The Frantic Gardeners’ Blog

so a typical english bank holiday then!

glad I didn’t put out the sweetcorn in, as it would have been blown over. but it is truly desperate.

broad beans are lying squashed from the wind. aargh. the bean structure and pea structure fine though.

propagator shorted out, but melon seedlings seem fine. all fine in the grenhouse.

def no sign of my broccoli anymore - i think the cardboard experiment failed them as slugs could get them too easily. perhaps should have potted on and grown them bigger before going in??

So the french beans went in. I had some gaps so i put in some italian yard long beans from t and m as seeds, and hope they will germinate now the good weather here.

Also did some weeding - not quite as much as i needed too though!

Chris put cardboard down over the area we are going to put Courgettes and Cucurbits in, and will plant through.

Did harvest a few more asparagus spears, and can see some peas podding up - goody!

For those planning to garden with toddlers, a word of advice - or several!

1. sow more than you need. When they help you pot on our plant out, there are a fair few casualties. Better just to be cheerful and have spares.

2. always have some pea or bean seeds for them to be busy planting anywhere if you have something a bit more delicate to do.

3. make sure your structures are really strong, and if something looks like a corridor, don’t plant along it, or excited feet will trample them down.

4. it is going to take way longer to do anything. for example I planted out 6 beans, and then DD2 required a hug for nearly an hour before being distracted by her trike. After 4 more beans, DD1 wanted to twine flowers in my hair.

5. Smile. growing is to instill a love for the land in them as well. me being uptight wont achieve that. I can always nip ou and fill in gaps. If its fiddly to sow and grow its best to wait until they are doing something else, or leave it out altogether

It doesn’t take long to get behind does it!

this rainy weather has been fantastic for weeds, we have a veritable jungle coming up. Some determined weeding ahead I think!

Veg patch

Also coming up are the potatoes, planted under cardboard, which is good. I feel sad that they aren’t all nice and earthed up, but hopefully this will work, and we will put grass clippings on top as well.

The brocolli still don’t look that happy through cardboard, so won’t prob do that to the caulis. They are one of the behind items, as should have been planted out ages ago, so worried that they wont make a head. oh well.

Onions looking good - have kept on top of the weeding there, and we have picked the last of the asparagus. we will need to save seeds or buy crowns for a new bed next year as these have gone past sell by.

however, must turn the huge nettle bed into nettle tea, and then get it ready for the sweetcorn and courgettes and other cucurbits that are desperate to go out. Also in the wings are some leeks and spring onions.

Fruit Bed

well, the strawberries a tempting size now though still green. DD2 picked one, but pronounced it ‘not tasty’. hopefully she will leave the rest alone until red! We have fruitlets on the minarette trees.

The broad beans have flowered well. Though the imperial longpod has far less flowers on it than the sutton. The peas are doing well, and I got the runner beans in the ground today. Unfortunately some pest has had a go at a few of them, so popped some seeds in the gaps. wanted to get the french beans out too, but they will wait till tomorrow.

The squashed florence fennel seems to have mostly recovered, and the carrots are looking healthy. pulling most of the radishes now.

lots of weeding to do!

Under Cover

well, most things are in the right size pot, so that’s a bit of a relief! SOme of the toms don’t look so healty though - not sure why. better find a book to diagnose. the aubergines and peppers looking good. About to clear the final contents of conservatory into greenhouse and dismantle the propagator for this year. just waiting the melon to germinate.

So there you go. Shame I have very few days to do this in. frantic indeed!

so haven’t managed to tidy up the veg bed, and a full week ahead. oh well. What we did do was a bit more greenhouse tidying - getting the other side ready for the toms. Also sowed the melon amber nectar, and a few runners and french beans to fill in some gaps Will do some more perhaps to try a 3 rather than 2 sisters!

We spent most of the rest of the day outside working and playing in the garden.

Fruit bed

I weeded and also did a bit of pruning and training of the minarettes. The cherry seems to have a goodly supply of blackfly on them, so must go out and get some soap solution. The strawberries are doing very well. lots of little green strawblets! must put the mesh on them before birds start to get interested.

the broad beans all in flower, with no obvious difference between those planted in the soil through crdboard boxes, and those module grown and popped in later. the peas are better now hidden with mesh, but a few flowers are appearing, so should change to chicken wire. chris and the girls spread muck for the french and runner bean trenches, chris put in the canes. We have put the runners and french beans currently in modules into the cold frame for final hardening off.

children’s plot

SB and BB sowed some round carrots. Actually there is a half price seed sale on the thompson and morgan site! [cough]SO I bought some more seeds [cough]. SB was ecstatically happy with the round carrot seeds as she has wanted some for ages, as well as the dwarf french beans that can go in her plot! That’s my girl. She danced about with the packets in excitement! Actually, the carrots they sowed in their plot ages ago have started to come up, as have the runner beans [goodness knows where they will run too! might give each a cane!!]

main veg bed

hmmm, this needs some SERIOUS work! the potatoes are starting to come up, a few asparagus spears made it through the weeds! I have hoed the onions again, and popped some sets into the gaps. We really need to sort out some more of it though.

Under cover

well, the cucurbits and sweetcorn are getting keen to see the outside world but it isn’t ready for them - as well as it being a bit early . peppers and aubergines are in the colder bit of the conservatory to get them ready for going out into the greenhouse [both unheated]. The broccoli and flowers have germinated. The toms in the greenhouse are shooting up nicely. Must sow melons and a few etra runners and frnch beans, plus salad bits and pieces. getting there!

?i thought the blog could do with a photo update! Here is some of whats going on with veg

Chris finished sorting out the greenhouse, so I moved loads of things there ready to get ready for the great ourdoors [toms for indoors, cucurbits, runner and french beans and sweetcorn] I gave them a good water and some rooster feed.

I also did a fair amount of hoeing in the fruit bed and around the onions in the veg plot, as well as a hand weed of the childrens plot.

i was very greatful for the drenching of rain we had today as well - replenished our waterbuts a bit, and saved me using the watering can.