Busy Weekend

 The late summer allotment season is always one of mixed emotions - the satisfaction of completed harvests alongside the anticipation of crops still ripening on the vine. This weekend has brought significant progress across both our allotments, with major harvesting milestones reached and some exciting restoration work completed on vintage gardening equipment.

Onion Harvest Complete - A Successful Season

Our onion harvest is now completely finished, and what a successful season it's been. The final bulbs came up beautifully, with good size and excellent storage quality. The key to our success this year was the careful timing of when we stopped watering - allowing the tops to die back naturally while the bulbs firmed up underground.

All the onions are now cleaned, sorted, and properly stored for the winter months ahead. The larger specimens will be used first in Sara's cooking, while the smaller, firmer bulbs are being kept for long-term storage. It's incredibly satisfying to see rows of perfectly cured onions hanging in the shed, knowing they'll keep us supplied with homegrown flavor well into the new year.

The variety selection worked well this year - our mix of storage onions and earlier varieties gave us a good spread of harvest timing. Next season we're planning to expand the onion beds slightly, as they've proven such reliable croppers and excellent value for the space they occupy.

Beans Coming Thick and Fast

The bean harvest is absolutely phenomenal right now. French climbing beans are producing more than we can keep up with, which is exactly the problem every allotment gardener loves to have. The daily picking routine has become quite intensive, with Sam, Iris, and I taking turns to ensure we're getting them at peak quality.

The recent warm weather combined with adequate moisture has created perfect growing conditions. We're picking every other day now to keep the plants productive, and Sara has been working overtime with her freezing to preserve the abundance.

This year I decided to go with climbing varieties only, and they're cropping heavily while still gaining height and producing excellent yields. The secret has been consistent watering and regular picking - the more you harvest, the more they produce.

 It's wonderful to know that come winter, we'll still be enjoying the taste of summer from our own harvest.

Potato Success After Trial Dig

The potato crop has exceeded expectations this year. After trying two test plants last week, we discovered excellent tuber development with good size and quality. The trial dig revealed beautiful, clean potatoes with no signs of blight or pest damage.

What's particularly encouraging is that the remaining plants still have green, healthy foliage and appear to be continuing their growth. This means we're likely to see even better yields from the main crop when we harvest in another week or two. The extended growing season this year has really benefited the potatoes.

The Sarpo Milo variety we chose has performed exactly as expected. The earlies gave us lovely new potatoes through summer, and now the main crop is delivering the robust tubers we'll need for winter storage. The soil preparation we did in spring - adding plenty of well-rotted compost and ensuring good drainage - has clearly paid dividends.

Sweetcorn - Patience Required

Our sweetcorn crop is tantalisingly close to readiness, but still needs a bit more time. The silks are browning nicely, which is always a promising sign, but our test picking revealed the kernels aren't quite at that perfect sweet, milky stage we're looking for.

Sweetcorn timing is always tricky - too early and you miss that perfect sweetness, too late and the sugars start converting to starch. The browning silks are a good indicator, but the real test is always in the tasting. We'll give them another week and test again.

The plants themselves look healthy and strong, and the cobs are well-filled. It's just a matter of allowing nature to complete the ripening process. This patience is one of the great lessons of allotment gardening - you can't rush perfection.

Raspberry Season Winding Down

The raspberry harvest is entering its final phase now, with noticeably fewer berries on each picking round. This is completely normal for this time of year, and we've had an excellent season overall. The plants have produced consistently well through summer, giving us plenty for fresh eating and for Sara's jam-making activities.

The autumn-fruiting varieties are just starting to show their first flowers, which means we'll have a second, smaller harvest to look forward to in a few weeks' time. These late raspberries are always a treat - extending the soft fruit season when most other summer fruits have finished.

The canes are looking healthy, and we'll start thinking about winter pruning once the harvest is completely finished. Proper cane management is crucial for next year's crop, so this maintenance work is always a priority.

Weekend Bread Baking Takes Priority

This weekend's bread baking session meant fewer trips to the allotments, but fresh homemade bread rolls are always worth the time investment. I made ten mini loaves using Sara's new mini bread tins, and they turned out brilliantly - perfectly sized individual portions with excellent crust and crumb. There's something deeply satisfying about the rhythm of bread making - the mixing, kneading, proving, and finally that wonderful aroma filling the kitchen.

The reduced allotment visits didn't impact the harvest significantly, as most crops are at a stage where a day or two makes little difference. It's one of the benefits of good crop planning - having harvests that don't all require daily attention simultaneously.

Merry Tiller Restoration Success

The weekend's indoor project focused on restoring a set of ploughing wheels for the Wolseley Merry Tiller Super Major that we acquired from eBay. These wheels arrived completely rusted - almost beyond recognition - but a bit of elbow grease and the right materials can work wonders.

The restoration process began with thorough wire brushing to remove all loose rust and scale. This revealed the actual metal beneath, though it was still heavily pitted in places. The next stage involved careful sanding to smooth the surface and remove any remaining rust deposits.

The painting process used a systematic approach - first a coat of red oxide primer to provide excellent rust protection and adhesion for the topcoat. Once this was completely dry, we applied a black metallic finish using high-quality outdoor metal paint designed for agricultural equipment.

The transformation is remarkable - these wheels now look absolutely brand new. The metallic finish gives them a professional appearance that matches the quality of the restored Merry Tiller itself. This attention to detail in restoration work is always rewarding, bringing vintage equipment back to its former glory while ensuring years of reliable service ahead.

Equipment restoration is becoming an increasingly important part of our allotment work. These older machines, when properly maintained, often outperform modern equivalents in durability and effectiveness. The Merry Tiller Super Major is a perfect example - built to last and still delivering excellent cultivation results decades after manufacture.

Looking Ahead

As we move deeper into late summer, the allotment work is shifting focus from planting and early harvests to preservation, storage, and preparation for autumn crops. The abundance of beans and the completion of the onion harvest mark significant milestones in our growing year.

The next few weeks will see continued bean picking, the sweetcorn harvest when ready, potato lifting from the remaining plants, and the start of autumn preparation work. It's a busy but deeply rewarding time of year, with the satisfaction of successful crops combining with the anticipation of next season's planning.