EVERY year there’s some kind of challenge for allotmentiers, I think I can safely say this year we have all suffered with rain.

OK, last year we had a dry one so it stands to reason that we need to recover our water stocks, but enough is enough!

If you’re feeling behind because of the rain, don’t, because everyone is feeling the same way.

I’m hoping Mother Nature is planning on giving us all a super long Indian summer to make up for the extremely slow and frustrating start to summer.

I’m going to sow yet another row of French beans. I’ve lost count on how many times I’ve tried to get them started this year - all this rain has caused them to rot away. I had to check it wasn’t the mice pinching them.

So I went sifting through the soil and found big swollen white blobs which were supposed to be seeds. It shows you just how wet it’s been.

Last weekend I went on a bee keeping course. It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever done. I truly loved every second of it and was absolutely blown away by how clever these buzzy babies are. So this week, I’ve been preparing a special place for my beehive.

I’m ever so excited, a hive of Lancashire bees to pollinate my vegetables and fruit! I cannot wait to tell you all about it next week.

But for now, lets make the most of the dry spell and do everything you can while you can. Even if that means writing lists of jobs that need to be done.

My allotment to do list:

If you have ties around your apple trees etc, have a quick look to see if they need to be slackened off.

Keep hoeing.

Aphids are in full swing now. A blast with hose pipe will get rid of them for now, but a spray bottle with soapy water is also good.

Why not sow a few rows of carrots, lettuce and radish?

If you have an allotment query, you can email vixlot@outlook.com