The Frantic Gardeners’ Blog

i am very happy, near 100% germination of all sweetcorn - goody! the climbing bean blauhilde also started to germinate. have watered the weekend plantlings outside - all happy in their safety zone, those pesky cabbage whites shouldn’t find a way in! DH has done a bit more weeding of the fruit bed. realised i didn’t take any photos of apple blossom - wah! lots of strawberry blossom though.

awaiting purchase of compost to pot on the remainder of toms and the squashes. not quite brave enough to plant them out yet! [and also would have to weed another area!] maybe i should plant out some and see??

its still under black membrane wraps, but the peas [celebration not hopeless endeavour] neeeeed to go out, as do the caulis and brocolli [so that i can then do a second sowing! I desperately need some more cardboard boxes, and some timeto do a spot of weeding! it is MUCH easier to do sowing and potting on with children than sorting and weeding. even if the sowing is ‘unusual’ and somethings don’t recover from the potting on!

the greenhouse also needs a bit of a sorting out, as i have potted on some of the toms again, and the yard long beans need to think about climbing up some permanent sticks! only 4 peppers, ah well.

oh, and the propagatory totally backed up! the artichokes have been potted on, as have some of the sunflowers.

for germination - we have had 100% of all the squash family [including the butternut squash from supermarket!] and the runners and celebration [but a solitary endeavour - will try sowing direct]. runners will soon need to go out [protected] and the squashes potted up.

for sowing, today i sowed the first lot of climbing bean blauhilde and cobra in roottrainers, the runner bean sunsomethingorother - to look up! I also sowed the sweetcorn - butterscotch and a supersweet.

beautifully chitted!! we have planted charlotte and pink fir apple. we don’t need to do much in the potato line, as a farm on the edge of the village sells so many diff varieties. infact, we have that many farm shops that we are spoilt for local grown organic [though not yet able to be labelled as such] produce.

We have planted through cardboard again, as that seems to be reasonably successful, and we are hopeless at weeding!

I am looking at the caulis and brocolli and peas and thinking they are also ready to go out. hmm, they’ll have to wait a bit!

toms have been happy with the repotting, and getting a move on. the yard long beans at least haven’t sulked too much!

the first of the squashes are already germinating - butternut from the supermarket. the girls always like to sow some saved seeds.

sown at the same time, sharing the same propagator. pretty much all things equal, but all the celebration peas have germinated, grown well and are hardening off to go out. about 1/10 of the endeavour have germinated, and of those, some are just showing tips only. my current recommnedation is celebration!

all the tomatoes have germinated, though the peppers lagging behind! the yard long beans also all germinated. the peas and sweetpeas, broccoli and cauliflowers also started to peek through. as soon as enough of the peas and brassicas have germinated, they will be out of the propagator to make room for some of the companion flowers to be started off.

But not been entirely idle on the gardening front!

Seeds - the artichoke, sunflowers, indoor broad beans [now being experimented upon!] have all germinated , also the yellow tomatoes ilidi. i have sown peas endeavour and celebration today, some sweet peas and yard long beans.

outside - the fruit bed is all nicely weeded, the minarette trees trained, fed and pruned. [as an aside, i am never getting minarettes again, it is a big fib that they don’t need pruning and training! should have just got a cordon and been done with it!, at least they were part of an offer, though as 4 out of 10 died, still not entirely impressed] . the beginings of the industrial raspberry support has been done. this was less than planned, as i was also goldilocks to the children’s improvised 3 bears story, plated hide and seek, chased all spiders out of their den…

outside - the veg bed is all safely under that permeable plastic mulch awaiting using time. All the winds blew it around, so now it is truly fixed down. the broad beans and carrots not germinated yet.

wildlife - the birds def liking the new birdfeeders! have seen goldfinches for the first time - yippee.

well, harvesting loads of strawberries, mangetout and broad beans - goody! peas get eaten by my 2 little birds!!

lovely bushy potato plants, but as late in, haven’t looked for a crop yet. The toms are happy in their final pots and being tied in as they grow. the odd flower. peppers and aubergines all looking healthy. I think I’ll pot the aubergines into a bigger pot.

Sweetcorn went out too late, and don’t seem to be taking off. the weather has been unsettled, so I won’t loose hope. the popcorn ones have germinated, and although late I’ll give thema try!

finally got all the squashes in. both daughters helped - surprised by the prickliness of the plants. fingers crossed for a good crop, even though late.

but… we did harvest the first peas today, strawberries are getting temptingly red [and are covered up!] there are pods on the broad beans too.

harvested a few more asparagus spears. potatoes are very leafy. cucrbits going out tomorrow.

propagator can be dismantled, as 100% melon germination, growing on a bit before going out. Also have the spare beans for the canes, and further spares can be sisters for sweetcorn and cucurbits

lovely sunny weather isn’t it.

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!

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!