Hot, hot, hot

It is baking on my sun-trap of an allotment today. It is a bit cloudy but very warm.

When I visited this morning, I found that most of my cabbages (covered by netting) have been munched by something, probably a rabbit. A bit disheartening. The broccoli (covered by wire) was fine. Perhaps wire is the way to go. On the up side, the chard and perpetual spinach that overwintered look ready for picking. I also found that the vast majority of the first and second early potatoes were poking out of the soil so I earthed these up.

After the inspection, I picked out some of the growing tips of the tallest broad bean plants. I've read that this reduces the likelihood of black fly infestations and is fine to do once the beans are flowering and have at least four branches. I sowed some beetroot (Red Ace F1 Hybrid), carrots (Autumn King), spring onions (White Lisbon), kohlrabi (Blusta) and radishes (Rainbow Mixed). I followed that with a spot of digging just beyond the row of garlic in preparation for planting my main crop potatoes before it got a tad too hot. The soil there is still a bit damp but by digging over it roughly, I will hopefully give it the opportunity to dry out.

The grass on the paths either side of the allotment is getting very long. I need to investigate tools for cutting it. I understand that a petrol strimmer might be a bit much for me. Perhaps a scythe...