Back from holiday

Whilst we've been away there's been a few days of a heatwave then cooler, rainy weather. Lots of groth everywhere. Loads of french beans to pick, plus 3 very large courgettes.

July starting to warm up

Down for last time before holiday. Plenty of watering to do and not mcuh else. Sweetcorn starting to go to seed rather variably ... hopefully enough at one time to fertilize. Squashes starting get going an plenty of fruit forming.

Pulled most of the onions

Pulled all the onions in the back bed and move a couple of the smaller red cabbages to that space, also with the broccoli seedlings. Then constructed a frame from the red plastic construction toy from next door and covered with a net.



The sweetcorn is coming along -- about 2ft high -- and some are throwing up the seed fronds in the centre.



The first batch of potatoes nearly dug up. Probably wont have time to plant anything following them in that space, so it can stay spare to the rest of the year. Tomatoes in the bag are growing well ... lots of green plant stuff but not too many tomatoes coming thru yet. Runner beans are just getting going.

Garlic, potatoes and carrots

Picked all the garlic -- very rust infected but doesn't seem to affect the bulbs. Plus plenty more potatoes and some small carrots as I thin them out.



Last courgette planted in space around remaining cabbage from last year. Neighbour gave me a load of spare broccoli or other greens, seedlings - planted then around the runner beans and a few at back where the garlic was - not that bothered, maybe they'll come to something maybe not. Everything ticking along nicely; a bit of weeding and watering but not much else to do!

Beadle

Beadle's round with some late seedlings, so found some places to plant them. Runner beans where the onions and garlic were, plus two tomatoes and a pepper on newly vacated space in the potatoes bed ... but dug in completely new compost to try and avoid blight build up.

Nearly everything planted

Planted the butternut squashes into the skip bag. Four in one bag. The soil is very heavy, with rotting straw/menu so we'll see if they can manage that.


Picked about half the over-winter onions and laid them under a plastic cloche to dry out (I think this is what you are supposed to do). Not sure what to do with garlic - very affected with rust and some are still quite small. Tried half lifting them (maybe it gives them a shock to swell the bulbs) and also uncovering the bulb (think they may be planted too deep).



Potted up the tomatoes - they dont look really healthy but maybe they will pick up. The climbing franch beans and starting to take off, whilst the dwarf beans look rather unhealthy.

So, nearly everything is planted. Only 3 cougrettes to go - I think theyt could go into space when the onions and garlic are cleared.

Another raised bed

 
Finsihed another box to go on right side. Dug inside around edge and lined with plastic bags to at least 6" below ground level (which is 6" below top of soil in the box anyway). Layed down black fabric around the box which will get covered with the woodchip. Hopefully, this may keep the grass out.

Planted one half with climbing french beans, and the other with yet more leeks.

More rain as June starts

Constructed a makeshift edge around the large bed at the back and planted out the sweetcorn. Made a sort of cover from the plastic mesh, just in case it gets a little cold, although I think we're pretty safe from a frost.

Michael helped collecting more woodchip to layout the paths around that area, which looks quite nice now.


Some of the onions are going to seed, the garlic is very affected by some sort of rust (fungus I think). Potatoes doing well, they seemed to have recovered from the frost damage and I might try digging one or two up soon.

Late frost - quite a bit of damage

 

Sudden couple of cold nights and I've a lot of frost damage. Potatoes affected but they should recover, and about a third of the dwarf beans killed. One, maybe two tomatoes killed also (but they were a risk putting them out at this time of year).

April started cold but warming up now

Potatoes coming through so earthing them up. The row under the plastic cloche are a couple of inches higher than those not protected.

Some of the seeds (carrots, beetroot) germinated but many did not, so planted some more and took the plastic cloche off the carrots, as maybe this was making it too dry.

Planted leek seedings in the furthest back bed on right, by dibbing a quite deep hole, dropping seeding in, with only an inch or two poking out, and watering in. That is a very highly menured and dugover bed so hopefully should perfectly suit the leeks. Moved the bramble sticks to this area to keep any animals off until stuff gets established.

Dug over the bed for sweetcorn, leveled and covered with black plastic so it starts to warm up.

Emptied one of the skip bags of composting straw mix, partly into the others and over some of the beds.