monday 19th July this week is set for the heat to continue with expected temps of around 27 - 29 degrees celsius So the first thing Anne and i did today was water everything in pots and newly planted. our plot (like most of stoke on Trent) is on heavy clay its had a lot of  organic matter over the years so while the top can get bone dry and crack, an inch or so down there's still moisture available for the plants.  This being the case we dont worry too much about watering established plants.  After watering we weeded and hacked back the buddleia (its too big  for the space and covers the path) and started summer pruning the Apple tree. Then after hiding in what little shade we could find we harvested potatoes, garlic, onions, spinach and the first of the soft fruit. ready to cook up for the wonder women on Wednesday,  Potatoes are traditionally followed by leeks in a crop rotation so this is what we did and managed to get most of them in the space we had created. I love planting Leeks its a little different than most other plants you dib a hole and twirl your bare root leek seedling into it then water the hole which fills it with very fine soil giving you nice straight white leeks in a few months time.  

wednesday 21st July it was almost too hot to do anything today! but a few wonder women braved the heat to join us on plot 33 Anne and Reannan painted the fence in the shade of a gazebo while the rest of us continued to make some banners for a project we are working on.  Then we enjoyed  a lunch of frittata made with the potatoes, spinach, onions and garlic, and some disaster biscuits for dessert
ok im not the best baker by a long shot but i thought i could manage some biscuits using the lovely blackcurrants picked on Monday. Alas the oat biscuits recipe could not cope with the extra moisture added by the 250g of currants i snuck into the mix and produced a soft flapjack/ granola ish  something that while tasting delicious no way resembled a biscuit and the group polished the lot off with some greek yogurt   

Friday 23rd July its cooled down today but the wind has picked up so yet again it was a case of watering pots mostly (Anne has popped down most days to water the greenhouse some time watering twice a day) but today i was on my own most of the day as Anne has to set up an art exhibition in Stoke.  I continued to paint the fence and pick some more blackcurrant. Fingers crossed we still have gooseberries next week as ive just found out Bingo the fox is partial to them and has stripped next doors bushes Anne arrived just as i was finishing off and in time to pick the first cucumbers and courgettes.

Monday 5th July Anne and i had a tidying up day today gathering up our once neat and now scattered pile of topsoil and moving it into old compost bags ready to take to a  greening workshop in 2 weeks time and the rest into a dumpy bag. then working around the compost area chopping down the long grass and removing the flowers off the dock plants that have sprung up at the top of the plot to stop them spreading any more

Tuesday 6th not an allotment day but eagle eyed Anne saw some lovely doors in a skip so we went and asked if we could have them to use in the shed build. The answer was yes so 3 trips up Hartshill bank and back down carrying our prizes  

wednesday 7th rain doesn't stop play for the wonder women! we all meet up at plot 33 and had a lovely creative afternoon designing a banner for a local event then the rain let off so we were able to have a meal made from produce from the plot including a delicious Rhubarb cordial to drink

Friday 9th  bit of a funny day today not much time spent on plot 33 but lots of greening related work going on  we had a trip to the tip to get rid of some bits of wood that are just too far gone to use, turning compost, and watering as well. but most of the day was spent at a local church St Marks Stelton and at our studio getting ready for a greening Stoke workshop on Saturday 17th July

me and Lisa painting boarding ready to  brighten up and green St Marks