Beans and peas

    Ive been on nights this week so i haven't had chance to get up to the plot. However last week i got quite a lot done. Firstly i finished digging over the bed. It was hard work as the soil was that dry and compacted that i had to jump on the fork to get it into the ground. Also the couch grass had knitted itself together which made picking it out take forever. However i felt pleased once it was done as it meant i could get on with growing!
    Ive never grown runner beans before as i didnt have room so i had to do a bit of research about them. I read that they normally like a trench to be dug which is filled with things like kitchen veg which rot down and release nutrients. However its a bit late for that, so instead i copied a method i saw on Gardeners World when Joe Swift had an allotment.

    I dug a trench then added a layer of rotted manure and soaked newspaper to hold moisture. i then back filled it and it was immediately ready to be planted.

    The next step was to construct some home made bean runs with bamboo canes and string. I just hope they withstand the wind. I also used bean netting for the peas so they'll have something to cling to. Once they were up i met one of my plot neighbours for the first time. He gave me some spare runner bean plants which i was grateful for. I just hope i like them because with his plants added to mine that i sowed at home means i'll have about 40 plants! I'll just have to get looking for chutney recipes!

     The peas im growing at the plot are a heritage variety called 'Alderman'. They are meant to be a tall main crop pea. i just hope they produce lots of peas, because i dont think its possible to have too many. Non of mine have ever made it to the kitchen in the past, they always get eaten straight off the plant.

    My next task is to get this bed dug and cleared by next week. Its going to be home to my sweetcorn and winter squash. Ive never grown sweetcorn before so im looking forward to trying something new. And im happy i finally have room to grow some squash as i love the vegetable. i grew one in the past before and it took over the the back garden!