Planted!

Finally the weather is improving and I had some time so the great planting exercise of 2012 was launched. Everything went in at once because it's really late in the gardening year to get going.

Although it doesn't look like much at the moment, I got the tomato plants and the lemon cucumber plants in there, along with two different kinds of mixed salad leaves and what I believe may be some raddichio (the packet it came in was not in English). Also I direct-sowed some climbing beans.

In the back of the garden we have rows of carrots, white beetroot and kale, topped off with patty pan squash, zucchini, and a mysterious plant which could be one or the other (a snail ate the label off the pot so I couldn't tell).

I may have to invest in a bigger watering can because the hosepipe ban is still in operation (and the hosepipe connector doesn't fit onto the tap anymore anyway since I changed the tap). Now let's hope for some nice weather, and hopefully my bamboo defences will deter the cats from digging up the seeds and the snails and slugs will leave the starts alone.

Autumn yet?

Didn't manage to post something last weekend when I was actually doing the work in the garden. It really felt autumnal then but of course the English weather threw a googlie this weekend with pleanty of sunshine and high temperatures.



Anyway last week I ripped up the tomatoes (damn that blight) and consigned the beans to non-harvesting mode (only waiting for beans for sowing next year now). Found a patty pan squash which had sprung up unnoticed. The only things that are left now are raspberries, kale, carrots, some beetroot (mainly for the leaves) and patty pan squash (I live in hope). I have some potatoes tucked away and a the world's tiniest Turk's Turban squash is growing up the fence.

Had a good browse through the seed catalogues and I think I got some ideas for next year...October is usually ordering month.

Winding down already?

Quick potter round the garden - mostly to get the tomatoes sorted out (the pink bowl is full of them). I pulled three of them up because they were rotting, the rest I am giving a bit more time in the ground. I'm very disappointed because they really looked good. I hope some of them at least ripen on the window sill.


It's been raining so much - crappy August for the veg, great for snails though. I am competing with them for everything. I had lots of raspberries during the week, so now there is jam too (the raspberry vodka was a great success). The beans are slowing down. Didn't get that many squash, just too wet. And just look at that surplus thyme and sage! What is noticeable though is that the weather is subtly changing - the garden year is definitely winding down.

Welcome back harvest

In my two-week absence it rained a lot which meant that all plants survived but unfortunately it also meant that a lot of the fruit either got mouldy, overripe or fell prey to the snails. Some beans will be left on the plant now to save for seeds. Nice trio of patty pan squash and a handful of colourful tomatoes.


Stained hands from raspberry picking - looks like I've been in a blood bath. Had some help picking them from the Girl but apparently "bugs squik her out". More fruit to save for later, although my freezer is getting full. I may have to look into alternative ways of preserving soon.

A tomato and a squash

Success!

I've been wondering for a few days whether this tomato was ripe yet. I have decided today that it is :) Maybe I should have labelled the tomatoes instead of mixing them up, otherwise I would have realised a bit earlier that it was the variety "Orangeberry". Only a couple of the tomatoes have a really distinctive shape so I need to guess a little bit. Also, one of the patty pan plants finally decided to fruit (the Mixed ones; the "Pattison Orange" is not doing much at all other than flower).


In addition, I got more beans (now some being turned into salad and the rest frozen) and raspberries (I think they may actually deserve ice-cream to go with them). I could almost survive on my garden (especially if I kept a couple of chickens and, er, a cow...).

End of July overview

Just a quick note on proceedings. I built some "cages" for the raspberries so they don't flop over so much (just some bamboo canes tied together). Harvested another bowl of blackberries and more beans. Other than that, everything is growing well and taking shape. The sunny weather also helps!

Jamming!

About a third of the greengages got turned into jam, another third was given away and the rest is waiting to be chopped and frozen (for pies and perhaps more jam). I think I cooked it for a bit too long so it may be a bit more set than I prefer but it should taste ok. Yay jam!


Today I picked the rest of them from the tree (lost about half to roving snails eating them on the branches!). Very good harvest. Also picked blackberries which grow along the fence. And a handful of beans.


The blackberries along with some gooseberries I still had lingering in the fridge are now bubbling away on the stove for more jam. Raspberries should be next in line for harvesting and maybe I'll make more jam, but I think I may try my hand at raspberry vodka (basically just a lot of raspberries covered in vodka - easy!). Considering it takes me quite a while to get through a jar of jam, I may not need to buy any for at least six months (never mind vodka which has been in my freezer for at least a year).

Full of beans

Took the opportunity to run out into the garden between downpours to check on the pole beans ('Pantheon'). I've managed to pick a good handful of fairly large ones and in between picking and eating barely 30 minutes passed. So delicious! Lots more to come. Now I only need to stop them climbing along my washing line (or maybe I shouldn't?).


Somehow very soon I also need to slot in picking the greengages. I probably will only keep a few of them for eating right now and make jam with the rest. Hopefully it'll stop raining soon - no fun standing in the rain picking fruit!

Between harvests

I'm between harvests. It won't be far off but need to just wait it out. The raspberries have finished their first crop and are preparing for the second big push. If the weather is warm enough they'll grow surprisingly quickly. One or two beans should be big enough to pull off in a few days or so.



Still waiting for the tomatoes, cucumbers and patty pans. The tomatoes have at least set fruit (all six kinds of them, I'm just showing pictures of two of them) but no such luck yet for the rest. At least there's some flowering (even though I lost one of my cucumber plants on the way).





The big-if is the greengage tree, probably ready in about one or two weeks in my estimate. It's really hanging full, so much so that I propped up the main branch because it's bending over so much I feared it would snap. However, I think I may have a stealthy enemy. Some of the fruit are rotting on the tree. I'm not sure if it's the wet weather or it could be greengage sawfly. I will need to keep an eye on it.


In other news I "found" lots of salad potatoes to sow. And when I say I found I meant I forgot about them in my veg rack and then they sprouted. They should make a nice crop later in the autumn. I'm usually quite bad about planting veg for autumn and winter but this year I should have some winter squash, kale and these potatoes. Not quite self-sufficient but nice addition to buying food later in the year.

Definitely a month ahead...

A longish post before I go away for a week and everything shrivels up - it's going remarkably well and the garden is a full month ahead.

The evidence: the first raspberries. I checked back over the blog and the last two years the first few ripened end of June/beginning of July instead of beginning of June.

Strawberries also ripening in the pot and I picked a couple - so sweet! I fear however that the snails are getting to them before I will, even the copper tape doesn't seem to stop them.


The squashes, cucumbers and tomatoes are growing well, too, although they could do with more watering. I ended up with three different kinds of cucumbers (lemon, ridge and "Delta Star F1" mini cucumber) alongside my six varieties of tomatoes (the first ones are now flowering). Patty pan squashes are only two varieties, to keep it simple ;)




In the other bit of veg garden there are the curly kale (starting to curl), the beetroot, carrots and leafy lettuce mix (need to remember to pick before it bolts) and the pole beans (getting there but no Jack and the Beanstalk material).




Overall the garden is looking very nice. Very "orderly" - veg on the left, flowers on the right. The level beyond the curved path hides more veg and flowers. Now I do hope that it rains a bit over the next week so it doesn't all die...

May...or June?

This weather is crazy. It's been so warm and, especially, dry that everything is at least a month in advance. The kniphofia - Red Hot Poker - is already coming out and I have this feeling that all the flowers are going to be over and done with in a month. This is also bad news for the veg. I'm struggling to keep up with watering. One of the cucumber is really not looking happy. However, the germination of the lemon cucumbers was a bit hit-and-miss so there may be an underlying problem anyway. I also bought a ridge cucumber in the local shop today to see how that will do.


However, the gamble with the tomatoes and patty pan squash last month paid off. They are not that big yet but then again it's still early days. I spotted the first flower buds on one of the tomatoes today. I managed to mix them all up and didn't label them so it'll be a surprise when they ripen.



The herbs love this weather! The fennel, thyme, oregano and purple sage are nearly taking over!

The rest are also making progress. Kale (lost one to the snails), pole beans, and my rows of beetroot, carrots and salad mix are doing quite well. And just in case you are wondering - the bamboo BBQ sticks are cat defences.





So... all in all not bad but I wish it would rain now and again - overnight and then stop in the morning ;)

Glorious spring and early planting

I'm chancing it this year by planting out my tender plants early - a bit risky before "Cold Sophie" (May 15th) - but the weather has been really clement and they may actually do better in the ground than in pots. I still have some cloches on standby should it really get cold (and also to keep the snails at bay).

So I have six different kinds of tomatoes:


Two different kinds of patty pan squash:


And cucumbers:


I also have some kale starting up, another cucumber and some chilli plants:


I have also direct-sowed white beetroot, carrots and mixed salad leaves. The pole beans "Panthenon" have also been planted. Not bad going for Easter weekend!

Full-on harvesting

Lots of veg still to be harvested - I haven't really touched the beetroot or carrots, and there is some strange squash that self-seeded itself. In the meantime beans, raspberries, cucumbers and tomatoes are providing lots of tasty treats. I am thinking of making proper, fresh tomato soup which is the best thing on earth. The "conjoined" patty pan I harvested last is now mercifully nearly used up - there is a limit to how much even I can eat of it.

As I was checking over the Turk's Turban squash it came off the vine so I take that as a sign that it is ready :) Looks very pretty and I bet it will be delicious roasted. There is another, bigger one still growing in the garden which I will leave alone for a while longer.

Just realised that I haven't bought any veg other than peppers and potatoes for the last few weeks so that means I am pretty much self-sustaining at the moment. How cool is that?!?

Conjoined harvests

In my recent haste of harvesting I actually forgot to post a picture of the first fully ripened tomato. Well, here it is - the subtle stripes are barely noticeable but in real life it looked very pretty. It also shows off the patty pan squash and beans which I have been munching my way through.


But look what I took from the garden today!!! A whole bowl of lemon cucumbers, more tomatoes, a bucketload of green beans and the most weirdly-shaped squash I've ever seen! It seems I have a conjoined patty pan - anyone know how that happens?


Lunch today was much nicer than usual, making use of lots of the things I grew myself (mainly it was nicer because I was working from home, the staring at data didn't help though). Green beans cooked with tomatoes, cucumbers in creme fraiche, and tomatoes and goat cheese in puff pastry - ok, I bought the puff pastry, creme fraiche and the goat cheese but give me time ;)

Red-y? Steady? Go!

A ripening tomato. In early August. In my garden! Usually I have to wait till beginning of September. The Tigerella appear to have the head start on this, the others ones are coming along but nothing happening yet that even borders on red.


Have started in earnest on harvesting the beans, although I am competing with some voracious snails that have climbed up the poles. Also on the menu are more lemon cucumbers and a nice patty pan squash.

Harvest for dinner

Dinner was a stir-fry and alongside store-bought supplies I also did a quick harvest of veg to go in it - carrots, a patty pan squash, some beans and the tops of the white beetroot (taste like spinach - they were declared "very nice" by a beetroot-hater). Still leaves me with two lemon cucumbers and the beetroot for another day.


Today is drizzly, too wet to stand there and water the garden but yet not enough to quench the thirst of the plants. Hope it'll give it a good drenching overnight.

On another thought, I need to check whether there are any greengages this year (I think the tree is suffering from some kind of insect infestation that makes them drop off before ripening) and figure out what to do with my three (!) gooseberries. I also now have some blackberries coming up. Maybe just a square of puff pastry with an assortment of fruit on it?

Progress...

The garden is now progressing nicely and plenty of veg are setting fruit.

The squashes are bursting at the seams - the Turks Turban in particular has started to "escape" and is climbing everywhere. I also spotted the first patty pan developing (there had been plenty of male flowers previously). Both are such weird-looking specimens, much more interesting than the uniform things you can buy in the shops.



And finally - a bean! I doubt that this year I end up with a glut, although I may regret saying that.


The tomatoes are doing great - the Red Pear especially has lots of vines. Now hoping for the warm weather to continue so they'll ripen before September.


And soon I should be ready to harvest the first of the Lemon cucumbers. The skin seems a bit hard, so we'll see how they turn out.