Wood Chips

 Coarse wood chips, ideal for topping up paths. 

Having most of the beds the same size works well. At approximately 1m wide they can be straddled for working, are easily hopped over when moving round the plot, no strain on the lower back when leaning in to reach the middle and hoops and nets for crop protection are interchangeable between beds. 

It might seem like a lot of path area but summer foliage from beds either side can soon start to obscure them and because the chippings lie direct on the soil (no weed-proof membrane) the paths in effect become composters, constantly feeding fungi and soil microbes, supplying nutrients for the beds.

Winter salad

 Winter Density lettuce, American land cress and rocket Astra to provide salad in the colder months.

Edit update :- Winter Density turned out to be less hardy to the cold than it's name suggests

Fungi

 There's plenty of fungal activity at the moment. These are possibly a type of Cortinarius, not edible but they look good and are breaking down woody material into nutrients for the soil.

Competition Winners

 For a bit of fun our local council organises a borough allotment competition. This year judging took place on July 8th and apart from the traditional criteria of tidiness, variety and condition of crops etc. also takes in harvesting of rain water, use of or recycling items/materials and consideration for biodiversity and the environment.

Out of approximately 800 plots ours was awarded first place.

Curry Night

 Red lentil dhal, shredded cabbage, tomatoes and coriander wrapped in home made chapattis.

 Magpies started to peck at the butternuts so we harvested early and they'll finish ripening under cover.

Stable Manure

We had the opportunity to collect some well rotted stable muck. A couple of days before going we were fortunate to be given a pair of heavy duty wooden gates, perfect for making a storage bay.

Our own compost in the foreground doesn't look much different to the stable muck behind.