Overall third place in the 2013 Wolverhampton allotment competition.

I don't think that third place is that bad because I am up against allotments that are not organic.  I can truthfully say that my allotment is completely organic this year.  I have been using nematodes to control the slugs and snails on the allotment and the next batch of these animals is coming this week some time. Hopefully, just after the thunderstorms have passed so that I do not have to water the allotment.

Comfrey bed

Not that it matters much because Tuesday is my watering with dilute comfrey liquid day.  I add nutrients to the soil once a week in this way.  I have not used any artificial fertilisers for many years now.  

Comfrey liquid.  

I have spent five days at a scything course and now have the knowledge to scythe properly.  However whether I have the skill is still to be judged. The scything course was organised by Simon Farley

I don't know what the allotment will be like, but the weather has been so warm that I doubt if anything has grown much particularly because it has not been watered.

Tomorrow, I will be taking a couple of trays of lettuce to transplant out into the allotment.  I will also be sowing some spinach.  The old lettuce have gone over now and need to be put onto the compost heap.  I have about five lettuces that have not been used out of about 50 planted.  I would have used these five lettuces too but the fox seems to have taken a liking to the ground around them and dug holes, trampled the leaves and generally made a mess of them.

I will sow the spinach where the lettuce have come out and put the lettuces where the coriander and parcel have gone to seed.

The chrysanthemums have continued to grow well in their pots and will have to be transplanted into the allotment soon.  I have taken the growing point out and allowed two or three side shoots to develop on each of the plants.  Any other side shoots are removed while they are small.

I am hoping to get quite large flowers because I will make sure that each of the side shoots only to bear one flower.  This means that each plant will have only two or three flowers.

These plants will go where I take the early potatoes out.  I doubt that they will fill the whole bed so the rest will be put down to green manure.  I would like to use winter tares but it did not do very well during last winter so I am not sure whether to plant again now.

There is still time to decide because I will continue to plant green manure during August and September.

I will have to buy some green manure and some paper potato sacs.  If I buy some clover green manure, I will be able to top it with the scythe.  Topping means to take off some of the top growth of the green manure. This material can be put into the compost bin while the clover produces more roots and tops.

I will get the potato bags from the Bag 'N Box Man Ltd. because the sacs were delivered promptly and were good quality.