iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by 🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists

🧵 🏆🥇It's a record! Antarctic sea ice extent is now the lowest it has been for the date since the satellite record started 47 years ago. On October third the extent was 16.739 million km², dipping under the previous record of 16.848 million km² set on this date in 2023.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Some dahlias from the allotment and I haven't even done anything wrong, maybe I'm just that kind of guy. Sometimes the old tactics are still the best. #UKGardening

Some dahlias of various colours, freshly picked. These are "showpiece varieties", grown from seed, as usual.

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Reposted by 🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists

Scree @screecycle.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

It is the 21st century and most countries are run by gangsters or war criminals. The others are trying not to notice this fact.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I planted a new strawberry bed at the allotment, I usually mess around and root runners in pots first, but I just dug these out of the other strawberry beds, it was a struggle to not be as exacting as usual, but I coped well. I'm also giving you some dahlias while I still can. #UKGardening

ten strawberry runners planted in a new bed, varieties are Florence, Alice and Cambridge Favourite, because that one is compulsory around here.

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Reposted by 🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists

Owen Jones @owenjones.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Israel wiped Gaza from the face of the earth. Everyone knew exactly what they were doing! A crime more confessed to as it happened than any other in history. A crime more documented as it happened than any other in history. There are no excuses. None at all

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Back again and it seems the allotment managed just fine without us for a while and we haven't had to do much shopping. #UKGardening

A box with some scabby tomatoes that we'll be cooking down, some aubergines, peppers, beans and raspberries.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

It's a quiet time at the allotment, just a few beans, raspberries, tomatoes and summer squash to pick while brassicas, carrots, parsnips, fennel and celeriac for autumn are growing steadily, with no major tasks scheduled, this could even be a good time to have a few days away. #UKGardening

View of allotment with some beds containing tomatoes, beans and summer squash, shed in background.

Allotment view with beds mostly covered with mesh or netting, shed in background and of course there's always a bicycle.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

This is the biggest wasp spider l’ve ever seen, probably because I’ve never seen one this late in the year, I saw it catch and consume a shield bug yesterday.

Wasp spider on stachys leaf, some fingers for size comparison.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Here's the first of the Autumn King carrots that were sown in mid-July to follow the garlic, and I'd say we're off to a good start. Germinating seeds can be tricky in a drought, but we have our methods. @snnybnny.bsky.social #UKGardening #Allotment

A medium sized carrot with foliage attached in my hand, some yellow rudbeckia flowers below.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Some classic winter veg at the allotment, the sprouts and red cabbage look exceptional, they've done well without much water, the leeks also look good but I must cover them before the autumn leaf miner hatch, the kale has been grown under fine mesh so the leaves are clean and bug free. #UKGardening

An exceptionally fine Brussels sprout plant, it's already grown nearly as tall as its roadpin support.

These are the biggest red cabbage plant I've ever grown, and hearts are already forming.

Some multisown leeks, growing just fine in clumps of three.

Some cav nero plants that have spent their entire lives under fine mesh and have never even seen an insect.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

These squash are coming home with me, finding places to keep them all will be a bit of an issue, but trying out new recipes for them over the winter will be fun. #UKGardening 🌱

A barrow load of North Georgia Candy Roaster squash, plus two Rosie Kabochas and a Bon Bon buttercup, some dahlias in the background.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

A new decoration for the allotment shed, it came from an old cuckoo clock. With the bird's beady red eye I think it looks like it could help ward off evil and maybe even ensure clement growing weather, because we need all the help we can get in those departments. #UKGardening

A wooden cuckoo decoration fastened to the front of a pale blue/green allotment shed, blue sky above.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

We accidentally harvested (broke off) a North Georgia Candy Roaster squash at the allotment, never mind, it looks ripe enough and there are 15(!) more still attached to the two plants, and most of them are bigger than this 2.5kg fruit. This is far more squash than we expected! #UKGardening

A candy roaster squash with a broken off stalk held above a squash vine.

Some overlapping squash vines (three plants), 7 candy roaster squash may be visible.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Sorry not sorry for more Styrian oilseed pumpkin content. I harvested three smaller ones from the allotment, I've refined my technique for breaking in and also realised you can quickly separate the seeds from their attachment strings with a fork, over 400g of fat seeds this time. #UKGardening

Three Styrian oilseed pumpkins broken open to expose seeds with a the hammer and masonry bolster (chisel) shown.

A good quantity (425g) of hulless pumpkin seeds from the three pumpkins.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Since setting four fruits in July, the Bon Bon F1 squash vine had done precisely nothing apart from producing male flowers, but it's now suddenly started producing again. It had better crack on a bit now, there's still time but it's definitely getting late. #UKGardening #Allotment

Two Bon Bon winter squash, about 1.5kg each.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

A more serious Styrian oilseed pumpkin harvest today, a spade and hammer were used to break in. Most of the hulless seeds had fattened up, but a few were already sprouting. I'll soak them for a couple of days so I can remove all the flesh before drying and then roasting. #Allotment #UKGardening

two yuge pumpkins next to a spade on a typical English lawn.

Some green pumpkin seeds being removed from a pumpkin with a pasta spoon, spade and hammer nearby.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

It’s not all work down at the allotment, sometimes I just go down to weigh things up and spend some time with our dahlias. #UKGardening

A large lithium sunset tomato being weighed up.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

We've deployed our external heat shields which will help us keep the temperature in our UK house below 24C over the next few days without aircon. Details of fabric and attachment in alt text. Not my usual subject matter, but a nice dahlia has got in the picture. #Adaptation #Heatwave #Climate

Heatwave curtains made of P6-4oz Polyester with Silver Pigmented Reflective PU Coating from profabrics, these have been sewn, but that isn't necessary because it wouldn't fray. Clip on curtain rings have been used and a curtain rail is screwed to the soffit.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

A very early start today for pre-heatwave watering of the entire allotment, picking raspberries and more tomatoes to join the big pile ripening at home, ngl, I could well be having a lie down this afternoon. #UKGardening

Some raspberries, tomatoes, a summer squash, onions, dahlias and white "Landworkers Alliance" mug.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Part of the magic of having an allotment is you don't know what to expect, today a quick visit to pick fruit turned into a long one because badgers, seeking out damp places where there might be earthworms, had rearranged the maincrop potatoes, so I had to get to work and build defences. #UKGardening

A bed of maincrop potatoes (mostly Caledonian Rose) now surrounded by mesh and road pins due to some badger fuckery.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Tomatoes are ripening quickly now at the allotment and we've already frozen two batches of passata. The plant at the front is one of our favourites for eating, the super tasty green "Emerald Brocade", which with its purple stripes, many think looks like an aubergine. #UKGardening

Two tomato beds at the allotment with tomato plants with various colours.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

A little harvest of borlotti beans from the allotment. I was a bit dubious about growing dwarf plants but the seeds were free, the yield from two plants was quite decent without much effort (direct sowing, little water). I always harvest before beans dry so they don't take long to cook. #UKGardening

A borlotti bean plant with some nice pink and cream coloured pods and yellowing leaves.

A box containing enough borlotti beans for a salad held above a bed containing bean plants.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

A first test harvest of hulless seeds from a Styrian Oilseed Pumpkin, it was a small pumpkin and the seeds could have swelled more, but even so I doubt we'll get more than 500g seeds from the five remaining pumpkins, but at least we had fun, and the seeds are very tasty. #Allotment #UKGardening

A pot containing green hulless pumpkin seeds, half a pumpkin can be seen below.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

North Georgia Candy Roaster update, I know you’re all here for them. The vine of one plant now stretches 6 m across one of our plots and then takes a right turn at the edge and carries on for a bit. So far it’s produced seven 2-3kg squash, the other plant has four. #Allotment #UKGardening 🌱

An expansive squash vine, some squash visible to the keen observer.

A North Georgia Candy Roaster Squash, one of at least eleven.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Aubergines 8,9 & 10 harvested from the grafted plant in the improvised mini greenhouse at the allotment, with 11 & 12 lurking in the background. Because the plant is growing so vigorously I quickly built up the roof space using whatever wood was to hand, I'll fill in the gaps later. #UKGardening

Three aubergines in my hand in front of an aubergine plant, smaller aubergines can be seen.

Rustic improvised mini greenhouse with a big gap at the sides because I've just raised the lid at the back and front.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Here's the final harvest of onions and shallots from the allotment. They were all grown from seed in two beds of 110 x 270, so just 6 Sq m, and they should keep us going well into next year. The next allium activity will be in about three weeks when I sow onions to overwinter. #UKGardening

Five large supermarket fruit trays containing various onions and shallots.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

I opened up the sweetcorn fortress and harvested the first cobs, plot to plate within 40 minutes was the plan. Effective sweetcorn defences proved their worth, a badger took sweetcorn from my neighbour’s plot last night, but I've now given them materials to save their crop. #Allotment #UKGardening

Two sweetcorn cobs held in my hand in front of sweetcorn plants, galvanised mesh can be seen (out of focus) surrounding.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Part one of the allotment onion harvest completed, these are from one bed of just 3 sq m, grown from seed multisown in modules in February. Zebrune shallots top left, Bonus F1 Spanish onions below, Red Baron top right, Long Red Florence below. TBC, one more bed still to be harvested. #UKGardening

Two cardboard veg trays filled with red and brown onions and shallots.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Morning allotment view, the self-seeded sunflowers are now 250 tall and flowering, time to crack on with the onion harvest before it gets too hot. #UKGardening

Some very tall sunflowers on our allotment.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

These Joan J primocane (autumn) raspberries are looking great and just starting to yield a lot of fruit for the first time since planting early in 2025. We planted them to replace some Autumn Treasure at the other end of the allotment that got the crumbly berry virus. #UKGardening

A tub of raspberries posing above a row of raspberry canes.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

I like this allotment bed, it has tomatoes, borlottis, beetroot, shallots and flowers, all in a mat of lesser birdsfoot trefoil living mulch, the tomatoes include deep purple coloured "Alice's Dream" and the flowers, including my tallest ever sunflowers, were all self seeded! #UKGardening 🌱

Overview of an allotment bed with rudbeckia at the front, then shallots, two rows of beetroot, three rows of dwarf borlottis and three tomato plants at the end.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Could this be our first runner bean? The plants have grown to the top of their supports and are flowering away, but it's been the same old too this, too that, maybe the cooler weather will now allow a few pods to form. #UKGardening #Allotment

A scarlet runner bean flower stem held between my finger and thumb, a little pod is just above my finger, background support canes, bean plants and blue sky.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

The Candy Roaster vine (R) is now 5m long, reaching the Styrian Oil pumpkin vine (L), the puddle is for birds and insects to drink and for swallows to collect mud for their nests. Some Candy Roaster squash have formed, they may be a fun size and shape now, but they can grow quite big. #UKGardening

A large North Georgia Candy Roaster squash vine (right, tip at bottom), Styrian Oil pumpkin vines (left and bottom), in the centre there is a muddy puddle on the pond liner, a large Styrian Oil pumpkin is just above centre.

A benign North Georgia Candy Roaster squash, size not yet a threat.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

An early harvest of Bloody Butcher tomatoes from the allotment, a new one for this year, flavour meh but maybe the later ones will be better. Elsewhere, heart shaped Gourmansun and stunning Emerald Brocade forming promising fruit, but the Rose Crush shown seems to have caught the sun! #UKGardening 🌱

Some very early ripening Bloody Butcher tomatoes I've just harvested, plus more on the plant.

Purple and green Emerald Brocade tomatoes.

A big Rose Crush tomato, facing side slightly dried out and bleached by the sun.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

The free veg table at its finest, a true reflection of the diversity of crops grown on our allotment site and the gardeners’ skills (/s). If they’re still there tomorrow I’ll put them out of their misery and find them a welcome home in my compost bay. #RateOurVegTable #UKGardening 🌱

A fine selection of courgettes/marrows in size XS on a potting table with a shiny metal surface to ensure any veg placed on it will be cooked.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

I went down to the allotment early this morning to complete the sweetcorn fortress. It's based on stacked pallet collars with a mesh cage over the top, it'll definitely keep out the badgers, I just hope I can work out how to get in to harvest. @robbiehg.bsky.social #UKGardening 🌱

Sweetcorn fortress containing 12 plants contained in 4 stacked pallet collars (I usually only use 3, but the plants have grown really well this year), galvanised mesh pannels hooked on road pins complete the job..

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

The onions should be ready in a couple of weeks, bulbs are growing and their leaves are beginning to flop. “How does that even work, sowing onion seeds together in modules, do they grow to a good size?” I was asked last week, well, on this evidence I think it works very well. #UKGardening 🌱

Three onions grwoing together, hand to indicate size, three seedlings sown in one module were planted out together.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

I think this is the larva of a parasitic wasp emerging from a ladybird, it was on a thistle I pulled up at the allotment. It sounds grim, but the ladybird is finally left to survive in a zombified state to guard the cocoon, I heard about it on BBC Springwatch this year. @jeremybartlett.bsky.social

Ladybird on a thistle leaf with a Dinocampus coccinellae? larva emerging from its rear end.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

The first aubergine from the grafted plant in the mini greenhouse at the allotment with plenty more on the way, I think the fruit develops quickly on a grafted plant so I'll have to keep an eye on them 🍆 🍆 #UKGardening 🌱

A good-sized aubergine in my hand, a large aubergine plant is behind.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

The last untamed part of our second allotment is going to be covered with winter squash and pumpkin vines. There are two North Georgia Candy Roaster squash, two Styrian Oil pumpkins and one Rosie F1 Kabocha squash, they’re all vigorous and the five vines should meld in a few days. #UKGardening 🌱

The end of our second plot, it’s partly covered with pond liner over which squash vines are growing.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Echinacea are flowering now at the allotment and are very popular with butterflies and bees. #UKGardening 🌱

Some magenta echinacea flowers, one has a peacock butterfly on it, another has a honeybee.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Some roots and fruits from the allotment this morning. (Yes, I know, and tubers and stems). #UKGardening 🌱

A box containing potatoes (Charlotte second earlies) and a kohlrabi, various beetroots on the ground and smaller boxes containing currants (red and black)

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

The allotment cat has been on the gear again! (Before and after pictures) #UKGardening 🌱

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

The sweetcorn at the allotment really hit the ground running, I set out strong plants when it was hot, so no turning yellow and stalled growth. The pallet collars around the plants will form the base of the badger defences and are handy to shelter the plants from the strong wind. #UKGardening 🌱

12 sweetcorn plants contained in three stacked pallet collars.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Today I cleared a bed of broad beans and planted out red cabbage, because that’s how we roll on plot 20, roots in the ground all year round etc #Allotment #UKGardening 🌱

Some small red cabbage plants just planted out, there's a squash plant in the background.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

A first very early harvest of Bulgarian Giant leeks from the allotment. Leeks are definitely not just a winter vegetable for us, and these are going into a pasta sauce with thyme, mushrooms and ricotta. #UKGardening 🌱

Three Bulgarian Giant leeks in my hand over a bed containing more leeks and some fennel.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Squash ladder at the allotment, I remember there was a squash ladder at work, but that was different and probably not very much fun. #UKGardening 🌱

A squash vine (Sunshine F1) growing up part of an old wooden ladder (decomissioned due to woodworm).

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

There’s a bit of a situation in the improvised mini greenhouse I built at the allotment, I had to buy an aubergine plant to replace a plant that had died and could only get a grafted plant and now it’s monstering the other plants I grew from seed! #UKGardening 🌱

Contents of improvised mini greenhouse, a grafted aubergine (front left), with the surviving one that I grew from seed to its right, two “Thor F1” pepper plants are behind.

For a bit of context, here’s the mini greenhouse I built for growing aubergines and peppers by combining a compost bay with an old cold frame last year, this is now the improved version.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Three different sorts of beetroot from the allotment today, our usual cyclindrical red beet and also golden beet and stripey Chioggia. #UKGardening 🌱

Three different types of beetroot lying on some woodchip, two long red ones, three golden ones and three pale red ones which are in fact stripey inside, a copper trowel is below, a single yellow calendula flower is above.

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🌱 Tony's Allotment Tales 🏴 🇵🇸 Fuck the Centrists @tonyjw.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

A classic early summer harvest from the allotment this morning, first early potatoes, peas, bulb fennel and strawberries. Only one fennel plant out of four bolted, a decent result for the spring sowing which I always find trickier than the second sowing for harvest in autumn. #UKGardening 🌱

Potatoes (Casablanca), pea pods (Alderman), a small bulb of fennel (di Firenze) and a box strawberries (Cambridge Favourite and Alice) lying on stone slabs, some erigeron flowers can be seen at the top.

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