I didn’t get to the allotment after I put the cabbages in, just over a week ago, until a couple of sessions yesterday and today. I’ve now got potatoes set in bags, onions (no pictured), a tree spinach plant (Chenopodium giganteum) and a row of squashes in cloches.
The cloches are made from empty bottles of cheap sparkling water and should be enough to protect the plants while they get their roots in the ground. When they start to get bigger, I’ll risk exposing them to the open. I’ve not grown squashes before but I have grown potatoes in bags, opened up at the bottom. For this batch, I’ve created a lower hem weighted with stones – that’s something to do with the numerous stones found in the plot that I’m gradually collecting as I sift through the top layer of soil and pull out weeds.
It all looks a bit paltry compared to my neighbour’s plot but at least it’s a start towards getting a harvest and beginning to recoup the cost of the necessary investments in seeds, tubers and prepared compost mixes.