fruit

well,  we harvested a glut of strawberries, and they have finally finished. we also harvested some blueberries. we are now harvesting loads of raspberries, and some blackberries. i can see lots of figs and apples to come.

veg

we harvested all the peas. i never got round to successional sowing - always a failure of mine. something to improve on next year. we had a moderate harvest of broad beans. i think it was a bit too shady where they were really. we have started on a goodly crop of potatoes, courgettes and french beans. runners yet to come, but starting off. i can see some huge pumpkins growing, and the sweetcorn are looking good. underneath the environmesh the cauliflowers look like they might be getting a flower, and the early purples are getting tall. we also have a row on very tall and very beautiful sunflowers.

undercover

the toms have gone a bit wild. they’ve been watered, but i have been a bit remiss on pinching out. nevertheless there are lots of toms coming along. there are also a few peppers on the timy number of pepper plants i got.

maintenance

actually, the black mulch has been great, because the non cultivated areas aren’t weed infested. the cardboard around the pots and broad beans now broken own, but has done a reasonable job. the amazing revelation has been the fabulous straw by the sweetcorn. we have to have more straw next year. i have tried to do regular hoeing. not perfect, but every little counts!!

Sadly the birds have stripped all the ripening cherries - we didn’t net in time. grrr!!!

we are now harvesting strawbs, broad beans and peas. the potatoes are in flower, so soon i shall peep beneath! and we have a courgette getting bigger and bigger. the fruit trees and bushes all have fruitlets, and the things in the veg patch looking v healthy.

i loved seeing my older girl climb under the environmesh to pod peas. this is why i do it

i think this is the most organised this garden has been since we moved here. i must add some piccies into this blog. certainly the investment in mulch and clearing has worked, and i am trying to regularly hoe. i have also been pruning the bay and yews - well, starting anyway.

it is clear that we need to put bed structure in though, so that we don’t compact growing areas.

sadly, a plum minarette appears to be dying. it is dying back from the top and growing brown. no idea why?

i weeded the beans and the brocolli areas - which desp needed them, and planted out some more squashes. now just got a few left to get out. It is quite clear that those cucurbits potted on into big pots are far bigger and healthier than those in smaller pots - must remember this for next year!

a bit of watering and roostering!

urgent jobs: final pot toms and peppers, sow final beans and peas , trim yews

other jobs: sow salads, summer prune minarettes