Seasonal changes

On Friday I went to the plot intending to work but as usual I got distracted by photography. I was struck by how quickly things are flowering, making fruit and going to seed. 'Late summer' is definitely here...

Small-scale foraging

I just collected at least 956544285878 poppy seeds, and in the process of doing so made a lovely arrangement of seedheads in a vase. During the activity I only found one spider, one caterpillar and one earwig (which is still on the loose somewhere in my flat)! I realised afterwards I should probably have left the seeds in their cases for a few more days to make sure they were properly dried out, but you live and learn.

I now have plans to collect Honesty seeds (more dried flower arrangements - I am turning into my mother! But that's OK) and Himalayan Balsam. I want to get experimental with my biscuit and bread making! :)

Sunflower seeds

Probably not for eating... probably for sowing next year. I have plans for a bit of guerilla gardening!

Sad news - the council have chopped down (or perhaps dug up) the cherry plums in Kings Road Garden. They produced such abundant sweet fruit, and were some of the first I found in Reading. Poor little trees :(

Allotment update:

Today I planted out all my peas, sowed (more) beetroot, potted up my baby tomatoes and moved my alpine strawberry plant. I've got loads of seeds on the go now including carrots, parsnips, french beans, courgettes, burdock, leeks, sunflowers, nasturtiums...

Currently my onions, garlic, peas and broad beans are all doing well. My plum tree is flowering (yay!), my rosemary seems to have a disease (boo!), there's no sign yet of any potatoes (but that's fine), my rhubarb's just about still alive (it's a long story - some other time!), and a pesky slug has eaten all my salad...


This photo of a tomato seedling was taken a couple of years ago... with a proper camera :)

Poppy seeds

These poppies invited themselves on to my allotment:



When the seed heads had dried, I collected them in a little pot along with a few others I found on some waste land near my flat. I shook the pot - and out from their cases came hundreds and hundreds of teeny black seeds.. They make a welcome addition to my breadmaking supply cupboard : )