Hope you've had a good week. Been another busy one here culminating in coming home from work and having to water the pots despite rain in the area this morning - obviously not over my garden!
On Monday I noticed the first flowers on the runner beans from the seeds of last year's crop but nothing yet on the bought in seeds. Sweet peas also have flowers and more appearing on the squash plants.
Tuesday I made the decision to pull the shallots as the leaves were yellowing and starting to wilt. Amazing how many have grown - looks like I'll be pickling for a while. Also pulled the red and white onions that were ready. These are all now drying out in the greenhouse and potting shed.
As you can see on the pic I have also delved and found some new potatoes. They are so sweet, so delicious and a delightful accompaniment to the BBQ we had. I am so glad they have grown, I was worried the stems and leaves were too tall. I've nipped the top off half the plants and left the rest as they are and I'll see which fares best. I won't root around (no pun intended) for a week or so to give the rest time to grow...and if you believe that you'll believe anything!
Wednesday - the next batch of gherkins I sowed last week have shot up and yes, they are definitely gherkins, all eight of them. They are now repotted into their growing space so hopefully there'll be more pickling to be done later in the year. The one remaining courgette plant is in flower, the others, sadly, wilted away...I think I killed then with kindness. Him indoors has assembled my new composter and it's all ready to go once I have filled the temporary one.
Thursday and more onions pulled and racked and more spuds (Maris Piper early) retrieved and eaten. I have also picked quite a few peas but they never make it to getting cooked, too yummy raw! Also picked and had in salad radishes, spring onions, spinach, beetroot and young kale leaves. Peppers and chillies doing well and cucumbers, well...I tied them loosely to the frame on Monday and they've now grown nearly a foot (or just under a third of a metre for younger readers).
Meanwhile, the pond water is still looking good. We cleared away more blanket weed and a couple of baby fish were caught up in it so we (well, not me but him indoors) put them back so at least it proves the fish are still in the pond...somewhere!!
Had a few more raspberries, three actually but they're getting there bless 'em. The Autumn raspberries are nearly catching them up. Leeks, parsnips, fennel (greenhouse grown) and beetroot all flourishing. Covered the runner beans with netting to protect the flowers from the birds. Also started to dig over the shrub and cottage garden bed that I'd started on the previous week.
Friday - and by this time we could hardly move - we finished clearing the bed and covered it polythene until I have planned what's going in it and where. The cucamelons are coming along nicely and so are the geums. We dismantled the cloche tunnel over the fennel and carrot seeds sown a couple of weeks ago as, finally, they are starting to grow. This afternoon I took some garden rubbish that wasn't really good for home composting to the recycling centre and on the way back, decided to pop into the local supermarket to get a couple of bits as couldn't be bothered to come home, change and go out again. And yes, I bumped into someone I haven't seen for a while, which always happens. Despite the 'garden clothes' and bits of garden adorning me she said I looked well. I thanked her and returned the compliment, as she actually did. I also wanted to add that I don't, as a rule, go shopping looking like this but the moment had already passed. Oh well.
Here are a couple of pics that I promised from last week.
Well that's all for this week. Haven't had time to watch Monty yet (slap hand) but off to do it right now. Have a good week and don't forget the sun tan lotion.
Regards,
DD
