04 Jul - Finally, A Bit Of Progress!

The rain, while still ever present, has abated enough to give longer sunny intervals allowing a bit of tidying up and general weeding to be done on the plot. Today I've managed to weed around the sweet pea plants which I've got tied into a small wigwam of canes. There even appears to be a few flowers developing too! I've also weeded around the squashes and main crop potatoes.

I've managed to plant out the Tundra F1 Winter cabbage plants that I've had going yellow in pots (Above pic - Tundra F1). Hopefully they will start to grow on now over the next few months. Unfortunately I noticed the tell-tale signs of a couple of stunted Summer cabbages and at least one Brussels Spout plant, it's cabbage root fly. I haven't had this for a few years and got complacent, I should have protected them with plastic discs. I pulled a few up and the root development is very poor with tiny white lava drilling what's left of the roots. Not all the plants are effected so I'm hoping for some cabbages and sprouts.

Yesterday I finally weeded around the Sturon onions which are swelling noticeably now. I've given them a light feed with Growmore - it's important not to go overboard with the fertiliser at this time of year as I have found that while the onions look good, they don't keep well if over-fed now. They only have around six more weeks to go before they start keeling over and need pulling up and drying out.

The saved seed from last year's Jack O'Lantern pumpkin has now turned into a giant courgette. Squashes are notoriously promiscuous so the pumpkin seems to have had a liaison with a courgette though the only ones I actually grew myself last year were yellow! (Pic below - cross between a pumpkin and a courgette). I'm just going to let them grow and see what they turn into!

The rest of the vegetables seem to be getting on with things OK. The runner and french beans are beginning to flower now so there should be a few beans to pick very soon and the peas are putting out lovely pale flowers too.

The Rocket early potatoes are massive this year! Both myself and another chap on the plot have had some gigantic Rocket potatoes - way too big for earlies really but most welcome all the same. I've finally dug up a complete row now, only two rows to go! Spuds until late August at least though the tops will soon start to die back, they are developing a yellow tinge even now. Their growth cycle is almost done.

The other Winter squashes, Butternut, Turks Turban and Crown Prince are putting on loads of growth too with a few squashes beginning to appear on the vines. It's too early to tell whether it will be a good year for squash yet but I do know that more sun is urgently required if it's going to be an average harvest. The broad beans have developed all of a sudden and the Bunyard's Exhibition pods are sprouting everywhere.

With some longer sunny intervals I've even managed to pick some fruit, filling a few tubs of strawberries and raspberries. I definitely need to pick a lot more as the soft fruit season comes and goes all too quickly. Still, I've a few Autumn raspberries to look forward to and the promise of a tree full of plums! That's it for now, I'll leave you with a picture of a couple of raspberries.

21 Jun - Heavy Rain

I've been slow to update mainly because I've done very little on the plot due to heavy rain over the past fortnight. While there has been some spells of sunshine, the rain soon re-appears keeping the ground too wet to work.

Still, things have continued to grow. In the greenhouse the tomatoes are doing well though they stubbornly remain green - oh for some ripe ones! The Californian sweet peppers are beginning to form nicely and I should end up with a decent crop.

On the plot I've been waiting to plant out my Winter cabbage, Tundra F1. The brassica bed, like a lot of the plot, needs some urgent weeding. The Tundra are still in pots in the garden but are beginning to look a little worse for wear and they really need to be planted so they can get established.

The squashes seem to be growing OK despite the rain, I suppose it's because the temperatures haven't been particularly cold. The Jack O'Lantern plant grown from saved seed last year has turned out to be a courgette hybrid. I've let it grow on to see what fruit it produces. The Big Max pumpkin has put out some really thick vines so I'm hoping for at least one decent pumpkin. (Pic below - Big Max pumpkin vine).

I've managed to pick a few strawberries but the rain is hurting the crop, causing an increase in slug damage and mildew. The sweet corn seems to be enjoying the conditions though as the stalks are developing well. The early potatoes are cropping really well, I'm just coming to the end of the first row; with another two rows to go I should have fresh early potatoes right up until the end of August. The main crop potatoes have grown into nice bushy plants and I'm hoping the Sarpo Mira can resist any bouts of blight that will surely occur if this rain doesn't subside in the next few weeks.

The broad beans are now producing large pods and the climbing beans are romping up their canes so I'm hopeful for a decent crop this year from the self pollinating Firestorm. We've been eating Mazur lettuce like it's been going out of fashion, they have produced massive plants this year. The radish have gone over now, too woody to eat so I'm in the process of pulling up what's left. The plum tree looks heavily laden and the raspberries are forming well.

So, despite the current rain, there's still plenty to look forward to. Bye for now.