Summer Solstice Allotment

 Everything is coming up roses down on the allotment!  My broad beans Aquadulce Claudia are coming along nicely.  Still quite a few blackfly troubling them, I have tried just leaving them for the ladybirds to deal with, but to be honest the ladybirds waited until all the plants were completely ruined before doing their job.  Pinching out the tops can help, successional planting is quite a good way of getting a crop.  I plant a second crop a few weeks behind this one.  Blackfly crowd on to this crop and don't really bother the later crop.  This seems to be working.

 I planted melons this year for the first time.  This is a midget melon, about the size of a tennis ball and can be grown in a pot or in a planter.  Minnesota Midget melon was given to me by Sue at Wyatt's Garden blog when we met last year at RHS Wisley.

Cucumbers and tomatoes are also doing well in the greenhouse.  The lovely, long days are helping them to grow inches each day.  Happy Summer Solstice everyone!  except if you are in the Southern hemisphere, then it's Happy Winter Solstice!