellow ones flowering, but haven’t taken a picture yet so will share more about those next time.
On the subject of flowers though, another wildlife friendly plant that is looking fantastic is the Verbena! I do seem to have a soft spot when it comes to purple flowering plants, especially if you saw the collection I filled my car with at BBC Gardeners World Live. More to come on those exciting few days very soon, but for now back to the Verbena. Do you have it at home?

Told you the wildlife love them too, look..how beautiful. So pleased I managed to capture these shots. Usually I either forget the camera or they are gone before I can say ‘cheese’!

Back to the fruit and veg, and all the beds are pretty much full now. The first tomatoes are ripening, sweet peppers beginning to show and broad beans coming from every angle.
The strawberries are performing superbly, going from 2 plants to over 20 this year has been wonderful. Picking a good handful every time I visit.

The only bed looking very disappointing is the root bed, which I hold my hands up and say is entirely my fault. I just haven’t sowed any until the last week. This time last year I was harvesting beetroot already, now I’m still praying for it to germinate.
Luckily, I should be alright though as June is really the last month to be sowing new seeds. Fingers crossed I will have carrots, beetroot and spring onions…just later in the year! At least I can be sure that not everything on No.27 will be ready for harvesting at the same time.
As with all years and gardeners, some things seem further ahead than other growers like the runner beans, but then other plants are very behind. As long as they grow to harvesting size at some point and I’m happy, that’s all that matters.

What on your plots or gardens is doing really well? Are you really behind on anything too?

As I’m very late, I’m going to join my monthly to-do list in to here, hope you don’t mind. So….what can we all be doing?

– You still have time to sow crops such as beetroot, spring onions, lettuce, radishes, salad leaves. Maybe some autumn carrots too.
– Keep on top of watering, especially in periods like the heatwave we have just had here in South. Try water at the same time too, either in the morning or evening. The plants benefit from the regularity and prevents diseases such as blossom end rot.
– Don’t forget to keep weeding too, give your plants as much soil space to spread their roots and feed on the nutrients.
– Watch out for pests and ensure all your brassicas are netted, you don’t want the dreaded cabbage white butterfly to come knocking.

Now for a couple of plugs:

— If you missed my monthly allotment radio chat at the beginning of the month, discussing the latest on the plot, YouTube, BBC Gardeners World Live and jobs for the month, catch up here and zoom to 1:40:00.
– Finally, at the end of May I had the absolute pleasure of being on BBC Radio Berkshire with Anne Diamond. Listen to the whole interview on BBC iPlayer here and zoom to 2:08:00.

That’s it from me for one day, I hope you are all enjoying the sunshine and your gardens are bringing plenty of produce and smiles. I will be back soon to tell you all about BBC Gardeners World Live..in the meantime be sure to check out my latest vlogs from the show!

xx

All photographs are my own and cannot be used without my permission.