The Frantic Gardeners’ Blog

must add some photos at some point to this blog.

today i have planted out into the veg bed the first sowing of celebration peas. [the endeavour have been composted] also the broc early red and cauli autumn giant. they are watered in nicely [waterbut] and environmeshed over, otherwise we have a plague of caterpillars. the peas also environmeshed as last time we had pea thrips. hopefully this will help.

to help me get to the veg, DH has been hacking away at one of the fabulous shaped yews. it feels sad and a bit of a desecration, but it is too big. they should shoot well from the woody bits, so we will have it as perhaps a simpler cylinder.

i am going to use the last of my compost now to pot on a few more toms.

we have some early cherries on the cherry minarette, and loads and loads of blossom on the apple minarettes, so hoping for a good crop. the strawbs are in full flower and looking v healthy, and all the bush fruit has settled. one of the raspberry canes appears to be doing nothing though.

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.

have sown the toms - tigerella, gardeners delight and ilidi [a yellow cherry] with the girls. hopefully will get a good germination rate! Also sown the peppers - big banana, a black coloured one ?poblano - must check. they are late, so here’s hoping! also jalapeno. and also late, artichokes! the girls seed sowing technique means a very variable depth, but most things seem to survive.

Must now revitalise the propagator though. As the science experiments the girls have done show, warmth and water are the essentials.

chris has dug over the fruit bed, awaiting arrival of raspberries and of goosegogs. [the blueberries will go in the tubs]

broad beans done - through the cardboard again in a square foot type pattern. i am also trying carrots through cardboard this year. means that i am planting in stations rather than rows for a change, and wasn’t sure how many seeds per station, so will prob have to thin out terribly. just hoping that this will reduce the weedage! have planted flyaway [carrot fly resistant].

both girls helped me, the youngest by putting in the broad beans, and the oldest by putting the bricks on the cardboard to stop it flying away. An elemental idea, only thought this year, was to precut the holes on the comfort of my sofa, rather than grovelling on the ground with children throwing themselves across my back. much less stressful!

mulches R us - the rest of the veg bed a sea of black semipermeable membrane. we are going to lift, weed, dig and sow as we need each bit . As many things as poss will be grown through cardboard or newspaper with grass clippings on top. fingers crossed!

but we beat the bluster and went out to sow broad beans. that is me and the smallest undergardener! We are sowing through cardboard again this year as it was so succesful last year. they have gone into one of the bits that last year were nettles. a good choice i thought for the cardboard! i have sown bunyards exhibition, and we have [must look and add!] as well. we only put in half, as it was so cold and blustery that the wee one got a bit fed up. Anyway, its a start!

we have blossoms on the patio peach

[guess what our current glut is!] Actually, it surprised me how very much tomato makes how little dried tomato in oil!! Hopefully will be lovely.

Also still harvesting french and runner beans, peppers and aubergines, with stored onions to use too - very Italian!! Our pears nearly ready…

Oh, and our grapes are ready!!! woohooo

And what a rainy while it has been too. The sweetcorn not looking too happy as a bit waterlogged.

beans and peas done really well. we have been harvesting loads of broad beans and strawberries. the french and runner beans are flowering. Soon we will harvest the first potatoes - lovely.

Florence fennel is bulbing up wonderfully, carrot tops looking healthy.

The greenhouse is luxurient too, with flowers on peppers and aubergines, and toms ripening.

Pears and plums and cherries ripening, and loads of grapes on the vine. Our weird red leaved ?wild plum type trees are full of sharp but edible fruit. lots of chutneys to make!

Still sad for the sweetcorn though.

how wonderful is that! Unfortunately DD2 also ate several more greener ones. We have changed the envir0mesh to proper fruit netting raised up to give little fingers more trouble! Also had some more podded peas and mangetout - eaten raw in the garden.

I am pleased to announce most of the sweetcorn are in. I should have grown more - might try and pop in a few late ones! Some of the cucurbits also in, and the onions well weeded.

Chris potted up the last toms and they are now in final position so ready to romp! We also sprayed with organic stuff the buildup of blackfly on the cherries, and assorted aphids on the apples.

The roses round the veg bed are looking nice as well, and the elderberry in full flower.

In the children’s plot, noticed DD1’s round carrots are also up. we don’t seem to have a problem with carrot fly - famous last words!

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.