Planted onions for over wintering

Large bed at back that had sweetcorn ... dug over and banked up, hopefully to improve drainage if there's a flood this winter, then planter with some onion seeds (white) and sets (red). Also some garlic (solent wight) - but not very nice looking cloves so might have to get more Only beetroot left now. Everything else dug up, dug over, cleared and some boxes green manured, which is growing well.

Just about all clear

All potatoes dug up and keeping them in hessian sacks, so we'll see if they keep alright. Last round of sweetcorn got attacked on plant -- pigeons or squirrels or something was eating them in situ. BUT probably got about 20 cobs previously, so not too bad. Only beetroot and french beans left in the ground. A green manure mix planted on a couple of boxes and that's coming up nicely. Courgette in a pot not very successful at all ... I guess it just didn;t get watered enough. Terry at the plot behind me has dug it over (with mechanical assistance of course - he got a mini-digger in).

Sweetcorn planted

3 rows of 11 sweetcorn planted -- between 4 and 6" tall -- all in back bed. 9 plants left over into large pots in case I need them of they do better than ones I planted in which case I'll swap them.

Earthing up potatoes

Earthing up potatoes, with soil piled up on rear box that I'll use for sweetcorn now it's nice and leveled.

Also digging out one spare box which will be this years to fill with compost etc... Currently that's got standing water below about 12" down -- remember we're in a drought!

Half of cabbage seedlings gone to seed so throwing them away.

Almost done with planting

Planted one box full of beetroot and a few carrots

Did most of the others with potatoes, and each of leeks and onions, 3 or 4 weeks ago. The potatoes are coming thru now.

Just the large one along back left -- try for sweetcorn there I think this year.

Cleared the bamboo by the shed and moved as much of the grass as mower could manage.

Mid-winter - planted garlic

All thats left now is 4 or 5 rather thin looking leeks, everything else is clear.

Filled in back-corner box with a little compost and covered with soil from another bed, in otder to level that one off and plant the garlic for next year. 4 bulbs to fill the box -- seem to be larger cloves than usual.

Was a little chilly, now suddenly warm again!

WInding down, end of season

French beans, soft fruit just about over. Courgettes still going but less excessively (although got 5 in fridge). Carrots, plenty of them, no root-fly but wierd shapes and split stems. Potatoes and leeks great and plenty left.

One melon - difficult to know when to pick it!

Everything going quite well

Tomotoes have blight on stems but doesn't seem to be taking over and getting afarily steady crop.

Potatoes very good and plenty of them even where the tops dont look too great.

French beans in full flow and courgettes of course.

Trying to give plenty away as last year much of surplus simply rotted before it got used.

Blackberries and raspberries also ... tried making low sugar jam ... its ok but not set at all.

Blight

Blight stuck most of the tomatoes last week (and most of the site aswell). Chopped off all the affected parts and lets see if it spreads - not so far, but very hot and forecast is to get wetter so maybe it will then.

Potatoes seem very high yield. Also beetroot good. Courgettes in full swing and digging up the odd carrot - some ok and some rather shoirt, stubby or bent.

Plenty of blackberries, raspberries not so good but not too bad considering dry start to year.

Manure day

Picked hottest day of year to get 15 barrow-loads of manure, for £5. Very hot work. Borrowed Pauls barrow as thats really big. Filled newest box about 80% with manure and then covered with a few inches of soil. Also filled a skip bag and again topped with a layer of soil or older compost. Finally raised level in the pallet-built box by digging a trench, filling with manure and then moving soil back over. All of these will all do for various squashes and got a melon to plant out.

Finished transplanting all the french beans, so that box is now done.

Two garlic left in ground but they need picking now - tops fallen over. Might try some more carrots from seed but tricky when its this hot. Last lot I sowed have come up - but that may be becuase it was cool and wet just after I planted them.

Onions a disater again. Most have hardly grow and many are rotting in the roots so slight pressure on stem knocks them over or pulls them out. Leeks however looking very fine. Garlic ok as well so I dont understand why onions do so badly here.