August Harvesting

Just to note what is doing well in the garden at the minute, and what we are enjoying at the table.

Potatoes: Lots dug, and waiting to be used, lots more still in pots.
Courgettes: Producing steadily, but not in glut amounts. The round ones are especially good.
Squash - a few uchiki kuri, a crookneck, Anna Hubbard.
Runner beans: Keeping on top of them so far.
Dwarf French: Sharing with the slugs
Lettuce: Bitter and running to seed
Beetroot: Lovely and big - leaves yummy, roots mostly going into chocolate brownies
Onions: mostly harvested, eating lots
Shallotts: I have 1kg in a string bag for storage - don't think they will last too long, though.
Tomatoes:Lots of green ones - just a few ripening.
White turnips - pulled some today for my mother - await her verdict. I fancy them pickled....
Artichokes are still producing a bit, but the novelty has worn off. We are letting a few flower for the beautiful colour, and maybe the seeds will be viable.

Blueberries ripeing, and a few raspberies.

A little sunshine would go a long way...I suspect I might have a glut of something then...

My strategy on the onions and shallotts is to eat away at them,and have leeks and bunching onions for when they are all gone.

I'm trying not to buy any fruit or veg - so that part of the fridge is strangely empty. I think I'll have to crack and buy some carrots - they are miserable this year.

School update

School is out for Easter break, and lots planted in the past while. Earlier this week, we finished the raspberry planting - we now have 26 autumn fruiting raspberries in.

Earlier we planted 6 blueberry bushes, and more than 12 strawberries. And 3 rhubarb plants. In the wildlife bed, we have several currant bushes, and a josterberry and 2 apple trees. (We also have some Jerusalem artichoke in there).


Today we planted ot some 4 week old peas - they were looking good - especially the ones which got the worm tea. Just in case there's frost or slug damage, I planed another pea beside them, and some onions around them.

We have 8 or 9 huge pots with spuds - they have gone home with the teachers and parents, and hopefully will return to the school in good shape.

There will be a feast - or multiple - at some point in the near future...

Broad Beans and Peas

I planted two types of Broad Bean (the sutton, and aquadulce claudia), and some peas (Kelvedon wonder) on New Years eve. They germinated quickly - in a warm place - and then moved them to the shelf at the patio window. Soon they started to develop a bit of a lean, so got put outside for the day to get more light.

Last Friday (Jan 23rd) I erected a Lidl mini greenhouse/cloche/cold frame, and put it over one of my raised beds. One batch of the braad beans went in, and then a severe frost set in. I wasn't expecting the beans to survive -they are frost hardy, but they were pretty tender. But survive they did, so the peas followed today.

We collected a branch suitable for turning into pea sticks while on a bike ride by the canal - the council had been pruning, so we took some ready to go alder.

Also in the cold frame are some chives in pots, and some divided artichokes - we are having a good few sunny days, so it's getting nice and steamy in there.

Spring is coming!!!