Allotment Diary: The First Proper Harvest

After all the waiting, the digging, and the seed starting, it finally paid off. I came home from the allotment last weekend with an actual bag of food I grew myself. It doesn't matter how many times I do this — that first harvest of the season still feels like a small miracle.

What Came In

The radishes were first. I direct-sowed them back in early April as a test to see if the soil was warm enough, and they came through perfectly. Crunchy, spicy, and ready in just about three weeks from sowing. Radishes are genuinely the most satisfying vegetable to grow — the feedback loop is almost instant.

The spinach followed shortly after. I got two good harvests by cutting just the outer leaves and leaving the plant to keep growing from the center. I've been eating it in everything.

And finally — the strawberries. The ones I was worried about back in April turned out to be completely fine. They just needed more time to wake up. The first berries were small but absolutely flavourful in a way that supermarket strawberries never are. There's something about eating a berry that's still warm from the sun.

What's Still Coming

The tomatoes and chilies I started indoors in March are now planted out and settling in nicely. The peas have climbed most of the support structure and are starting to flower, which means pods are not far off. The cucumbers are in — I always feel slightly anxious putting those out because they really hate cold nights, but the forecast is looking decent.

The Jerusalem artichokes have sprouted in about six different places I didn't plant them, which is extremely on-brand for Jerusalem artichokes. I'm choosing to see it as abundance rather than a takeover.

The Coffee Spot Report

The covered terrace is functioning exactly as intended. I've spent most Saturday mornings out there with a coffee and a book. The rhubarb is growing right next to the seating area and is comically enormous at this point. I need to actually do something with it soon before it becomes a garden feature rather than a food crop.